Responsible gastronomy: Breton chefs are committed!

Joyful cuisine, more respectful of the environment and of people? In the kitchens of the best Breton restaurants, the virtuosos of taste are taking action to redefine the practices of their profession: Visionary and enthusiastic, these four chefs focus on a virtuous circle and conscious choices, such as short supply chains, seasonality, recycling and well-being at work. Exciting and inspiring Breton gastronomy!

At a glance

1. People-focused cuisine at “Maison Tiegezh”

Baptiste Denieul, “Maison Tiegezh” in Guer

Tiegezh means family in Breton, and the name fits Baptiste Denieul’s Auberge like a glove! Surrounded by his wife and parents, this gifted Breton, who received his first Michelin star at the age of 26, finds the inspiration for his talented cuisine in Guer, with the focus on a short supply chain. From meat to mushrooms, 80% of the produce comes from within a 20-kilometre radius, from the Brocéliande region. Three-quarters of the vegetables come from his own garden – every week, the organic market gardeners with whom he has created ties come to lend a helping hand. Baptiste loves meeting people, learning and sharing. The dining room staff even taste oysters and poultry from the producers so that they can “genuinely” talk to their customers, who are increasingly well informed!

Maison Tiegezh

Where to sleep:

Rooms and suite de la Maison Tiegezh

2. Local, tasty and healthy food at “Jardins sauvages”

Fabien Manzoni, “Les Jardins sauvages” in La Gacilly

The little town of La Gacilly, south of Rennes, is known for its photo festival, and for the Yves Rocher eco-hotel & spa, “La Grée des Landes”. Here in this magical setting is an organic restaurant serving local food which is one of the most committed in France: “Les Jardins sauvages” The star-awarded chef, Fabien Manzoni, promotes zero-emission farming here. Every two months, the menu is changed in accordance with the seasonal vegetables grown in the open ground, sometimes even in the restaurant’s own garden, where aromatic herbs, Jerusalem artichokes, leeks and turnips thrive. The supply radius is never more than 80 km; the fish served is line-caught. Every year, Fabien discovers ancient vegetables or seaweed that he twists with an infectious sense of wonder: his Morbihan beef chuck maki with seaweed, cooked for 12 hours and served with smoked potato and fresh poached langoustine, perfectly illustrates the refinement of healthy land-sea cuisine… and it tastes great.

Les Jardins sauvages

Where to sleep:

La Grée des Landes

Ideas

The inratables of the summer, the place to be to treat yourself to a seafood platter, the best views on the GR®34, the best spots to start surfing… in short, all the good...

3. Honest and happy cuisine at “Racines”

Virginie Giboire, “Racines” in Rennes

When Virginie Giboire received her first star in early 2019, nobody was surprised. Everyone was banking on the talented chef from Rennes, trained at Ecole Ferrandi, and today a leading figure in a buoyant local culinary scene. While “Racines”, her star-awarded restaurant, is a temple for people who love to “eat well », Virginie is also very active within the Nourritures collective: created at the end of 2020, it brings together actors of the gastronomy sector in Rennes who want to restore ethics to their profession, transparently and wholeheartedly. With solutions such as pooling orders from committed producers, fighting against all forms of employee mistreatment, waste sorting and composting, use of 100% green maintenance products, etc., the collective is based on common sense, creativity and solidarity.

Racines

Where to sleep:

LeCoq-Gadby

Read alsoTop locavore restaurants!

4. The path of a citizen chef at “La Butte”

Nicolas Conraux, “La Butte” in Plouider

Nicolas Conraux sees his restaurant as an incubator of passion and Breton talent. Driven by the exceptional culinary heritage of his region, the chef of the eco-hotel and spa “La Butte” in Plouider, not far from Ménéham and the Côte des Légendes, honours the network of men and women who supply his kitchens every day. Carefully selected, from the honey producer to the fisherman, they all share his vision of the profession: locally-sourced food, without any impact on the environment. The abalone offered on the menu is therefore farmed and lovingly fed with hand-picked seaweed. It is served with saffron from Pouldreuzic – it would be a shame to go any further for it! The vegetables that accompany it are lacto-fermented in sea water for several months. Nicolas Conraux goes even further: for his preparations, he uses filtered water and arranges his employees’ timetables to allow them to practise yoga, relaxation, etc.

La Butte

Where to sleep:

La Butte