People, conversations and occasions that have enriched my work across gastronomy, craftsmanship and local culture. Here is a small selection from my personal photographic archive.
Mauro is a friend and a leading figure in Menton’s food scene. His three-Michelin-star restaurant Mirazur has put the town on the international culinary map. In this photo he is tasting our Ravioli al Limone di Menton, a memory especially dear to me.
Alain Dutournier, the acclaimed chef behind the historic Parisian restaurants Au Trou Gascon and Carré des Feuillants, is a co-president of the Collège Culinaire de France alongside Alain Ducasse. I met him at the annual gathering of the Collège Culinaire de France.
My connection with the Collège Culinaire de France
I met Philippe Etchebest at Les Étoiles de Mougins. A Meilleur Ouvrier de France since 2000, he is one of French television’s best-known culinary figures, as a judge on Top Chef and the presenter of Cauchemar en cuisine, the French edition of Kitchen Nightmares.
I met Norbert Tarayre in 2015, when he was patron of the Salon des Saveurs in Menton, where Pasta Piemonte was exhibiting.
I met Virginie Basselot through Professor Baux, who stays in Menton and knows her well. Virginie, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, leads the kitchens at Le Negresco in Nice. It was an encounter made possible through a personal connection.
I met Annie Féolde at Les Étoiles de Mougins, where we had a long conversation. Born in Nice, France, she helped make Florence’s Enoteca Pinchiorri one of Italy’s most celebrated restaurants, awarded three Michelin stars.
Originally from Rome and the daughter-in-law of Jean-Paul Belmondo, Luana is a prolific writer and communicator of Italian food culture. Together we filmed an episode of Dolce Riviera for TV Monaco, sharing our love of regional gastronomy.
The Collège Culinaire de France’s annual gathering is an extraordinary occasion that I always love attending. I often say there are more Michelin stars in that room than in the sky: my own playful way of describing the excitement of meeting so many remarkable chefs, artisans and people devoted to gastronomy.
These photographs document personal encounters; they do not imply a professional partnership or endorsement by the people pictured.