“The restaurant is the universe in which I have always been immersed. On the maternal side, my grandparents lived in Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux [Isère] and had a one-star establishment, the Pique-Pierre. My maternal grandfather died quite young, and it was my grandmother Madeleine who ran the kitchens after him for twenty years, keeping the star. La Bonne Auberge, the restaurant in Antibes of my paternal grandfather, Joseph, known as “Jo”, had obtained three Michelin stars. And my great-uncle had two stars in Bourg-en-Bresse.
My father immediately wanted to be a cook, and my mother didn’t ask herself any questions: when my paternal grandfather moved to the Côte d’Azur in 1973, my parents took over his restaurant in Sassenage. , near Grenoble, for five years, before moving to Paris to open the Michel Rostang restaurant in the 17e arrondissement, two stars in 1980.
At the staff dinner
Breaded mussel skewers are a recipe invented by my maternal grandfather. It is a memory of him, and full of symbols that correspond to us … A small dish that is at the same time simple, sophisticated, gourmet and inexpensive, which is also a fun way to recycle leftover mussels (that everyone knows) do), so as not to spoil anything and reinvent tastes. A delight that can be made with small or large mussels, and a “pimpée” mayonnaise with fine herbs, like tartar sauce.
This dish punctuated the family paths: each time a restaurant opened, there was a la carte a recipe similar to this one, kebabs, nuggets or donuts …
“While our paternal grandfather served us dishes from his restaurant menu, our grandmother simmered little dishes just for us, as we liked them. “
I was born in Grenoble and I grew up in Paris. My sister, Sophie, is eighteen months younger than me. During our childhood, our parents worked a lot and we were on our own – but never alone since we were always together. On weekdays, we only saw our parents at staff dinner at 6:30 p.m. – not great for privacy. But we cherished the Sunday meal with the family, the short stays in the countryside in Vexin and the holidays.
My sister and I also went regularly to Grenoble and Antibes with our grandparents, and to Annecy, where we had a family home, with our grandmother Madeleine. She was the one who cooked for us. Because, while our paternal grandfather served us dishes from his restaurant menu, she simmered little dishes just for us, as we loved them: potato pancakes, Florentine mussel gratin, escalope à la cream and mushrooms… It was with her, first, that I understood: transforming a product to share it and delight others is an act of pure love.
Today, I cook a lot at home, more like my grandmother than in a restaurant. I love to prepare simple and generous dishes for my family, large vegetable gratins, candied broccoli – or mussel skewers, our family lucky charm. “