Stick with What You Love: A Success Story of Pascale Ribreau, Chef and Paraplegic

 

SUBMITTED BY BRENT PUDSEY

 

Pascale Ribreau has been a chef since 1984. He now owns the restaurant Celestin in Toronto. "It's very retro, very 1920s," says Ribreau of his high-end eatery, which offers French and international cuisine. It's also very wheelchair accessible, because Ribreau is himself a wheelchair user.

Ribreau became a paraplegic in an accident three years ago. At first he thought his career as a chef was over. He considered going back to school to become a wine master, but then an assistive devices company called Motion Specialties helped him devise a wheelchair that allowed him to stand up. He realized he would be able to return to the career he loved. It would have cost too much to modify the restaurant where he worked as executive chef, so instead he built his own restaurant in an old bank building, complete with a walk-in fridge with a sliding door for easy access, a raised table for him to work at (because he's taller in his special chair), and plenty of space between tables, which even his able-bodied customers appreciate.

 

The standing wheelchair "has been an absolutely amazing tool for me," Ribreau says. Nevertheless, he finds his nine-hour work day physically demanding - though he adds, "The pain doesn't matter when I work." He works fewer hours than before his disability and delegates more than he used to, but he maintains that the quality of his food speaks for itself. "I don't get a break from my customers because I'm in a wheelchair," he says.

Ribreau's advice to other people with disabilities who want an unusual career? "Stick with what you love... If you love something and can make a living at it, go for it."

 

Originally published as: Odd Jobs: Dream Careers Do Not Have to Be Conventional by Anna Quon.
In pp.56 of Abilities Magazine, Fall 2003

http://www.abilities.ca/work_money/2004/04/15/odd_jobs/