Le Petit Nice in Marseille earns three Michelin stars, a first for the city

Le Petit Nice, a seafront hotel-restaurant on Marseille's Corniche, the coastal road running along the city's southern shore, was awarded a third Michelin star in the French guide's 2008 edition. It was the first time a restaurant in Marseille had reached the top rating.

The restaurant was run by chef Gérald Passedat, whose family had owned the property for several generations. He built his reputation on seafood, drawing on the Mediterranean fish caught off the Marseille coast and on the region's culinary traditions, and he presented a tasting menu that reinterpreted local dishes in a refined style.

The distinction mattered well beyond the dining room. Marseille had long been better known for its port, its bouillabaisse and its popular cooking than for haute cuisine, and the three stars gave the city a place on the French fine-dining map. Le Petit Nice kept the rating for years afterwards, and it became a symbol of Marseille's gastronomic ambitions, which is why its later sale drew wide attention.