  Chef Bruno Courtin |
Originally from Picardie, north of Paris, Bruno studied at
the Culinary and Hotel Management School in Nice, on the French
Riviera. He served an apprenticeship in London, then worked in a
restaurant on the Riviera. For two years he owned his own restaurant
in Nice, learning to appreciate the free enterprise system. He
decided to move to the U .S. to further his knowledge and experience
a new aspect of the restaurant business. In New York, he worked as
assistant chef and chef saucier for Chez Pascal, then as executive
chef at Giorgio's.
"I had trouble at first," he explains, with a twinkle in his eye, "because I was speaking English, not American." He has adjusted pretty well though, and likes living in "the States." "It's a more casual life, more relaxed than Europe. It is more wide open for a good worker with a lot of luck." Chef Bruno has lived in Corpus Christi, Texas eighteen years, and says he likes this part of the country, the Mid-states, better than the East or West. The history of these states is so interesting, he says, adding, "We learned about the U .S. in western movies." Chef Bruno previously lived in Colorado, where he enjoyed seeing the country, especially the Grand Canyon and the Indian reservations. |