Yves-Marie Le Bourdonnec, his new life in Bouhy

It's not out of posturing, or even ideology, that the " butcher to the stars, star of butchers " has become a simple village butcher. He may have been born in the suburbs of Paris, but his childhood in his family's Brittany home, with an uncle who introduced him to the trade, his life-long commitment to a virtuous beef industry, and his convictions throughout an exemplary career in the service of goodness and quality dispense him with any justification. He's neither Bouvard nor Pécuchet, aspiring to a life in the country after having played the round-legs on the urban pavement.

All over France, holes perdus are to be found. Abandoned countryside and silent, magnificent landscapes have become the norm for the curious traveler, who so misses the post houses and welcoming inns where he can spend the night after a good farmhouse meal. No more inns, no more terroir, no more French cuisine, just the occasional light in the night offering a burger, pizza or kebab. The desert... So when you've been praised by connoisseurs and others alike, when you've been dubbed "the world's best butcher " by the New York Timeswhat could possibly drive you towards this new life, apart from, as he himself admits with a convinced yet reassuring and benevolent smile, " a bit of madness "?

"My mission is to be here for a few years and pass on my knowledge".

Why Bouhy, why the Nièvre? I had a friend who had a country house in the area," explains Yves-Marie Le Bourdonnec. I used to come there quite often, because I really like this region. Peaceful, real, unvarnished. And there was this butcher's shop to take over. I took the opportunity to buy the adjoining bar, and even the petrol pump with it. "It's easy to see why, for the village, this is an almost unhoped-for opportunity to see tourists flocking in. There have been numerous articles in the Parisian and national dailies, in the weeklies and on the networks. But nothing was a foregone conclusion. Even the mayor didn't really believe in it," continues the former star butcher. He predicted that it wouldn't work and that I'd be packing up in a hurry. And yet, here I am, four years on, with people all year round, local people, even if it's a bit harder in winter. This isn't the Perche region, with all the hustle and bustle every weekend thanks to the second homes. In accounting terms, I'd have to close for longer than the month of January. But I don't want to, I didn't come here for that, and I don't really need optimized profitability any more. My mission is to be here for a few years and pass it on. I've found a young girl, Camille, who I'm training as time goes by. She's passionate and very promising. "

This touches on the very essence of the project. It's about personal investment and what you can get out of it. It's a different kind of discourse, a different kind of language, which is sometimes found among the younger generations today. Just do good, for others and therefore for yourself. It's the same approach that led him, for more than thirty-five years, to successfully disseminate his ideas on cattle breeding, sometimes clashing with conventional wisdom, and for good reason. It's important to understand," says Yves-Marie Le Bourdonnec, " that the meat you buy in a supermarket is the same as the meat you get from your butcher. The same sectors, the same breeds, which may be different, but they all have the same characteristics: animals that only reach adulthood at around 45 to 50 months. But what does the consumer expect, provided he's a little demanding? Tender, tasty meat, which you can't get from French Charolais, Limousin, Aubrac or other breeds, all of which are based on the same model and produce too much collagen when they reach maturity, giving them flesh that's a little firm and lacking in flavor. The only solution is, as the English have been doing for a long time, to encourage breeds that are mature at 18 months, such as Angus, Hereford, Aberdeen...".

How does he get his supplies?

" I was lucky enough to have a doctor friend, a professor at Necker, whose dream was to become a breeder. He settled in Arquian, 10 kilometers from here. He supplies me with half of what I need. For the rest, I still have my network..." On the other hand, he has decided to stop supplying restaurants. "I'm practically self-sufficient. I need 30 animals a year, no more. With that, I supply the customers and the restaurant..."

Ah, yes, because at the back of the butcher's shop, there's now also a simple restaurant, with tables in the garden if the weather permits. " I've found a cook who comes in every day to work on the meat and charcuterie I've prepared. Because I've rediscovered a passion for this activity, I make my own sausages and blood sausages. Good pork is easier to find, and I enjoy it...".

Today, there's a wedding feast, the tables are laid, everyone looks happy, it's like a scene from Renoir; the countryside is alive again in Bouhy...