Nadia Sammut

Coming Up

At Auberge La Fenière in Cadenet, the cooking is built around a predominantly plant-based approach rooted in the Mediterranean diet. Vegetables and legumes do the structural work, carrying dishes that rely on clarity rather than decoration. Nadia Sammut’s own line — “Food was the cause, so it had to be the solution too!” — sets the terms: the kitchen is framed as an answer to the problem it names.

Where They Are Now

The cuisine reads the Mediterranean context directly: sunlight, produce, herbs and the cadence of the table all feed into the plate. Plant-based cooking here is treated as a complete vocabulary, not a restriction, with texture, freshness and seasonality doing the heavy lifting. The result is precise, grounded and open-ended.

In Their Words “A menu pur and vivant. With my lover, we especially like to enjoy seasonings capable of giving shivers, delicious raw fish cuts, incredible vegetables and herbs that are as simple as they are delicious.” The phrase “pur and vivant” is the useful part here: a menu that stays clean in intent but still carries charge. Seasonings are not background; they are there to create impact. Raw fish cuts, vegetables and herbs sit on the same table without hierarchy, which is a useful way to read the balance in her cooking. “I’ve managed to transform my handicap into a source of happiness!” The line points to resilience as part of the practice. In kitchen terms, it suggests work shaped by adaptation and persistence, with the craft functioning as a source of purpose rather than a stage for sentiment.

Honors

Her recognition is carried through the role itself and the discipline of the cuisine: chef, with a defined plant-based approach that places the Mediterranean diet, vegetables and legumes at the center. That is the measure of the work as presented here — a clear culinary position, stated without excess and expressed through the plate.