Mauro Colagreco's Provence-Alpes-Côte D'Azur

Stretching from the chic French Riviera coastline to the classic beauty of Provence, with breathtaking mountain landscapes in between, world-renowned chef Maoro Colagreco takes us on a tour of his neighbourhood.

Words by Alex Mead

This article was taken from the August/September 2025 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe today, click here.

He’s explored some of the most spectacular corners of South America, but for Argentinian born Mauro Colagreco, nowhere compares to the south-eastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.

‘It’s the diversity of the region,’ explains Mauro, whose famed Le Mirazur restaurant lies in the area’s far eastern corner. ‘From the vibrant lavender fields of Valensole to the lemon festival of Menton, the chic Riviera coastline to the Verdon Gorge – a river canyon with vast, sheer sides and turquoise waters winding their way through the wild rugged landscape – it’s just amazing.

‘Driving along the winding roads is epic enough,’ he continues, ‘but then you find villages clinging to the mountainside, as if they’re carved between the rock, such as Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. It has a waterfall, 12th-century churches, a chapel built into the rock and some of the best Provençal food; Alain Ducasse even has a place here.’

Mauro reels off more of his favourite places: L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue for its antique dealers; the Sainte-Baume national park an hour east of Marseille; the ochre spectacle that is ‘the Colorado Provençal’ in the Lubéron; and the flamingo-rich wetlands of the Camargue. ‘There is so much to see and art in so many forms – this part of France has inspired potters, artists, sculptors, winemakers and, of course, chefs. But even though all this is on the doorstep, I haven’t been able to see much of it. But whenever I do have time, it’s always very special.

Menton is home to Mauro’s three-Michelin-starred restaurant, which not only has the best of the French Riviera on its doorstep, but also has Italy just a ten-minute drive down the road. ‘It’s a great adventure,’ he says of his culinary life. ‘I was born and raised in Argentina in a family with Italian roots. The desire to be together around the table, to eat and cook at home, and to cultivate a curiosity about other cultures, are part of the legacy I have received.’

Not that his route was a direct one. He studied economics with the aim of becoming an accountant – like his father – but one summer working in a friend’s restaurant tered his path. ‘I realised I wanted to cook and decided to change course,’ he explains. ‘I enrolled in a gastronomy school in Buenos Aires and, at the end of my studies, encouraged by an Argentinian chef, I embarked on a training experience in France. I arrived in 2001, planning to get a diploma and then return to Argentina to develop my professional career there. But, as they say, we propose and fate disposes.

‘The series of opportunities, experiences and encounters made me decide to stay in France with the ambition of setting up my own establishment. I was lucky to have been able to work in several major French houses: Bernard Loiseau, Alain Passard, Alain Ducasse, Guy Martin. ‘I stumbled on Le Mirazur, in Menton, by a happy coincidence,’ he explains. It was during a gastronomic trip to Spain that a couple of Italian friends told me about Menton and a restaurant that had been closed for four years.

‘It was in a beautiful village – the building was already incredible, a rotunda on the lookout over the Mediterranean with a breathtaking view. It was a stone’s throw from the border with Italy, where my grandparents are from, but I didn’t know Menton. Now, since 2006, it has become my little corner in the world.

‘It was love at first sight,’ he continues. ‘The place was a dream, the force of nature was omnipresent with the sea, the mountains and the gardens. I was dazzled. I immediately wanted to move into this place. The beginnings were far from easy, though. It is a building perched on the border between France and Italy, a little way from the centre of the village and we had to attract the public.’

He was similarly unfamiliar with the landscape of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur that would become his kitchen garden. ‘I was amazed by this landscape,’ he recalls. ‘I’d had the chance to travel a lot in Latin America with my parents, but I’d never lived in a place like this. It’s the type of landscape that makes you dream: it calls for peace and relaxation. As well as the cultural charm of the Riviera, with its rich history and countless attractions, the geography and location allow access to a wide variety of exceptional produce – wonderful for a cook,’ he says.

As for the food itself, ‘It is a cuisine that integrates Italian influences with many products from the vegetable garden, but also from hunting, fishing, foraging and gathering,’ he says. ‘The region has a taste for simple, tasty dishes full of stories. It has been spared intensive cultivation due to the geography – terraced crops not accessible to tractors – so you still find local artisanal producers and goat and sheep breeders who practise transhumance and produce cheeses with a unique flavour.

‘We have this special landscape that allows, in a very few kilometres, to go from the sea to the olive trees and the forest: we have plentiful mushrooms, cheeses and meats,’ he explains. ‘We have been able to identify more than 1,500 varieties [of different local produce], including more than 80 varieties of tomatoes, since 2006 in our various gardens. If you take the time to explore the local markets – we often go to those in Menton, Ventimiglia and Nice – you can access this palette of colours and flavours where olives rub shoulders with different varieties of figs, tomatoes, chard and courgette flowers.’

‘I’d never lived in a place like this. The landscape makes you dream, and we have access to exceptional produce’

Mauro is full of suggestions, including some closer to his beloved Menton. ‘The appeal of the Riviera with its slow motion sunsets during summer is obvious,’ he admits. ‘A little less explored is the hinterland. We have two places to go to discover its natural and cultural beauty. One is the Vallée des Merveilles, a real open-air museum, with its prehistoric rock carvings in the middle of other more recent carvings. It’s a terrain dotted with mountain lakes for unforgettable hikes in the middle of nature, with the sky as a natural observatory. The other is Mercantour National Park, which is home to a biodiversity of flora, insects and wildlife. These are places to be discovered with respect and gratitude. It’s incredible to have access to such unique spaces.’

Mauro has created a few of his own unique spaces in his adopted region: in addition to Mirazur, he also has an artisanal pizzeria, Le Pecoranegra; Mitron Bakery, which focuses on reviving forgotten grains and traditional methods; and a tribute to his other home, the Argentinian grill Casa Fuego.

He’s brought some of those Mediterranean flavours to London too. There’s Saison, the all-day diner at Raffles London at The OWO, plus his signature eponymous restaurant. The Land and Sea tasting menu might use the best of British, but has more than a hint of Gallic about it.

As he celebrates two decades in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Mauro considers why he’s stayed so long since he also has a strong passion for his South American homeland. ‘Basically, I fell in love with the place,’ he says succinctly. ‘It was just an idyllic location to open my own restaurant and the perfect place to live and settle down with my family.’

MAURO COLAGRECO'S HOTSPOTS

PARADIS DE LA GLACE, ROQUEBRUNECAP-MARTIN

The best place for ice cream in town – go for the organic lemon verbena sorbet or, for a more Italian choice, gianduja, chocolate and hazelnut. 59 Avenue Robert Schumann

CHATEAU LA MASCARONNE, LE LUC

A wonderful chateau producing incredible rosé, set in the rolling hills outside this medieval village. It’s not far from St Tropez and its owner Tom Bove previously owned Château Miraval, before selling to Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt! chateaulamascaronne com

LA MERENDA, NICE

Just off the Promenade des Anglais, but as traditional and authentic as they come. The restaurant is so good it’s renowned far beyond the French Riviera – this is where Alain Ducasse comes for lunch when he’s in town. Anything à la Niçoise or Provençale, from daube of beef to veal tripe, is always exceptional and even the simple things like pasta with pesto get raised up by chef Dominique Le Stanc, who worked in some of France’s best kitchens before taking over this Nice institution. lamerenda.net

LA BASTIDE DE MOUSTIERS, MOUSTIERS-SAINTE-MARIE

Alain Ducasse bought this as a private house from a potter, but turned it into a boutique hotel, with food using everything local to Provence, including much from its own kitchen garden. A perfect oasis. bastide-moustiers.com