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The chef of the Racines restaurant Virginie Giboire and her companion the sommelier Fabien Hacques, here in their restaurant in Rennes.

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C. Allain / 20 Minutes

  • Racines chef Virginie Giboire and her partner, sommelier Fabien Hacques have just opened their new restaurant in Rennes.

  • The couple opened rue de l'Arsenal instead of l'Aozen three years ago but were cramped.

  • The embodiment of the arrival of women in the kitchen, the chef presents an almost exclusively female brigade.

They have almost doubled their capacity.

Cramped within the walls of rue de l'Arsenal, chef Virginie Giboire and her partner, sommelier Fabien Hacques migrated not far from Boulevard de la Liberté to set up their new Racines restaurant which opened on Tuesday evening.

A daring bet at a time when the health crisis weakens the catering sector, but a bet entirely assumed by the star-studded couple who returned to Rennes three years ago.

“We quickly found ourselves in the cramped rue de l'Arsenal.

We wanted to expand but it was not done, ”explains Fabien Hacques.

At the height of his 48 years, the sommelier will almost appear as a retiree in the restaurant's new team, which will also display a resolutely feminine face.

“In the kitchen, we will be six girls for one boy.

I didn't do it on purpose, because I'm not in

girl power

but I had received a lot of CVs from girls.

When I choose someone, I trust their personality, I work by heart.

I had felt a side that was too sure of himself in a boy.

I preferred not to integrate him into the brigade, ”explains Virginie Giboire.

"We have found our rhythm"

To accompany her, the latter did not hesitate to appoint Oriane Davy, 22, as a second.

“I worked for four years with a brigade of men.

It allowed me to build a character for myself but it has nothing to do with what I'm going through with Virginie.

There is a femininity in the way he works and that is reflected in the dishes, ”explains the young woman, her eyes shining with pleasure and pride.

To assist her in the kitchen, chef Virginie Giboire chose Oriane Davy, a 22-year-old young woman.

- C. Allain / 20 Minutes

At 35, her boss stands out with her calm temperament in a world deemed hard and long reserved for men.

Often brandished as the banner of the feminization of the profession, she assumes.

“I want to show that you can be a woman, a mother, and a business owner.

The days are long but it's possible, ”assumes the one who has two boys aged 4 and 7.

“I once had to turn down a promotion because I wanted to see my first child grow up.

But since we have been in Rennes, we have found our rhythm ”, insists Virginie Giboire.

"Our idea is to make it a beautiful first star"

The one who describes her cuisine as "vegetal and crunchy" managed to obtain her first star in early 2019, less than two years after opening her restaurant.

Is she looking for a second distinction from the Michelin guide?

She smiles and answers.

“Our idea is to make it a great first star.

And above all not to become inaccessible ”.

The new Racines setting will allow the couple to increase their seating capacity to 40 people, compared to 25 previously.

The kitchen will remain open, allowing customers to keep an eye on the brigade at work.

On the menu for this opening week: crab, daikon (white radish) from Hélène Régine, pear and tarragon as a starter.

Saint-pierre, beets, horseradish and shiso (aromatic herb) as a main course and fresh figs, crunchy cabbage, black sesame ganache and nougatine for dessert.

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