Michel and Sébastien Bras are two French chefs who make their cuisine in a way that no one else can rival. France has a culinary format that cannot be used in a sentence without the words “classically trained” or “Escoffier.” Michel Bras, father to Sébastien Bras, is a self-taught chef. Born as a blacksmith’s son in Gabriac in 1946, Michel Bras learned to cook in his mother’s restaurant, Lou Mazuc, where he would make simple ingredients seem complex and beautiful.

Sébastien grew up in L’Aubrac with his father as a guide. Even as a small child he was carving Laguiole knives out of twigs. He later attended L’Ecole Hotelière, then went on to do internships with Maurice Bernachon, Michel Guérard and Pierre Gagnaire. Michel and Sébastien Bras are two men who couldn’t be more different, and yet are continually drawing inspiration from each other.

These quiet and reserved gentlemen sit constantly churning with thoughts—that is, until we start talking about food. L’Aubrac is a region that has very little to offer in terms of produce, but what it lacks in variety is made up for in its beauty. I asked Michel why he decided to build a restaurant in this area. He explained that France is abundant with wonderful food sources, but L’Aubrac is the only place that has a source of inspiration unlike any other part of the world. Every morning he walks through the rolling hills covered in wildflowers, grass or snow, depending on the season. This is where he learns to cook. The aromas from freshly broken grass from nearby cattle and the colors of vibrant flowers provide his inspiration to create some of the best food in the world.

I told him that this was not the impression most people receive from watching the newest documentary about him and his son, Entre le Bras. It shows their family and history as being the main influence in both of their food styles. Michel explained that family is the balance of their lives. They learn and absorb many things from everyone in their family, especially when they cook together.

Michel started to tell me a story of when he was a young boy as if it had happened yesterday. His mother was making some simple baked potatoes in the oven with fresh cream and soft cheese. The memory is so significant because his mother had forgotten the potatoes in the oven, and they had dried out and turned hard and cracked. He thought about what it might be like to use this weird, textured potato accident on a plate. He explained that you never know where inspiration will come from. Inspiration is not a path you can trace. It comes from everyday things you see, taste, smell and hear. Architecture provides inspiration for constructing a plate’s design and aromas from the outdoors help provide a basis for combining acidity and textures. Inspiration is everywhere: We just have to open our minds and eyes to it. Michel explains that young people are missing most of this while they are on electronics, which makes me laugh as I record this conversation on my phone.

I wondered why Michel choose Hokkaido, Japan, as a spot for his sister restaurant. He laughed because he knew the answer I wanted to hear, and the answer he was going to tell me was completely different. His first cookbook had been translated in Japanese, so he had many connections in Japan. We joked about how I thought maybe it had something to do with inspiration, as I seem to have a lot of questions with this word in it. Michel explained that they had visited the region and found it shockingly similar to L’Aubrac. Discovering the local products that they could play with sold them on the idea. Michel was most surprised that this opened a two-way transition of influence between both of their restaurants. They unknowingly discovered that items from Japan were influencing their cooking style in France.

I asked Sébastien how Japan influences his cooking style. He explained that he was able to walk through local markets as well as spend time in Tokyo, which is only two hours from their restaurant, and that it was impossible to not be influenced by this proximity. The history is what interested him the most, and is why his history was so important in the two dishes he was experimenting with in the documentary. In the movie, both men had moments of monk-like thought, and I wondered if it was a shared trait or some good editing. Sébastien explained that many times they are both just staring and thinking about many things and it can sometimes make others uncomfortable, but it is just their way of taking it all in. Artists take inspiration from their surroundings, and without being able to remember these experiences, there is basically nothing to create with.

The movie, Entre Le Bras, seemed like a love story between a father and his restaurant and detailed the passing of this love to his son. Sébastien feels that the relationship they have is nothing like a father and son, but more of best friends. They spend every day together in the restaurant and with their families. However, for the last couple of years, instead of working in tandem, Michel has begun to withdraw as a way to let Sébastien live his own life.

Michel says, “He is forty something years old!” Joking as if he doesn’t know how old his son is. “He doesn’t need his father to make a decision anymore.”

Sébastien laughed and told me that his father’s help on any decision is still very precious to him. They share the restaurant as father and son, best friends and co-workers. I told them this is something that Americans have yet learned how to do.

I finally asked them both what makes a great chef. Michel and Sébastien Bras agreed that great chefs live for creation and submerge themselves into their practice. A great chef can be trained, and work experience is the basis need to be a great chef, but creativity is a necessity. Great chefs must follow their instincts and also accept criticism. They might be inspired by another chef, but never aspire to be that chef because it will never happen. Honesty, creativity, inspiration and a willingness to learn are the three main characteristics I could squeeze out of them.

It is very difficult to describe Michel and Sébastien Bras. No piece of writing can ever give their true personalities any justice. These two men are definitely worth meeting at some point in a chef’s life, as they provide a more thoughtful insight into cooking. Their quaint, perfectly circular matching glasses barely restrain the thoughts behind their eyes, but with the right questions they open up to those who wish to be inspired.

Brenden Blaine Darby shows us a blog about cooking, traveling, life and photography. As the newest member of the Basque Stage at the Restaurante Martín Berasategui, Darby, along with Luuk Hoffman, will be experiencing the culinary culture that is the Basque region. Good times along with plenty of mischief fit into the usual agenda of this culinary adventure. Follow this quirky cook along his journey in the world of all things food at http://brendendarby.com.