Billy, the Millavois kid from Montreal who delights the Canadians with Billy, I'm hungry

Billy Galindo has lived in Canada for almost twelve years. Now holding Canadian citizenship, he opened his own restaurant, Billy, I'm hungry, in August 2022 in Montreal. Partner in business and in life with Millavois, Camille Boissel, professional web developer, takes care of all the digital and communication aspects of the project DR

Born certainly in Rodez, at the end of 1986, but having grown up in South Aveyron, after artistic studies in Saint-Etienne, he opted for cooking in Canada, where he settled almost twelve years ago and whose he took nationality. After ten years as an employee, the thirty-year-old decided to strike out on his own.

"I wasn’not good enough to be an artist and make a living from it". Billy Galindo says he was "lucid" and "good to change lanes". Born on December 26, 1986 in Rodez, to Millavois parents (his father has Andalusian origins), he followed a classical schooling until 3rd grade before, at the age of 14 years, to go to Aurillac to study visual communication. After graduating in web design, he joined the Beaux-Arts of Saint-Etienne, for a short time: "I stopped because I didn’ not enough talent to make a living in this sector.

He took "a huge turn" and opted for a… CAP cuisine! Perhaps inspired by his parents, who had run the pizzeria they had created for ten years, La Polenta, which became L’ardoise, in La Primaube, before closing down. ;to settle in Millau, three years after the birth of their son, and to remain in the business, but no longer at the head of an establishment. The son has not forgotten that, when he was very young, he wanted to become a cook. He received the answer: "No, study instead!".

"I started from scratch, at the age of 20, and I was lucky enough to come across a great chef wingspan that took me under his wing, rejoices the person concerned. The chef in question is Maxime Apert, at the helm, with his wife Amanda, of the Saint-Etienne restaurant L’Insens, which has a Bib gourmand in the Michelin Guide. This is where he completed his apprenticeship for five years, alternating with the CFA (apprentice training center).

"I was with some 16-17 year old kids, I was the oldest in the school, s&rsquo ;amuses Billy Galindo. The first days, they mistook me and took me for a teacher!". After a few seasons at the Val d’Isère resort and a two-month replacement at the German border, near Sarrebrück, after a family stay in Millau, the chance of a conversation with his friend from Aurillac encouraged him to sign an application for a working holiday program (PVT) for Canada .

He remembers very well: "The planets aligned and I was able to cross the Atlantic in the spring of 2012".Frequenting the F Bar, La Chronique, Albert Bistro and Darna Bistroquet as an employee, he then decided to strike out on his own. "I had it in the back of my mind , but it was the Covid-19 pandemic which confirmed that traditional catering could be complicated, he explains.

With Camille Boissel, his partner

He therefore launched his own business in August 2022, with his partner Camille Boissel, a Parisian born in 1988, web developer, civil servant at the national film office, in charge of the entire digital and communication aspect of the project. Initially, the chef wanted to launch an online ready-to-eat service, testing a few recipes with friends and acquaintances, who ordered via a Google form. The name of the brand came by itself, it was its customers who wrote to it: "Billy, I'm hungry! What are we eating ?".

This counter was initially supposed to be in Rosemont, but, due to problems with the building (it was in danger of collapsing, no less!), it ultimately collapsed. installed on Saint-Denis Street, in the heart of Plateau Mont-Royal, where the majority of the city's French live.

In this 100 m² (around twenty seats), Billy Galindo offers "homemade, with fresh produce". During the week, the clientele is made up of residents of the neighborhood and employees of neighboring offices, while, on Saturdays, the brunch service appeals more widely, particularly families with children: &amp ;quot;it looks like a daycare, with a bit of intense volume, but the restaurant is alive.

Although he has not yet had two years of experience, the 37-year-old from Millavois nevertheless readily draws up an initial assessment: "L& rsquo;development is positive. It’s slow, but we haven’t advertised and word of mouth is working. Growth is permanent.

Natural Canadian, Billy Galindo feels good in the land of the maple leaf: "There are certainly things that I miss, like the region from Millau with access to very varied nature in just a few kilometers, but when I watch the news in France, it depresses me. Daily life is lighter here, we feel like we're in a bubble, it's not the same lifestyle. Various elements could make me return: the cold, a long winter and my old French friends.

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