Opinel seen by Marie Chioca

Collaboration "From the garden to the table"

We collaborated with author and photographer Marie Chioca, who shares with her community her inspirations for a healthier life and close to nature.

(c) Roseline Chioca

Can you introduce yourself in a few words?

I am an author and photographer in the field of cooking and gardening (I have published about fifty books to date), and I am also the mother of a large family.

I live in a pretty, very rural, mid-mountain area, on a plateau of forests, pastures and fields, with the nearby mountains of the Alps and the Vercors on the horizon.

There are many beautiful countryside landscapes in France, but this one has always captivated me...

Where does your passion for cooking come from?

I grew up with a "bon vivant" father (who was always happy to let me taste the very good local produce) and a "wiser" mother who passed on to me a taste for wholesome food that was good for my health. I am therefore a sort of fusion between these two worlds, which are not as incompatible as people would sometimes have us believe...

You have a blog dedicated to permaculture. Can you tell us more?

My house is surrounded by a garden of about 1500m2, and I cultivate among other things a vegetable garden of 125m2 ensuring our total self-sufficiency in terms of vegetables (I have 6 children), as well as all sorts of fruit, herbs and flowers. I raise chickens, ducks, rabbits, pigeons... you could almost call it a micro-farm! As space is limited, I try to optimize everything as much as possible, and the productive power of this small permaculture garden is really amazing...

(c) Marie Chioca

What are the values you want to transmit to your community?

I am driven by the beautiful concept of "happy simplicity" and I share my inspirations (in cooking, gardening, lifestyle and more) for a healthier life, authentic and close to the beauty of nature.

How did your collaboration with Opinel come about?

It was made possible by a photographer friend of mine, Aurélie Jeanette, who had the idea of creating these videos for me. My diary was almost bursting at the seams, but I love this brand so much that I didn't hesitate for a second to accept!

Opinel is synonymous with passing on knowledge and expertise. What do you think the Opinel values are?

It is made in France, which is becoming increasingly rare... The "sustainable" aspect too. It's so solid, an Opinel!

(c) Marie Chioca

What is your first memory of Opinel?

My grandfather, a peasant farmer from Corrèze, always had a folding Opinel in his pocket. So did my dad (and yet he was a law professor!).

I got my first Opinel when I was very young, I was so proud of it... since then, I've always had one in my handbag, or more precisely in all my bags (there's even a tiny orange Opinel hanging on my key ring and, no joke, it's come in handy many times).

And of course, I gave them to all my children...

If you had to choose just one, what would be your favourite Opinel knife?

The simple wooden folding one, which is so typical of the brand and has a nice patina over time. But in the meantime I've bought some in different colours, so it's easier to find them if you lose them in the forest or the garden!

Describe Opinel in 3 words.

Authentic, solid, intergenerational...