Jacques THOREL

Presentation

Jacques Thorel was never named Chef of the Year, yet in the early 2000s, he appeared several times on our short-lists, without ever winning the Grail. This passionate chef, with whom so many chefs from Brittany and elsewhere have been trained, has never felt the slightest bit bitter about it.

Born in Saint-Nazaire in 1955, the son of a shipyard worker and a mother who ran a bar, his experience has left its mark on him. by his experience, in his early twenties, at Emile Ricordeau in Loué. Two extremely demanding but formative years with a chef who was emblematic at the time.

The young man soon decided to set up on his own, and was just 25 when he bought the Auberge Bretonne in La Roche-Bernard with his wife Solange. Keen to improve his skills, he spent several periods working with the masters of the day (Boyer at Les Crayères, Robuchon at Le Jamin...), while welcoming guests to his rapidly growing reputation.

In 1984, we were already giving him 14/20 for, among other things, " his braided sole and salmon with a short, very fragrant thyme sauce ". L'Auberge Bretonne's progress was steady until the 2000s, when this lover of fine products (fish and vegetables in particular) scored 19/20 several times. Alongside Jean-Paul Abadie in Lorient, he was the best ambassador for Breton gastronomy.

In 2010, well before the theoretical retirement age, the couple decided to sell their restaurant, still boasting a fine 17/20 rating. Jacques and Solange feel they've come full circle, but have never really left the restaurant business, publishing cookery books or tending their formidable vegetable garden near Vannes...