Sylvain Lefebvre and Bastien Guezou met on the benches of the Castelnau-Montratier school, today at 33 they are meeting in New York to celebrate Christmas together. On the menu, nothing very original for these Lotois: duck of course!
On August 13, under the magnificent Lot sun, Sylvain Lefebvre said “yes” to Lindsay Chandler at the Château de Saint-Pierre-Lafeuille under the damp and tender eyes of their French and American families. For this local child, in love with Quercy, what could be more normal than to celebrate the happiest day of his life on his land. Of course by his side, his childhood friend and witness: Bastien Guezou; and all his band of friends from Castelnau-Montratier. A few weeks later, Sylvain flew to New York for his new life with his American wife from Philadelphia. Nothing very original for this globe-trotting Chef, after Thailand and a passage through the Alps, he opened and managed his own establishment for 5 years in Medellin, Colombia with his best friend. Last May, during a trip to New York, he was offered a golden job that he could not refuse: managing several restaurants of the French and rising chain “Maman”.
Managing 10 restaurants in Manhattan
“Since I arrived in October, I have been the chef of one of the restaurants on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, a story that I familiarize myself with the box. In my team I have 5 South Americans, we talk Spanish, communication is easy. They are happy because most of them do not yet speak English. They tell me about their clandestine arrival in the United States: one spent a month and a half in the desert, another crossed the border in a 3km tunnel underground in the dark … When I hear all this, I tell myself that I really have nothing to complain about. ” emphasizes Sylvain Lefebvre. In January, the 33-year-old chef will have to manage ten chain establishments in Manhattan. With Lindsay Chandler, they found an apartment in Brooklyn and are enjoying the vibrant Williamsburg neighborhood.
Connect with the United States
On the other side of the Atlantic, Bastien Guezou set up his company to create and manufacture custom furniture “Bastien Creation“in Castelnau-Montratier. In two years, this talented and meticulous autodidact has forged a reputation throughout the South-West with a well-filled order book. These refined furniture and designs have won over both individuals and professionals. But Bastien Guezou seeks to go further. At the end of November, he arrives in New York at his childhood friend’s place. “I needed to take a step back, to get out of the studio, to see other things in a different context. . Before New York, I went to Lisbon and then Montreal. I intend to return to France in March. “Says Bastien Guezou. He is taking advantage of his stay in the United States to train in 3D modeling software while continuing to exchange views with his clients in France.” I want to open up to the world. spirit, to create new things. I would like to collaborate with interior designers, work with them on furniture, offer them my ideas adapted to the demands of their clients. I’m going to canvass them in New York and in January in Los Angeles and San Diego. “
A Christmas without a duck, it’s not a real Christmas
The two friends are going to spend their first Christmas together in New York. “We feel that the Americans are really attached to this tradition with the songs, the decorations and the trees everywhere, it’s really an exceptional atmosphere very different from France” smiles Sylvain. When Bastien notes the side “a little naive and commercial, they are more thoroughly!” On their New Year’s Eve menu: duck … American and maybe a Malbec “but everything will depend on the price!”
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