"Borders?", asked Mauro Colagreco on stage as he accepted the number one spot on The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2019 list for his Mirazur restaurant. "I've never seen one, but I have heard they exist in the mind of some people", a quote from the Norwegian ethnographer, Thor Heyerdahl.
With his team behind holding a multi-cultural tapestry of France’s, Argentina’s, Brazil’s and Italy’s flags sewn together, the chef decided to use the platform provided by such a prestigious win to deliver a strong and pertinent message: “Cuisine is able to close all kinds of borders.”
A message of inclusion and one that made total sense coming from chef born in Argentina, accepted in France, married to a Brazilian, with a restaurant just three minutes walk from the border, "half of my team come from Italy everyday," he said.
Mirazur, sat in the French Riviera with panoramic views of the Mediterranean ocean, opened in 2006 and quickly became one of France's most exciting dining destinations. It received one Michelin star in the first year of opening and in 2019, Colagreco became the first non-French chef in France to receive three Michelin stars . Asked by journalists what he is now he'd topped The World's 50 Best Restaurantslist, produces the chef, "I'm a little gardener," he said.
The food at Mirazur is seasonally-sensitive and, as the chef said during his acceptance speech, a borderless culmination of his and his team's delicious diversity.
"I believe in mixing, combining and celebrating all influences. I am pleased to be able to open my kitchen to different inspirations. I give thanks to this French cuisine so rich in know-how, and to all those other elements that have influenced my cooking. Borders are places that promised new encounters and discoveries. When we go beyond them, the limits no longer exist and we have the opportunity to experience freedom. "
