Vincent CROIZARD

Chef : 1 restaurant At the helm of his Nîmes restaurant since 2011, Vincent Croizard has had time to sharpen his knives. His consistency and talent have been rewarded with the Techniques d'Excellence Occitanie 2024 trophy.

Presentation

As a child, I didn't like school at all," confides Vincent Croizard. I could even say I was a dunce, it didn't interest me. But once I joined the Lycée Hôtelier, something clicked for me. I belonged behind the stove". The one in Nouméa, New Caledonia, where his parents met by chance. Her father had just finished his military service and was about to join an industrial group specializing in nickel mining, and her mother was on vacation.

Arrival in France at 18

When he came of age, Vincent Croizard moved to mainland France and obtained a BTS in Nantes, then a master's degree in hotel management at the Savignac school (Dordogne), where he met his future wife, Gisèle.

"When I left school, I followed Gisèle to Nanterre to work alongside my parents-in-law, who ran a traditional brasserie that also had a bar, PMU and hotel. The amount of work was considerable. We stayed there for four years until my in-laws decided to give up and buy a restaurant in Nîmes, the Darling, where we followed them."

Inauguration of his restaurant in 2011

Ten years later, in 2011, the couple decided to strike out on their own, transforming a former mansion into a restaurant they simply christened Vincent Croizard. "The kitchens are installed in the former garage. We did three months' work before opening, and we're really happy here today. The clientele follows us, we renew the menu very frequently and are as enthusiastic as on the first day." Gault&Millau salutes his enthusiasm and talent by crowning him Grand de Demain 2012, then by awarding him the Techniques d'Excellence Occitanie 2024 trophy.