Virginie Basselot, Michelin-starred chef and MOF (Meilleure Ouvrière de France), embodies culinary excellence at the Negresco. At Chantecler, she reinterprets Niçoise cuisine with precision while blending her Norman heritage.
She is part of the very exclusive circle of 5% of women chefs with Michelin stars, and is the second woman to wear the tricolor collar of Meilleure Ouvrière de France. Awarded Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor, devoted, accomplished brigade manager and passionate about motorcycle racing, she takes on every challenge with rigor and determination.
At the helm of Chantecler, the emblematic gastronomic restaurant of the Hôtel Negresco, she brings to life a starred culinary experience at the heart of a prestigious heritage: chef Virginie Basselot.
Built in 1913, facing the shimmering sea of the Bay of Angels, the Negresco enchants with its pink dome, its dazzling white façade and its Belle Époque architecture. As the establishment’s heiress, Jeanne Augier dedicated more than sixty years of her life to making the Negresco a unique place in the world of luxury hospitality: a hotel-museum housing nearly 6,000 works of art and furniture, preservation of historical, cultural and artistic heritage as well as the continuity of its French gastronomic restaurant: Le Chantecler.
Virginie Basselot demonstrates a remarkable career, forged by passion, hard work and rigor. For several years, she held the position of head sous-chef under MOF and three-time Michelin-starred chef Éric Fréchon at Bristol Paris, a responsibility that was then very rarely entrusted to a woman! Alongside him, she contributed to obtaining the third Michelin star.
She then takes over the kitchens of Saint James Paris, where she wins her first Michelin star. In parallel, she prepares for the prestigious competition of the Meilleure Ouvrière de France and becomes, in 2015, the second woman in history to obtain the MOF title in cooking. This distinction marks a turning point in her career and opens the doors of the greatest establishments.
It was thus in 2018 that she joined the mythical Negresco, whose family spirit, team kindness and the soul of Jeanne Augier’s heritage she appreciates, and brings a clear ambition: to make Le Chantecler shine and conquer a second Michelin star!
Originally from Deauville, Virginie Basselot has immersed herself thoroughly in the Niçoise terroir: its history, its products and the women and men who make up its wealth. On her plates, she reinterprets Niçoise cuisine – listed in UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage – by gracefully combining it with her Norman culinary heritage: Mediterranean sea bass, oyster with Normandy cream caviar, tomato black garlic black lemon tomato sorbet, red mullet Niçoise style Barbajuan reduced stock, Alpilles lamb shellfish marine jus… Her cuisine is distinguished by the clarity of flavors, precision of cooking, finesse of sauces and stocks, as well as deep respect for the product. Each plate tells a story and invites the guest on a journey or into memories: a stroll through Cours Saleya, a family meal in Nice, low tide fishing on the Norman coasts…
A sweet ending imagined as a duo with pastry chef Yann Le Douaron: strawberry rhubarb nepita, dark chocolate orange blossom ice cream olive oil… Light and delicious creations that delicately refresh the palate!
Moreover, a dinner where one appreciates the fineness of the tableware, decoration harmoniously blending 18th-century elegance with contemporary touches, floral arrangements reinvented through the seasons by Hervé Frézal, the refined service of Maître d’hôtel Julien Freulon, as well as the enchanting melodies of pianist Luc Escolano.
Restaurant Le Chantecler – Hôtel Le Negresco
Address: 37 Promenade des Anglais, 06000 Nice
Phone: 04 93 16 64 10
Open: Wednesday to Sunday from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM.
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