Born: Bergerac, France
History: I was
born on the 3rd of December 1950 in Bergerac,
France, where I
attended the local school and worked during the school holidays at the local
Patisserie for pocket money. The owner of the Patisserie, Jean Pagnac, was a
great man, like a father to me, and constantly encouraged me to stay on as an
apprentice.
After my third
year as an apprentice, Jean sent me to Holland
and Paris where
I continued to work, training other apprentices. I then decided to move to Australia, where I began working as a chef at the
l’Alouette Restaurant, the Lamplighter, La Chaumiere, and the Bullfrog
Restaurant in Victoria.
In 1975, I
opened my first restaurant, le Café De Paris,
located in Melbourne,
where I stayed for the next nine years. After meeting my lovely wife, Ramona, I
opened the Bergerac Restaurant (named after my home town in France) in King Street, Melbourne.
After twenty four years, I am still here. Bergerac serves unpretentious
traditional French cuisine, made from good quality products and prepared with
love.
My wife and I
have two beautiful children and have travelled extensively across Europe
over the years. As the President of the Academie Culinaire De France for ten
years, I travelled to France
almost every year, trying many Michelin star restaurants. I must say that my
greatest inspiration was Jean Pagnac my apprenticeship boss, who taught me
everything I know about cooking and cake making.
Lunch at
Bergerac restaurant is always of good value at $28.00 for a two course meal.
Guests of the Kingsgate Hotel nextdoor can enjoy a glass of wine with a two
course dinner for only $35.00. Every year, Bergerac celebrates Bastille day
with a set menu, French musicians and the famous Can Can dancing girls.
Bergerac regularly hosts theme nights, which are always a lot of fun.
Bon appétit!
