Born in Marseille in the warmth of Provence, Chef Romain was involved in traditional provincial french cooking at a very early age. The abundance of ripe apricots at the end of the summer would mean bashing apricot stones to get the kernel that would set the cooling down jam as a natural pectin. It would mean the harvesting of aromatics such as rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, dried fennel and marjoram from the hills nearby, for future use in cooking. The making of "Bouillabaisse" and the "aioli" that goes with it was always very entertaining as so much produce got into it.
After qualifying from the Marseille Culinary institute for Culinary Arts, he decides to come to the UK and settle in Oxford to provide his services to a high end clientele with a simple concept: Fresh artisan food for events. Having joined the Slow Food organisation in 2006, he is invited to represent the UK at "Terra Madre" in Turin to promote the use of sustainable food and farming methods.
With The French Bistro Company, Romain has been involved in many high end large scale events and has cooked in prestigious places including Chateau de Versailles (Paris), Chateau de Courances (Paris), Chateau de la PIoline (Aix-en-Provence), Wilderness reserve (Suffolk), many Oxford universities, and the Sheldonian theatre for the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra for more than 10 years.
The secret of his cooking lies in the sourcing of the ingredients, his cooking skills, and the attention given to details in the presentation of his dishes.
Literally everyone there said it was the best barbecue they'd ever had and the best food they'd ever eaten at a wedding. Incredible food, and loads of it too. Romain left us with the leftovers and some of us even enjoyed them again the next day. Romain was a huge hit: great bloke. Worth every penny. Would absolutely recommend.
Romain was absolutely brilliant! Super food, amazing size portions and delicious cocktails for our friend’s hen do! I would definitely recommend Romain!
Romain was fantastic and very helpful in the lead up to the event. He was efficient, friendly and the food was incredible. It’s been just over a week since our event and we’re still talking about the beef he cooked us! The portions were huge too and there were empty plates all round. The kitchen was left so much cleaner than when he arrived, cannot recommend Romain enough!
Everything was perfect, great and beautiful food (we had dietary restrictions and those were easily accommodated) and Romain was super helpful with every aspect, highly recommended!
Easy, smooth, professional and delicious experience! Highly recommend :)
Excellent response to any questions I asked prompt service enjoyed the meal
We were so delighted with Romain’s service. The food was excellent; all very fresh and Romain explained the ingredients to us in detail. Very friendly and professional with good communication throughout.
Romain provided an amazing service, fantastic food, great communications, super friendly on the day, and a very competitive price. I'm already looking for an excuse to hold another event to get him back again.
The afternoon tea was perfect, everything tasted delicious and fresh and they were able to accommodate all the allergies and dietary requirements without an issue. Service was brilliant and everyone commented on how tasty everything was. Communications with Romain were easy and very supportive taking all the worries away from me for the setup of the day.
Hi Romain,
Thanks again for your brilliant food and service last night. Everybody complimented the food and thought you and Manashe were fantastic.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Many thanks,
Sinem and Jamie
Dear Romain,
Thank you for the hugely successful and much praised catering. Your food was delicious, and so many said that the lunch and service were outstanding. Alison was a pleasure to work with too. Would you thank her on our behalf?
Your flexibility while finalising the arrangements is so very much appreciated. And my goodness, the sun came out at just the right moment!
We will definitely contact you again to cater for our next function.