Rosmadec, The Mill (Britanny)

Michelin-starred restaurant in Pont-Aven

A Breton gastronomic institution for nearly a century, Rosmadec Le Moulin embodies the unique encounter between heritage, art, and haute cuisine. Housed in a former mill suspended over the Aven River, in the heart of the City of Painters, the Michelin-starred restaurant invites guests to experience a rare interlude, where time (finally) stands still and each dish becomes a work of art.

LET’S MEET THE CHEF

For some chefs, passing on their craft is far from an empty phrase. Articulate and passionate, Sébastien Martinez—the chef at the proudly Michelin-starred Rosmadec Le Moulin—speaks about everything from bistros to luxury hotels with equal enthusiasm. Driven by a desire to constantly push his limits at his beautiful restaurant in the heart of Pont-Aven, he never loses sight of the chefs who first introduced him to the « art of cooking. » For those outside the industry, chatting with him is a bit like stepping into the role of a kitchen apprentice for the duration of an enriching exchange where the past and future of gastronomy merge into one. It is an experience that those with a love for learning will never tire of.

Interview – October 12, 2023

Dear Sébastien,

Hello,

Flannie: How are you?

Sébastien Martinez: Very well. I’m just settling in at my desk before turning my attention to tonight’s menus. We’re preparing hare right now. We had them marinating for two days, and we’ve just finished deboning and prepping them. I just spoke to two young interns, telling them to observe. That’s the goal when you’re an intern: to watch everything, to see everything. We don’t ask for existing skills, but rather for curiosity and a desire to discover. The culinary world is incredible.

F: Could you tell us a bit about your background?

SM: I started in Rennes when I was 15. There was a workers’ restaurant right near my home—€7 for a main course and dessert. I worked there for two summers, at 15 and 16. That’s where I discovered the profession. I didn’t know anything about Michelin-starred dining, but it made me want to cook. Since my parents were scientists, they still wanted me to get a general high school diploma. I got my diploma when I was seventeen and a half. I started a vocational training program (BEP) at La Taverne de la Marine. At the time, I considered it the best restaurant in Rennes. It had a huge kitchen brigade; we’d serve up to 300 covers. That’s where I learned how to work—washing salad greens, cooking fish… Then I met a man named Michel Hellio. Michel Hellio and his son took me under their wing. I was an apprentice. They were decent, honest people who passed on this exciting craft to me. Through them, I discovered the world of Michelin-starred restaurants. They made me realize that cooking is a form of art—it involves pleasure and emotion. That opened doors for me, and I headed to Paris. I joined La Grande Cascade under Chef Eric Robert. He has an incredible background. You learn the great classics of Parisian ‘cuisine bourgeoise’ with him. For me, it’s the best school there is. You work with every kind of ingredient imaginable. I spent four years there and worked at every station. That experience opened the door to Pavillon Ledoyen with Monsieur Le Squer. When Monsieur Le Squer left, I stayed on with Chef Alléno. Then, as things turned out, Monsieur Le Squer called me. I arrived at the George V—600 employees, one of the finest luxury hotels in the world… They placed a huge emphasis on kindness and the human element. I worked my way up from ‘chef de partie’ to ‘junior sous-chef’, and then to a ‘senior sous-chef role’. I also traveled extensively with Monsieur Le Squer. We went to Belarus, Singapore, Turkey (Pourra-t-on parler de la Turquie et la cuisine dans un prochain échange ?)… It gave me a different perspective on cuisine. Ultimately, I am a blend of Monsieur Hellio, Monsieur Robert, and Monsieur Le Squer. It was Monsieur Le Squer who placed me here at Rosmadec. He is still teaching me so much; he is constantly evolving. What makes him unique? He is always asking questions: « Is what we’re doing right? Couldn’t we do it differently? » That is the intelligence of cooking.

F: Has your time at Rosmadec Le Moulin changed your cooking?

SM: I hope it has changed. I want it to change. I took the best elements from Le Squer—the things that appealed to me most—because you can’t cook food you don’t like. It’s elementary, basic, fundamental. You have to make things you love, and you have to prepare them the way you want to serve them to people. My job in life is to win everyone over. The dishes have to please people. I think the best emotion you can evoke in a customer is pleasant surprise. That’s what it’s all about. When I arrived at Rosmadec, there was no star. People were pleasantly surprised, and we earned a star right away. Once you have the star, you realize people now expect a certain standard. You have to keep surprising them.

F: What is your biggest challenge at Rosmadec?

SM: Aiming for three Michelin stars. It’s a driving force. We might never get them, but they remain a driving force. After all, ours is a profession where you have to be good at lunch and good at dinner. It’s like the theater. An actor has to be good in their performance every single day. (ainsi que de votre travail avec l’équipe du film  I want those three stars. I think it’s magnificent.

F: What are your strengths?

SM: Perseverance, drive, and a thirst for knowledge. That thirst for knowledge is something I never want to lose. That’s just how I am. I find wonder in simple things and in people. Everything interests me. I want to know everything. I can be a bit of a pain, because there are limits to that, but it’s an asset in our line of work. The drive to create new products and push boundaries never leaves me.

This job can make you lose your mind. You work weekends, you work during the holidays—you work when others aren’t working. Some people become bitter within a very patriarchal management structure. Personally, I want to hold onto my sense of wonder and bring out the best in everyone. With my team, I stress out so that they don’t have to. It’s a unique profession where you have to plan ahead for every possible unpredictable event.

F: It is said that you are generous, and that you aim to touch people’s hearts… Among your dishes, which ones resonate most with your customers’ hearts—which are the most popular?

SM: Looking around the dining room, I’d say the number one dish is the mussel. It’s a Cornish mussel—huge, like the Spanish variety. It’s finished in fresh water. The mussel is definitely in the top three. Then there’s the langoustine. We’ve been serving it from the start, though it has evolved over time. I’m really happy with it; it’s a huge hit. It’s seared à la minute—right when the order comes in—otherwise, it’s served raw. It’s an extremely delicate product; it deteriorates constantly. We process it—salting and marinating it—and I form it into blocks of shelled langoustine meat. Then, we slice it on a ham slicer to create beautiful langoustine medallions. That covers the raw preparation. For the cooked version, the langoustine is pan-seared for 10 seconds on each side, then plated and sent out.

F: Of all the dishes you’ve created at Rosmadec, which one is your favorite?

SM: The dish I’m proudest of isn’t really a dish; it’s a transition course. It’s an egg. We called it the « Van Gogh Egg. » It’s basically just scrambled eggs with butter and cream. We blend the mixture and put it into a siphon. The unique aspect comes from using the siphon. We serve it now as a bridge between the fish and meat courses. It’s a light egg mousse with a Périgueux sauce—a rich, reduced veal jus. We have fun adding various powders: red cabbage powder, coral powder, mushroom powder… People are pleasantly surprised. My goal in life is to create something that seems like the simplest thing in the world but involves a huge amount of work behind the scenes—the sauce, for instance, takes three days to make. It’s an obsessive, painstaking process, but you’d never know it just by looking at the final result.

F: What is your favorite product to cook?

SM: Veal sweetbreads. Lobster, too. It’s been a constant for me—we’ve been cooking it right from the start.

F: Which famous person would you like to cook a dish for?

SM: Frédéric Beigbeder. He’s one of the few authors whose books I’ve read in their entirety. I really like him as a person. His writing resonates with me. I value honesty, and I find him very honest in his view of society.

F: What dish would that be?

SM: The egg!

F: If you were to prepare a collaborative menu with another chef, whom would you choose and why?

SM: Ángel León. He holds three Michelin stars in Andalusia. He’s a chef who makes fish charcuterie. I met him once in Turkey. He has an incredible story.

F: What do you see as the biggest challenges for the cuisine of the future?

SM: Rediscovering and learning about gastronomic culture in school—understanding the produce, knowing that green asparagus is a spring vegetable. The challenge ahead is educating people about vegetables and fish. If I hadn’t gone into this profession, I’d be some total moron who eats nothing but junk. We get stuck eating whatever is right in front of us—kebabs, fast food. How do we bring back bistro culture? We’ve let ignorance go way too far. We need to relearn how to make a béchamel sauce, for instance. Our challenge for the future is preserving our culinary heritage so we don’t lose the great sauces and ingredients that define French gastronomy.

F: What surprises do you have in store for Rosmadec’s guests this autumn?

SM: We’re launching The ‘lièvre à la royale’ (hare à la royale). The Pont-Aven ‘galette’ is coming soon, too.

F: What are your future plans?

SM: To earn three Michelin stars. It’s a wonderful goal!

Rosmadec Le Moulin

Venelle de Rosmadec

29930 Pont-Aven