What Happens at The Negresco...

With its dazzling Belle Epoque facade and famous pink dome, the gracious Negresco Hotel in Nice is celebrating its 100^th anniversary this year. It’s one of only three five-star hotels in Nice and it fills up a full city block—in both directions--on the Promenade des Anglais, facing the sweeping Baie des Anges of the Mediterranean Sea. While the Negresco may not be the largest or flashiest hotel on the Cote d’Azur, it definitely has one of the most colorful histories. Like the time Richard Burton forgot Liz Taylor’s million dollar emeralds on a bar stool...or Michael Jackson dressing up like a hooker so he could slip out of the hotel unnoticed...or James Brown chasing his wife around the hotel in a jealous rage in the middle of the night...

Those are just a few of the many stories that got out. Imagine the ones that didn’t!

A bit of backstory: In 1893, a young Romanian named Henri Negrescu, the son of an innkeeper and a gypsy violinist, arrived in Monte Carlo to seek his fortune.  Through his jobs at the Helder Hotel and the Municipal Casino of Nice, he met the celebrated French/Dutch architect Edouard Niermans (creator of the Moulin Rouge and Folies Bergères) and financier Alexandre Darracq. Negrescu talked up his dream hotel with Darracq, who agreed to back him, while Niermans was signed on as the architect. None other than Gustave Eiffel was chosen to construct the framework of one of Europe’s most beautiful glass domes, which became the centerpiece of the hotel’s Salon Royal. For the hotel’s name, Henri chose his given name as a French citizen.

The Negresco first opened her doors in 1912, then after a brief hiatus, officially launched in January, 1913, boasting innovations such as a steam autoclave, electric switches, and an internal tube system for distributing mail to every room. The hotel quickly lured a glittering international clientele and had an enormously successful first season, “earning a profit of 800,000 gold francs.’’

When World War I broke out, Henri (by then a Knight of the Legion of Honneur) transformed his beloved Negresco into a hospital, paying for the upkeep of 100 beds himself. Later, the hotel fell into severe financial difficulty, was seized by creditors and was then purchased by a Belgian company. Meanwhile poor Henri died penniless in Paris in 1920, aged 52.

Fast forward to 1957, when Monsieur Jean-Baptiste Mesnage and his wife bought the Negresco and moved in. Their daughter Jeanne Augier, today age 89, still lives on site and is involved in every aspect of operations. I’m told she’s the last private owner of any Riviera palace hotel...and that the Sultan of Brunei and Bill Gates, among many others, have tried to buy her out. An endowment fund was set up long ago to ensure the Negresco’s future, with beneficiaries including humanitarian causes, French art programs and animal welfare charities. (Pets are very welcome at the hotel and Madame Augier’s beloved cat Carmen spends most of the day dozing in a leather chair in the bar.)

Passionate about French art and antiques, Madame Augier was already a serious collector by her early 20s.  And the Negresco’s walls have always been the perfect backdrop for her collection. Today, the Negresco is the only hotel in France that employs a full time curator (Mr. Pierre Couette) for its art and antiques, a collection that numbers roughly 5,000 pieces. And Jeanne Augier is still adding to it, her goal being ‘’to present an overall view of the great periods of French Art.’’ 

Artists, of course, figure prominently in guestbook; Dali, Matisse and Picasso were regulars; Chagall and Cocteau loved the hotel. Show biz types have long treated the Negresco as their base on the Cote d’Azur: Alain Delon, Cary Grant, Lauren Bacall, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Elton John, Edith Piaf, Charles Aznavour...the list goes on and on. Ava Gardener and Ernest Hemingway have been guests, as have Jacques Chirac, Winston Churchill, countless Royals and heads of state.

Stories of the Negresco’s rich and famous clientele—and their hijinks—could easily fill a book. Indeed, the hotel has always indulged quirky behaviour. 

Prince Turki, brother of the King of Saudi Arabia, arrived with a 50-person entourage, 1,000 pieces of luggage, and his own furniture...all of it packed in a moving van. There were 15 cases for the Prince’s shoes alone. The local fire brigade was called to clear the entrance hall, so the Princely possessions could make it through the lobby.

Once during a power outage, the pianist Arthur Rubinstein refused to climb the four floors to his room. He asked for two pillows, a blanket, an 8 am wake-up call with breakfast and Champagne...and then settled in for the night in the Salon Louis XIV.

Anthony Quinn arrived with 20 suitcases containing 100 of his wife’s evening gowns...and an unusual request. He wanted a white Cadillac--with chauffeur--and a bicycle. He used the bike throughout his stay in Nice, disappearing each morning into traffic...followed by his wife in the Cadillac. Quinn stayed at the hotel three months while shooting A Star for Two with Lauren Bacall.

It was around 1970 when Richard Burton, in love and rather distracted, was chatting to the barman and showing him the fabulous emerald necklace and earrings he planned to give his wife Liz Taylor, when she called down and asked her husband to come up to the room. A half an hour later, the barman discovered the jewels on a bar stool, where Burton had forgotten them.

Michael Jackson came to stay in 1988, bringing his own chef.  After having transformed one of the rooms into a kitchen, he installed a dance floor in another room so that he could rehearse. In order to leave the hotel unnoticed, he disguised himself “as a hippie, an English gentleman, a delivery boy and a prostitute.’’

Once, a passing student stopped to admire a magnificent Hispano Suiza parked in front of the hotel and allegedly said, “You have to be a King to own such a car!’’  Rudolf Valentino tapped him on the shoulder and asked, “Would you like to be King? Then get in, my chauffeur will drive you wherever you want. You’ll be a King for a day.’’

And then there was the rock band that stole one of Madame Augier’s favourite paintings, a present from her parents on her 21^st birthday. I can’t say who the band was or how the heist was found out, but the band was apprehended at the airport and the painting was returned in perfect condition.

Late this summer, the Negresco threw itself an enormous birthday party, with Madame Augier playing elegant host to 500 guests, friends and local dignitaries. Other celebrations and promotions were being staged throughout the year, but the most joyous gift of all came in March 2012, when the folks at the Michelin Guide called to say they’d be giving the Negresco’s restaurant Chantecler its coveted second star back after bumping them down to one star in the Guide Rouge eight years ago. (The hotel’s first two-star review had originally been earned back in 1980 by the wildly talented but notoriously eccentric Jacques Maximin, chef at Negresco from 1978 to 1988. (Maximin now has the Bistrot de la Marine in Cros de Cagnes, ten minutes from the Nice Airport.)

Credit for the second Michelin star goes to Negresco chef Jean-Denis Rieubland, who joined the hotel in 2007 and immediately set out to win it back. Born in Agen, France, Rieubland trained at the Lycée Hôtelier in Nice, then went on to work at top hotels and restaurants such as The Carlton (Cannes), La Tour d’Argent (Paris), and the Four Seasons Resort Provence at Terre Blanche (no longer a Four Seasons, it’s now called just Terre Blanche). Rieubland earned his Meilleur Ouvrier de France (‘’Best Craftsmen in France’’) title in 2007.

Among Rieubland’s many contributions to the Negresco is the farm-to-table system he set up, turning his family’s own farm--about 35 minutes from the hotel—into his private potager.Rieubland works closely with his father, Jean François, to select the varieties they’ll grow each season, on 17 hectares of terraced, hilltop beds. Jean François drives the produce down to the Negresco twice a week and Rieubland says that cooking with just-picked ingredients grown to his exact specs is “one of the greatest luxuries of all.’’

Hearty kudos also goes out to restaurant manager Olivier Novelli, who was hired to run the Chantecler dining room in late 2009. Before that, he’d worked at Château de la Chevre d’Or (Eze), Le Mas Candille (Mougins), and with Rieubland at the Miramar Beach Hotel. Novelli earned his own Meilleur Ouvrier de France title in 2011, one of just four candidates (out of 59) to attain the impressive distinction that year.

The Chantecler is now Michelin's highest rated restaurant in Nice. (A list of all the starred restaurants in the Alpes Maritimes region appears here.)

In honor of the 100^th anniversary, the Negresco completed a €10 million, 18-month renovation in June 2011. Among the upgrades were an entire kitchen re-do and a transformation of the restaurant La Rotonde, which now has a lovely terrace facing the sea. The façade was also restored and 30 guestrooms were redone.

If you’ve never experienced Negresco, there are a few nice ways to do it even if you can’t spend the night. You can dine at Chantecler of course, or the more-casual, family friendly La Rotonde, which serves brasserie fare all day. (They’re currently offering an 18€ plat du jour at lunch; a 22€ lunch special including main course, little desserts and coffee; and a full à la carte menu.)

Live music continues in the Le Relais bar, every night from 7:30 onwards. Jazz Night is the first Thursday of the month, at 9 pm.

A small but worthwhile exhibit covering the Negresco’s colourful 100-year history remains on view in the Salon Royal, free and open to the public, from 3 pm to 6 pm daily, until January 5.  

Meanwhile, the centenary celebration runs through June 2013 with a series of events this spring ‘’highlighting French creativity.’’

According to the Negresco’s director, the charming Pierre Bord: ‘’There are few hotels on the Cote d’Azur—few hotels anywhere—that have seen what the Negresco has….and lived to tell about it! While independent hotels up and down the coast continue to be acquired or replaced by chains, Negresco remains steadfastly independent and highly personal. And after an amazing 100 years, the hotel’s original personality remains intact:  formal but friendly, rich in history and ready to party! There are always surprises here…you never know what will happen. And now that this Grand Dame has had her face lift, she’s as glittering and sparkling as ever. Here’s to the next century!’’

For info, rates and reservations at the Negresco, click here.

Photos: 1. The Negresco has been likened to a giant wedding cake. 2. Executive chef Jean-Denis Rieubland loves to tromp around his father's farm, where produce is grown to the chef's exact specs. 3. Madame Augier's cat Carmen is a fixture in the Relais Bar. 4, 5. The dining room and a typically lovely presentation in the restaurant Chantecler. 7. You know who, on the beach at Negresco, June 30, 1965. 8. Image once used on luggage tags and posters. 9. The 100th Anniversary Birthday cake, made by pastry chef Fabien Cocheteux. 10. Seen from the sea. 11. Bienvenue a Negresco!

Restaurant Royalty Fêtes Ducasse's 25th

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone who knows chef Alain Ducasse knows that he does nothing halfway. So when he decided to throw a party to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of his Monte-Carlo restaurant Le Louis XV, he went all out, inviting 240 chef friends for a weekend of elegant food, stellar wines and good fun. Included in the November 16th to 18th festivities were many of the very-top toques in the world, a rarified group holding some 300 Michelin stars between them. Chefs came in from South Africa, North and South America, Japan, China, Hong Kong, India, Australia, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Russia... 25 countries total...plus all over Europe and beyond...while the French contigent was out in full force. Joël Robuchon? Check! Pierre Troisgros? Check! Michel Guérard and Michel Roux? Of course. Boulud, Hermé, Maximin, Pic, Charial, Darroze, Dutournier, Haeberlin, Marcon, Marx, Pourcel, Senderens, Thuries, Trama, Chibois, Roellinger, Payard, Blanc (Georges) and Blanc (Raymond)....the old guard and the new...they all left their kitchens and came out to honor the man they call the Godfather of French Cuisine. All the finest Riviera region chefs were there as well...from Marseille to Menton...check, check, check. One fabulous chef after another.

Despite a late night on Friday, everyone gathered bright and early Saturday morning on the Casino Square for a family photo, not the easiest undertaking. Then after a panel discussion in the gorgeous gilded Salle Garnier of the Opera de Monte-Carlo, it was off to the Le Sporting for an all-day ''Mediterranean Market'' celebrating 100 of Mr. Ducasse's favorite ingredients...and the hard-working farmers, ranchers, fishermen, foragers and artisans who supply them. A few minutes into the party, the enormous ceiling rolled back, bathing everyone in the bright Mediterranean sun...a perfect metaphor as Mr. Ducasse is unfailingly vocal when it comes to his passion for the region's sun-drenched cuisine. While a few intrepid swimmers splashed around in the calm sea below, the chefs sipped Champagne and glorious wines, perused the beautifully displayed ingredients and chatted up the purveyors, then eagerly set to sampling the dishes being prepared  à la minute by the 14 chefs Mr. Ducasse had tapped to cook. Can you imagine the pressure those 14 chefs felt, cooking on little portable burners for this crowd? The vast room was white coats wall to wall, with chefs eating, drinking, hugging, toasting, posing for the press, catching up on each other's news and trading war stories. Prince Albert II was there too, sampling and shaking hands, while his dark-suited security detail tried their best to blend. At the party's end, famed Parisian pattisier Pierre Hermé still had a crowd at his station, thanks to the endless supply of sweets he put out, most notably an ethereal white truffle macaron that made even the most-jaded palates swoon.

There was barely time for a few minutes of feet-up before everyone gathered at Le Louis XV for the gala dinner, with Prince Albert among the guests, the lovely Princess Charlene at his side, Princess Caroline of Monaco in the room as well and reportedly 200 chefs and cooks in the kitchen. And the party continued on Sunday, with an elegant brunch. And although he was both guest of honor and the host, Mr. Ducasse was, as usual, focused on playing up the accomplishments of others--his team, colleagues, mentors, protegées, competitors, and peers--rather than shining the spotlight on himself. More than 1/3 of the Monte-Carlo SBM's 3,500 employees worked on putting together the weekend, which was months and months in the planning. Did you just hear that whoosh? That was the collective sigh coming from Monaco today, now that the event is officially over and it's clear that it was a smashing success. Too bad Michelin doesn't give stars for parties. 

Born on a farm in Southwestern France, Ducasse was 12 when he famously proclaimed “Grand-mere, these beans are overcooked!” and 16 when he began his culinary career. He quit catering school--he found the pace too slow--preferring to learn from the chefs he most respected: Michel Guérard, Gaston Lenôtre, Roger Vergé, Alain Chapel and others. Today he's considered the master of Mediterranean cuisine, which he celebrates and advances through his schools, cookbooks, restaurants, food products and more. His mantra is impeccable ingredients and his philosophy is ''glocal''--meaning he draws inspiration, flavors and techniques from whatever city or country he's working in, while keeping roots planted firmly in Mediterranean soil.

Le Louis XV was Mr. Ducasse's first Michelin three-star restaurant and it remains his company's flagship. Anxious to have a top-rated restaurant in the Principality, Prince Rainier III lured him there in 1987. ''Until then,'' Ducasse said,  ''The Hotel de Paris was serving typical luxury palace fare. The challenge was to bring a breath of fresh air into a very classic room and also bring in local ingredients. I kept that promise.'' But there was more: Ducasse vowed he'd earn three stars within three years...and he did of course, becoming the youngest chef (age 33) ever to do so. He opened in Paris in 1996 and quickly earned three there as well. With the addition of his restaurant in the Dorchester Hotel in London, he became, in 2005, the first chef to hold three Michelin stars in three different restaurants at the same time. Today he's involved in a wide range of projects, which generated, I've read, €68 million in sales ($87 million) last year. His global empire includes 27 restaurants in eight countries...and 21 Michelin stars. A restaurant in Qatar is coming next year.

Ducasse is outspoken in his belief that chefs have a dual role: to provide pleasure though food but also to share their knowledge with others. A successful stint in a Ducasse kitchen instantly elevates any cook's resumé...and those who have toiled Chez Ducasse over the years comprise a list far too long to print. It's a global network of rigorously trained talent and it grows larger every day. 

''The 25th anniversary was truly an historic event,'' says New York-based restaurateur Drew Nieporent, who owns Nobu, TriBeCa Grill, Corton (two Michelin stars), and dozens of other restaurants worldwide. ''There will never be an event that humbled so many great chefs, as Ducasse honored his mentors (Troisgros, Guérard, Blanc, etc.), his peers and his 200-plus friends this weekend. It was a delicious honor to be one of them.''

To  learn more about Alain Ducasse click here. To see the 25th Anniversary celebration page on Facebook, click here. For all the participating chefs, Alain Ducasse's favorite Mediterranean ingredients and more, the press kit for the 25th Anniversary celebration is here.

Photos (click to enlarge): 1, 2: The 25th Anniversary logo, made by 240 chefs on the Casino Square...and how they did it. 3: Ducasse shares a laugh with another multiple-three-star chef, Joël Robuchon. 4: Ducasse arrives at Le Sporting with Prince Albert. 5-7: Some of Ducasse' favorite ingredients in the Mediterranean Market on Saturday. 8: One of Pierre Herme's desserts in the Market. 9: Chef David Burke with chef Marc Haeberlin and restaurateur Drew Nieporent. 10: Chefs Pierre Troisgros and Joan Roca. 11: Turkish chef Vedat Basaran with Israeli chef Ezra Kedem. 12: My key to the Kingdom. (Photos 1 - 5 & 8, copyright and courtesy of Agence Photo Realis.)

Like this story? Subscribe to Provence Post here. 

Princess Grace: On Film and In Provence

Action! The cameras have just begun rolling here in France for Grace of Monaco, the new movie with Nicole Kidman playing Grace Kelly. The story centers on a six-month period in 1962 when French Prime Minister Charles de Gaulle and Monaco's Prince Rainier III were at odds over the opulent principality's standing as a tax haven. The Philadelphia-born Kelly, who had quit Hollywood to marry the Prince in 1955, was said to have been instrumental in helping to sort out the political hoo-ha. The film is directed by Olivier Dahan, whose Edith Piaf biopic La Vie en Rose earned Marion Cotillard the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2008. Princess Grace died in a car accident in 1982 (her daughter Stephanie survived the crash) and it's said the funeral was watched on TV by 30 million people. Speaking of 30 million, that's the estimated budget for the film. Following her appearance at the Emmys on Sunday night, Kidman joined the cast at the Victorine Studio in Nice, which is where Alfred Hitchcock filmed Kelly opposite Cary Grant in 1955’s To Catch a Thief.

The film is slated for a 2014 release. Tim Roth will play Prince Rainer III and Paz Vega will appear as Grace Kelly's friend and confidante, the opera legend Maria Callas. Frank Langella is set to play Father Tucker, the priest who set Rainer and Kelly up and served as an important adviser to the couple throughout their relationship. Parker Posey plays the scheming social climber Madge Tivey-Faucon, Grace's lady-in-waiting who ''couldn't wait to sell unflattering tell-alls to the French press once she left Kelly's employ.'' Milo Ventimiglia plays Grace's publicist Rupert Allan, who served as consul general for the principality of Monaco and was made a Chevalier of the Order of Grimaldi in 1989.

If the life of Princess Grace interests you, then this is the perfect time to see The Princess Grace Photo Album in Les Baux de Provence, the striking Medieval hill town in the heart of Provence. It's an exhibit of photos taken by reporters from Paris Match, grouped according to era and subject and hung in three indoor/outdoor spaces around the village: in the courtyard and gallery of the Hotel de Manville (along with letters and other historic memorabilia), in the Jardin de l’îlot Post Tenebras Lux and in La Citerne. The show remains on view until November 15, 2012.

So what's the connection between the Princess and Les Baux?  The show marks the 30th anniversary of the Princess's visit with Prince Albert, the young Marquis de Baux.  In June 1982, the people of Les Baux gave an official reception for Prince Albert of Monaco and presented him with the keys of the town. A bit of history: The barony of Les Baux was raised to the status of a marquisate in 1642 by King Louis XIII, to thank the Prince of Monaco, Hercule de Grimaldi, for his assistance in the fight against the kingdom of Spain. A map of Les Baux was drawn at that time, bearing the arms of Les Baux and Monaco. The Eyguieres gate was raised in the 17th century by the Princes of Monaco. Their coat-of-arms, which was hammered down during the French Revolution, can be seen in a scroll with baroque foliage decoration.To this day,  the Grimaldis continue to contribute to the restoration and enhancement of Les Baux, such as the donation, in 1962, of the stained-glass windows in St. Vincent's Church and the restoration of the frescoes in the Hotel de Porcelet. 

At one time (in the 13th century), the village of Les Baux was home to as many as 3000 people. Now the year-round population is just 22.

To celebrate the opening of The Princess Grace Photo Album, a group of regional dignitaries, tourism authorities and local business owners were welcomed for a private tour and gala luncheon this summer. The guest of honor was Diane E. Kelly, the Consul General of the U.S. in Marseille and Monaco. 

Entrance to the Princess Grace show is free. A guide to the show and the sites pertaining to the history of the Grimaldi Family in Les Baux can be found at the Tourist Office or online here. For more info on the show or Les Baux itself, call (04 90 54 34 39), email (tourisme@lesbauxdeprovence.com) or click here.  

*For still more on Les Baux, you can see two great shots here and here. To read about a Les Baux quarry that does custom stone work, click here.

Photos: (1 & 2) Kelly, left, is being played by Kidman in "Grace of Monaco," which just began filming in France. Photos via MGM/Will Davidson/Swisse via Getty Images. (3) Poster photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match. (4 & 5) Large photos from many chapters of Grace Kelly's life are hung in three indoor/outdoor venues in Les Baux. (6, 7, 8) Photos from the show. (9)  Odette Girard, owner of the Les Baux restaurant Bauthezar, greets Diane E. Kelly (Consul General of the U.S. in Marseille and Monaco) in Les Baux this summer, and shows her a photo taken in June 1982 during Grace and Albert's visit.

A-Part Art Festival Runs Through July 31

The A-Part International Festival of Contemporary Art continues in the Alpilles region of Provence through July 31st. Fifty artists are exhibiting in 30 public and private spaces throughout eight villages. This year, the third annual, celebrates nine different themes and includes painting, photography, ceramics, sculpture, multi-media installations, sound and light shows, digital art and street art. There will also be a series of ''animated discussions'' and a picnic at the Domaine Dalmaran on July 27 (by reservation) from 12:30 to 6:30 pm.

Each major shows kicks off with a vernissage (opening reception) that's free and open to the public. In most cases, the artists will be present. A schedule of some (but not all) of the vernissages is here. But unless you speak ''art French,'' you might have more than a bit of trouble understanding the show descriptions. Better to just check the venues and then go enjoy the vibrant diversity of work and festive atmosphere.

Upcoming vernissages include:   

*Carrieres des Lumieres, Les Baux (Thursday July 19, 7:30 to 11:30 pm, with projections on July 20 and 21 from 7:30 to 11:30 pm).

*Hôtel de l’Image, 36, boulevard Victor Hugo, St. Remy (Saturday, July 21, 6:30 to 10:30 pm). This is a show of large and small vehicles, created or embellished by various artists.

*'Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Pitié,  2, rue Durand-Maillane, St. Remy (Monday, July 23, 11:30 am to 3:30 pm).

*Clôture de la Résidence d’Artistes, Atelier Serra, Les Baux (July 29, 6:30 to 9 pm).

The A-Part Festival office is located at Space Marrel, 3, rue Édouard Marrel in St. Remy. It's open from 10 am to 7 pm every day. The phone is 06 72 44 71 13. The festival also has a ''point info'' in the courtyard of the office of the architect Hugues Bosc at 38, Boulevard Victor Hugo in St. Remy. 

Full festival info can be found here. 

Images from top: The ''point info'' in the courtyard at 38, Boulevard Victor Hugo in St. Remy. This year's A-Part poster.The artist Zokatos used to paint on the walls of Paris; now he creates colorful abstract canvases such as the one above.  Divinity by Christian Astuguevieille. Flower photo by Anne Olofsson. A sculpture made of bread by Mexican artist Edgar Canul. Pas Ce-Soir (Not Tonight) by Etienne Bossut. A recent vernissage at the Chateau des Alpilles in St. Remy. The A-Part map (click to enlarge).

Great Big Grenache Tasting Next Thursday

If you're free on Thursday evening November 17 and you love red wines, you need to be in Avignon for "G-Night," a grand Grenache degustation. Twenty-five winemakers from France and Spain will be pouring their hearts out, serving up tastes of their best Grenache-based vintages along with small nibbles. The event is sponsored by InterRhône, the Grenache Symposium, Tavel and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It's just 10€ per person and my friend Kelly McAuliffe, an American sommelier and Rhône wine expert, tells me it's going to be a blast. It's at Le Grenier a Sel, 2 rue du Rempart Saint-Lazare, and it starts at 7:30. Tickets are limited and there may be some left at the door, but it's best to reserve your place by emailing: marlene@grenachesymposium.com. For more info, call 06-61-60-95-96. If you need a map, there's one here. See you there!