Gabin and his cooking
Gabin and his cooking
You’ll find Gabin hard at work in the kitchen of our restaurant in Vernon.
He has an inspirational passion for flavour and technique, as well as a commitment to the well-being of the planet.
You’ll find Gabin hard at work in the kitchen of our restaurant in Vernon. He has an inspirational passion for flavour and technique, as well as a commitment to the well-being of the planet.
Gabin’s journey: from Michelin stars to Blossom Bistrot
Gabin’s journey: from Michelin stars to Blossom Bistrot
Training with the masters
Training with the masters
Gabin’s journey began in 2014 when he was an apprentice with Éric Guérin, near the town of Guérande in Western France, by the Briére marshlands. It was here, in this single-starred Michelin restaurant, that Gabin learned the basics and lots more. He was exposed to a distinctively creative style of cooking, which had a long-lasting effect on him. He also travelled extensively and gathered ideas from around the world.
Gabin eventually left the marshlands for the French capital. In Paris he spent a year working alongside chef Amélie Darvas, who has since earned a Michelin star at Äponem. He learned the rigour of great classic French gastronomy. Everything from bread to yoghurt was made on site. Absolute top quality was required at all times, even though the menu changed each day, and Gabin needed to improvise at times yet always deliver. This idea has stayed with him.
Gabin then became a sous-chef, then chef, for Caroline Savoy, daughter of Guy Savoy who earned the title of best restaurant in the world for several years running.
During his time at these extremely high-end restaurants Gabin began to reflect. He realised that what he really wanted to do was go back to a simpler, more affordable style of cooking.
The bistro spirit
After thinking things over for a few months, Gabin started work as chef with Grégory Black at La Vierge restaurant in Paris’s 20th arrondissement. This is where he discovered the bistro spirit — and it was a revelation! This is also where he learned butchery which has turned out to be useful for his vision for Blossom.
Gabin followed Greg when he left Paris to open Restaurante Rita in the Basque County in Spain. His cooking won the Fooding d’amour Guide’s Coup de Cœur of the year award.
It was a wonderful endorsement, but a bigger, more personal project was on the horizon: a restaurant in his home town of Vernon…
The bistro spirit
After thinking things over for a few months, Gabin started work as chef with Grégory Black at La Vierge restaurant in Paris’s 20th arrondissement. This is where he discovered the bistro spirit — and it was a revelation! This is also where he learned butchery which has turned out to be useful for his vision for Blossom.
Gabin followed Greg when he left Paris to open Restaurante Rita in the Basque County in Spain. His cooking won the Fooding d’amour Guide’s Coup de Cœur of the year award.
It was a wonderful endorsement, but a bigger, more personal project was on the horizon: a restaurant in his home town of Vernon…
Returning to his roots
Returning to his roots
The circle was complete, it was the right time for Gabin to return to his Normandy roots. It was in fact here that his passion was first ignited: in his family kitchen, where Gabin would help his mother to cook. He loved it and would have happily left school there and then to pursue his passion if she’d let him!
Blossom Bistrot opened in July 2024 in a beautiful setting: the restaurant is located next to the Seine in Vernon.
There are many fine-dining restaurants in Normandy, particularly around Giverny. Blossom Bistrot in Vernon offers a simpler, more accessible style of cooking, that still prioritises flavour and locally sourced ingredients.
Gabin’s team
Gabin’s team
Lidwine
Lidwine Armadon will be your host during your visit with us. Her background is in events, and she began to work in restaurant service after meeting Gabin in 2022. If you’re unsure of anything, she’ll advise you!
Marion
Marion is Gabin’s second chef. They worked together previously in 2023, when Gabin was working in catering. She used to run her own food truck in Rouen.
Our cuisine: simple but not simplistic
Our cuisine: simple but not simplistic
The cuisine at Blossom Bistrot is about unexpected combinations influenced by the produce, the land, our producers, and flashes of inspiration. It’s a masterful kind of freestyling, as Gabin has technical expertise at the tips of his fingers. This is his solfège: with the seasons, chance encounters, and desires making up the rest of the culinary score.
Now and then, notes from elsewhere show up in this beautiful symphony. As a lover of creative cuisine, Gabin cooks with local ingredients but uses techniques drawn from around the world. He also reinterprets great bistro classics without ever spoiling them.
Do we have signature dishes? Not really, but there are recipes that you’ll see time and again on the menu at the restaurant in Vernon because our customers love them.
There’s always something new to discover. You’ll never tire of dining at Blossom!
Our promises at Blossom Bistrot “To provide food using the rich offerings around us”
Our promises at Blossom Bistrot “To provide food using the rich offerings around us”
No meat waste
A bullock isn’t made up of 100 steaks. We work with whole or half carcasses to avoid waste. We cut the meat ourselves and we use every morsel in our meals, charcuterie, and stock.
This is also why you’ll see our menu change regularly: we work with every little bit; this is what inspires us!
Local Produce
We know our suppliers. Almost everything we use is sourced locally: produced within 100 kilometres of the restaurant. Our fish is caught on the Normandy coast, they’re the ones who have come from “afar”
We buy 80 per cent of our ingredients directly from our producers.
Organic and sustainable
We use organic wherever possible. All our vegetables are completely organic. Our meat is organic or is bred sustainably. We verify the methods used by our producers, going far beyond simply checking a label.
Our fish are line caught. Our commitments make our cooking even better!
Getting to our restaurant in Vernon
Getting to our restaurant in Vernon
The restaurant is just 15 minutes’ walk from Vernon station. It’s on the banks of the Seine and opposite Giverny’s limestone cliffs. We also have a terrace that seats 40 and a private room with a view of the Seine, for groups of up to 12.
Blossom Restaurant is open from Friday lunchtime to Tuesday lunchtime. We’re open on Mondays! On Sundays we serve food from midday to 8pm.
What’s on offer:
