One of the universal truths of being a Vols fan is that if you’re traveling and see someone wearing Tennessee orange, you must shout “Go Vols!” And if they are a true Vols fan, they’ll shout it back.
These spirited exchanges usually occur on the street or at popular tourist spots. But in June, ESPN reporter Holly Rowe posted a photo of herself in a restaurant just outside of Reims, France, standing with the chef—who was wearing an orange Power T baseball cap. Rowe tweeted, “Having dinner at a 3 Michelin star restaurant in France. Chef comes out to say hello. Not kidding-he is a HUGE @Vol_Football fan. Around the world and finding Vol love.”
That chef was Brice Lallement, whose family owns and operates L’Assiette Champenoise, a Michelin three-star restaurant in the Champagne region that is world renowned for its sauces and Brittany blue lobster.
But how did someone who grew up in France with no ties to Tennessee or the university become a fan of the Vols?
It all started with a Disney cruise.
Knoxville native Kelly McCarthy, CEO of Celebration Health and Wellness in Florida, became a regular at Remy, the Michelinlevel restaurant onboard Disney’s Dream and Fantasy cruise ships. It was there she met Lallement’s father, Arnaud, owner of L’Assiette Champenoise and one of the chefs responsible for the cuisine at Remy.
The two became friends, and McCarthy met the younger Lallement when she traveled to France in 2021 to visit Arnaud and eat at his restaurant.
Though McCarthy isn’t a UT alumna, she is a Vols fan. So, of course, she introduced Lallement to Vol football. And it wasn’t long before he caught the Big Orange fever.
“I saw videos of Neyland Stadium full of people, heard ‘Rocky Top,’ watched Peyton Manning play—and I said, ‘That’s my team!’” says Lallement during a Zoom interview, wearing his white chef uniform with his orange Power T cap.
He watched last year’s playoff game against Ohio State University in a club in France and says he tries to follow most games online.
The six-hour time difference between the United States and France works to his advantage. “When I finish work, it’s 1 a.m. here, but because of the time difference, American sports are on,” he says.
Lallement is a self-described lover of American culture. A six-month internship in California helped him become bilingual, and now he spends many of his holiday breaks in the United States with McCarthy and her family.
“He works alongside his father countless hours, travels to the Disney ships to work with the chefs and update menus, and everywhere he goes he is grateful for every person and experience,” McCarthy says.
Jim Caughorn and Brice Lallement in Neyland Stadium
Lallement has traveled to Knoxville a few times with McCarthy to visit her brother Jim Caughorn (’92), owner of Graphic Creations. On his first trip, flying from Orlando, Lallement says he was the only person on the plane not wearing Tennessee orange, so he remedied that once he got to Knoxville.
And while none of his breaks have allowed him to go to a football game, he was able to visit campus in the winter for a baseball game and a peek into Neyland Stadium.
“It’s the biggest and best stadium I have ever seen,” Lallement says with a smile.
But it’s not just UT athletics that he loves.
“I’ve been to 13 states, and the welcome I got in Tennessee is the best that I’ve gotten so far,” he says. “I love the authenticity of the people.”
Caughorn says it’s been exciting to watch Lallement fall in love with his state and alma mater and to spread that love in France.
“To see someone from another country absorb our Volunteer culture with such enthusiasm and sheer passion has been amazing,” he says. “Brice is a great example of how it is almost impossible to leave UT’s campus and not have your blood turn orange.”
Top photograph: Kelly McCarthy and Brice Lallement at a baseball game in Lindsey Nelson Stadium
Where is the most far-flung place you’ve run into a fellow Vol? Email your story—and a photo if you have one—to torch@utk.edu!