Tom Meyer's good addresses

The chef at La Chèvre d'Or in Èze shares with us the names of his favorite producers, so that you too can buy a good olive oil or quality wine.

Mathilde Bourge Published today at 9:45 AM

A discreet and demanding chef at La Chèvre d'Or (4 toques) in Èze, Tom Meyer cultivates a cuisine of precision, deeply rooted in the product. Behind every plate is a network of carefully selected producers, dedicated to consistency, the right taste and raw emotion. Olive oil, citrus fruit, shellfish, fruit or wine: here, the chef shares some of his favorite addresses, the ones he uses on a daily basis, both in the restaurant and at home.

L'Huilerie Saint-Michel, Menton

"It's an oil that's not at all bitter," explains Tom Meyer. in Menton, Huilerie Saint-Michel produces top-quality olive oils that are both precise and elegant. The mill also has fun with flavored oils, finely crafted around ingredients such as lemon-ginger, lovage or basil. "We use a lot of them in restaurants, and for me at home too". A clean oil, without heaviness, that goes just as well with a dish as a simple piece of bread.

Where? 5 rue de Bréa, 06500 Menton
www.huilerie-saint-michel.com

Lemons from Èze, in Èze

at La Chèvre d'Or, there's no shortage of citrus fruits in the gardens. But when the season extends elsewhere, Tom Meyer buys from Karine and Jean-Baptiste Fumero, who form a trio with Sébastien Magini. "They have lemons later than we do, so we take some from them," explains the chef. "They grow fresh, aromatic lemons in Èze, and transform their fruit into magnificent lemon creams and limoncellos," adds Tom Meyer. These are straightforward, sunny products that naturally find their place in both cooking and pastry-making.
▶ www.lescitronsdeze.com

Giol shellfish, La Seyne-sur-Mer

Jean-Christophe Giol raises oysters and mussels in La Seyne-sur-Mer, which he sells directly in his boutique. "The mussels are very fleshy, almost like Spanish mussels, hyper-sweet and well iodized", Tom Meyer explains. As for the oysters, the chef favors the number 1, "very fleshy, sweet, with a hint of hazelnut, very mineral." The key? Exemplary consistency. "You can open 100 of them, and they'll always have the same head," assures the chef. Diploid oysters, reliable, precise, ideal for a gourmet restaurant.

Where? 220 All. de la Petite Mer, 83500 La Seyne-sur-Mer
www.coquillages-giol.fr

Fruit from Albert Luciano, Villefranche-sur-mer

Present on the Cours Saleya market in Nice, Albert Luciano is an important partner of La Chèvre d'Or. "We work with him on a wide range of fruit, but his figs are the best," says Tom Meyer. These tiny figs, available only three or four weeks a year, are "super-sweet, almost like jam". The chef uses them in both cooking and pastry-making, not forgetting the fig leaves, precious for infusing or subtly flavoring a dessert.
▶ Where? Marché Cours Saleya, Cours Saleya, 06000 Nice

Les Vins Bavards, in La Turbie

A small, confidential boutique, Les Vins Bavards is run by a young, passionate wine merchant. "He has some superb selections from Provence, Burgundy and the Rhône Valley", says Tom Meyer. The cellar also conceals a fine selection of spirits, including Chartreuse. "I go there all the time", laughs the chef. A trustworthy address, with no showboating, where every bottle tells a story.