After campaigning for fair remuneration for the artisan chef and agricultural producer, Antoine Chépy of the Arotzenia restaurant continues to experiment with another economic model of catering. “Business assets are becoming so expensive that chefs can no longer set up shop. » This is why he agreed to share his kitchens with Elsa Marie and Julian May from Bistro Chez Dominique (1), with the same ethic of valuing work.
For several weeks, they have occupied the restaurant in the evenings from Thursday to Saturday. “Arotzenia offers traditional, generous and healthy cuisine every lunchtime. We have a menu with more global inspirations,” explains Elsa.
Land too expensive
Originally from the Paris region, after years of studying modern literature, the young woman chose an apprenticeship and worked for more than 10 years in various star establishments in the capital. As for Julian, an Australian, he left finance to live from his passion in restaurants in London, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Paris where they met.
They did not know the restaurant in Ciboure which had the same name. “That’s my mother’s name. It’s a little tribute to his cooking and his recipes that Julian stole from him. »
Having just moved to the Basque Country, they wanted to open an establishment but the land was too expensive. “We liked the proposal to pool space, work tools and expenses. » For this, Elsa and Julian installed a kitchen in parallel so as not to interfere with each other. “It’s a real shared accommodation with an organization, schedules to respect. It was important for us not to disturb them. » The duo at the head of Dominique offers four starters, four main courses and four desserts, which change every evening depending on the market, entirely homemade.
In addition to being a pioneer in this philosophy of sharing work tools, Arotzenia is a breeding ground for young talents.
(1) Bistro Chez Dominique – 47, rue Jean-Fourcade in Urrugne. Such. 07 66 07 79 91.
