Jean-Marie Baudic
In the food !
By Laurent Feneau

Barely two years ago, with the help of his companion, Jean-Marie Baudic built the walls of his restaurant's kitchen himself in Saint-Brieuc. Today he's at the head of the … Youpala Bistrot! Youpala? "Because I cook Youpala, the way I "feel", at the time…" Vous understand? No? So here are a few explanations on the Youpal's touch…

One hundred percent Breton, Jean-Marie Baudic is a chef with character. Some would even say "stubborn" or instinctive like an Alain Passard or a Pierre Gagnaire, for whom he was the sous-chef. Apart in a profession that sometimes takes itself too seriously, he sails his boat the way the wants. At 34, Jean-Marie henceforth knows what he wants, or rather what he no longer wants: "working in a kitchen like in a factory". This has led him to doing what he wants and improvising at the stove. Undisciplined, too energetic to stay still? Perhaps, but in the meanwhile he received the right education.
"Patrick Jeffroy and Pierre Gagnaire are my two fathers in cuisine". What do they have in common? "A heart as big as a house!", he states opening his arms to embrace its hugeness. He goes on: "the first simply taught me cooking, the second taught me to taste and introduced me to entirely new flavors".
Since then, Jean-Marie has become insatiable. Like those who leave to search for the Holy Grail, he dedicates his search to the discovery of new textures and uncharted tastes, idolizing beautiful products and holding his carefully selected suppliers in utmost respect. This naturally makes us think of Michel and Sébastien Bras, Pascal Barbot or Alexandre Bourdas and of the trend that aims for greater closeness to nature….but there's nothing of that in Saint-Brieuc! At Youpala, one simply works intelligently with local producers, with in the kitchen a certain state of mind that "refuses to favor technique over taste".

Whirlwind cooking
To qualify his work, the young chef speaks of "cooking with instinct, the cuisine of the ephemeral". "Every noon and evening, I start over, that's the way I move forward", he explains.
Youpala, rules: no menu, no written recipes… Surprising. But we ask ourselves, how does it work in the kitchen with the team transmission-wise? "It works fine!", laughs Jean-Marie, adding "but it is true that I decide at the last minute". The rest follows. Quick cutting, quick prep, quick cooking… the world may not have been made in a day, but Jean-Marie is capable of creating an entire culinary universe in a minute.
As we can see, this little Breton cooks in a way that every second, every gesture is important. In this sense, like the Japanese whose art of cooking is one of subtraction and purity, converse to the French tradition that highlights the addition of ingredients and cooking, the chef that Gagnaire calls Baudic la bourrique (donkey), moves every day a little closer to what is essential. "My cooking is more legible today; it's a matter of maturity. And now, not only am I my own boss, I'm also a father…"
Smiling, Jean-Marie remembers the opening of Youpala. "Juliette, my companion, designed all the plans for the restaurant and we built it together; we went all the way and worked up a real sweat!", he laughs loudly before going on, "it was a very exciting new adventure, but the best is that the excitement has stayed with us". The result a few months later was a first Michelin star and a second child.

Humanity
Here human relations are essential and underlie the work of each person. This is true as much for suppliers who the chef trusts so much he leaves the choice of the products to deliver each day to them, as for his team in the kitchen with whom he works toward "maximum openness of mind". The same is the case in the dining room where conviviality is a must. "We're tired of overkill, what counts is authenticity, being oneself and not pretending. It is this relaxed attitude that a great many of customers look for here", argues Jean-Marie. One of the secrets to truly appreciate the venue is to play the game. Youpala game rules:
At Jean-Marie's its simple, you do nothing but let go. Simply relax. Sit down, choose your wine, the chef does the rest. Take the time to take in the atmosphere of this pure Breton home in local stone. But already, quick as a flash, the first improvisations of the day whirl in the kitchen! Youpala warning: Careful, the dishes are announced just once to the table, what is called the chef's surprise! To begin scallops, asparagus cream soup and quinoa: open your eyes, admire, smell and taste. Look there's cod accompanied by its cauliflower couscous and a shell fish emulsion. To finish, pineapple in a lavender marinade, citrus sherbet and chocolate cream…. One simply gives in and gives way and smiles when Jean-Marie declares "I think I met the right people at the right time. This enabled me to avoid mistakes and wasted time". He concludes "In the end I think I have my lucky star". Something with which we concur!

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