La Rochelle (AFP)

The inspectors of the Michelin Guide "were unanimous" to award me my third star, welcomed Tuesday in the press the chef Christopher Coutanceau, surrounded by his brigade in the kitchen of his restaurant in La Rochelle.

"We were inspected ten times in 2019. And the ten inspectors were unanimous on the third. They told us that it was a first, that it took just ten minutes and everyone agreed," added the forties seafood specialist, wearing his stars on his white jacket the day after the Michelin guide ceremony.

"We tell our story, our culture, our passion with this restaurant by the sea, that's why we don't work on meat either. If you come to La Rochelle, a fishing town, with this view, there would be no consistency in serving a lamb or sweetbread, "he says.

And the one who defines himself as a fisherman and a cook gets carried away by detailing "one of our signature dishes, the sardine from head to tail where we work the fried scales, the crispy bones, the marinated fillets, others in tartare , others slightly caramelized. "

"The heads, we make a vinaigrette and a broth. Here we do not do that to say + we do not throw anything +, we do that because in taste, there is a real use. And then, it makes you discover other parts of the fish to people, "added the chief, who campaigns for the protection of the oceans and is committed against electric fishing.

And to pay tribute to his team: "We are 35 employees for 45 covers at each service. Without them, we could not do all that, so it is a real team. Again as in sport, you have the coach but everyone has three stars today, "he said.

At the helm of a gourmet restaurant with two stars since 1986 and a seafood bistro in La Rochelle, this chef with a rugby player physique has been waiting for this supreme award for a long time. At the 2019 Michelin ceremony, he had to settle for the newly created sustainable gastronomy prize.

Today, he does not intend to change anything in his habits: "We will continue to make people dream, to offer them an experience," he says.

© 2020 AFP