Nicky NEEF (born 1949) - Lot 172

SPECIAL CONDITIONS ONLINE - ON SITE SALES

No exhibition prior to sale - Photos serve as condition report.

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PICK-UP ONLY POSSIBLE ON THE SPOT ON JUNE 12 - THE ONLY CARRIER AUTHORIZED FOR THIS SALE IS BBTV - We will send you their contact details after payment of your consignment note. Please read these conditions before bidding.

Michel Belcour began his career in Livardun, Meurthe-et-Moselle, where he settled for ten years to learn the secrets of the trade. He then embarked on a veritable gastronomic tour of France, multiplying his experiences and discoveries. In Saint-Émilion, it was at the Plaisance restaurant that he crossed paths with Bourvil, with whom he shared memorable games of pétanque. "When I was young, he used to make us die laughing," he confides wistfully.

When he arrived in Paris, it was a different matter altogether: he had the honor of preparing a meal for General de Gaulle. Later, in Cabourg, as chef of the prestigious Grand Hôtel, he regaled Bruno Coquatrix, then mayor of the town between 1971 and 1979. "He would receive friends and celebrities around a large table, and entrust me with the recipes he wanted to see come to life on his plates," Michel recalls.

But it's in Nîmes that the chef is celebrating half a century of culinary passion. A passion that remains intact. "I've got nothing left to prove. I've had stars all my life. What I want now is for people to feel at home with us, to find something unique here."

The place says a lot about the man. Michel and his wife Annick have transformed their home into a living gallery: photos recounting their career and encounters mingle with works by great painters. And, in a nod to another of his passions, a bullfighter's costume sits proudly on the wall. Michel tells us, with a wry smile, that this souvenir was given to him in exchange for a red chair, the same one he once used to bullfight.