If France is the home of cooking, then the South of France must be the top supplier of ingredients used in its kitchen. With a wonderful climate for growing fresh vegetables and herbs, plentiful fresh fish and fantastic local beef, the southern part of France is the perfect location for quality cooking. Most of the chefs featured here have their own kitchen gardens and use only seasonal vegetables. However, ingredients are not everything. You also need the imagination, the skill and the flair these top French chefs in the South of France mastered. If you and your family and friends are ready for an outer world culinary experience, have your chief stewardess book a table at one of these restaurants. The captain will make sure you will get there, not just in time, but in the most stylish fashion thinkable!
Mirazur restaurant, Menton
The best chef in the French Riviera is undoubtedly Mauro Colagreco, who runs the 3 Michelin star restaurant of Mirazur in Menton on the Cote d’Azur. Your captain will anchor the yacht near this beautiful town and have you and your loved ones tendered to shore, from where it is only minutes to the restaurant. Run by a charismatic Italian-Argentinian chef, the Mirazur is located high above Menton. At the foot of the mountains overlooking the sea, a stone’s throw from the Italian border post, the 1930s-era rotunda building housing the Mirazur enjoys an idyllic setting. It spreads over three levels on the hillside, surrounded by lush vegetation. The elegant, spacious and light-drenched dining room commands a panoramic view of the sea, the harbor and the town of Menton through the large windows running all the way around. Just imagine being able to raise your glass with your own yacht as backdrop!
Mauro Colagreco grew up in Argentina and is one of the youngest chefs ever to receive 3 Michelin stars. After training in Argentina and France, he proceeded to work at some of the most celebrated restaurants in France. The Mirazur was opened in 2006 and the food is a fusion of classic French cuisine, Italian flamboyance and an earthy Argentinian belief in the power of the ingredients speaking for themselves on the plate. Surrounding the restaurant is the large kitchen garden where Colagreco grows his vegetables, herbs, avocados and citrus fruits, for which Menton is famous for.
The chef is renowned for combining bold flavors and his presentation of the dishes is second to none. Using vegetables hand-grown in the kitchen garden, the Mirazur menu draws heavily on locally reared poultry and meat, as well as fish and shellfish harvested in nearby waters. If you can only visit one restaurant during your charter, this is the one!
La Villa Madie, Cassis
For the ultimate fine French dining experience, La Villa Madie restaurant set on the seaside between the rugged cliffs of Cap Canaille and the Mediterranean sea invites you to indulge. Overlooking the Bay of Cassis in the South France, La Villa Madie is a 2 star Michelin French restaurant run by a dynamic young chef, Dimitri Droisneau. The azure bay in Cassis is a stunning location to drop the anchor to go out for dinner. You will be making your way from the bay to the restaurant by tender, taking in the amazing surroundings.
Chef Dimitri originally hails from Normandy in the North of France and has trained at some of the top restaurants in Paris before he made his way to Cassis. The cooking at La Villa Madie restaurant is high-end gourmet food. The menus range from a four course menu to an ten course signature menu, with the signature menu including an appetizer, six dishes, a cheese plate and two desserts. Amongst Dimitri’s signature dishes are grilled Mediterranean royal lobster with a saffron broth, grilled calamari and red mullet with a Calanques vinaigrette, rabbit and Palamos prawns with a Provencal sauce and veal sweetbreads with celery root, black truffles and lemon zest.
La Villa Madie is housed in a modern building with a panoramic view across the Mediterranean sea. It is located on the eastern side of Cassis, just underneath the enormous cliffs that frame the town. From the long bay windows inside the elegant restaurant, you can enjoy fabulous views all year round. The large terrace is the perfect place to eat, with the sea just below and the dramatic cliffs of Cap Canaille. Can you imagine having dinner here with a view of your yacht all lit up and waiting for you to welcome you back onboard?
La Bastide St Antoine, Grasse
One of the most famous chefs in the Provence is Jacques Chibois who runs the celebrated La Bastide St Antoine restaurant close to Grasse. Your chief stewardess will arrange a private driver for you and your loved ones for the short trip to Grasse through the beautiful countryside. The restaurant is located in a lovely old-style Provencal country house from the 17th century, surrounded by an olive grove and is widely regarded as one of the best restaurants in the Provence. A warm welcome and wonderful views of the hinterland, the bay of Cannes and the Mediterranean will make for a perfect start to this dining experience.
Jacques Chibois was born in central France and was raised near the town of Limoges. His parents ran a flour mill and a small family hotel. His mother was an excellent cook and he accompanied her to local markets and nearby farmers to purchase produce for her evening meals at the bed and breakfast. With the help of his mother, Chibois obtained an apprenticeship at a Michelin starred restaurant near Limoges and then moved on to work in the kitchens of some extremely talented Michelin chefs. Jacques Chibois is fiercely proud of the French culinary heritage and especially of the local dishes of Provence. His celebrated dishes include masterpieces such as pan-fried foie gras escalopes with artichoke cream and roast veal fillet with truffle potatoes.
After enjoying fine dining at its best and watching the sun set over the Mediterranean, the driver will take you back to the harbor, back to what you now call home, the yacht. What a magical evening!
