Expat couple quit high-paying Dubai jobs to start restaurant

The couple worked in the hospitality sector in Dubai.

A couple left their high-paying jobs in Dubai to turn a dream into reality. Geoffrey Broutin and his wife Herley Herrera-Broutin decided to give wings to their dream of setting up a restaurant and left for Cebu, Philippines.
Geoffrey worked as a chef in Meydan Hotel, a five-star luxury hotel in Dubai, and has a vast experience of over 15 years in the hotel industry. While Herley, who is a Cebuana, previously worked in the human resources department of Shangri-La Hotel in Dubai.
Amalgamation of their vast experience and hard work, the couple set up a restaurant in 2015 named L'Artisan French & Mediterranean Cuisine Restaurant in Oakridge Business Park, located in the heart of Mandaue in Cebu.
"L'Artisan is our first venture together. This is our dream venture. We thought that there is so much to share to Cebuanos (given our vast experience in luxury hotels abroad) especially in food," The Filipino Times quoted Herley as saying.
Today, Cebuanos admire Geoffrey's recipes at the restaurant which has also been awarded the Best Restaurant of the Year in 2016 by Sunstar's Best of Cebu. The couple, however, said that although they employ conservative marketing efforts, the restaurant has since been drawing good reviews.  
Speaking of being the best eatery in Cebu, Herley said that it is not only to their sumptuous dishes but also to the way they handle their customers. "We are offering a five-star way of service in a casual way," she said. "We want Filipinos to stop eating only as a necessity but also for pleasure," Geoffrey added.
 

• Dubai
• Philippines