SPICE KING; A BRETON RESTAURATEUR GOES FOR THE EXOTIC.(Olivier Roellinger, Maisons de Bricourt)

Byline: CHANTAL GOUPIL

Often called the corsair cook, Olivier Roellinger is considered one of France's best contemporary chefs, famous for spices and seafood. And 24 years after he opened his restaurant, Maisons de Bricourt, in Brittany, the Michelin guide gratified the 50-year-old chef with a third star last February.

It's a scrumptious reward for the region, as he is the first Breton chef to achieve the rating. "People from around here identify with my cooking," says Roellinger, noting that half of his clientele is local.

Determined his restaurant would not become some "luxury ghetto," he installed his elegant yet friendly dining room in the back …