The Riviera for female foodies

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Clio Modaffari & Anne Legrand: Le Ponpon, cooking with living ingredients

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They met in Paris, in the kitchens of the Trianon Palace, before working in some of the finest establishments: Hélène Darroze, Christophe Pelé, William Ledeuil, David Toutain. Together, they won the Gault & Millau Young Talent Award at La Belle Étoile in Niort, then earned a star at the restaurant L’Innocence in Paris.

Since then, Anne Legrand, from Lille, and Clio Modaffari, from Genoa, have been working hand in hand with the same desire: to cook freely, without artifice. After shining at La Flibuste, on the Marina Baie des Anges harbor, where their refined and inspired cuisine won over gourmets, the duo chose to return to basics.

“We wanted a place on a human scale, with lively, market-fresh cuisine, without constraints or pressure,” they say.

They decided to take over Le Ponpon, a Cannes restaurant tucked away in a quiet alley, a stone's throw from the Forville market, far from the glitz and glamour. Here, there are twenty-six covers, a counter, an open kitchen, and solar energy. Anne is in charge of the kitchen; Clio, in the dining room, pairs natural wines with dishes and serves with a smile.

Every day, they go to the market, choosing vegetables grown in Tanneron, cheeses from Plan-de-Grasse, and fish from artisans on the coast. Among their loyal suppliers are fisherman Alain Graglia and market gardeners and beekeepers Fred and Christelle.

The menu changes with the seasons: ricotta and lemon agnolotti, pumpkin and Martigues bottarga, or lamb shoulder confit with red cabbage, crispy panisses, and harissa-flavored jus.

For dessert, the combination of dark chocolate, pecans, and Taggiasca olive jam from Liguria reminds us that the Mediterranean is their playground. No staging, no speeches: just authentic flavors and precision.

At the request of their regulars, Anne and Clio will soon be offering a tasting menu on Saturday evenings — a new step in the evolution of a restaurant designed to be a lively, dynamic place, just like the women who run it.

Le Ponpon

Signature cuisine, natural wines, sunny conviviality

4, rue Emile Négrin

Cannes

04 93 30 31 23

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Domenika Zielinska: Women's Leaven

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At 4:30 a.m., Domenika Zielinska rises from her slumber, and by 5 a.m., the oven is already heating up in her bakery in Old Nice, where golden light mingles with flour floating in the air. Together with her team, she kneads, shapes, and bakes: a morning ballet where everything is a matter of rhythm and attentiveness.

Originally from Warsaw and a historian by training, Domenika initially pursued a career in marketing and publishing before leaving it all behind to follow her heart. “I started baking bread for my daughter Lilas in the evenings in my kitchen. Then I discovered ancient grains: their taste, their history, their power.”

Trained by renowned artisan baker Roland Feuillas, she now works with wheat producers in Provence, Normandy, and Piedmont to cultivate traditional varieties such as Petanielle noire de Nice, the historic wheat of the County of Nice, Fleur de Berry, kamut, and einkorn wheat, which can be consumed by people with gluten intolerance.

“These flours have soul: they ferment gently, are easier to digest, and last longer.”

Every day, Domenika and her bakers bake batches of bread: rye on Mondays, kamut on weekends, and the bread of the month — with olives, walnuts, or figs at Christmas. Everything is made by hand, with slow, precise movements. “It's a job that requires patience and interaction. Bread changes every day, just like us.”

Winner of France's Best Bakery on M6, with her Nissart bread made with chickpea flour scoring 10/10, she champions women's place in a profession that is still very male-dominated.

“In Slavic tradition, feeding others is sacred.” Inspired by Demeter, the Greek goddess of fertility who appears in her logo, she embodies this quiet strength, combining artisanal rigor with intuitive gentleness.

Lilas, his daughter, comes to lend a hand on weekends; the bakery has become a place of life, sharing, and humanity. You can enjoy breakfast and lunch there (avocado toast, salmon toast, cinnamon rolls, babka, cookies, lattes, juice, etc.).

Zielinska

Exceptional sourdough breads, farmhouse flours

6, rue Jules Gilly

Nice

07 66 46 74 96

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Mélanie Tuz: The Art of Gentleness

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From paintbrushes to whisks, from the artist's studio to the gourmet display case, Mélanie has found her calling: turning pastry making into a sensitive art form.

After fifteen years in Cannes, painting and exhibiting her canvases inspired by the female body, this former visual artist trained at the Villa Arson in Nice decided to change medium. “I needed a profession that was both artistic and concrete, something that connected beauty and life.”

She obtained her CAP Pâtisserie (pastry chef certificate) in 2016 and worked in several establishments in Nice — from the L’Oiseau d’été tea room to the locavore restaurant Le Lavomatique — before opening Méla Pâtisserie Vivante on the port of Nice in December 2020.

A place that reflects her personality: warm, poetic, and deeply human. “At first, it was just a takeaway shop. Then I wanted to create a real living space, with sharing, tea, and homemade cakes.”

At Méla's, everything is organic, local, and seasonal. The fruit comes from the Libération or Plaine du Var markets, and the edible flowers come from Marius Auda's farm. She also makes her own, using edible communion wafers, “to be sure that everything is natural and pesticide-free.”

Her menu features heart-shaped cakes: moist chocolate or lemon cakes, pistachio and orange blossom cake, banana bread, clafoutis with seasonal fruits, lemon and poppy seed cake, and marble cake. She is also developing a gluten-free and lactose-free range made with plant-based milk, “so that everyone can enjoy dessert.”

Nothing is frozen or stored: the cakes are made every morning, “to preserve the authentic taste of family baking.” There is no overflowing display case, but rather a selection of the day, designed as a temporary exhibition.

“What I want is for people to say to me: ‘This reminds me of my grandmother's cake.’ That's the best compliment.”
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At the tea room, you can settle in for a matcha latte, homemade hot chocolate, lemonade made with lemons from Nice, or a golden latte. And between bites, you realize that at Méla, pastry is a language.

“What I do is simple: family cakes, but made with fresh ingredients. It's cooking from memory, baking from the heart.”

Méla Pâtisserie Vivante

Cakes from the heart, 100% alive and poetic

17 rue Bavastro

Nice

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Julie Milici: Nature on your plate

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Born in Nice, Julie Milici grew up surrounded by the scents of Italy and the light of the South. After studying literature—hypokhâgne, modern literature, and philosophy—she decided to leave university to follow her instincts. She worked in several cosmopolitan restaurants, from the First Floor on Portobello Road in Covent Garden, London, before heading to the Caribbean to work in the kitchen at Kontiki in Saint Martin.

Her unusual career path took her to the seas, working in luxury yachting, before returning to land: “I needed to get back to basics and reconnect with nature.”

Today, she embodies an ethical and vibrant cuisine, blending Asian and Mediterranean influences, wild herbs and spices, imagination and awareness. “I cook with what nature provides me, without waste, with respect. My cuisine is plant-based, locally sourced, and joyful.”

Julie is also committed to passing on her knowledge. As chef for a Montessori cafeteria, she is developing L’École Comestible, a sustainable cafeteria project where children grow their own vegetables and discover the chemistry of taste. “We grow tomatoes, basil, and pumpkins, and we cook together. The little ones learn that eating is living.”

As a member of the Les Toques Brûlées collective, she participates in charitable and festive events such as Chefs au Sommet in Auron and Dinner in the Sky. “We are a tribe of chefs who break the mold. We love to create, surprise, and share.”

For her, cooking is an act of love. “Feeding others nourishes me. It's a form of meditation in motion.”

Julie Milici

Private chef on the French Riviera, Montessori cafeteria & ethical events

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Carine Dalmasso: winemaker with heart and soul

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In Bellet, in the hills above Nice, between the sea and the mountains, Carine Dalmasso, mother of two children, watches over seven hectares of sun-drenched vineyards. Heiress and winemaker, she continues the family tradition with passion, high standards, and instinct.

It all began with his grandparents, horticulturists in Nice who grew carnations and snapdragons, before competition from the Dutch market put an end to this floral tradition. His parents then planted their first vines in the 1980s, almost out of necessity and love for their land. In 1991, the greenhouses disappeared, making way entirely for the vineyard.

“I used to work in retail, at Leroy Merlin,” she says. "But every year, I would come back for the grape harvest, unable to tear myself away. One day, I realized that this was where I belonged. You don't choose this profession, it chooses you." She joined the estate at the age of 26, when a new plot of land was purchased to expand the business. Today, she works with her brother Éric, while her father still watches over the vines. Together, they produce between 15,000 and 20,000 bottles per year, all organically grown.

Their terroir, bathed in iodine and light, produces wines of exceptional freshness: reds made from Folle Noire, a grape variety unique to Bellet; rosés and reds made from Braquet, inherited from Roman times; and whites made from Rolle, with hints of citrus and white flowers.

What makes Bellet unique is its rarity: only ten winegrowers for a total of fifty hectares, an urban vineyard that is unique in the world.

But behind the beauty of the landscape lies a harsh reality: “All it takes is a storm or a hailstorm to lose an entire harvest. Nothing can ever be taken for granted.”

Proud to see her wines served at renowned restaurants such as La Chèvre d’Or in Èze, Acchiardo in Nice, and the Hôtel de Paris in Monaco, Carine enjoys welcoming visitors to the estate, nestled between vineyards and the sea, to share her story and her passion for wine with enthusiasts from the United States, Japan, Denmark, South Africa, and New Zealand.

Domaine de la Source

Organic wines, vibrant and deeply rooted

303, chemin de Saquier

Nice

06 17 77 87 98

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Masha Hédo: The energy of connection

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She doesn't hold a pot, but she moves universes.

Between gastronomy, digital technology, and events, Masha Hédo builds bridges between chefs and their customers, between the table and the world. Founder of SeoResto, a culinary marketing agency dedicated to raising the profile of restaurateurs, she designs tailor-made strategies and helps establishments tell their story.

“My role is to bring people to the restaurant,” she smiles.

Together with Cindy Kawak, she created SummEAT Fest, a professional and friendly festival that brings together French players in the restaurant and hotel industry every year in Nice. After a successful first edition in 2024, the event returns on November 23, 2025, at the Château de Crémat, with a central theme: the future of the sector.

Chefs, hoteliers, and experts will exchange ideas during 12 conferences and workshops, including Virginie Basselot, chef at Le Negresco, Philippe Cannatella from the Gusto Family group, Fred Ghintran, representative of Côte d’Azur restaurateurs, Franck Thomas, Europe's best sommelier, and Axek Hutin (Greenbul Media).  “The idea is to inspire, connect, and provide concrete tools to those who are shaping today's gastronomy.”

Born in Saint Petersburg, Masha grew up in a culture where the table is synonymous with warmth and sharing. After completing a master's degree in Avignon and a doctorate in Nice, she founded her own restaurant chain, "Greenbox", in her hometown, with more than twenty outlets and a production center.

A visionary, she developed an app to track her customers' preferences. She sold her business in 2019, just before the war, and decided to devote herself fully to her passion: culinary marketing.

“I have always wanted to combine creativity, technology, and taste.”

Now based on the French Riviera, this globetrotter, who has visited more than sixty countries, collaborates with around fifty establishments on the Riviera, including Les Agitateurs, Yose, Foca, and La Cantine de Mémé.

“Food is life, health, and connection. It tells the story of who we are.”

Masha Hedo

Energy, networking, and creative enthusiasm

SummEAT Fest, November 23, 2025, at the Château de Crémat in Nice

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