I was never very good at school, but in my late teens, I discovered the world of cooking, and it was a revelation: I had a knack for manual work. I quickly made it into the top five of my class of 40 students at l’École Hôtelière of Tarbes. I loved transforming raw ingredients into refined dishes.

Thanks to my grades, I joined Le Grand Paris in Digne-les-Bains in 1969, run by chef Jean-Jacques Ricaud. This first three-month internship marked the beginning of a demanding training program.

In 1970, I continued at La Table des Cordeliers under Jean-Louis Paladin, where I learned the art of cooking duck breasts from André Daguin.

L’École Hôtelière offered internships abroad for the best students. As my English was poor, I chose London. In 1972, at the Great Easton Hotel, I rose through the ranks, from cook to chef de partie in a brigade of 100 people.

After school, I decided to return to England. It was during this time that a chef friend told me about Canada.

In 1975, after three years in London, I had to return to France for my military service. As a cook with the 31st Engineer Regiment near Toulouse, I contacted the Canadian embassy and quickly obtained a visa and work permit.

Arriving in Montreal in 1976, in the midst of preparations for the Olympic Games, I found a job on the first day and started the following Monday. I was then working at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal as a sous-chef. And so began my life in Canada!