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Nicole Arroyas
Born and raised in London, Ontario, Nicole Arroyas was groomed for the restaurant industry at an early age. At the age of seven, Archie's became her playground. To rid her of her shyness, Nicole was coached by her mother to seat customers and clear tables. Once that chore was mastered, Nicole quickly moved up to the cash register where she stood on a milk crate to give customers change.
And then the passion for food begins. Upon graduation, Nicole took a trip to France to visit cooking schools to pursue training as a French chef. Institute Paul Bocuse in Lyon, France was the school of choice.
Leaving London in 2000, Nicole left for France to begin her journey into culinary management. The first mandatory internship lead her to L'Astrance under direction from Chef Pascal Barbot. The second internship brought her to Alain Ducasse under Jean Francois Piège. Nicole graduated from the Institute Paul Bocuse with an International University level diploma in Culinary Restaurant Management in 2003. Following that, she wrote her Canadian government exams and received her Red Seal Chef papers.
After Nicole's long internships in France she decided it was time to come home. Upon her return she worked in her parents' restaurants until her passion for pastry took over. This passion landed her at the Culinary Institute of America in the Napa Valley. She then ventured into professional wedding cakes and soon found it hard to keep up with the demand. Safe to say this undertaking was also a success. After two years Nicole decided it was time for her greatest challenge and so Auberge du Petit Prince was born.
Nicole's vision was to create a restaurant like no other found in London and her philosophy is "I believe in good basic food made from fresh local ingredients. I'm not about the frou frou with food. I want my guests to be able to distinguish the different flavours and have fun with it. Good food is already good, it's not science and people love to eat!"
Bon Apetit! |
