Chef Yann Barraud was born in the French region of Vendée in Luçon, and grew up in a family of cooks. Sticking with the family tradition, he studied cooking at the prestigious "Ecole d 'Arts Culinaire" of Saumur in France. After graduating in 1988, he acquired considerable experience in hotels and restaurants, including the two Michelin star restaurant "Laurent" in Paris, where he worked as a Station Chef. In 1992 he moved to London. He worked as sous chef at "Le Souffle" restaurant located in the Hotel Inter-Continental, holder of a Michelin star. After this position he joined the team of "La Belle Epoque", as head of production at its three restaurants.
He continued his brilliant career as Executive Chef at the "House of Albert Roux" London, being responsible for both of the cuisine and pastry teams, as well as the consultancy of Albert Roux (the first French chef who earned three Michelin stars in England) where he was responsible for researching new projects.
Chef Yann Barraud has also represented England in various culinary competitions.
In 2000 he joined Le Cordon Bleu London as chef professor and was appointed in 2004 as Head Technical Chef. At Le Cordon Bleu, Chef Yann Barraud has taught at the headquarters in London and Paris, and has collaborated with Regent Seven Seas Cruises; there he formed the cuisine teams of different cruise-liners of the company and also offered cooking classes to passengers during their voyages. He has also been a judge in cooking competitions and has participated in various exhibitions around the world. Since becoming part of the team of chefs at Le Cordon Bleu, he has represented the institution in places like Mexico, Santiago, Kuala Lumpur, India and Indonesia. He has also worked as a consulting professor at Chicago (Illinois), Austin (Texas) and San Jose (Costa Rica).