What does a Michelin-starred restaurant serve in August in Saint-Tropez? Chef Philippe Colinet’s seasonal produce

Why do menus at the biggest restaurants change so often? Because the produce doesn’t wait.

In August, the Mediterranean is at its peak. Cogolin tomatoes have that deep red colour that can only be found here at this time of year. The gamberoni prawns arrive firm and briny. The strawberries from La Garde are harvested that very morning. Wild fennel grows along the paths. And Chef Philippe Colinet, at the Michelin-starred Colette restaurant in the Sezz Saint-Tropez hotel, builds his entire cuisine around this calendar – nature’s calendar.

August’s star produce at Colette, at a glance:

• - Tomato (Jardin de la Piboule, Yann Ménard — Cogolin)
• - Strawberries (La Serre du Plan — La Garde)
• - Apricots
• - Citrus fruits: lemon, kumquat (Maison Gannac — Menton)
• - Gamberoni
• - Squid
• - Mediterranean red mullet
• - Mussels
• - Shiso
• - Wild fennel (foraged)

Why does the Colette menu change in summer?

Philippe Colinet didn’t grow up in a kitchen. He grew up travelling down the road to the south, somewhere between Touraine and Provence. What he remembers from those summers is the flavour of peaches bought by the roadside, tomatoes still warm from the sun, and apricots that burst between his fingers. Simple, distinct flavours that are impossible to recreate in the kitchen unless you’ve first experienced them.
It is this guiding principle that underpins the entire philosophy of our restaurant. The menu doesn’t change because the chef has grown tired of it; it changes because the produce itself has evolved. In August, they reach that moment of perfection that cannot be anticipated and cannot be prolonged. It’s now, or in three weeks’ time it will be something else.

“Why do the menus change so often at Colette? Because the produce won’t wait for us.”

Produce at its peak in August

Tomatoes

In August, tomatoes need no introduction. They reach their peak levels of sugar and acidity, allowing Chef Philippe Colinet to make them the centrepiece of several dishes on the menu.
Yann Ménard, a market gardener at Le Jardin de la Piboule in Cogolin, grows them with respect for the land and biodiversity. Philippe Colinet and his team pick them themselves. From plant to plate, it is sometimes just a few kilometres and a few hours. On the restaurant’s menus, the tomato isn’t merely an accompaniment – it is the star of the show.

Strawberries

Strawberries from La Serre du Plan, in La Garde, are harvested every morning according to demand. Grown in open ground using natural methods, their flavours are preserved. These are strawberries that actually smell like strawberries – which, in August on the Riviera, is rarer than one might think. On the à la carte menu, they are served as a dessert in the rhubarb and vanilla diplomate. No more than a few hours pass between being picked in the morning and appearing on the plate in the evening. A light finish that lingers in the memory.

The apricot

The midsummer Mediterranean apricot has a distinctive quality: it is both sweet and slightly tart, with firm flesh. It holds up well to cooking, honey and pairing with chilli. At Le Colette, it features on the ‘Substances’ menu, treated as a culinary ingredient as much as a dessert fruit.

Gamberoni

This is the star dish of the Mediterranean summer. Gamberoni are large, firm prawns with a briny flavour, caught in the Mediterranean. Here, they are served whole, with the juices from the heads forming the basis of the sauce. On the Substances menu, gamberoni are the second course. The first bite is briny and vibrant.

Squid

Caught locally, prepared to highlight its texture rather than its sauce. In August, Mediterranean squid is young and tender, lending itself to quick cooking and precise seasoning. On the ‘Sens’ menu, it appears alongside a risotto, in a dish that plays on the depth of the sea’s flavour without ever making it heavy, with smoked Parmesan and saffron.

Red mullet

An iconic fish of Provençal cuisine. Red mullet is a Mediterranean rockfish, the catch of which is regulated by seasonal quotas. Chef Colinet works with La Poissonnerie in Puget-sur-Argens, which offers rigorous selection, exemplary traceability and responsible fishing practices. On the summer menus, red mullet is served with cuttlefish ink, fennel, watercress and lemon. A dish that evokes both the sea and the sun.

Shiso

An aromatic herb of Asian origin, grown in Provence, which adds a fresh, slightly aniseed-like note. Shiso is one of the ingredients that reveals Philippe Colinet’s approach to Mediterranean cuisine: not confined by its own conventions, but open to influences that resonate with it.

Fennel

The chef doesn’t buy this one. He forages for it himself: in Grimaud, Cogolin, Saint-Tropez and Ramatuelle. Foraging is a regular practice at Le Colette. Whatever grows wild in the Var hinterland ends up on your plates, with a flavour that no supplier can replicate.
In summer, wild fennel is at its aromatic peak: the seeds are packed with essential oils that intensive farming simply cannot replicate.

Citrus fruits

In summer, lemons and kumquats aren’t just for desserts. Philippe Colinet uses them as seasonings: lemon adds a zesty kick, whilst kumquat brings a touch of bitterness. Maison Gannac, a family-run farm in Menton, supplies citrus fruits grown using traditional methods that respect the environment. A detail that makes all the difference.
Maison Gannac is one of the last citrus producers in Menton to grow their fruit in open ground, without any post-harvest treatments. The fruit arrives at Le Colette with its zest intact, which fundamentally changes how it can be used in the kitchen.

What this menu tells us

In summer, the cuisine at our restaurant becomes more straightforward. The flavours are bolder, the cooking times shorter, the juices more concentrated, and the sauces lighter. The ingredients speak for themselves more than they do in spring, when everything is still in the early stages of development.

This menu captures the essence of a Mediterranean summer. In August, there is no doubt about the flavour of a perfectly ripe Cogolin tomato or a red mullet caught in the Mediterranean that very morning.

This is what Philippe Colinet calls working ‘at the heart of the ingredient’ – not around it, not in spite of it, not despite it. The ingredient is the focus. The cooking is what allows it to be itself, completely.

Producers: our partners

At Colette restaurant, we don’t talk about suppliers. We talk about partners.

Philippe Colinet makes the most of the winter months and days when the restaurant is closed to travel the length and breadth of the region, visiting:

• - farmers,
• - livestock farmers,
• - fishermen,
• - oyster farmers.

A relationship built over time, founded on shared values:

• - quality,
• - respect for the produce,
• - commitment to the environment.

Of course, our partners and the produce they supply may change depending on the season and the year, our preferences, the people we meet and, naturally, what nature provides us with on a day-to-day basis.

Here are Colette’s current partners – those whose produce is finding its way into the kitchen this season, and with whom Philippe Colinet maintains a relationship that goes beyond a mere commercial transaction. Today, the restaurant works with over twenty producers, artisans and farmers, all located within Provence and the Mediterranean region. Several of these partners are members of the Collège Culinaire de France, a collective bringing together high-quality restaurants and over 1,000 artisanal producers. They share a common conviction: that our artisanal culinary heritage deserves to be safeguarded.

• - Fruit and vegetables:
  • > Yann Ménard, Jardin de la Piboule, Cogolin.
  • > Sydney Biasotto, La Plantation de Seed, Grimaud.
  • > Maison Gannac, Menton (citrus fruits).
  • > La Serre du Plan, La Garde (strawberries).
• - Fish and seafood:
  • > La Poissonnerie, Puget-sur-Argens.
  • > Maison Giol, La Seyne-sur-Mer, Tamaris Bay (oysters).
• Goat’s cheese:
  • > Loïc de Saleneuve, Collobrières. His goat is called Colette, named in honour of the restaurant. You can meet him at the Saint-Tropez market on Tuesday and Saturday mornings.
• - Olive oil:
  • > Maison Alazard, Vallée des Baux-de-Provence.
  • > Moulin de Baussy, Spéracèdes.
• - Chocolate:
  • > La Manufacture du Chocolat, Grasse.
• - Bread:
  • > Boulangerie My Bread, Cogolin.
  • > Maison Gustaveur, Gassin.
• - Honey:
  • > Manufacture du Miel, Mazaugues, Var. One of the hives has been named Colette. The Chef visited it and was able to sample the honey.
• - Herbs and flowers:
  • > Midiflore, Hyères.
  • > The gardens of the Sezz Hotel.
  • > Wild foraging.

At Colette, every name on this list is the result of an encounter and shared convictions.

Why come in August?

August is the month when everything comes together. The Mediterranean offers the greatest variety, sun-ripened vegetables are at their peak, the fruit is at its most fragrant of the year, and rockfish are in abundance. It’s also the time of year when the ‘Substances et Sens’ menus at our Michelin-starred restaurant feature the greatest number of locally foraged or caught produce, some sourced from less than 50 kilometres away from the kitchen.

The light in Saint-Tropez at the end of the day does the rest – that distinctive blue you only see here, between the olive trees at Le Sezz and the reflections on the swimming pool.

Dining at Le Colette in August means arriving at just the right time. Not before, not after. Exactly when the season is at its peak, and when Philippe Colinet’s cuisine is closest to what it has always strived for: pure flavour, substance, nothing superfluous.

Practical information — Restaurant Colette, Saint-Tropez

• - Address: Hôtel Sezz Saint-Tropez, 151 route des Salins, 83990 Saint-Tropez
• - Access: 5 mins from the centre of Saint-Tropez, 10 mins from the beaches of Pampelonne, near the Baie des Canebiers
• - Opening hours: Dinner only, from 7.30 pm to 9.30 pm
• - Open in July and August from Wednesday to Sunday
• - Menus: ‘Substances’ (5 courses) and ‘Sens’ (7 courses) — Food and wine pairings from €66 (3 glasses)
• - Partner producers: over 20 artisan producers from the Var and Provence regions
• - Capacity: 45 seats on the terrace, 30 indoors
• - Signature experience: La Table du Chef, an immersive dining experience overlooking the kitchens
• - Wine cellar: 120 wines
• - Booking: strongly recommended; open to residents and visitors from outside the area
• - Parking: free with valet parking
• - Shuttle bus: free from Place des Lices

Book your seasonal dinner at Colette*.