Few experienced chefs admit that cooking is not the most important thing for them. Ronan Kervarrec is one of them. This Breton, born in Hennebont (Morbihan) fifty-five years ago, confesses while stumbling a little over words, the legacy of dyslexia diagnosed late in life. However, this Monday, March 18, he won a second star in the 2024 Michelin Guide for his restaurant Le Saison, located in the town of Saint-Grégoire (Ille-et-Vilaine), north of Rennes. His voice, very soft, contrasts with a face with angular features, as if carved from granite, which hardens a little more with a pepper and fleur de sel beard. He has the dark, ringed look of those who don’t cheat and work a little too hard.
“I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but no, cooking is not the main thing: what I want is to touch the hearts of those who come to my house, he confides. I want to make people laugh and cry, like in the theater. Capture an emotion. It’s my whole childhood that I try to translate into my plates. You have to close your eyes to go for a walk with me by the water. »
The sea is the blue thread that connects all the wonders of its table. The room, in white and gold tones, is punctuated with lobster claws perched on pedestals, sea urchin shells and shells placed under a bell, as if a kid had wanted to elevate the nuggets gleaned from the beach to the rank of trophies. And after an aperitif jostled by sea lettuce chips, each of his plates − spider crab immersed in a carcass broth; cockles splashing with sea spaghetti in a creamy white butter − is an iodized madeleine that tells a little of its story.
Ronan Kervarrec comes from a line of cooks: his grandmother and father held the rudder of a working-class restaurant turned into an inn, Le Toul Douar, in Hennebont. The establishment is a hotel. Ronan, his big brother and his little sister sleep in the rooms, or with friends when it is full. The restaurant, very accessible, has a good reputation. “Mixed pieces, leg of lamb… My dad, who was both a pastry chef and a cook, who had even been a saucier at the George V in Paris, but didn’t brag about it, knew how to do everything. He was obviously, for me, the best chef in the world”smiles Ronan Kervarrec.
Of the siblings, he is the only one to accompany his father in the kitchen to learn how to prepare nougatine, devein foie gras or learn the delicate art of sauces. As a child, he also went with him to the port of Lorient, from 6 a.m., to buy langoustines (then at very affordable prices) and fish from small boats, or to push towards Port-Louis (Morbihan) to bring back some pretty tuna which delight the guests of the inn.
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