The recent Brittany episode of No Reservations really piqued my curiosity. Seafood, to me, is the end-all of cooking. Beef...chicken...pork...they all seem so simple when compared to seafood. Brittany, of course, is famous for its seafaring history, its oysters (the Belon; if you think you've had it, you probably haven't unless you've been to Brittany), and lastly, its chef--Olivier Roellinger.
His story is really compelling. Olivier had suffered a horrendous accident, which caused him to relearn not only how to walk again, but to live again. This newfound sense of livelihood eventually propelled him to a 3rd Michelin Star in 2006. Then he gave it all up, not 2 years later.
What does he do now? Relaxation...in his food...his life...etc. What intrigues me about him is simple: he's such a great chef, yet doesn't care for the "establishment." He doesn't need others telling what's good, what's bad, what's wrong, what's right. The stress was too much, and I presume that his prior experiences really just told him to enjoy it while it lasts.
However, he isn't out of the game, so-to-speak. He runs this place, and ironically enough, it just earned its first Michelin star. He runs a store full of spices as well, which is fairly neat. And to add onto that, he apparently designed a $100 pepper mill.
Life's not always so bad, eh?
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What a magical, spectacular place!
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