Château de la Chèvre d'Or, Gastronomy on the Crest with Tom Meyer -

Le Château de la Chèvre d’Or***** opens a prestigious new chapter in its culinary history with the arrival of MOF Chef Tom Meyer, a young gastronomic prodigy.

Thierry Naidu, Tom Meyer, Florent Margaillan, Yann Vayé (restaurant director ) ©YesICannes.com

Château de la Chèvre d’Or: orchestrated since 2016 by the talented Chef Arnaud Faye, who made them sparkle with two Michelin stars for the gastronomic restaurant, the stoves of the Château de la Chèvre d’Or have welcomed their new maestro, Tom Meyer, young chef MOF 2022. The kitchens of the five-star Relais & Châteaux perched on the steep cliffs of the picturesque village of Èze are beginning a new chapter in their delicious starred history: since July 2024, Tom Meyer’s creations have been delighting gourmets at the Chèvre d’Or, Les Remparts, the Café du Jardin and the Relais & Châteaux room service.

La Chèvre d’Or ©YesICannes.com

Tom Meyer & Thierry Naidu ©YesICannes.com

Enchantment for the eyes and taste buds

A balcony overlooking the azure skies of the French Riviera and the Mediterranean, backed by cliffs of white rock, bordered by terraced gardens populated by a life-size bronze bestiary refreshed by numerous fountains, the Château de la Chèvre d’Or is a temple of hospitality, both iconic and romantic. La Chèvre d’Or offers breathtaking views over the Mediterranean and the fragrant hills of the Côte d’Azur. With two Michelin stars to their name, the chefs at this splendid paradise regularly draw their inspiration from this sublime combination of sky, sea, rock and garrigue, to combine the enchantment of the eyes with the delight of the taste buds in the dishes of this address, which ranks highly among Les Grandes Tables du Monde.

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Dynamism and culinary vision

Tom Meyer shares his culinary vision: “My cuisine is very colourful and graphic, inspired by local produce. It’s a cuisine based on sauces and condiments, with lots of aromatic power and complexity. I vary my sources of inspiration: they can be drawn from my personal history, something I’ve experienced, a memory from a trip, a meeting with a producer… But always with the sauce as the common thread.”

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His cuisine really appeals to me!

“Tom’s application was the first that came to mind!” says Thierry Naidu, CEO Phoenix Hotel Collection, Director of La Chèvre d’Or. Tom had worked here in 2015 and afterwards, I had followed his career and his development, all the competitions he has won (he was a finalist in the Bocuse d’Or) and his title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France. His cuisine appealed to me and I had very good feedback from people I knew in Paris. It was the first choice that came to mind when Arnaud Faye left.”

Thierry Naidu ©YesICannes.com

©YesICannes.com

Boldness of flavours and original combinations

His experience of multi-starred restaurants has led him to develop the virtuosity of powerful sauces, based on the classics but with contemporary touches of varied spices and aromatic herbs, even flowers (the chef will soon have an herb garden at the Château). Tom combines boldness of flavours and original combinations, with an emphasis on visual appeal. While the aromatic complexity of Tom Meyer’s creations provokes intense and memorable culinary emotions with their explosions of flavour, his combinations of ingredients remain very legible: the product highlighted is sublimated by the contributions rather than disguised. In short, you know what you’re tasting! With his exceptional culinary identity, the talent of this young prodigy chef is sure to help perpetuate the prestige of the famous restaurant nestling on the hillside of Eze Village.

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Extra aesthetic soul

What’s more, each of his dishes is not only a masterpiece of taste, but also a pictorial masterpiece: the images of his creations could make up an art photography exhibition! Like the magnificent Mediterranean Mullet: Watercolour of Grilled Prawns, Basil, and its palette of pastel shades. Sure of his gastronomy, Tom Meyer gives it an extra soul by combining flavour and pictorial aesthetics. And with good reason: following his triumphs in competitions, Anne-Sophie Pic, the three-star chef, freed him from his service obligations to entrust him with a research and development post entirely dedicated to the creation of dishes, a trial cuisine ranging from bistro to three-star. At the age of 30, the chef has created more than 400 recipes, whereas normally a chef creates no more than a hundred in his career!

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Dishes tasted at La Chèvre d’Or

Patiences

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Amuse-bouche ©YesICannes.com

Mediterranean Mullet: Aquarelle of grilled Prawns, Basil ©YesICannes.com

Tomate Roma: Souvenir d’une Tarte à l’Ancienne, Peanut, Tagetes passion ©YesICannes.com

Sardines: Schrenki Caviar, Sea Fennel, Shades of Green ©YesICannes.com

The Catch of the Day : Plural Courgette, Nasturtium, Rose Geranium ©YesICannes.com

Pigeon: in its intirety, Prune d’Ente, Nepeta ©YesICannes.com

Pigeon: in its intirety, Prune d’Ente, Nepeta ©YesICannes.com

Tulameen Raspberry: flavoured with Balsamic Vinegar, Rocket Sorbet ©YesICannes.com

©YesICannes.com

Artisan bread and butter with olive oil and Guérande salt ©YesICannes.com

(Très) Grand de Demain

Originally from the Jura region, the son of a restaurateur (his father Hugo Meyer is chef of Hugo’s Bistro in Courlans), Tom Meyer has been immersed in the culinary world since childhood, helping his father in the kitchen. And at the age of 30, he can already look back on a most prestigious career. A top-level competitive basketball player, and his father having passed on the competition bug to him, he won the Trophée Masse Grand Sud in 2015 and the Prix Culinaire International Pierre-Taittinger in 2017. A finalist in the Bocuse d’Or France in 2019, a finalist in the President of the Republic’s culinary challenge, he won a Michelin star for his Paris restaurant Le Granite in 2022 and the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France the same year (coached by Arnaud Faye). Meanwhile, he was named Grand de Demain d’Île-de-France by Gault&Millau in 2022.

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A three-star apprenticeship

After a technical baccalaureate at the Lycée hôtelier, Tom took a work-linked BTS with Anne-Sophie Pic at her three-star establishment in Valence as a demi-chef de partie. After completing his studies, he joined Eric Prat at Maison Lameloise in Chagny, Burgundy (three stars), before moving to the Côte d’Azur at La Chèvre d’Or in Èze with two-star Breton chef Ronan Kervarrec in 2015. He continued on to Switzerland, where he joined the kitchens of the three-star Hôtel de Ville restaurant in Crissier, working under Benoît Violier and then Franck Giovannini. At the same time, his competitive spirit led him to take part in culinary competitions.

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First Michelin star at Le Granite

His horizons broadened between Anne-Sophie Pic’s various establishments in Lausanne, London and Singapore. In 2022, he opened his own restaurant in Paris, Le Granite, and was awarded his first star after just six months.

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Florent Margaillan, authentic flavours

Pastry Chef Florent Margaillan succeeded Julien Dugourd, and his art of sweets is in line with Tom Meyer’s philosophy. Florent Margaillan hails from the Hautes Alpes region of France, where nature and his parents, market gardeners, developed his taste for authentic flavours. Florent began his career in 2008, first at the prestigious Four Seasons Hôtel George V in Paris, then at the Hôtel du Castellet in the Var. In 2010, he became French Dessert Champion and returned to Paris to join the pastry brigade at the Lasserre restaurant as second-in-command. In 2013, he came third in the Mondial des arts sucrés and joined Meilleur Ouvrier de France Franck Ferigutti at the Hôtel Terre Blanche in Fayence. This was followed by L’Apogée, in Courchevel, and Château Saint- Martin. 2015 marked a real turning point in his career. He was a finalist in the Meilleur Ouvrier de France competition, and joined Yannick Alléno‘s brigade at the Royal Mansour for 3 years.

Florent Margaillan ©YesICannes.com

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The finest local produce

In 2018, the pastry chef returned to the south of France to exercise his talent at the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat. Since 2023, Florent Margaillan has taken over as head pastry chef at Château de La Chèvre d’Or. After spending a season working alongside chef Arnaud Faye, he is now responsible for the sweet and bakery dishes that will accompany the cuisine of executive chef Tom Meyer. At a very young age, he grasped the importance of the seasons and short supply chains. Today, he maintains close relationships with farmers in the South of France, so that he can work with the finest local produce at full ripeness.

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Bar de la Chèvre d’Or

At the Bar de la Chèvre d’Or, enjoy vintage Champagnes, house cocktails or a cold drink accompanied by tapas. At the end of the evening, enjoy the immensity of the horizon with a cognac or other digestif and add the finishing touch to a dinner that will leave you with stars in your eyes.

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Unique and memorable experiences

With 45 rooms scattered around the village, in historic houses clinging to the edge of a cliff at an altitude of over 400 metres – including panoramic suites with private terraces, swimming pools and Jacuzzis – La Chèvre d’Or remains a mythical place of spellbinding beauty. This idyllic setting overlooks one of the most beautiful views of the Côte d’Azur, making the Château de la Chèvre d’Or one of the most prestigious establishments in the world, where stays become unique and memorable experiences.

Déjeuner menu Horizon (6 services) 220€
Sentier du littoral served daily except sundays & bank holidays 140€
Dîner menu Horizon (8 services) 340€
Sentier du littoral 270€
Open every days until dinner from 12 octobre 2024 included for lunch & dinner.
Le Café du Jardin : Open at lunchtime in may, june, september & october & at noon and in the evening in july and august.