Gastronomy. Gault et Millau seduced by this couple of young Normans, at the head of Roze

They are less than 30 years old and opened their restaurant in Mathieu, near Caen, less than a year ago. Clémence Goupil and Alex Néel are already making headlines. The Norman couple receives this Monday, September 30, the young talent trophy from the prestigious guide Gault et Millau.u

When they set down their suitcases in Mathieu, near Caen, Alex wanted to put his mark on this place already steeped in history. In the courtyard adjoining this 18th century building, the young cook has created a small garden where he comes every morning to look for what will enhance his dishes and captivate the taste buds of his customers.

“Aseeing the aromatic flowers, the plants, a little fresh chervil, it makes the difference, when you have just picked it in the morning and just put it on a plate. We work on it like seasonings: we have acids, garlic tastes, peppery tastes, it finishes the dish. And it’s free“, explains Alex Néel, who hopes to one day grow his vegetables there. “For the moment, it’s under construction but it’s a bit like the restaurant, we only have six months of opening.“

On April 5, the young 28-year-old cook, native of Granville, and his partner, Clémence Goupil, opened Roze, in place of the restaurant “La sauce y est” in Mathieu. A new name, in homage to Mathurin Roze de Chantoiseau, the inventor of the concept of the modern restaurant, which sounds like a manifesto. And the establishment wasted no time in getting people talking about it.

Less than two months after the opening, our colleagues from Le Monde celebrated the young couple’s land and sea cuisine and the associations with regional cider (produced by Clémence’s family). A few months later, the famous Gault et Millau gastronomic guide highlighted the work of the two Normans by awarding them the young talent trophy.

Behind her stove, Clémence still finds it difficult to achieve. “ÇIt goes very quickly though. We only opened six months ago. We’ve been in the starting blocks a lot since the start (…) We’re slowly getting there but it takes a little time. I think that within a year, we will really see the benefits“, confides the 27-year-old cook, originally from the Argentan region.

For now, it’s the pleasure of being master of one’s own home that prevails: “This is what we’ve been waiting for with Alex for a while. With our previous activity, we were not necessarily free in our actions. There, we have a great tool, we can do what we want and when we want, and master all the procedures.”

Because if the couple considers themselves lucky – “There’s something old and that’s what we were looking for. And what’s more, we are lucky that the predecessors did a very nice renovation job.“, says Alex – he worked hard to get to this point. “Even if we are young, we start early (in this profession). Taken together, it’s still been a while since we’ve been making a lot of sacrifices, a lot of work.“

Clémence Goupil and Alex Néel met ten years ago on the benches of the Granville hotel high school. The two young chefs learned their skills for six years with the bigger ones. For her, Beatriz Gonzalez, Ken Kawasaki or the Mexican chef Enrique Casarrubias. For him, Yannick Alléno, in the kitchens of Cheval blanc in Courchevel but also at Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris, where he was responsible for cooking classes.

Clémence and Alex first teamed up behind the stove at Quai Liberté, a Parisian barge restaurant which employs inmates and people leaving prison. Then they will return to where it all began, in Granville, for two seasons, to manage the establishment installed in the Christian Dior garden.

Only ten years, but already a great journey. “When you work, it pays off at some point“, wants to believe Alex Néel, “This young talent trophy also rewards entrepreneurship. It is also to say that these are professions of consecration: if you work, you can have your own business one day. So it’s a great message for other young people.”

In addition to the talent recognized today by Gault et Millau, what makes the duo strong is also their relationship. “We say to ourselves with Alex: fortunately we are both together in the adventure“, confides Clémence, “Tout alone, it’s much more complicated. Fortunately we are both able to hold on. Every day it’s not easy. You have to hang on.“And to quote:”The pressure to do well, to serve the same quality every day, to be up to standard. We’re starting to have a bit of a reputation, so people expect more and more from us.“

Nothing to slow down his companion’s ambitions. “We want to expand our kitchen and have more people too.“ Alex recognizes it, “now we’re encountering other difficulties but it’s a good challenge, it’s good pressure. And then, we also try to savor, above all to take pleasure.“