Royal Delights: Chef Fredric Couton's Journey Serving the King and Queen of Thailand

Michael Dugan: 0:59

Come on. Come on in to a place you never been sit right down and I'll show you where my dreams began. I'm Michael Dugan, your culinary host, guiding you through the chef's journey. Join me at the chef's table where you'll experience stories, secret sauces, signature dishes and kitchen disasters Frederick Couton trained in France in Michelin star restaurants. he honed his culinary skills at the Hilton hotel in Paris, Geneva, Montreal, and Bangkok, where he was involved in cooking for Their majesties, the king and queen of Thailand. Before joining the cannery, he also held positions of executive chef at the prestigious British Columbia club. Welcome to the show, Frederick.

Frederick Couton: 2:14

Hello. Thank you for having me.

Michael Dugan: 2:16

It's a pleasure to have you. I would love for you to share your experience a little bit if you want to talk a little bit about growing up and when did you first feel that passion for cooking?

Frederick Couton: 2:31

My son of cooking in in the family's kind of an institution? Ah, we are seven kids with with the parents. So there was 10 at the table. So right there the young age is when there was there was a kind of my mom who used to run a restaurant with a kid because I'm telling you kids are the most critical critics in in the world, right? Oh, yeah. eight kids at home and you know, the time born in 1962. So I get a brother sister the last one. And yeah, we used to my mom was pretty much very busy. Plus, first of all the kids two service between brackets at the time service. There was a youngest one first and the older one was having dinner with my parents. So that's pretty much the way I start all aware of my mom was a master chef to create, recreate and re reuse it there was no nothing going to the garbage no everything was done at home. Oh yeah. There was yeah, the time was you know with a big family in France. At that time it was you know, there was there was a lot of work but there was a harder for family to be able to feed your family. Everything was about about food to sizzle hitting what we have easy eating what is available. And joining and returning. Right. But yeah, everything start from from my mom I would say she was the master chef.

Michael Dugan: 4:21

What did she like to cook or what what did she

Frederick Couton: 4:23

Oh, yeah, no, I'm not gonna go into the detail cook for you? because some people may get a turned off. But now she won't she was no no, she was a very good cook very extremely good cook what we call the cuisine, bourgeois you know, with whatever is available on Saison on the market, you know, having having steak on the table when there was not something happening at the time. There was there was what is affordable for family of 10 between brackets 14 kids at a table so market was was most of the time you know, every every week that was something my parents used to do plus gathered wherever my dad could grow so we were kind of going with a scissor right and yeah plus a connection in you know, farmer in the countryside with a long call had a farm plus to add a field people so someone was doing chicken the other one was doing cheese. You know, sometime have ham kill the pig for Christmas.

Michael Dugan: 5:39

It sounds like everything fresh.

Frederick Couton: 5:41

Yeah, everything was fresh that we've seen was from farm to table. Wow. It's funny. As we say that's coming back as the way the front was. I think for lots of family You put in front that was what is was.

Michael Dugan: 5:55

in where did you grow up again

Frederick Couton: 5:58

I grew up in the study in Paris for my apprenticeship after the war, so my dad was engineering so there was lots to rebuild. So they've been moving around in France. Anyway, I'm born in Paris.

Michael Dugan: 6:15

You were born in Paris. Wow. Okay.

Frederick Couton: 6:19

I was born in Paris, my heart in the Alps. Which is all my sister brother living up there. Some of my brother and sisters now living over there, because we've been traveling the world. Everybody making between Geneva and Germany,

Michael Dugan: 6:48

oh my gosh, I've always wanted to go there. Did a stopover in Paris with my wife a few years back. And oh, it was so beautiful. And we went to X, Avignon and we went to a few other places. I think we went to Monaco, there was a Jacques Cousteau Museum. That was in Monaco. And I am a huge fan of Jacques Cousteau.

Frederick Couton: 7:14

I remember Jacques Cousteau as a kid and this man was going all over the world to dive all over the world. I'm a diver. And to just open the Deep Sea to people it's it's amazing he is a chef in his own way. Oh, okay. Oh, that's that's what I think that's the way I look at him.

Michael Dugan: 7:41

I get it in a different way.

Frederick Couton: 7:44

Chef who lead the people traveling around and discovering the sea, which is same as a chef will make the people discover the technique of cooking or the passion.

Michael Dugan: 7:55

Right? Well, moving on what inspired you to pursue a career in the culinary arts?

Frederick Couton: 8:01

On one side of the house, there was a bakery, the other side of the house, there was a restaurant.

Michael Dugan: 8:07

Oh my gosh. Okay.

Frederick Couton: 8:10

And let's see, you know, because I have an older brother is 10 years older than me, which is a shift to a wedding to the cooking at the beginning. I didn't want to be a chef. I didn't want to be a baker. Right? Because I think I love bread. Bread is something I think is is magic. From just salt, water, yeast, and flour, you're going to make something which is I cannot stop eating. And there was a whole man at a bakery was 74 years old at the time, and I was probably seven years old. I used to get up at wake up at four o'clock 3:30 4 o'clock in the morning just to go on a weekend to go to see him. And just to look at him making the bagette and six pound bread. And that's where I start to put my step in the food industry that was with the wiith a baker. And I did love that too. To be able he was saying go Fred. Just put put your signature on the bread and I used to use this razor blade to make the mark on the baguette on the bread. Okay. And when I was pulling the bread in oven bag pulled the bread out of the oven went back and I think there was magic to me, just from simple water, salt, yeast, flour, and come up with something there was just magic crispy. Smells so good crackling and so that's when I saw them. And my brother Dominic, all of one of one of the older chef at the time. 10 years difference he left. He was 14 and a half and it was pretty much four and a half. I didn't know him at the time. So we went to classic training like we all did in France at the time, you know 14 And if you work in a kitchen 12 to 14 hours a day with one day off. And when you they have you clean the car of the of the owner of the way you work. And then after that you went to Paris, Paris, he went to London, Hilton, we both Hilton anywhere in Montreal and when he came back when I was around 10 He was talking about his traveling what he was doing, It's incredible. So that's essentially where you started. working at Montreal Queen Elizabeth or working in London doing doing banquets for the queen and wow, I was just listening like a kid, you know, you're just drinking every single word from him. So that's kind of when my mom was say, Well, you want to be a baker. You know you're gonna my parents say well, you will be a baker you know, your friends gonna be too Got to be party when you go to work and you know the life is at a time there baker to start at 10pm Yeah. So they don't have the machinery they don't have the machinery like we have now. Okay, so pretty much listening to my brothers and well yeah, I want to cook for King and Queen. Wow. And and that's when I start for my mom after that after raising the 8 kids. She started a food industry also as as a waitress waitress went to Chef de Rang . The role went to F&B. And she had a contact in Paris and recontact the chef she was working with in the Hilton and well, you know, my youngest one want to be a chef. So okay, and bringing in the way I felt 14 and a half with my bag at the time, there was a white bag had with us. I remember with my shoes. All I have is my shoes and my uniform my and waiting on the brigade at the Hilton in Paris. When I can see there was Chef de Partie 35,45. And it was just a young kid watching them and looking at the traffic was going out there, Wow, that's what I'm going to that's what I'm gonna do. This one that was Hilton Paris. So the Hilton Paris when you're working for Hilton and my family was at a time in the Alps, right. So there was a new hotel brand new hotel in Geneva and there was the star of Hilton there was the last just built. Okay, so I talked to my chef I did my army because you have to from 14 to pretty much 19 working in the head hotel you know working my way I'll try to do the best always challenge myself always stay longer to learn. Oh, I see. So just to clear up to make sure I'm not gonna be stuck and clear with French Army. In my mind was traveling, my brother traveling around there was kind of aspiration. So from Paris, I went to see my chef as well. There's a new open hotel in Geneva and my family's up there somewhere. I'd like to be closer. Arrive in Geneva and start as a comi in the the restaurant, the time the restaurant used to be with a young chef jean de parot chef I stopped make my way up.

Michael Dugan: 13:43

Let's pause a minute and talk about the path right because there there's a certain hierarchy level that you go through. Can you walk us through that?

Frederick Couton: 13:55

Kitchen cuisine is you know, it's pretty much very similar to an army structure. Which is you will have the barometer. Everybody's very importantly kitchen from the dishwasher. To the 3rd cooks, 2nd cooks sous chef, chef everybody's got a role so you start as a 3rd commis, 3rd cook, and as 3rd commis, you will do pretty much the beginning right cutting onion chopping shallots.

Michael Dugan: 14:24

I remember

Frederick Couton: 14:26

oh yeah, chopping your finger.

Michael Dugan: 14:28

Chopping your finger I know. And burning yourself. Yep. Oh yeah. many times.

Frederick Couton: 14:36

Yeah. Then you know as a third cook you always do the job. You always set out put your head up the shoulder of a second group try to do and then when you catch what he's doing, hopefully chef will move you up and as a second coo.Which is you're not chopping anymore the onion you have a chance to slicing shallots or chopping chopping chives right then after that you're going to move as the first cook well you pretty much you're going to you're going to own your station. Call out appetizer that could be green that could be automated it could be not sold because at this level you don't you even not good enough to be at the sauce. You will have to wait you will have to wait together another one five years at least going on to now he's been there was a people will take over the station with somebody's up. You're going to take over so you always running because people are going on day off. So you're the one who restock and when you done you're gonna move to the other station or the other guys is exactly the same. So you pretty much have no lunch, no break. And you have to make your way up.

Michael Dugan: 15:45

You really have to prove yourself.

Frederick Couton: 15:46

You have to. There's no mercy. Right there's You know, you pass you, you know, you break or you pass. There's no middle way you really not swim between them as you grow, or you don't you make it, you know, lucky enough working in Geneva, but to my training with this great chef mentor Jea De Pon in the kitchen and at the time I had to position already as a as a Sous chef. Okay, and he came to me, Fred, you're the second. So I left the line and say, Well, I'm gonna tell you something. You cannot say anything. So okay, well, what's happening? So well, I want to tell you, we got to Star! We get we get one star!,

Michael Dugan: 16:45

Wow, that's nice.

Frederick Couton: 16:49

That was you asking me to not say anything? Yeah, no. No, I cannot. I cannot not saying so good. You go home. That's better that way. Because I was so excited because that story of Michelin star is not is not question for me or Jean who is the chef but it's also the team that was work of probably three years of work. The same team more or less the same guy, same people working as a team and we at the time, we were young and we want it and we had a great management to Hilton Genova was absolutely beautiful property. That was a dream for any chef. So Jean says okay, you go home, and then you come back to tommorow. I cannot. I cannot go back on the line not saying anything. And the next day there was actually the Michelin come up. And you know, he's been how do you know that you had the Michelin because the world is very small in the this industry. And we know it. Everybody knows. Oh, yeah, the phone call was done on the evening. And we didn't know the next day the name will appear on the Michelin . So that was that was awesome. So we keep going with my chef. Well, a couple of years. Actually, before I left to Asia, he came back again. So Fred, you you cannot say anything. Said what? I say is it what I think it is? You see ya. So you know what tonight we got to celebrate. We don't care. We're gonna celebrate that the way we have this second Michelin.

Michael Dugan: 18:46

I knew you were gonna say that. That's amazing. Wow.

Frederick Couton: 18:49

In Geneva and his regime his cooking style, his approach of the food. Managing people young team he was it was a real true chef. We were young all of us and yeah, that was awesome. Yeah. So that was that was an intern. And after that they were in I say maybe so. Life goes on. I met my wife and say, Well, you know, Canada was looking and my brother when I had my, my chef paper was 17 and a half. Okay. You bought me a flight ticket to Vancouver. So there was Paris, Paris, London, London, Vancouver. First time in my life, I was taking the aircraft with pan am. Paris, I was 14 years 14 years old. 19 years old. 20 actually 21 I moved to Geneva. Okay, I was 21 until 26 in Geneva. Then after that, I decided to as I say I came the first time in Vancouver was 17 because it was 1979 and arrived to Vancouver in 1979. And just there was just a dream there was the city I was just paralyzed mountain, ocean, fishing that was just beautiful. And I said to myself one day I will come back.

Michael Dugan: 20:16

I see. Okay,

Frederick Couton: 20:18

I got you know, the life of the chef. It's it's a lots of traveling if you want to, and different situation. And I think it's beautiful experience for the way of traveling. And then Geneva as well. You know, I'd like to go back to Canada because my brother was still here. Yeah, so I moved to Montreal for one year. Okay. Then Montreal one year moved to Vancouver and arrived. My brother was here chef, actually at the VC club. And I remember I didn't speak any English at the time, and there was a big big banquet Center. To arrive on the July 1, which is a Vancouver national day for us in Canada, and onn the 2nd get 6000 People banquet cocktail. And any people say, are you able to get salmon? Smoked salmon? Oh my goodness, I think yes. Yes, I think so. Okay. So you want to work with it? Sure. Why not? So I went over there. right at the time at the Plaza of Nations. We had that cocktail going on everywhere. And arrived with my brother to one my coworkers, he was Asian. Look at me look at him say, well, his name is Fred.

Michael Dugan: 21:38

Ah, okay.

Frederick Couton: 21:42

So what should I do? So you cut Salmon, you put your head down and go for?

Michael Dugan: 21:48

Okay. There was 6000 people,

Frederick Couton: 21:52

6000 people. I remember people coming along and asked me question in English. Probably what it is, what kind of Salmon was it? I was putting my head down say smoke Salmon smoke Salmon. That was my first initiation of English. Should I say west coast of working in a place? Right. So I did that for what? Three hours? And then after that, I find my brother was looking for somebody to work at a club at the time as a first year. So okay, well, I can work with you. No problem. So I did not know him. 10 years. So we start to know each other, right? That was coming from Geneva. He was here. Yep. Yep. So we worked together for a couple years. And you left to Nova Scotia. And he said well would you like to take the position? Because I move up to as a sous chef with him that would you like to be a chef? Yeah. So what if you leaving, I'm leaving, say Now think about it. Think think that will be a good fit for you? And yes, I did. So I work at a VC club for another one year. And I often decide to go back to Europe renew the contract with Geneva. Well, I'd like to go to Asia. Now. I'd like to go to Japan or Hong Kong, because at the time, Asia was big. And I think that would have been a very good experience for me to get a contract over there, which I did get my contract for Bangkok.

Michael Dugan: 23:30

How would you describe the differences between working in Geneva and working in Bangkok,

Frederick Couton: 23:37

Totally different, totally different game. It's funny because we had a conversation last night, my kids at the table talking about the work actually in Hong Kong, the time I was over there, there was no limit guy was normally we had, as I mentioned, were three artists to work in only on ice carving. 50 cook 9 restaurant at the time, and reopen three restaurants. Oh my gosh, money was not an issue. At the time. money was flowing, Asia was booming. Taiwan was just super busy people coming on every day business was going and as I said, possibility for cooking. product has been we used to place order and every single Foi Gras was coming straight from Air France and arrived in Bangkok and arrived to our kitchen Two days later, even less than today. That was huge. In a very interesting culture foodwise is when the Thai culture then or the Asian food is, is just amazing. It's totally different. That's what I've heard. Yeah, perfume is is an amalgam of whole different flavors. Sensation is just an explosion in your head. It's very interesting to learn with, with the local, or having a soup or curry on the back of the motorcycle or in the street. The flavor is just unbelievable. Unbelievable. It's, it was really an eye opener for me as working with the with the spice, because it's very important for you don't you don't use the spice, whatever you want. There's a balance is very thin balance. You have to you have to learn that you have to learn this technique. You have to learn how to be just good in in your chili pastein the coconut is in all a different way method work it's fascinating.

Michael Dugan: 25:41

That sounds really exotic and interesting. And I'm just imagining it inside my mind right now. You know and for our listeners I mean that's where spices come from. That's where the real exotic foods are from mind and maybe combining seafood and combining spice and, you know, some exotic fruits and things like that. That's how I imagined it. But I've never been there. So I don't know.

Frederick Couton: 26:08

We are extremely fortunate on the West Coast is made from LA or San Francisco, Seattle, Portland. Oh, yeah, Vancouver. We were spoiled with the Pacific with all of the people like me coming over here and it's amazing. We will go to in Vancouver or we have all different techniques, only culture, which is between end to between Filipino between Thai Chinese, as you have, you have a Middle East you have Persian, it's a beautiful amalgam of product. What is very, very important, I think is when you work with us product is, is really, really pay attention and learn and and just try to go deeper. Why you got to do that set to doing that. Because it's always a reason always and study that in because it's very easy to say okay, well, I'm going to make a Thai curry and, and you're going to put some a bit, maybe a quarter of cup of coconut milk and some people will have half a liter of cream in that. And some tablespoon of rye Thai curry. Well. That's wrong. It's wrong. So it's me it's very important to be open to be a sponge and just soak all of the possible techniques and the result and also the fields of of people to be able to create and and play with it because that is a fun part play with it.

Michael Dugan: 27:42

Well spoken. I mean, what you're saying really resonates with me because, you know, as a kid, my parents were like, don't play with your food, but I did. But I agree with you about the Pacific Northwest Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver. I mean, we have amazing scallops. We have amazing salmon and halibut.

Frederick Couton: 28:01

The product we have here it's amazing is may look at the mussel oysters. Look at the sea ocean. It's funny because I was I had a conversation today with my coworkers. It's all remember 14 years ago when we're working at The Cannery when I was just thinking as I was thinking what was one of the best dish who was doing some other I was Fred and he came up to me Look at me remember the spawn on kelp? I say yeah, I do. I used to take the herring eggs on kelp. Really do a tempura with it. I was saying to him, you know remeber, when you have your classic some the classic could be east west, you have to have you tenderloin you have to have your rack of lamb mainly on the West Coast. You have to have your Salmon Halibut. For instance, I was coming from Europe, or I was coming from Montreal and I get lots of my friend came as a chef here. He said you have to try the sablefish I have to try that. And the king crab because that that's what it is. And always keep on the menu something different. Something from somebody would like to say hey, what do you got? Right? What? Show me something different? That's what I use some sea cucumber. I was born on kelp uni. Oh, uni. Yeah, you name it. You know, try to find, try to find something local. And just adjust to the West Coast, you know, and playing again on your background, wherever you've been learning with different continent when you went and be creative with your team say hey, what do you think, guys? We get that one. What can we do with this? Right? And just all of us looking at a plate? Oh gosh, what the heck is that? Okay, let's put it up and come up with Yeah, different they can work?

Michael Dugan: 29:56

Yeah, definitely. So what would you say has been your proudest moment of being a chef?

Frederick Couton: 30:02

Oh, the proudest moment? I don't know. Because I'm very humble. I can tell it's always my guys, the people working with me. But you know, I always say when some time we have gotta delay you have to come up and you know, in a restaurant to salute to the guests for for the banquet or whatever. So I'm with my team going first. I'm always always I will never go first. They always go first. And the dishwasher is part of that because it's part of it. Absolutely. I would say this is my prime moment. Yes, it is.

Michael Dugan: 30:33

In my culinary career. You know, as I was going down my journey, I always felt that I can learn the most from the dishwasher. Because they sit back and they observe everything that's going on in the restaurant. And it's amazing what they know.

Frederick Couton: 30:50

I did a cookbook at the time and on this cookbook I had a few recipe actually from my staff one lady Hoa from Vietnam who made some halibut collar she used to do that for when I was cleaning halibut making filet. Chef can have the collar for take home. Yes take it. Then I say wha you're gonna have to cook for us because you know you take it home I've no problem with that. If you don't take home that's gonna go into my stock but you have to make it for us. She did it for us. Holy moly one of the best dish I have. Another one of my guys was from Sri Lanka. It was morning chef. Okay, and we are the time we used to have shark. Later on in my career I avoid all of the shark whatever is in extension but everytime you use that for for staff, they say well that's very interesting and it was making that with with a curry from India from Sri Lanka that's one of the recipe also put on a cookbook and put the name in there say hey, thanks really thanks a while because that's the people who make aspiration and the Halibut collar become one of the dish or appetizer at The Cannary, This was her recipe and we no shame to say hey, that's that's that's from her. That's a staff meal but is good? I want everybody discovered that. Cooking is lesson and think generosity you have to be generous if you're not generous forget about it. Generous on time now the trend is difficult right? Asking more for chef to be more able to to manage his money for a restaurant to be tough it is tough. Especially now with when you look at a market price going everywhere. Hi, how much more could you charge? I know how much how much more could you cut the portion.

Michael Dugan: 33:20

As consumers we look at the menu and go they raise their prices but they don't understand that all the food all the labor cost has gone up. Yeah. And in order to just survive they have to do that.

Frederick Couton: 33:36

You know we talk about the king crab this scallop but you know sometime we we just forgot the basic. That's what is very important in cooking. Don't ever forget the basic product causes beautiful sardine. It's absurdly great. I love that. I've been raised on salmon. Yeah, Salmon is people who are Salmon now, it's a beautiful product.

Michael Dugan: 34:02

My wife's favorite is salmon.

Frederick Couton: 34:04

She loves it. Simple west coast. mussels, clams.

Michael Dugan: 34:08

I like sea bass. I'm a sea bass person. Yeah, yeah. It's one of my favorites. Black Cod too.

Frederick Couton: 34:16

Chef from Montreal friend from Toronto came over because at one point that was working Alaskan airline and Canadian airline designing business class menu for them. Oh wow. When my friend came from Montreal came over Calgary say well I have to take you come at home. We came home and I did a simple seabass, black cod. And he said Fred, where can I get that? Okay, I'm gonna give you the number of my supplier and I'm sure he can send over to you in Montreal. To those product is mean what I'm trying to say is in some time we have food gather around on us and we even don't see it. So that's what I say is very important to pay attention look around you go going to market the market it's an eye opener you get those cherries coming up you get your first local strawberries is too many as the dessert. You get the lamb from you guys get lamb in Washington's just outstanding. You can have a squab you can have local chicken or salmon just enjoy and play with you have already doing are fun. That's what it is.

Michael Dugan: 35:44

And keep it simple.

Frederick Couton: 35:45

Keep it simple. Yeah, that's beautiful advice very how to make something simple is very easy to camouflage. Beautiful product we flavor the spice itself, which is sometime it's simple, simple product for what it is. Put the product on the table and ensure what it is.

Michael Dugan: 36:06

So in your career you have traveled all over the world. Do you have any favorite places? Where would I go eat around the world?

Frederick Couton: 36:14

I love food ha ha ha? I would go anywhere. I would go in South America. I was amazing. Argentina with Perea. Oh, I love it. I went down to El Carasate doing Fly Fly Fishing over there.

Michael Dugan: 36:29

Oh my gosh. I fly fish. Where did you fish for trout?

Frederick Couton: 36:35

Well, everywhere I go in the world. Always go fishing always. If thier is Ocean I will scuba diving and I will go fishing. Have you been Bonefishing, Bonefishing in Belize. Yes.

Michael Dugan: 36:50

I went to Belize to my wife and I Tarpon and Bonefish. That is that is a rush that is amazing.

Frederick Couton: 36:57

Wow. But yeah, it's been going you know going to the market in Thailand. I'll tell you story morning opener spa resort in southern Thailand they were the first spa in Thailand. And I was consulting from Japanese. Japanese were one of those Spain, England when Lady used to go over there. All of the very important people Prime Minister of Transportation in Thailand and I have a sous chef called Otto. Typical Asian guys super funny. I say Otto let's go to the let's go to the market I want to see in Asia they killed the beef. Kill them at three o'clock the beef is on on the market.

Michael Dugan: 37:54

Oh my god so far.

Frederick Couton: 37:57

Yeah, so I said we're gonna go to the market I'd like to see that and I was on the countryside so we went to 330 am. Okay the market look at the boats coming be coming by with the shrimp calamaries in the market. I look at the local market and wow, look at it. So what is this look like little rabbit beautiful. There was God on crispy and I was starving. It was what? 7am So you know our algorithm. No problem. You know, curry. Beautiful little rabbit on a spit. The chef no! So what I mean, the beautiful. Chef no, you don't need that. Otto that then a great. Chef It's not rabbit. What is it? What it is? It's Rat! Oh, it's a good rat it's from the field. Im going to try it ha ha ha.

Michael Dugan: 38:48

I don't know. I couldn't try that. I could not try that. I've tried a lot.

Frederick Couton: 38:51

It was an interesting thing. Yeah, they look beautiful to me. They look beautiful. Wow. That's a story always say? Yeah, but market is very important. Yeah, having some having the Japanese, Thai, European. South American food. Oh, have a have a tortilla. Anywhere in the world. What are the best best snack at what three o'clock in the morning I had there was in Iceland. Oh gravlax on a toast with a beer I was catching my plane. And I went out our the airport and I had these these gravlax salmon on a rye bread with gravlax just made fresh and added beer. And that's one of the pure moment and wow, that was a good gravlax Yeah, excellent. All right. So food is always the same. It's always moments is always time. You you put you put stuff in your memory. Sometimes you work somewhere. I noticed now that remind me in the old picture coming back at the bakery whether was kid next next to our house. Baker was given with his spatula pops into my head does a fresh bread have it for breakfast. And that's when I walk in and again smell of fresh bread is always these pictures coming. When there's a chimney with ham and sausage smoking in chimney. In the Alps the village when there's about three foot of snow minus 10 you working in a village is that Somebody is going to cross the road. You know it is it's a good night. Good night. You know who this person we all know each other. It's a small village and you have these chimneys going with smoke. Kill the ham and sausage. When I smell chimneys, that's a picture of a guy walking in a village is going up hill always it's icy road, it's fresh. No, it's cold. And the smell of the smoke and the smoke ham. And that's what it is. The memory whatever you your brain is a computer you're going to store all of those different ideas.

Michael Dugan: 41:39

Oh, I definitely do. You brought back in amazing memory for me and the memory is about going to Spain. And yeah having tapas you know, in just this random place, right? We're walking for a long time and we found this one place it was a bar and oh my god, the tapas were so amazing.

Frederick Couton: 41:58

I was with one of my sister in Barcelona.

Michael Dugan: 42:01

Barcelona. Yeah,

Frederick Couton: 42:02

Everywhere those ham and then we single street that was going very narrow right my sister was yeah and I was just stopping on front of those juries of shattered three pack into the Negro was here the topas and there was one on the left. I was watching going on the right watching again my sister says dammit Are you gonna stop. I have to get the sensation in my brain have to get that right. And it's it's amazing how much food smell could bring. Food bring people favorite food. Most of the time bring happiness and table is very important. I remember on Sunday we would say final words

will start on Sunday. At 12: 43:01

30 1 o'clock my sister and brother in law used to come we will not start eating before two o'clock we drinks eating talking. Sit at table my mom was starting with tomato with smoke hearing then after there was another one green salad and there was a french beans from the market from from the garden.Then we had after to do roast chicken then is not enough there was a leg of lamb on top of that . By 5, 6,7 o'clock you're done. You just have no more yeah the cheese we had about couple of dessert. And my mom was coming to what do you guys want to eat for the dinner?

Michael Dugan: 43:45

Oh wow.

Frederick Couton: 43:48

Hi, do you want not become a chef?

Michael Dugan: 43:50

I was just gonna say you know it's part of your soul. I can I can tell I interview a lot of chefs. And you know, Frederick, I'm telling you I can I can tell that you know it brings you a lot of happiness. And it's wonderful to talk to you and to hear your stories because that's what voice4chefs is all about. That's what the podcast is all about is sharing the stories.

Frederick Couton: 44:16

And you know to finish I would say I used to have a like a second mother. She was the mother of my friend. We used to do cutting ham during the summer and I was gone for two months when I was seven, eight. I was gone for two months in mountain and we used to cut and put the ham when it was dry but quickly into the into the farm because sometimes the storm was coming up so we're finishing sometime around midnight. So we start on the morning at 9am. Going turning to ham make sure the dried and packing everything going back. My friend and I used to go back to Milk cow about 60 cow all the time they used to make butter. And so by midnight by six, seven o'clock she was telling to put the soup on the wooden stove in the farm at the farm with some leak put it potatoe, homemade bacon and coming back at midnight. Midnight we arrived and about six six of us and of course she was sleeping. So we had to soup in a corner of the stove still. Warm in a clay pot and was heating that. And over the years. Every time when I come back I came back from my comeback from my journey in the world and my work. I was always going back to say hello to Josephine used to call a Fifi and when they were sitting in Alpine about 16 metres elevation where where they live. Josephine say I've been traveling the world. I've been cooking for king queen, there's something I need to know. How do you make your soup? Because I try. I try I try. I bought the sausage. I try. I try I try. It's not the same. It's not the same what it is. And that was very curious, I really want to know, She look at me say Freddy is very simple. Put it all from the garden, leak from the garden, because we kill the pig in the summer, and homemade smoked sausage. And I look at her and say, You know what? And I think there was a lot of love in there. So yeah, so that's why I say cooking sometime is very simple. Simplicity. Is is the key.

Michael Dugan: 46:37

I will remember this story. I will remember this story. Yeah, it's really a wonderful story.

Frederick Couton: 46:44

Lots of love. That was the key. That was the key. And that's what we have to do. Put your passion and love in what you're doing. If you don't have love and passion, forget about it. Don't do it. It's better thing to do in your life.

Michael Dugan: 46:56

And one of the questions I was going to ask you is do you have a special message for us and you just shared it with us around the world? Yeah, that is such a beautiful message. I just I'm touched.

Frederick Couton: 47:07

What we do is very, very hard work. Everybody want to be a chef. I know. Well, there will be just few of us. A few of you, a few of you will become chef of 1000 very successful. It's a long journey, very long journey. But you know what enjoy it. The day don't want enjoy it anymore. Please do something else. Don't waste your time. Good point...enjoy.

Michael Dugan: 47:33

Before we wrap up, I want to talk about you know, I connected with Hugo and you have this amazing product called lobster oil. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

Frederick Couton: 47:44

Yeah, lobster oil was actually been created in 2000. When I was chef at the cannery seafood restaurant in my career, I was tired to see butter on the table. So we'll have to have to come up with something you know, different. When I was in Geneva, we used to do lobster butter. So well, you know. So people coming in the restaurant, take the drink, you bring the bread, you bring the butter, I don't want that. I want to do something different. So I started to say okay, well So the my general manager at the time, was a very great man. He if I do my if I do oil instead of butter. If I use balsamic vinegar, like do Italian do with the beautiful olive oil, what I would look like so I did some tests, and I try. And it was super good. So I start to produce for lunch and restaurant. Very good response positive. And I start to introduce the evening. And very positive and really happy to report with somebody say, Well, where can I get some? Can I buy the oil I want to buy oil? No, we do it just just here for the category. sees great man, which is a you know, you don't want to create that. Why don't you put on the market? So I did my study. Yeah. I went to the health department and did some tests in your lab to see how could I borrow this oil and finally? Yeah, 23 to 23 years later, yeah, we still producing about six, seven to 10,000 litres a year. That's amazing. From from freight from Nova Scotia lobster shell. We got everything here in East Coast, bring it to West Coast. The funny part we send it back to East Coast selling the product over there. Hugo my son has been part of it, taking care of recipes and stuff. Obviously, he's going to be the one to take care of take take over. It's wonderful.

Michael Dugan: 49:51

I was amazed. I was floored when I saw it. I was like, Wow, what a great idea. Because I believe my family would eat lobster grown up all the time. And we just throw the shells away. Well, I always make bisque. I always save you know, the essence of it. And I boil it down or simmer it and ah, but a lobster oil. That is such an interesting concept.

Frederick Couton: 50:15

I'm looking for what is unique I don't want to I don't want to five star. Give me something unique, something new. And I went to a place in Greece last year it was in Greece. I did France, Italy, Greece, Puglia and Napoli and I went to a place in Greece when the guys who had a restaurant in a tiny few restaurants and I think he was tired enough enough, give to his and open a small, small restaurant, maybe 25 seats. And I had the best of the best of topics you can never these guys was cooking with his help. A simple greek salad was just ahh.

Michael Dugan: 50:58

So my last question is how can our listeners connect with you? How can we find out about your lobster oil, your business everything?

Frederick Couton: 51:08

Lobsteroil@live.ca, that's our email or you have

https: 51:11

//www.oliveciboulette.com/. You can order from the web. It's a great product we do. We do quite a bit of retail here in Vancouver, Toronto and selling also to Montreal, Seattle, Portland, California also. That's where you can find out can find the story but love soil, wonderful little lobster from East Coast to West Coast.

Michael Dugan: 51:42

and love it. Well, Frederick, I just want to thank you. I'm so honored to interview you. I love your stories. And I know our listeners will too. And just really appreciate you coming on the show.

Frederick Couton: 51:53

Thank you. Thank you very much to having me.