“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine; it is lethal.” Paulo Coelho’s celebrated maxim has been wholeheartedly embraced by Patrice de Colmont. The legendary Saint-Tropezian host and restaurateur is an admirer and friend of the agricultural philosopher Pierre Rabhi, and he has adopted this natural outlook by supplying his renowned Club 55 restaurant with healthy and delicious products that are grown organically on his property in the Bouis valley. Let’s take a look back at this extraordinary story...
FIRST THE CLUB, THEN THE FARM
The Colmont family appeared in the Bay of Pampelonne in the late 1940s. It was Bernard de Colmont who landed on the beach. He was an ethnologist, documentary filmmaker, traveler, and a jack of all trades who was traveling by boat to make a documentary about the transportation of oranges in the Mediterranean. Originally from Ariège in the southwest of France, Bernard was captivated by the beauty of the bay, and he immediately decided to spend summers there with his wife and children. The family initially camped along the Pampelonne beach, before buying a small piece of land and setting up a hut. Bernard then announced that, “When a lost traveler passes by, we will offer them hospitality just as I was offered hospitality when I was traveling on the other side of the world.” Friends, neighbors, and visitors would end up sharing meals with the family, and soon it was the mother, Geneviève de Colmont, who ended up feeding these impromptu guests...
Then the year 1955 arrived. The director Roger Vadim was filming And God Created Woman in Saint-Tropez. Seeing the crew and actors sitting at big tables on the Pampelonne beach, Bernard thought it might be a good idea to open a bistro. He asked Geneviève if their place could become the canteen for the film crew: 80 people every midday! She agreed, and Club 55 was born.
After a few administrative formalities, the site became an official public dining establishment. Bernard laid down a few rules so the restaurant would attain his culinary vision. The menu would be devoted to Mediterranean and Provençal cuisine, and the recipes would be easy enough for anyone to cook because the main feature would be authentic local ingredients! In other words: simple but tasty recipes made from healthy and mouthwatering products. Growing up in this environment, Patrice de Colmont and his sister inherited their father's attachment to the land, and when they took over the reins of Club 55, they maintained the same natural philosophy. In fact, one thing led to another, and a new project emerged. “To truly fulfill our father's ideal, we needed to grow our own produce,” explains Patrice. “At the time, the closest agricultural land to Club 55 was the property in a nearby valley, the Vallon des Bouis. I knew the place well because the owners were the parents of a childhood friend.” The land was purchased and a new adventure began. “I didn't know anything about farming, but I understood the spirit of the soil. I started with very little knowledge, but I had a true belief and one main principle: the less you stray from nature, the fewer mistakes you will make!” This was back in 2002. At the time, the valley was abandoned, with only one hectare of grapevines in poor condition and olive trees that were overwhelmed by grass. And that's when the Drion family entered the picture.
THE NATURAL APPROACH FLOURISHES
“I was looking for someone to get the property back in order, and that was when I was introduced to Amélie, who wasn't yet Madame Drion… She was a determined and pragmatic young woman who had just finished her agricultural studies. I told her I intended to grow crops in the most natural way possible.” Amélie devoted herself to the farm and, as it turned out, she had no use for routines either! “It was the beginning of the organic farming era,” she says, “at school, we were taught almost nothing about it.” Nicolas Drion, who would become her husband a few years later, confirmed this: “It was a marginal activity, there was a cliché of a bearded hippie watching his lettuce grow! People had no idea of the reality.” Indeed, Amélie says the truth is very different: “When you refuse to use chemicals, there's a lot more supervision, you have to work the soil, and do it all by hand! Natural fertilizers, hand weeding, composting, mulching... organic farming requires a true savoir-faire!” Her husband expands on this: “Today, everyone is adopting techniques we have been using on the farm for almost 20 years. Agriculture is destined to become almost 100% organic.” Patrice de Colmont concurs: “Organic is just the first step when it comes to agriculture. We can go much further by adopting different ways of cultivating and working the land, for example, with a horse rather than with a machine...” Today at the Ferme du Vallon des Bouis, Amélie and Nicolas Drion's most loyal partner is Astrakan, a magnificent draft horse used for plowing around the vines, olive trees, and vegetable gardens. “We would never have imagined we would work with a horse one day,” admits Nicolas. “It allows us to uproot unwanted plants while respecting the vines. With him, you can feel what is happening in the soil: where the ground is harder, the quality of the earth... And unlike tractors, he doesn't compact the soil, which allows microbial life—especially earthworms—to develop and for the soil to retain its richness.” “That horse is far more than some rustic idyll!” concludes Patrice de Colmont.
Soon after Amélie's arrival, the magnificent little valley rediscovered its glory. The 500 olive trees now bear beautiful fruit, the 10 hectares of forest are kept clear by goats and donkeys, and the farm's crops have been awarded the Ecocert label for environmental quality. Patrice de Colmont is proud of this success: “The terrain is hilly, so we are lucky to have well-preserved soil. We also protect the purity of the soil by controlling the water runoff, none of it comes from neighboring land.”
“We first started growing grapes for wine, then the vegetables for markets,” explains Amélie. “But the property and the business activity were growing, and I was going to have our second child. That's when Nicolas quit his job at another estate, and we moved to Les Bouis full-time with our little family.” Having come to the South of France with plans to stay for just a few months, Amélie and Nicolas have now lived in the valley for 18 years. They have three children: Jules, 11, Marin, 8, and Jeanne, 5. For them, Les Bouis is a magnificent playground and a veritable paradise! And the quality of life is unbeatable for the entire family: “We enjoy our children while working... it's perfect for trying to balance personal and professional life.”
THE FARM AND CLUB 55, A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP
“As a restaurant, we have a great responsibility to give people healthy food to eat. And it is the farmers that allow us to do this. For us, that means Amélie and Nicolas!” Patrice de Colmont is delighted to have crossed paths with the young couple almost 20 years ago. With all their hard work and personal investment, they have cared for the property as if it were their own.
Today, all the vegetables produced on the farm go to Club 55, except for the portion destined for the Drion family. The wines—red, rosé, and white under the Côtes-de-Provence appellation—are a great success, which is not surprising: Amélie and Nicolas are both children of winegrowers, and they are dedicated to the Bouis and Ramatuelle vineyards.
The Ferme des Bouis is the primary source for the most beloved items on the Club 55 menu: crudités, artichoke vinaigrette, Ramatuelle puff pastry, Pampelonne salad, traditional ratatouille... Indeed, the vast majority of vegetables and herbs come from Amélie and Nicolas' production: peas, mesclun, lettuce, kohlrabi, Crimean black tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, pineapple tomatoes, beans, coriander, basil, mint... To complete the menu, grilled fish and certified organic corn are also available. The wine from the farm is served at Club 55, with bottles also available for sale at select wine cellars. The olive oil, which is pressed on-site in the Moulin des Bouis, can be purchased as well.
“This spring, given the unusual health situation, we organized a small weekly market at the property. It's been a fantastic experience: people meet the people who feed them!” Patrice de Colmont is already thinking about ways to continue these encounters between consumers and producers…
Life has now resumed its course and Club 55 has reopened its doors for the season. Meanwhile, Bernard de Colmont's original philosophy remains as relevant as ever: “Here the cooking is not done by the boss and the customer is not the king, because they are friends!”
FIRST THE CLUB, THEN THE FARM
The Colmont family appeared in the Bay of Pampelonne in the late 1940s. It was Bernard de Colmont who landed on the beach. He was an ethnologist, documentary filmmaker, traveler, and a jack of all trades who was traveling by boat to make a documentary about the transportation of oranges in the Mediterranean. Originally from Ariège in the southwest of France, Bernard was captivated by the beauty of the bay, and he immediately decided to spend summers there with his wife and children. The family initially camped along the Pampelonne beach, before buying a small piece of land and setting up a hut. Bernard then announced that, “When a lost traveler passes by, we will offer them hospitality just as I was offered hospitality when I was traveling on the other side of the world.” Friends, neighbors, and visitors would end up sharing meals with the family, and soon it was the mother, Geneviève de Colmont, who ended up feeding these impromptu guests...
Then the year 1955 arrived. The director Roger Vadim was filming And God Created Woman in Saint-Tropez. Seeing the crew and actors sitting at big tables on the Pampelonne beach, Bernard thought it might be a good idea to open a bistro. He asked Geneviève if their place could become the canteen for the film crew: 80 people every midday! She agreed, and Club 55 was born.
After a few administrative formalities, the site became an official public dining establishment. Bernard laid down a few rules so the restaurant would attain his culinary vision. The menu would be devoted to Mediterranean and Provençal cuisine, and the recipes would be easy enough for anyone to cook because the main feature would be authentic local ingredients! In other words: simple but tasty recipes made from healthy and mouthwatering products. Growing up in this environment, Patrice de Colmont and his sister inherited their father's attachment to the land, and when they took over the reins of Club 55, they maintained the same natural philosophy. In fact, one thing led to another, and a new project emerged. “To truly fulfill our father's ideal, we needed to grow our own produce,” explains Patrice. “At the time, the closest agricultural land to Club 55 was the property in a nearby valley, the Vallon des Bouis. I knew the place well because the owners were the parents of a childhood friend.” The land was purchased and a new adventure began. “I didn't know anything about farming, but I understood the spirit of the soil. I started with very little knowledge, but I had a true belief and one main principle: the less you stray from nature, the fewer mistakes you will make!” This was back in 2002. At the time, the valley was abandoned, with only one hectare of grapevines in poor condition and olive trees that were overwhelmed by grass. And that's when the Drion family entered the picture.
THE NATURAL APPROACH FLOURISHES
“I was looking for someone to get the property back in order, and that was when I was introduced to Amélie, who wasn't yet Madame Drion… She was a determined and pragmatic young woman who had just finished her agricultural studies. I told her I intended to grow crops in the most natural way possible.” Amélie devoted herself to the farm and, as it turned out, she had no use for routines either! “It was the beginning of the organic farming era,” she says, “at school, we were taught almost nothing about it.” Nicolas Drion, who would become her husband a few years later, confirmed this: “It was a marginal activity, there was a cliché of a bearded hippie watching his lettuce grow! People had no idea of the reality.” Indeed, Amélie says the truth is very different: “When you refuse to use chemicals, there's a lot more supervision, you have to work the soil, and do it all by hand! Natural fertilizers, hand weeding, composting, mulching... organic farming requires a true savoir-faire!” Her husband expands on this: “Today, everyone is adopting techniques we have been using on the farm for almost 20 years. Agriculture is destined to become almost 100% organic.” Patrice de Colmont concurs: “Organic is just the first step when it comes to agriculture. We can go much further by adopting different ways of cultivating and working the land, for example, with a horse rather than with a machine...” Today at the Ferme du Vallon des Bouis, Amélie and Nicolas Drion's most loyal partner is Astrakan, a magnificent draft horse used for plowing around the vines, olive trees, and vegetable gardens. “We would never have imagined we would work with a horse one day,” admits Nicolas. “It allows us to uproot unwanted plants while respecting the vines. With him, you can feel what is happening in the soil: where the ground is harder, the quality of the earth... And unlike tractors, he doesn't compact the soil, which allows microbial life—especially earthworms—to develop and for the soil to retain its richness.” “That horse is far more than some rustic idyll!” concludes Patrice de Colmont.
Soon after Amélie's arrival, the magnificent little valley rediscovered its glory. The 500 olive trees now bear beautiful fruit, the 10 hectares of forest are kept clear by goats and donkeys, and the farm's crops have been awarded the Ecocert label for environmental quality. Patrice de Colmont is proud of this success: “The terrain is hilly, so we are lucky to have well-preserved soil. We also protect the purity of the soil by controlling the water runoff, none of it comes from neighboring land.”
“We first started growing grapes for wine, then the vegetables for markets,” explains Amélie. “But the property and the business activity were growing, and I was going to have our second child. That's when Nicolas quit his job at another estate, and we moved to Les Bouis full-time with our little family.” Having come to the South of France with plans to stay for just a few months, Amélie and Nicolas have now lived in the valley for 18 years. They have three children: Jules, 11, Marin, 8, and Jeanne, 5. For them, Les Bouis is a magnificent playground and a veritable paradise! And the quality of life is unbeatable for the entire family: “We enjoy our children while working... it's perfect for trying to balance personal and professional life.”
THE FARM AND CLUB 55, A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP
“As a restaurant, we have a great responsibility to give people healthy food to eat. And it is the farmers that allow us to do this. For us, that means Amélie and Nicolas!” Patrice de Colmont is delighted to have crossed paths with the young couple almost 20 years ago. With all their hard work and personal investment, they have cared for the property as if it were their own.
Today, all the vegetables produced on the farm go to Club 55, except for the portion destined for the Drion family. The wines—red, rosé, and white under the Côtes-de-Provence appellation—are a great success, which is not surprising: Amélie and Nicolas are both children of winegrowers, and they are dedicated to the Bouis and Ramatuelle vineyards.
The Ferme des Bouis is the primary source for the most beloved items on the Club 55 menu: crudités, artichoke vinaigrette, Ramatuelle puff pastry, Pampelonne salad, traditional ratatouille... Indeed, the vast majority of vegetables and herbs come from Amélie and Nicolas' production: peas, mesclun, lettuce, kohlrabi, Crimean black tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, pineapple tomatoes, beans, coriander, basil, mint... To complete the menu, grilled fish and certified organic corn are also available. The wine from the farm is served at Club 55, with bottles also available for sale at select wine cellars. The olive oil, which is pressed on-site in the Moulin des Bouis, can be purchased as well.
“This spring, given the unusual health situation, we organized a small weekly market at the property. It's been a fantastic experience: people meet the people who feed them!” Patrice de Colmont is already thinking about ways to continue these encounters between consumers and producers…
Life has now resumed its course and Club 55 has reopened its doors for the season. Meanwhile, Bernard de Colmont's original philosophy remains as relevant as ever: “Here the cooking is not done by the boss and the customer is not the king, because they are friends!”