32 votesRoger Vergé is a renowned name in French gastronomy. Famous for his cookbooks, which have been translated to six languages, and his Cuisine du Soleil, French for “cuisine of the sun,” he opened his restaurant Moulin in the Mougins region in 1969, close to Cannes. Roger Vergé’s personal and colorful cuisine praises the flavors of Provence and the Mediterranean, using the fresh catch of the day from Cannes fishermen and freshly picked vegetables from the backcountry.
Roger Vergé learned to love the art of cookery and the discrimination of tastes form his Aunt Célestine, thereafter honing his culinary skills alongside various great chefs such as Jacques Chibois, Jacques Maximin, David Bouley and Alain Ducasse. Today, Roger Verge owns various restaurants including one in Monte Carlo and in Orlando, Florida. He also owns cooking schools in the south of France and a commercial product line of boutique wines, jams, and condiments that bear his name and his signature “Cusine de Soleil.” Since March 2009, Sébastien Chambru, who worked at the 'Restaurant Paul Bocuse' near Lyon, commands the grand Moulin de Mougins.
In the family kitchen in Commentary, France, Roger Verge used to watch his Aunt Celestine prepare elaborate Sunday dinners for the family. Soon he was helping his aunt make the special meals and learned traditional recipes. After training at the Tour d’ Argent and the Plaza Athenée, he went to North Africa and Kenya to develop his culinary abilities. On his return to France, he worked at Hotel de Paris in Monaco and in Le Club in Cavalière in the Côte d’Azur. It was here that Verge’s Cuisine du Soleil was born.
Chef Verge’s style of cooking and food presentation is compared to impressionist paintings. He creates masterpieces from fresh, bright, and luscious flavors of the Mediterranean, using a broad-brush technique. He finds inspiration in coastal peasant food, beginning with fresh and earthy foods like garlic, cheese, herbs, game, and wine and refine these ingredients into sophisticated haute cuisine that is never overwhelming or pretentious.
