Learning from the Bras’

It’s all too easy, being the star in one’s own home. This is why, after grounding my roots in the family’s kitchen, I decided it was time to confront myself with other realities. My aspiration was Maison Troisgros. I had a first interview with Michel Troisgros in April 2010. I loved his cuisine, the evolution of the heritage he had received. Unfortunately his staff was complete: I would have had to wait 6 months but I wanted to learn.

Thanks to my brother Pascal, I asked the pastry chef of the Auberge de l’Ill if he knew the maison Bras. I admired their connection with the territory, its history, its journey, the presentation of the dishes and the minimal transformation of the ingredients. Those are dishes that tell a story. A little while later, I discovered that the maison in Laguiole was looking for staff for the season. Without wasting time, I sent my resume specifying that I would have gone in person. They called me to tell me there was a problem. I thought to myself: «Here we go again, another missed opportunity». Instead, the chef told me the only problem was that I would have had to go there on May 3rd. It was April 28th. I did non hesitate. And this is how my experience with the Bras began.

The first month was one of the hardest: the language I didn’t know, the new environment, the inclusion in a hierarchical, already defined, staff. I was left to my station: I was in charge of char grilling and roasts. At the end of the service, on the fifth day, the chef called me to his office to tell me I could call home. I was meant to say that I wasn’t going back soon: this reconfirm filled me with joy.

After this, it was a constant growth, despite many difficulties. The pressure is a given, because the structure is that of a chain: you can’t break it and no weak links are allowed. Every day you enter the kitchen at 8.25, then there’s the initial briefing and everyone prepares his mise en place. Timing is calculated for everything, so that the organisation is at its best, the preparations need to be perfect, executed with the same preciseness and sensitivity that Michel brings to his cuisine, talents that are combined with the technique and the organisation of Sebastien. Nothing is left to chance.

Describing the experience at Laiguole is not that easy because this restaurant is not limited to purely technical or professional aspects: this place gets under your skin, it generates an immense sense of belonging. It is a place where you “fight”, shoulder to shoulder with your colleagues, always trying to give the best and to respect what has been created. At the end of the first season the chef asked me if I could come back and stay with them for another 3 seasons as chef de partie. This made me proud and my parents too: they were my first real teachers.