Julien Jourdain spoke about his extraordinary journey from working in the kitchen on Il Punto to owning two French restaurants in Neptune Quay on the town’s Waterfront – including one based on the boat where he used to work.
Mr Jourdain bought The Mariners in 2018, which was known as Il Punto until 2009, a former Belgian navy vessel that was interned in the Netherlands during the First World War and spent part of the Second World War in Hamburg before being refitted as a Red Cross hospital ship.
He also bought Bistro on the Quay in December 2019, introducing a selection of 145 wines and winning an Ipswich Star poll in 2021 asking readers for their favourite pub, restaurant or café.
The Bistro offers a la carte lunch and dinner from Monday to Saturday offering a bistro style menu with a “modern French twist” but using local Suffolk suppliers.
However, he admits that he was originally sent to Ipswich as a teenager by his father from his home in Calais to work on Il Punto by his father which was owned by a friend of a friend.
He said: “I was a bit of a naughty boy; he wanted to teach me a lesson. I didn’t speak a word of English and didn’t have any money.
“I went from Calais to Ipswich with a suitcase. I absolutely loved it, so I kept coming back and moved to Ipswich when I was 20.
“After buying the boat and having tremendous success I purchased the Bistro.”
However, despite his own personal success, Mr Jourdain admits that running both of his business in the current economic climate is very difficult.
He added: “It’s the hardest it’s ever been because of costs rising. With the new budget in place, it’s going to be even more difficult to run such businesses.
“I’m very passionate about what I do, and I absolutely love it but it’s very tough now to actually make a living.”