Chefs fortunate introduction to cuisine

I was born on the 16th July 1974, in the remote town of Clermont Ferand, located in the center of France. Brought-up by my father, who's occupation was an Interior Designer, his specialty was in designing restaurants & nightclubs.

Due to my father's occupation, I spent many hours eating in fine dining restaurant whilst he negotiated deals and business contracts.

I believe a combination of both my background and my unsuccessful exit from school contributed to the start of my apprenticeship at the early age of 15. I began in a small country house- Jean Marc Vindrie, which has with the biggest wine cellar in the country. The young 33-year-old chef was running the establishment in the old school style, as his father had before him.

Here we worked on the old wood cooker making our own cured ham, fishing for lunch in the river and picking mushrooms, rhubarb and apples from his mothers garden. My first memory of the Irish Culture was when the chef came back from a sporting weekend located in Ireland shooting woodcock.

During the second year of my apprenticeship I had the good fortune to work alongside a chef, who had come from the Ritz's in Paris. He made me realize that cooking could be a real art with enormous possibilities!

Hungry to push further at the age of 17 I took my knives and went to Paris, where I started to work for the opening of Copthorne Hotel Roissy. Whilst in Paris I also had the opportunity to work on a casual basis in many other kitchens in the city, such as the Meridien Etoile, Hotel Intercontinental, St Claire outside catering with M. Guy Savoie (three-star Michelin) and M. Gerard Besson (two-star Michelin).

It was good to see the differences in styles of cooking & organisation - from 30 covers to 800, and from traditional to modern cuisine. Called by the nation for 10 months I spent my time in the kitchen of Saint Augustin cooking for Politicians & Generals, it was here I was further introduced to Irish people and I decided to come to Ireland. It was only in 1994 that I arrived in Dublin, with my 10 words of broken English, Mr Guillaume Lebrun of Patrick Guilbauds Restaurant (two-star Michelin) gave me the job as Demi Chef de Parti. Here we were surrounded by Irish produce, which was developed under French talent, and it took me a few weeks to be promoted to Chef de Partie. One year after I decided to cross the road and to work in one of the most elegant eighteenth-century town houses in Dublin, The Commons Restaurant.
I started as Sous Chef and a year after was given the reins of the kitchen, which to me was the opportunity of a lifetime.

The idea of opening my own restaurant would not go away so with the help of my partner Kirsten, Pearl Brasserie was born on the 7th December 2000.

"In this profession there are two things which make you smile on the way home, the customer who loved their meal, or the chef you trained and returns to you a few years later and thanks you for making him understand the art of food…."

 

Patron/Chef: Sebastien Masi