I did a little advertisment for my favorite bakery in Vaasa that is called Othello for some weeks ago and now I finally have got the interview with Christophe Guillemeau (the chef at the bakery), who have a big intrest in poetry.

How did you get the idea to start at bakery at Brändö?

– I came to the baker job when Othello’s former owner asked me to join the team for helping to develop a new line of products.

Then I stayed because I could be creative again, and that is what matters the most for me. Taking Othello over after its closing due to Corona pandemic was not ”an idea” but rather an answer to circumstances.

How long have you lived here in Vasa?

– I have lived in Vasa for about 10 years. I first worked as a Chef and restaurant manager, which is my main expertise.

What is your relation to poetry?

– Poetry has always been part of my life. I think while mathematics and physics are great to explain rational, hard science facts and phenomenons, poetry is a fabulous means to describe non rational things, such as feelings, impressions and expectations.

If I think about french poets the first poet that comes to my mind is Charles Baudelaire. What do you think about his poetry?

– He may have been one of the most controversial poets of his time, some thought he was a genius, others believed he was mad. Maybe you cannot be a genius without a spark of madness, that is what I think… He wrote, sometimes in crude words, about realities some people were not ready to read about.

He remains for very good reasons one of the most famous French poets of all time.

Other poets from France except Baudelaire that you like to read?

– I have a soft spot for Guillaume Apollinaire and his unreal views of our world, navigating between right down non-sense and pure strikes of genius.

Rimbaud is maybe more ”comprehensible”, deep and earth shaking, I really love him.

Have you written poems yourself?

– Yes, my mother still has some I have written when I was no older than 7 or 8 years.

I have periodically written poetry, most often when big turns in my life occurred. For example, the year I met my wife has been particularly prolific in poems.

Have you published any of your poems in books or on the internet?

– No, I never published anything, poetry is a very personal, intimate thing to me.

Your pastries at Othello looks really poetic. I guess poetry is not only limited to words. What is your thoughts about that?

– I have a need of beauty in my life, a need to transmit emotions and to give something good to people. So poetry and cooking can be closely related indeed.

Thanks for the interview Christophe and good luck with Othello in the future!

Here is a link to my earlier reportage about my favorite bakery in town:

En paus på Othello