We could start like a story. Once upon a time… So, let’s go ahead, once upon a time there was a young Parisian chef, coming from a suburb of Villiers-le-Bel. After multiple experiences (notably Guy Savoy, his mentor), Omar Nimaga becomes the owner of a small restaurant in the heart of Cannes.
A story worthy of the film “Intouchable”
Omar is generous, like the cuisine he offers, gourmet food: “because French cuisine is the most beautiful in the world”. His clients are usually foreign and wealthy. His neighbors in the neighborhood are often elderly people, sometimes isolated. So Omar, between two services, helps them on a daily basis, such as organizing shopping for example. For this December 24, he goes further.
“Let no one celebrate Christmas alone!”
Omar notices that many people in the neighborhood will stay alone on the evening of December 24. He therefore proposes to open his establishment and invite them all : “I don’t celebrate Christmas, I’m Muslim. I could see that there were elderly people who were going to be alone. So I suggested to one of them, Laurence, that they come to the restaurant to celebrate New Year’s Eve. We then thought of another friend, then it snowballed. Now there are around thirty of us.”
Omar, chef of the restaurant: “La Table du Chef”, in Cannes © Radio France – Sébastien Germain
“I am not Abbot Pierre”
Generosity calls for generosity. The donut shop, right next to Omar’s establishment, is lending its room to accommodate even more people. Businesses bring vegetables and canned goods. The meal on the evening of the 24th will be copious. Omar is preparing a pumpkin velouté, a stuffed capon, there will also be oysters, foie gras. Could Omar be the Cannes Santa Claus, a sort of Abbé Pierre for the elderly? “I’m not Abbot Pierre. My father always said to me: ‘if you want to know if you’re going to go to heaven? Ask your neighbor, he knows. “What makes me happy is just making people happy.”
Omar has already decided to do it again next year with a new solidarity Christmas.
2023-12-24 12:56:06
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