Chef Nicholas Elmi has worked in some of the most top rated French restaurants on the east coast. They include Guy Savoy (Paris), Union Pacific, Oceana and Lutece.
And one of the most legendary places Elmi has worked is Le Bec Fin alongside none other than Georges Perrier, a restaurant industry icon in Philadelphia for more than 40 years.
Perrier was known for his talent but also his tone, which was displayed in the documentary King Georges.
“We'd fight all the time. I'm like we can make the same sauce and cut out some of the butter, cut out some of the cream and it turned into like I’m not going to say literal fist fights, but very close to [it],” Elmi said. “He was a yeller. He was a screamer. He likes throwing stuff."
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Despite Perrier’s tone, Elmi said he learned patience from him and that the most important thing is the customer.
“That’s all Chef [Perrier] ever cared about, was what was the guest experience,” Elmi said.
Le Bec Fin was a French restaurant that first opened in Philly in 1970 and was in business for over four decades under the leadership of Perrier before he sold it.
Known for its extravagance, Le Bec Fin had a ceremonial uncovering of the silver lids, dessert carts, chandeliers and tuxedos.
“I think if you redesigned Le Bec Fin and made it less stodgy, I think it would have a shot, yeah,” Elmi said when asked if a restaurant like Le Bec could survive today.
Since working alongside Perrier, Elmi, a James Beard Award finalist and Top Chef winner, has opened many restaurants of his own in the Philadelphia area.
Those include Laurel, In The Valley (ITV) and The Landing Kitchen.
He also has a new event space, The Pump House, where he put his cooking skills on display for NBC10’s Jacqueline London and made his own rendition of a very French dish, escargot.
"We make it a little more user friendly. The snails that we have are already out of the shell,” Elmi said. “We're going to emulsify a shiitake garlic butter into it, potatoes, leek puree, Vichyssoise and we'll serve it with a crispy baguette.”
“I really love what I do, and we can be happy doing it,” he said.
This is the latest installment in the French Connections: Paris and Philly series that airs every week on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. leading up to the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
