Meet Dia Rougui

Career path

Rougui Dia grew up in the Parisian suburb of Neuilly Plaisance. She always enjoyed the convivial meals that were customary in her large family. Her father passed his love for fresh ingredients on to her and would take her to the wholsale food market in Rungis once a week.
One day, after preparing a spinach and peanut stew that delighted her entire family, she decided to enter the world of cooking.

After her apprenticeship, she met Sébastien Faré while working as a part of his team at the restaurant Les Perisiennes. It was the beginning of a great friendship which started with Rougui and Sébastien working together for more than 5 years at various Restaurants.

In 2007, Rougui became Chef at the restaurant Petrossian and went on to recieve the National Order of Merit medal and the Trofémina prize, to name just two of her awards.

In 2015, Rougui and Sébastien teamed up to open a shop in Paris that specialized in babas. Then Rougui set off for the United States to help her sister open her first restaurant and stayed on to open a second one with her.

Rougui returned to France after Covid to become R&D Chef for the food service distributor METRO where she discovered more about Elle & Vire products. She has now joined our team at La Maison de l’Excellence Savencia as Culinary Chef alongside Sébastien Faré.

Her favorite creations at La Maison de l’Excellence

- Mussel and fennel cassolette with light curry sauce
- Cod filled with Normandy sauce
- Cod and roasted cauliflower
- Parisian gratin with onions
- Sublime mushroom cream with celeriac & parma

Favorite childhood dishes

“Spinach and peanut stew and beef bourguignon”

Guilty pleasure

“Bread with butter on it !”