Graduate insight with Myrtille Chatôt
Faire défiler la pageMyrtille Chatôt, who graduated in 2020 from our Bachelor’s in International Management of Culinary Arts, is the initiator of “Bulbe, Gastronomique Botanique“, a project for a plant-based gastronomic restaurant in Rennes. Myrtille shares with us her experience since she left the benches and kitchens of our school to launch this engaged entrepreneurial project that is close to her heart.
Can you tell us a little about your career since leaving the Institute?
Since my Bachelor’s degree in 2020, I had been looking for a venue that corresponds to my work ethic and the type of cuisine that suits me.
I therefore turned to a more plant-based, local and responsible culinary style in Rennes in the Michelin-starred restaurant Holen.
When my experience was over, I joined a much smaller, family-oriented team in a plant-based café-restaurant in the same town. This position allowed me to manage the food service and menus by myself with a view to creating my own restaurant project in Rennes.
Tell us about Bulbe and your responsibilities today?
I am currently at the head of the Bulbe project, a vegetarian and gastronomic home cooking service in Rennes, and I share the responsibilities of business manager with my partner.
Together we create the menus, cook and serve the food in the clients’ homes. We travel by bicycle trailer for the supplies. We also do the communication work on social networks, canvassing producers and local actors, as well as all the stock management and expenses…
What were the challenges you faced?
The first challenge was financial: we were looking for a business and we realised that it was too expensive for such a young company.
Then we had to acclimatise to a new region and get help in setting up the business. We both come from the Rhône-Alpes region and know very little about the people of Brittany and their habits.
What is your greatest source of pride today?
My greatest achievement is to have found a niche that resonates with others as much as it does with me.
How did Institut Paul Bocuse enable you to achieve this result today?
The Institute and its image of excellence allowed me to be taken seriously by the many organisations that helped us both financially and psychologically to achieve our goal.
Do you have a special story to recount?
I came to the Institute with ambitions to become a pastry chef and even to work in a pastry shop-cafe.
As the years and internships went by, my vision of cooking became more refined: I remember the little letters we wrote to ourselves each year, which allowed us to see our evolution and our progress. I really enjoyed doing this exercise and I highly recommend it!
Does your training and your background at the Institut Paul Bocuse still open doors for you today?
Today I use this network to communicate with new and former students. Between alumni we share our experiences, tips and advice to address our questions and avoid certain mistakes.
What is your ambition for the future?
In the long term, I would like to find a permanent venue to open our Bulbe restaurant. This venue could also allow us to offer customers the opportunity to pick wild and vegetable plants, take cooking classes…
What advice would you give to students who want to get into this industry and these professions?
It is important to experience several types of culinary styles before deciding what you want to do.
The hospitality and food service industry is much more vast than it seems. A bad experience is not the determining factor.
If the desire is there, there will always be a way for you to find your niche.
The creation of restaurant concepts and entrepreneurship are for many students in culinary arts management a professional life objective. During the course and in the 3rd year, students discover in both theory and practice the creation of restaurant concepts, a highly human adventure which for some of them will be the blueprint for their future.