Our Story
Nico's destiny was to be part of the wine and food world. Born in Burgundy, he was raised in Champagne & Provence, he grew up among an epicurean family where wine had an important place on the dining room table. After graduation from the University of Aix-en-Provence, Nico moved to Paris to work notably at Le Taillevent and then for Alain Ducasse at l'Hostellerie de l'Abbaye de La Celle, back in Provence.
In the fall of 2005, Nico met Vincent Francoual, Chef/Co-owner of Chloe by Vincent, in New York City and he offered him his first job in the US that relocated him to Minneapolis in 2006.
After his first stint at Vincent's A Restaurant, he worked for some of the best restaurants in the Twin Cities, including Meritage, Spoon & Stable & Bellecour, as well as developing hospitality & wine programs at The Lynhall and running F&B ops for the beautiful Minikahda Club.
Since arriving in Minnesota, Nico has pulled an estimated 82596 corks around the Twin Cities…
In the fall of 2021, Nico joined John Graves & Jim Graves of Graves Hospitality, and he is now managing the operations of the Tasting Room.
A resident of the East Isles neighborhood of Uptown Minneapolis, he enjoys sailing, skiing, traveling, playing tennis and biking and he's notorious for throwing the best lunch parties with friends around great wine, food and a mutual love of hospitality.