When did you first start cooking?
From about the age of eight. I knew then that it was what I wanted to do, and this has never changed.

When did you move to Phuket?
I started working here on a full time basis in September 2008 as consulting chef for all Mom Tri’s restaurants. Originally I proposed to Mom Tri that I’d stay for a few months but he said he wanted me to work for two years!

What do you like most about living in Phuket?
The warm weather and the food here, especially the fish and the many herbs for cooking. I like the Thai people and I’m very interested in Buddhist philosophy and culture.

Whereabouts do you live in Phuket?
I live in Kata as it’s close to where I work. I like the Kata area in general.

Do you have family here?
I’m married but my wife stays in France. She’s here now on a holiday and she’s leaving tomorrow. She likes it in Phuket but it’s not possible for her to live here permanently because one of our daughters is still living at home while studying at university in France.

What did you do before you came to Phuket?
I’ve worked in about 17 different restaurants. I started working in a kitchen in a hotel restaurant in Chinon when I was 14. The first chef I worked for was a very talented man whose specialty was creating sauces. He had worked in two- and three-star Michelin restaurants in Paris and I learned a lot from him. I stayed in this restaurant for three years and after that I went to work in different restaurants all over France. Eventually in 1981 I became a chef in a Michelin-starred restaurant myself as Executive Chef at the Château Hôtel Le Prieuré in the Loire Valley in the province of Anjou, France. I worked there until I retired and came to Thailand.

What do you do with your free time, if you’ve any?
I like to go to markets. Fortunately, there are many very good ones in Phuket. I always go to Kata’s Saturday and Sunday markets, which have an interesting selection of produce.

Could you tell us about your latest project/exciting development in your businesses?
I just finished a two-week French food festival at Mom Tri’s Boathouse Regatta so I was cooking a lot. It was a good opportunity to introduce French food and French cooking to people. I like the idea of applying French cooking techniques to Thai ingredients. In the first French festival I did at the Boathouse in February 2000, I used mostly French produce and French ingredients but now we have fusion food. It’s a new and exciting way of cooking.

What do you miss most about France?
I do miss actually cooking myself. These days, I work mainly as a consultant. I only cook now if I’ve new ideas for recipes for my staff. I spend my time training other people how to cook, rather than cooking myself.

Who is the person that has had the most influence on your career?
The first chef I trained with, Chef Dernard. I stayed with him for three years and became the second chef in his kitchen. I hope I can influence some of the chefs here in the same way he influenced me. I like to pass on to others the experience I gained from working with great chefs. I love to teach and I love to train people. Above all, I love to do these things here in Thailand.

For more information contact:
Mom Tri's Boathouse
Kata Beach, Phuket
Tel: +66 (0)76 330015-7
Fax: +66 (0)76 330561
Email: info@boathousephuket.com, info@momtriphuket.com
Website: www.boathousephuket.com, www.momtriphuket.com