RICHMOND, Va. -- When 14-year-old Bertrand Chemel walked into the bakery near his grandmother's home in France, his life changed forever.
"I went and asked the baker if I couldn't get a summer job and they gave me a summer job," Chemel said. "After one summer there, I fell in love with the industry."
Summers at the bakery turned into a more formal kitchen education at culinary school in France.
With a degree in hand and military service behind him, Chemel landed at one the finest restaurants in France — Michel Gaudin's restaurant in the Alps.
"We were only three in the kitchen, so it was really one-on-one with the chef," Chemel said. "He didn't give me a break. Every time we had some break, he was in the back of the kitchen saying, 'If you have nothing to do, go into the back and pick a book.' The idea was to introduce me to different cuisines."
After a few years, Gaudin kicked Chemel out of his kitchen to get the young chef to spread his wings.
"It came as a big surprise. I liked it there and I was a little bit shocked," Chemel recalled. "He said, 'It's time for you to move on. So I found you a job. You start tomorrow.' And that was it."
What followed was a culinary adventure that eventually led Chemel to the United States and his current restaurant 2941 in Falls Church, Virginia.
Chef Chemel's restaurant was recently nominated as the most Outstanding Restaurant in the United States by the James Beard Foundation.
2941 is the only restaurant in Virginia to make the semi-final round in that category.
What makes the experience at 2941 special enough to earn such a prestigious nomination? Chef Chemel discusses his food, his family, and his leadership style in the kitchen with Scott Wise and Robey Martin on the latest episode of Eat It, Virginia!
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