Dans le Noir ? Nantes: our extraordinary team, THE CONTINUATION

Posted on

Tuesday 10 August 2021

After introducing you to Havva and Ringo in our last article, today we continue our presentation of the guide-serveur.ses team!

What is a guide-server? It's a blind or partially-sighted person who guides you from the beginning to the end of your experience Dans le Noir ?. Although we don't discriminate, blind or partially-sighted people are naturally more effective in the dark. When the blind guide the sighted, this inversion reveals itself to be an astonishing exercise in empathy, forcing us into an unusual transfer of trust. It's an astonishing approach to raising positive awareness of blindness and disability in general. Dans le Noir ? has that uncanny ability to bring out competence and kindness beyond appearances and apriori.

Kamila comes to us from Angers, but liked the concept so much that she quickly agreed to make the journey to join us and guide you through your meal. "My name is Kamila, I'm 35 years old and I'm a visually impaired mother of 3 children. 4 years ago, I heard about a restaurant with a special concept that was going to open in Nantes: a restaurant offering meals in the dark. I'm brave and I like a challenge, so I immediately wanted to apply. Having worked in the restaurant business in the past, and with my blindness progressing, I decided to give it a go. I like contact with people and am very smiley. I'm curious by nature, and love discovering new things. This year, I'm setting myself a new challenge: to do 650 km on a tandem, starting from Neuvergne and finishing in Saint-Brévins-les-Pins. Last year, with some friends, we did a 240 km circuit over a weekend, following the banks of the Loire. So this year, we figured why not go even further. Departure is scheduled for early September, for a week. I'm in for quite an adventure!

And here's the latest addition to the group, Salma: "I'm Salma and I'm a BTS student. I was born visually impaired, so I've learned to adapt to every situation. I had heard about the concept and the possibility of becoming a waitress-guide through Ringo, one of our waitress-guides. For me, serving in the dark allows me to be able to see through my hands without using my eyes. Dining in the dark is an extraordinary and sensational experience, which allows me to give off the scent of novelty and to offer an original and touching moment through senses other than sight. It's an experience that lets you play with your imagination and your feelings, on a happy note", says Salma, who has quickly integrated into the group and listens attentively to her team-mates when they give her advice.

You now know the whole Nantes team of guides-serveurs.ses. We look forward to seeing you every Friday and Saturday evening (7pm and 9:30pm) at the Radisson Blu hotel. You can reserve your table here.