Overlooking the cliffs of Maldormé Bay in Marseille, the restaurant Le Petit Nice is a landmark of French seafood cuisine, awarded three Michelin stars in 2008. At this historic establishment, owner-chef Gérald Passédat has chosen Alessandro Governatori, from the Marche region, as the new executive chef.
Rather than looking for someone from outside, Passédat focused on continuity and internal growth. Governatori has been working in the restaurant’s kitchen for seven years: a gradual journey that has allowed him to thoroughly understand the restaurant’s philosophy and his mentor’s culinary vision.
His Roots in the Marche Region and His Journey to Marseille
A native of the Marche region—a land of ancient gastronomic tradition, nestled between the Adriatic Sea and the hills—Governatori brought to Marseille a keen attention to raw ingredients and the essence of flavors. During his time in the kitchens of Maldormé, the Italian chef refined his handling of fresh seafood and his techniques for drawing out Mediterranean flavors, while absorbing the restaurant’s culinary language and stylistic rigor.
Continuity and a New Generation in Top Kitchens
With his appointment as executive chef, Governatori will work alongside Passédat in the day-to-day organization of operations, managing the kitchen staff, and coordinating service, ensuring consistency in the culinary offerings. The decision to promote from within reflects a tangible trend in the industry: alongside the leading figures in fine dining, professionals are emerging who are capable of taking on ever-greater responsibilities. Governatori’s rise is a prime example of this and attests to the contribution of Italian talent in international kitchens.
The History of the Restaurant
The story of Chef Gérald Passedat and Le Petit Nice is a tale of family passion inextricably linked to the sea of Marseille. It all began in 1917, when Germain Passedat purchased Villa Corinthe on the cliffs of Anse de Maldormé to transform it into an inn overlooking the Mediterranean, naming it Le Petit Nice. When his son Jean-Paul took over in the 1960s, the restaurant solidified its reputation by offering increasingly refined cuisine and earning its first two Michelin stars in 1977 and 1981.
In 1985, the young Gérald Passedat joined the kitchen; he had grown up among the tables of his family’s restaurant and honed his skills under masters of the caliber of Alain Chapel and the Troisgros brothers. When he took full charge of the restaurant in 2000, Gérald decided to revolutionize its identity by making a radical choice: to eliminate meat almost entirely in order to devote himself body and soul to exploring the marine world. His is a conceptual and regional cuisine that eschews the most celebrated commercial fish in favor of local species unfairly considered inferior, such as moray eels, sea bream, tub gurnard, and sea bass.
This unwavering dedication led the restaurant to its greatest achievement in 2008, when the Michelin Guide awarded Le Petit Nice its third star, making Passedat the first and only chef from Marseille to reach the pinnacle of world gastronomy. Today, the establishment is a refined five-star hotel and a temple of taste, where the chef transforms the freshness of the Mediterranean into simple dishes characterized by minimalist aesthetics and extremely light broths.
