Taste, Art & Passion: A trip down MMemory Lane

2001 was an interesting year for me, It was the year I graduated the Associates program at the Culinary Institute of America, my first time to France and the first Michelin starred restaurant I ever set foot in. The Moulin de Mougins (MM) is a restaurant set in the town of Mougins, a small town about 6 Km from Cannes where the world renowned film festival takes place each year. The MM was once a 3 star restaurant owned and operated by famed chef Roger Verge. Verge owes his fame to "Ma Cuisine de Soliel" or the cuisine of the sun. Since my time there ownership has changed hands and it seems as though it is back on track to the 3 macrons so coveted by the food world under its new chef Sebsastien Chambru.
My time as a stagiere was less than 8 weeks, however it changed my life forever. I have the fondest memories of my insecurity and nerves making me want to vomit as I walked to the restaurant for the first time, only to be eased by the familiar camaraderie of cooks. Of course I was tormented, but I had a significant advantage I was by far the tallest of anyone there and weighed at least 100 pound more than the largest, I was referred to as Le Geant (please excuse the lack of accents, I cannot seem to find them on the publish page). I arrived to ducks still warm from being plucked and cases upon cases of fresh produce, quality like I had never scene. My life changed from that moment on. I woke up today thinking about my time there and figured I would share pictures of the food and from the restaurant.