To highlight these thousands of professionals who sometimes work in the shadows, the Monthly Grand Est Eco went to meet several personalities from the region who work to give the craft its credentials. Meet these enthusiasts.
Jean-François Feuillette, not yet satisfied
“I accompanied my father to flea markets on weekends, before leaving, he visited one of his baker friends. We entered the bakery at five in the morning, I still have the intact image of the pastry chef with his hat and the smells of the bakery. Since then, it has never left me. » Thus began the story of Jean-François Feuillette with the bakery. A first store in Blois in 2009, then two, then three. Today, the native of Conflans-en-Jarnisy in Meurthe-et-Moselle is at the head of a network of 70 points of sale throughout France. Now, the group (140 million euros of activity) employs 2,000 people and its stores reach an average turnover of 2.5 million euros. His winning recipe: betting on in-house production, in the back room, of more than 80% of what is sold over the counter “I still love getting my hands dirty. I have kept the soul of a pastry chef and on a daily basis, I am in close contact with my pastry chef to discuss the quality of the products and discuss inspirations. I talk cake and cook every day! » Today, the manager dreams of establishing his brand abroad.
Adeline Masson-Thomas: beautiful as a truck
She can boast of having been in the same promotion as Thomas Pesquet and of having worked for flagships of French industry such as PSA and Airbus. But Adeline Masson-Thomas is not the type to constantly have her head in the stars. And it is in Jarny, in Meurthe-et-Moselle, that she came back to earth and set down her bags since 2008. For a return to her roots, to home. This aeronautical engineer by training took over the family company Masson-Polyfroid, the oldest manufacturer of food trucks in France, founded in 1954. The one who embodies the third generation led an essential revolution there, notably launching Masson Polyfroid Location in 2013 or building new offices. Next goal? Maintain the “Living Heritage Company” label, issued at the end of the year by the State. To continue fueling super, at the head of his company which has around ten employees.
Fabrice Gwizdak: good as good bread
A natural banter, an obvious good nature, a media fan, yesterday on TV sets with his friend, the late Jean-Pierre Coffe, today on the airwaves to talk about AS Nancy-Lorraine and football, his other passion, Fabrice Gwizdak is a character who doesn't talk about it, but is easy to tell. Yet he is THE baker in downtown Nancy. His shop, rue Raugraff, has been an institution for three decades and the queue, well beyond the sidewalk, is never empty at peak times, to buy, in particular, his famous Lorraine cake. A consecration for this Mosellan from Kédange-sur-Canner. At 59, retirement time is gradually approaching even though he has never worked as much as in recent years, to compensate for rising rents, the price of energy and raw materials. “I will end my career in Metz or Strasbourg,” he announced a few years ago. Chick?
Marie Flambard: fiberglass
Based at the Cité du Faire in Jarville (Meurthe-et-Moselle), Marie Flambard is a glass artist and creates hybrid creations mixing glass with other materials. She is calm, composed, as if her profession, we should rather say her Art, was the end of an initiatory journey which puts her in harmony with herself. Impregnated since her early childhood by nature, this Norman native has really made a name for herself thanks to her jewelry, even participating in Paris Fashion Week in 2023, in collaboration with the fashion house Hodié. “Pretty crazy opportunity. I was able to present my brand because, usually, for fashion shows we tend to place orders from you. » Winner of the Grand Est “Creation” prize, she also took part this year in the final of the Ateliers d’Art de France national competition. And this is probably just the beginning, at 34 years old…
Alexandre Polmard: meat chef and international star
A Frank Sinatra song can change destiny. Having left to join a business school after a gap year in New York, Alexandre Polmard was listening to a song by the Californian idol while watching the snow fall when he decided to return home and take over the family farm in Saint-Mihiel, small town of 4,000 inhabitants in the Meuse. Good luck to him. Sixteen years later, the butcher breeder, now 35, is an international star. Star chefs are raving about it, for its cultured and impertinent side, but, above all, for its meat matured at very low temperature. His secret? The sublimated balance of acidity. “The quality and quantity of intermuscular fat are fused into the flesh, resulting in an unbeatable lean percentage.” For two years, the man who elevated butchery to the rank of gastronomy has returned to basics, closing most of the restaurants that bear his name to devote himself to a new concept: Comfort food. Quesaco? “Short supply chain, local and family products, seasonal while still being affordable.” He also opened a gourmet restaurant in Nancy, Parcelle, in place of the old Cap Marine, with blind menus which are obviously a hit. Because almost everything he touches turns into gold.
