Olivier Bellin permanently closes the Auberge des Glazicks
After weeks of reflection, Olivier Bellin has confirmed the permanent closure of the Auberge des Glazicks, as an investigation into workplace harassment targets the establishment.
After several weeks of reflection, Finistère-born chef Olivier Bellin has announced the permanent closure of the Auberge des Glazicks (4 toques), in Plomodiern. The decision comes as an investigation into violence and workplace harassment targeting the chef has just been opened.
The announcement had been expected since the restaurant closed in early July. Olivier Bellin has now confirmed that the establishment will not reopen in its current form. At 55, the chef is thus ending the gastronomic activity of this family-run house in Plomodiern.
A closure announced against the backdrop of an investigation
The closure was initially presented as temporary. The restaurant had stopped operating on 5 July, after a spell of intense heat which, according to Olivier Bellin, no longer allowed guests to be welcomed to the usual standard. That pause was initially meant to last a few weeks, before the chef announced he wanted to use the time to think more broadly about the establishment's future.
In the explanations given at the time, Olivier Bellin cited several structural factors. The house, whose family history dates back to 1870, was facing his mother's retirement and the need to consider new investment. The chef also said he was questioning the conditions under which he wanted to continue his career. He maintained that he did not want to stop cooking, but was looking for a project that was coherent, ambitious and sustainable.
This reflection comes, however, against a backdrop now marked by accusations from former employees. In late August, several of them reported to the courts facts they attribute to the way the establishment was run and to the chef's behaviour, citing humiliation, insults and repeated pressure, as well as, in some cases, physical violence. The Quimper public prosecutor's office confirmed on 9 September the opening of a preliminary investigation into "violence and psychological harassment in the workplace", entrusted to the Châteaulin gendarmerie investigation unit.
Olivier Bellin denies the allegations against him. He said he was "standing firm" in the face of the accusations, while the investigation should now establish the facts. At this stage, no conviction has been handed down and the chef is presumed innocent.
