Sophie & Nicolas *

They are relatively discreet, “lost”, up there in our beautiful country.

Discreet, but avant-garde in the Belgian culinary ecosystem, even if, to my taste, the local gastronomic landscape still lacks a little green.

One might think that restaurants like Sophie et Nicolas are relegated to the background because...? Because they're not high-end enough? Not enough quality products? Certainly, Humus and Hortense received the deserved recognition for their long-term work, while the discreet Nicolas Septon and Sophie Gigot remained, in my opinion, underestimated.

If I had to describe their cuisine (since we love to label it so much), I would say that they are democratizing what we were still rediscovering a few years ago: fair cuisine, at all levels. Fair in terms of quantities, fair in respect for producers, fair in preparation and cooking, fair (sincere), and fair (at the right time).

And that certainly doesn't displease us.

Nicolas belongs to this new generation of chefs who are revolutionizing the gastronomic landscape (a bit like the New Wave in cinema in its time), with the difference that he keeps relatively far away from social networks, which are nevertheless essential tools for today's chefs who publish a reel at each micro-event.

He "succeeds" iconic chefs such as René Redzepi or, closer to home, Sang-Hoon Degeimbre. Nicolas shares the same quest with them: sustainable and fair cuisine, minus the garden.

Well, almost, since they do have a garden, or rather a wasteland, as Nicolas likes to call it. A generous land conducive to wild and forgotten herbs, where he himself enjoys discovering new edible varieties to enrich his cooking.

A little secret: two weeks before the release of the 2025 Michelin guide, Nicolas discreetly mentioned to me the possibility of a star—green or red. Naturally, he wanted to mark this potential nice surprise with a video teaser.

Without further ado, we established a battle plan: several filming sessions, finalized the day before the announcement. The edit, produced in the rush of an intense night, was delivered (in 3 versions, to cover all eventualities!) just before I rushed off to the ceremony to join other chefs... for other projects!

The result? A teaser (which is only the beginning of a wonderful collaboration) revealing a fascinating universe, imbued with kindness, culinary sincerity and deep respect for the products and their producers.

Production, direction, DOP, sound, ITW & editing: Anthony Florio

Thank you to Sophie and Nicolas for their trust in this project. As for what's next? It's coming soon. Rue de Fairon 79, 4180 Comblain-la-Tour 04/384.72.92 info@sophieetnicolas.be

https://www.sophieetnicolas.be