Forty years of Gérald Passedat

Third generation at the helm of the famous Petit Nice overlooking the sea, chef Gérald Passedat forged his expertise with Michel Guérard in Eugénie-les-Bains and the Troigros brothers in Roanne, before joining the family business in 1985, already boasting two Michelin stars. The chef developed an avant-garde vision for his time: a radically territorial cuisine rooted in his “Mediterranean kitchen garden”. This uncompromising approach was rewarded in 2008 with a third star, an unprecedented accolade for Marseille and for an exclusively seafood cuisine. With an uncle who was a fisherman, Gérald Passedat lets the sea decide for itself what to offer on the daily menu. Like the vegetables, everything varies according to season, weather and arrival. While respecting the marine calendar, the chef makes the most of the variety of species without overexploiting the best-known, thus helping to preserve marine biodiversity. With more than 70 types of fish, he gives pride of place to the seabed, rehabilitating the lesser-known and often despised species such as verdau, liche, pelamide and bavarelle. So let’s congratulate this master of fish preparation on his achievement.