The Soul Man of Paris
Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye!
Play the oboes, violins, bagpipes, drums and trumpets!
Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye! A divine star is born!
In the Michelin-starred world of precise cooking and scientific chefs, Jacky Ribault has got soul.
Passion. Enthusiasm. Nobody uses exclamation marks the way this young chef from Brittany does.
Does a Michelin star really matter? Here’s what Jacky posted when it happened to him:
Dear Customers, Dear Friends, Dear All-Who-Do-Not-Know-Us-Yet,
What joy and what pleasure! The emotion! A childhood dream come true… tears of joy and a full heart …!
First I want to thank our wonderful team who have shown their professionalism, courage, work ethic, and enthusiasm. Without them nothing would have been possible!
Thanks to our friends and families who have helped us, encouraged us, spent quality time with us and who have comforted us during these three epic, incredible years!!!
Finally, and most importantly, thanks to our faithful customers, who have loved us and followed us since our opening!!!
The winning of this star for me as a chef, without doubt, will be the most emotional, intense and memorable moment in my entire career.
Jacky’s little restaurant, with only twenty-six seats, is close to the Bastille in the up-and-coming 11th Arrondissement. His passion for local suppliers and French-Asian fusion food has captured the hearts of young food lovers of Paris.
The restaurant’s website is a love letter to his origins: the farm where he grew up, his love of his family, his wife, his daughter, his team, his producers, his customers. You can’t help but “heart“ Jacky Ribault.
When he was awarded his first Michelin star earlier this year he wrote an epistle that rivals Henry V’s speech to his army before the battle of Agincourt.
And then there are these men, these exceptional chefs and pâtissiers who helped form me since I was 15: Francis Marx, Rachel Gesbert, Mauritius Boisier, Alain Passard, Philippe Legendre, Pierre Gagnaire, and Pierre Hermé to name a few. Thank you, thank you to all!!
And thanks to you, Dad, for all your love and knowledge that has made me into a man, a chef, and a loving son!!! This star is for you. I hope you are looking down on me and that you are proud.
The Soul Man of restaurant Qui Plume la Lune was born in Bain de Bretagne, a pretty town in Brittany just 25 kilometres from Rennes. He was raised on a farm where he got his taste for the land and respect for nature.
As a young boy of seven he would help his father sell vegetables at the local markets. It was at the markets that he learned to love the fragrances of the fruits, the vegetables, the herbs; where he learned to love the interaction with the customers in winter, summer, rain and shine.
After an idyllic childhood on the farm, his love of food took him into the kitchens of Rennes where he began apprenticing at the age of fifteen. Like most young chefs, he continued his training in restaurants scattered around Europe: in Chamonix, Gstaad, Zurich and finally Paris. There he worked with the Big Guns: Alain Passard at l’Arpège (3 stars), Philippe Legendre at Taillevent (2 stars), Pierre Gagnaire (3 stars) and even a stint with Pierre Hermé to study pâtisserie.
But what made Jacky different was his experience working at one of the first French-Japanese restaurants in Paris, Le Shozan. It reshaped his vision, it sent him on a new journey. Jacky went to Japan to learn more about its unique flavours and styles. The visit was like a thunderbolt to his cooking soul. It changed him, his approach to cuisine and to life.
And that’s the path that eventually led to the birth of his restaurant, Qui Plume la Lune.
Gentlemen, it’s the moment to raise a glass together.
ALORS, CHAMPAGNE ......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Qui Plume la Lune
50 Rue Amelot
75011 Paris
