Chef Nicolas Masse : carefully chosen ingredients to produce creative yet traditional dishes
- 2 Stars chef
- Cuisine around Bordeaux’ terroir
- Restaurant in the middle of the vineyards
More 2 stars chefs here. Other French chefs here.
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Originally from Cherbourg, Nicolas Masse had his first professional experiences in Normandy. His career in prestigious establishments, including the Landmark in London or La Villa Belrose in the Var, has allowed him to express his creativity and develop his own style by feeding on his many culinary discoveries.
Nicolas Masse ended up having a real passion for the South West of France: “The Basque Country was a revelation,” he agrees. I have to thank Christian Parra and Martin Berasategui, two great chefs who have passed on their passion and knowledge to me. »
After 7 years at the helm of the Rosewood restaurant at the Grand Hotel Loreamar in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, where he won his first Michelin star in 2007, Nicolas Masse joined Alice and Jérôme Tourbier in 2009 at Les Sources de Caudalie. “An establishment in the middle of the vineyards, which is for me a real place of inspiration since you feel close to the land,” he says. “I knew right away that I could express myself very freely here.”
For more than 15 years, Les Sources de Caudalie has been celebrating “the art of vines”, a certain idea of the art of living in the heart of the Bordeaux terroir. It is the products of this rich and fruitful land that the chef likes to sublimate. “The plate is a mirror of the seasons and of the local terroir” says Nicolas Masse. The dishes evolve to the rhythm of the now two vegetable gardens that count the hotel in the interest of freshness and traceability of the products. His new best-selling entry is The Farm Egg, which comes directly from the hotel’s chicken coop! From the Atlantic coast to the land of Graves region, the chef has also forged close ties with the Aquitaine craftsmen who, at the rhythm of the seasons, bring him the result of their fishing, of their breeding and of their gardens. It is in front of the stoves that Nicolas Masse creates these surprising associations, a culinary journey from the Ocean to the Vine: the crab marries with shells from Galicia, the caviar of Aquitaine sublimates a tartare of langoustine and the wild seabass flirts with the Chanterelles…
A bright and ingrained cuisine that was awarded with a second Michelin star in 2015.
Key dates…
Nicolas Masse
1972 – Born in Normandie
1993 – Graduate a Professional Cooking Patent from Chef Patrick Durant at the Casino de Deauville
1998/2001
Sous-Chef at the Landmark***** (London – 1 Michelin star)
Sous-Chef at La Cabro d’Or***** (Les Baux de Provence – 1 Michelin star)
Sous-Chef at La Villa Belrose*****(Gassin – 1 Michelin star)
2002/2009 – Chef at Grand Hôtel Loréamar***** (Saint Jean de Luz – 1st Michelin star in 2007)
2009/2020 – Chef at Les Sources de Caudalie***** (Bordeaux Martillac – 1st Michelin star in 2010 for the restaurant La Grand’Vigne, 2nd Michelin star in 2015)
