It is in Saint-Paul-la-Coste, a small Cevennes village of less than 300 inhabitants between Alès and Saint-Jean-du-Gard, that we can meet Jean-Yves Piccinali who has been at the head of the restaurant “L’atelier des épicuriens” since 2017.
This restaurant, whosebar has been labeled Café de Pays, has now replaced the old school; customers have replaced the students of old and the sound of forks has replaced that of chalk. “L’atelier des épicuriens” has become a real place to live in the center of the village imbued with authenticity, passion and simplicity: Everything lets it shine through, whether it’s about the furnishings, the welcome, the products and the cuisine.
What characterizes Jean-Yves is above all his passionate self-taught side that will use local, organic and seasonal products to create local recipes. Everything is homemade, from the charcuterie to the desserts, including the bread “lou pan d’Oc”. All cooked products come from local producers: vegetables, meats, poultry, wines (IGP Cévennes).
A former butcher by trade, Jean-Yves specializes in a wide variety of cooked meats, rare, pink or poorly cooked, over a wood fire or plancha depending on the mood of the cook. He cooks Limousin beef and Charolais veal on the grill or plancha. In winter, the focus is on traditional Mediterranean dishes such as hare à la royale, truffle omelet and porcini mushrooms.