Nicolas is from a small village in France's north called Cappellebrouck. He always knew he wanted to be a chef and made a special application to leave school and start attending Chef school at age 14. He completed his apprenticeship at 1 Michelin star restaurant, La Meunerie, under Alain Gelle – France’s Chef of the year in 1993.
In 2003 Nicolas began working for Shannon Bennett at the original Vue de Monde in Carlton as his Pastry Chef. He was hungry to be challenged and to learn. The work Nicolas produced during this time gave him a desire to return to Europe and regain his classic French cooking techniques.
In 2004 Nicolas moved to London and worked for a short time at Gordon Ramsay's flagship restaurant on Royal Hospital Road. From here, he took on a role as Head Chef in a small boutique Hotel in the Scottish Highlands. During the years he worked there Nicolas was voted 'Rising Star of the Year' by Scottish Hotels Review in 2006.
In 2007, after a three year wait, Nicolas was finally offered a position at the 3 Michelin Star restaurant Michel Bras in the South of France. This prestigious restaurant is only open between April and October every year with overwhelming applications for work from young chefs around the world. While Nicolas was there, the restaurant received a listing as the 6th best restaurant in the world.
This experience was a turning point, which assisted in fine-tuning the myriad thoughts Nicolas had about his own restaurant, when his time came. The position at Bras was educational in the extensive knowledge Nic learnt about herbs, flowers and how to use them to enhance dishes.
Nicolas now welcomes his customers to enjoy Embrasse Restaurant. A culinary experience unlike any other offered in Melbourne.
