Carole ECKERT

Head sommelier : 1 restaurant

Presentation

"Mentalities are changing, but to be a woman owner with a chef as an employee is unusual! I'm often asked if I'm 'the wife of': the chef's wife, the boss's wife, the sommelier's wife..." But Carole Eckert is the owner and boss of Enfin, a restaurant in Barr (Bas-Rhin), and also an expert sommelier.

However, she was not predestined for the culinary professions. After passing her baccalauréat ES, she enrolled in a psychology faculty. At the same time, she took on odd jobs in the catering trade and developed a taste for it: "I had this vocation to serve, to please, but I didn't necessarily think I'd make a career out of it."

In 2008, Carole Eckert moved to London. There, she discovered many beers and cocktails, but also all kinds of gastronomy, and contemporary restaurants with beautiful open, personalized kitchens. "It was a revelation, a source of inspiration for the future." A second flash took place in 2014, in Brussels: "There I discovered the tradition of the single menu, natural wines and craft beers."

In 2017, it was the big leap, with the opening of Comptoir à Manger, in the heart of Strasbourg's Petite France: "A real folly! We were fully booked months in advance, we received awards, I never expected such a craze!" Buoyed by this success, the restaurateur is keen to embark on a new project. The aim: to get closer to producers and nature. She bought a former carpenter's workshop in Barr, Bas-Rhin, and converted it into a restaurant. In 2021, after a few setbacks linked to the Covid crisis, the restaurant opened its doors. "At Enfin, we're particularly fond of plant-based cuisine. I start from the principle that things existed before me. Before you can make them your own, you have to understand and respect them. A beautiful product, perfect cooking, and a gourmet juice." What else? Gault&Millau awarded him 3 toques straight away.

B. G.