Olivier Roch, from: France
Olivier is a rugby-playing chef, maitre'd and owner of a well-established French restaurant in Tsar Simeon Street, Sofia.

IT is timely that with Bastille Day- the French national day- we introduce this week's expat of the week.
I sat down to talk to Olivier Roch at his restaurant L'etranger, where I felt like I was back in one of the chic-styled Parisian restaurants in France. I say chic-styled because part of the charm of the Parisian restaurants is that they are stylishly presented while also having the relaxed ambience of your own lounge. He is a very confident businessman, which is magnified by his relaxed disposition and ease. As I entered, he welcomed me with an offer of: "Coffee, or perhaps vodka?" It was afternoon, and this is Bulgaria, after all.
Four years ago, and at the relatively young of 25, Olivier and his Bulgarian wife Mitana established the first exclusive French restaurant in Sofia, which until recently was the only French restaurant in town.
Olivier was raised in Clamart, a suburb in the southwest of Paris, by parents who kept his burning desire to be a restaurateur in check by insisting that he attained a university degree as a base before following his restaurant dreams. However, they reached a compromise.  His social circles brought him into contact with a secret society called the Compainons, who are not unlike the Freemasons, but rather than specialising in the field of intellectual training and support, the Companions train young French people in expert manual skills such as catering, wine, and many of the delights that make France famous. From the age of 17, Olivier committed all of his free time, the weekends, and school holidays to train with a variety of Compainons. For the next seven years he developed his culinary skills, while also satisfying his parents' demand for tertiary education.
From a young age, Olivier realised that he had a flair for languages and attended a French-German secondary school near Versailles. He continued to improve his language skills, dividing his time between universities in Bordeaux in France and Munsten in Germany, spending six months a year at each to complete his economics degree. He is fluent in French, German, English and Bulgarian and has a basic understanding of Spanish and Dutch.
When he first came to Bulgaria, Olivier worked at the French Consulate in the agricultural division. It didn't take long for his passion to take hold, and he found himself working as a chef in a Creperie.  Using his imagination, Olivier went to the owner and recommended extra dishes for the menu, the result of which saw a quiet restaurant  turn into a thriving success. He then returned to France to continue working as chef for the summer season with the Companions. His departure saw the restaurant he had helped make a success close just three days later!
On his return to Bulgaria, the first few years consisted of hard work. Both he and his wife administrated, worked, and wore the many hats that were needed to make a restaurant successful.  He now feels very much at home in Bulgaria, especially since the arrival of his first-born child Thomas, who is now six months old.
Throughout his life Olivier has travelled extensively, including trips to Ireland, Italy, Spain and Romania. This global background manifests itself in Olivier's open and adaptable character, but the adventuring spirit in him now lies dormant since discovering the charms of Bulgaria and its lifestyle. Olivier says, "Sofia is home, why would I want to go anywhere else?  I am very settled here." 
He says that part of the wonderful attraction of Bulgaria is the laid-back lifestyle, or to use the colloquial term used by Bulgarians - "Razmazvane". Life here is very different from the hustle and bustle of the west. But the irony of the Bulgarian lifestyle is that what is so attractive personally, brings much frustration in business. Olivier complains that it is hard to find reliable suppliers that can deliver produce consistently. "There is no reason for this except people not placing enough importance on the job at hand," he says.
The country has such beautiful locations for all to enjoy, but it's a great shame that both locals and tourists do not respect nature, says Olivier. It is not uncommon to walk in the forest or sit by a lake and find piles of rubbish left by disrespecting people. It is no surprise that as a restaurateur, his number-one favourite sport is fishing. "I am crazy about fishing, anytime, anyplace," he says. He makes his own bait flies and says a successful day's fishing is a day's fishing no matter what the result. Ironically he doesn't provide fish at the restaurant, saying that fine food is a requirement: "I do not trust the supplies of fish to Sofia. I would hate for one of my customers to eat something that wasn't right. So, I don't bring in fresh fish to restaurant."
A keen rugby player, you can find Olivier wearing the Murphy's Misfits jersey on a Saturday morning and a chef's hat on a Saturday night. Anything is possible in his philosophy: "If you want it you can have it." How about "two all beef patties with special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun?" - Just kidding!