Lesieur Dines Well in Retirement

[KC15 340]

VHL News Reporter: Guy Lesieur played his last game in the VHL for the DC Dragons in S76. What has he been up to, we wonder, in the past 3 ½ years or so? Best chance to find out is just to ask him so we contacted him through his old agent and he was kind enough to give us a quick phone interview with us from his home in the outskirts of Paris. Guy, what have you done with yourself these past few years?

 

Lesieur: Well, Dougie, it has been a mix of things for sure. You know, the VHL is a real grind. Practices, games, travel, more games, more practice. You know the drill. It’s a thrilling ride, but it takes its toll on your body and also on your mind. Most people don’t see that side of it, but it’s there.

 

So, for the first 6 months or so I really just concentrated on doing nothing. As much nothing as I could do. Well, not nothing, but nothing strenuous or mentally taxing. Just spending a lot of time with my parents and extended family and with my friends. That was really rejuvenating. After that I took another year or so and did some travel around Europe and also to Australia and New Zealand. Had never been to either and really wanted to, but just didn’t have the time to make it feel worth it. After retiring from hockey, I had that time.

 

And then I started thinking about something I have really been interested in all my life and thought maybe I would even take on as a career until I realized I really did have the skills to maybe make it one day in the VHL.

Dougie: What’s that Guy?

 

Lesieur: Haute cuisine and fine wine, Dougie. I’m a Frenchman. What can I say? We all love that at some level. It takes some big cash to go to a fancy restaurant, but every French person can enjoy a beautiful meal if they take the time to learn. So, with retirement and no real need to make piles of francs, I decided I would open up a restaurant. Well, eventually I want to have at least two and a cooking school. I want to start with a fine dining experience that also introduces simple country dishes to help our city folk not forget their roots. That is up and running now for about 8 months and it’s doing really well. Once we know that is more firmly established, say in another 2-3 years, we’d like to open up another one in the country that would also introduce some fine dining options at prices our rural citizens can afford.

 

Dougie: I don’t think I saw that one coming. I mean, lots of guys hang up their skates and go into the restaurant business, but not with exactly that type of vision.

Lesieur: I know. That’s why we thought there might be enough of a market to make it viable. Not a lot of others attempting this. But I wanted to work with food, but with a mission to bridge the city and the country. It’s a small thing, but if there is any way we can bring the country together a little bit more than it was yesterday, I’m all for that. We’ve made a good beginning and I hope we can keep it rolling.

 

Dougie: Good luck to you, Guy, and thanks for your time.

 

Lesiur: Any time, Dougie.

 

583 words

Edited October 11, 2021 by KC15