Mehdi was 16 years old when he discovered the monumental ‘Taureau’ by Serge Marchal, a craftsman and sculptor of metal. The meeting would determine the boy's future: an apprenticeship with the Companions, seven years on his own Tour de France marked by international meetings with blacksmiths, giving him a taste of the pleasure of working with earth and fire. To complete his training, Mehdi achieved his masterpiece: the reproduction of the caduceus, emblem of the gates of the Château de Maisons, combining a wide range of skills, now exhibited at the Secq des Tournelles museum in Rouen. He created the ornamental ironsmiths workshops in 1995 in the heart of the Chevreuse valley and in turn followed the age-old tradition of passing on his skills by welcoming apprentices and Companions.