Marseille chef tipped to join Michelin three-star league 12/02/2008 00:00

Chef with a special knack for fish was tipped by one of France's top food writers for prestigious three-star rating in France's food bible.

   PARIS, February 12, 2008  - A chef with a special knack for fish, aptly
based in the Mediterranean port of Marseille, was tipped by one of France's
top food writers Monday as likely winner of a prestigious three-star rating in
France's food bible, the Michelin guide.
   Francois Simon, food critic for the daily newspaper le Figaro, said on his
blog http://francoissimon.typepad.fr that Gerald Passedat, of "Le Petit Nice"
restaurant in Marseille, was expected to be awarded three stars in the 2008
edition of Michelin to be released at the end of the month.
   The guidebook's annual ratings are eagerly awaited each year by
restaurateurs and gourmets alike and kept a secret by writers of the guide. A
total 26 chefs were awarded three stars in the 2007 edition.
   Passedat made it to the top category of the latest edition of another
French foodie bible, the Guide Champerard, last October, which hailed his
"genius with little-known fish".
   "Each dish gives you the impression of rediscovering fish," the guide said.

AFP