From sandwiches at Monte-Carlo Bar to running Café de Paris: Eric Gorjux’ recipe for success
Eric Gorjux - © Monte-Carlo SBM
The journey of a man with an unusual career path.
“My life is made up of crossroads.” It’s hard to argue with Eric Gorjux on that point. Today, the Director of the new Café de Paris reflects on the path that led him to the head of such an institution, recently inaugurated by the Princely Couple.
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“I had the honour and privilege of dining at the table of Their Serene Highnesses, the Prince and Princess of Monaco, which gave me the opportunity to chat with their guests. It was the first time I’d been served by my staff, and the food lived up to our expectations. And I was able to see the reactions of the Princely Family, the Chairman of Monte-Carlo SBM and the guests in person… From starter to dessert, it was a total success and the atmosphere was relaxed. All the customers were delighted, and we received a lot of thank-you messages afterwards,” he says.
The connection between Eric Gorjux and the catering world began much earlier than we might imagine, just over thirty years ago. “When I arrived from Corsica, where I grew up, I was coming to join my father, who was working in the Principality. And we arranged to meet up… at the Café de Paris! I didn’t know the venue, but I loved it straight away. I had just arrived from my little village in Corsica, and I knew a bit about the restaurant business because I’d already worked in beach eateries, basic restaurants,” he says.
One wish: to stay in Monaco
Back then, Eric Gorjux knew very little about Monaco. He had some childhood memories of Grand Prix races, sitting on his dad’s shoulders, a former rally driver and motorsport enthusiast. And then, of the Café de Paris. Barely 22 at the time, Eric Gorjux wanted to stay in the Principality: “My father helped me find my first job in Monaco, at the Monte-Carlo Bar on the Place d’Armes. I started in September 1992, as “just” a commis, runner, head of station, barman… On the first night, I was cutting paninis and I saw Ayrton Senna out jogging. I dropped the bread: he was my idol. My colleague told me that I would see a lot of him in Monaco. After that, every time he passed by, I would tap on the window to say hi! One evening, he came in to order a cheese sandwich. I was shaking, I handed him the sandwich, he took the bread away, and just ate the Emmental. He asked me: “How much do I owe you?” I replied, “Nothing”, with a smile of admiration. A few months later, the Grand Prix came round, and he gave me a paddock pass! This was what got me hooked on Monaco: I realised straight away that anything was possible here.”
I realised that anything was possible in Monaco
But after a year at the Monte-Carlo Bar, he had a rude awakening. The restaurant got into financial difficulties and had to lay off all the staff. “I was left high and dry,” says Eric Gorjux. “I left Monaco, went to Nice and found myself working in a small shop selling very quirky clothes, to my taste. I took over the shop and, since I’d been DJing since I was 16, I also mixed all over Europe. For five years, that was all I lived on. I wanted to settle down and in 2001, I invested in a second shop in Nice. It was a huge success.”
From Nice to Paris
Deciding to try his luck in the restaurant business again, Eric Gorjux returned to Monaco to join the Zebra Square as a waiter and head of station. After becoming a maître d’, he then agreed to follow his manager to the prestigious Carlton Hotel.
After a few months on the Croisette in Cannes, the young maître d’ and his partner at the time decided to move to Paris: “As soon as I got to Paris, I took my CV and my smile around town, and I found work straight away. I joined the Frères Blanc group, and was quickly transferred to their biggest brasserie, Au Pied de Cochon.”
And it was a real twist of fate: “It changed my career. I learnt everything in two years. I worked from 6 am to 9 pm. I was kitchen steward in the morning and maître d’ in the afternoon. I then moved up to head steward and maître d’. I learned a lot from the manager, who checked every detail.”
Pivotal encounters
But by 2007, a few years and many happy memories later, Eric Gorjux was feeling homesick. On a rainy August day in Paris, a sunny spell triggered a decision to return to the south. It seemed like an obvious sign from above, especially since his wife had been offered a job at Cap 3000. “48 hours later, we were on our way down, just as we had gone up. I got in touch with the Maya Bay in Monaco, which was looking for a manager to set up the Japanese restaurant. I had a lot of interviews, so in the meantime I worked as a director at Le Pastis in Cannes.”
Eventually contacted by Jean-Victor Pastor, owner of Maya Bay, Eric Gorjux made his return to Monaco and managed the restaurant for four years. “My address book was growing without me even trying. Then one day, the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) asked me to come to the Buddha-Bar that was due to open. I hesitated for a long time, but then I took the plunge. The opening was great, I got back into music and I felt very fulfilled. Nobody knew I was a DJ, I even brought my USB keys along to mix one night. Everyone was blown away, I set the Buddha alight. People were even dancing on the seats,” he says, proudly.
The Buddha-Bar in Monte-Carlo – © Monte-Carlo SBM
After deciding to terminate his contract in 2013, Eric Gorjux joined the Café de Paris for the first time as an executive assistant, for one season. And while he was having a drink at the American Bar, wondering what he was going to do next, he ran into a former client from the Maya Bay who was looking for a personal assistant. “I need someone like you,” she said.
“In 2016, I decided to stop. And just after dropping the family car off at the car park for the last time, I bumped into one of my friends, Piero Manara. And he said to me: “I know some people who are opening a restaurant and they’re looking for a manager.” The restaurant was going to be called Rampoldi.
“Never forget where you come from”
“That same evening, I had an interview with the owners. It all went really well for two years. One evening, Edouard Cluzel, who was working at the SBM at the time, came to see me and told me that the group was planning to open a Coya restaurant in Monaco and that they were thinking of me for the management position. I was already familiar with the Coya in London’, and I had been very impressed. I accepted straight away. I stayed there for four years, until one day the former SBM Chairman Jean-Luc Biamonti, asked me what I thought about the Café de Paris. And he offered me the job of managing the new restaurant. I accepted because it was a real challenge. I was about to set foot in an iconic establishment that, in a way, belongs to everyone. I see it every day: every family in Monaco has their own story involving the Café de Paris. Sunday lunches, birthdays, parties…“, says Eric Gorjux.
Every family in Monaco has their own story involving the Café de Paris
It’s been an intense journey, full of highs and lows, and one that has inspired the director’s motto: never forget where you come from. “That’s my philosophy,” he says. “We do get some very, very important people at the Café de Paris, and that’s amazing, but what I also like is when we get a little couple who’ve saved up for a month to come and have dinner here – I’ll give them the best table! (…) I know what it’s like to have stressful times. I thank heaven for what I’m experiencing today, but I also know that it’s my hard work that got me here. I’ve always remained true to myself. I’ve kept my roots in Corsica, I haven’t forgotten where I come from.”
His best advice? “Don’t listen to anyone. When someone tells you not to do something, just do it. If you feel a little spark, you should go for it. People always want to give us advice, but they’re not in our heads or in our hearts. As long as you are in good health, you should take risks. Life is full of risks: fail, try again, fail, try again. You learn more from failure than from success. Success brings light, but failure lays the groundwork, builds the foundations,” he says.
His plan now is to make the new Café de Paris an integral part of the Monaco experience: “When you come to Monaco, you go for a drink at the American bar, you go gambling at the Casino… Café de Paris needs to be a permanent fixture too. But we’ll get there, I’m sure of it!” Who would doubt it? After all, his instincts have never failed him!