In Marseille, Gérald Passedat leaves the three-star restaurant Le Petit Nice

Change of direction for Gérald Passedat. The chef of Petit Nice, a Marseille institution awarded three stars in the Michelin guide, sold his house to the Saadé family, which notably controls the CMA CGM group.

“At the dawn of the 110th anniversary of Petit Nice, it is time for me to write a new chapter. My grandfather Germain and Lucie created this house in 1917, my father Jean-Paul and Albertine developed it, and I had the chance to continue this story in my turn. Le Petit Nice has always been a house in motion. Passing it on today is more than a choice, it’s obvious. I hope that it can continue to live, to evolve and to reinvent itself. I look at what we have built with great gratitude, particularly these eighteen years of passion and dialogue with the Michelin Guide. But I especially look to the future. I am deeply attached to Marseille. I have always been convinced that this city could become a great gastronomic destination, recognized well beyond our borders. Le Petit Nice participated in this story. I now hope that a new chapter can be written.” commented the 66-year-old chef.

Le Petit Nice will welcome its last guests at the end of January 2027, before reinventing itself “to open a new horizon” indicates the chef in a press release, which specifies that the Saadé family intends to “place this new stage in the continuity of the history of Le Petit Nice, while giving it new impetus.” Passedat will remain linked to the house since he will act as special advisor to the Saadé.

After training at Coq Hardi (Bougival), Bristol, Crillon, Troigros and Michel Guérard, Gérald Passedat joined the family business on Corniche Kennedy in 1985, before taking the reins in 1987 and winning a third Michelin star in 2008, a first for a Marseille restaurant.