It is through the kind endeavours of Martin Hills, who personally researched some of the Provence case histories for “Making a Living in France”, that AMB Cote d'Azur was granted permission to publish two extracts from this book. Written by Joe Laredo, author of “Foreigners in France: Triumphs & Disasters” the book is published by Survival Books.

Our first feature concerns Ewan Scutcher who took the decision to run a high quality restaurant in Port Grimaud. Our second one features Gordon Taylor, who became “Mr Fix-It” and now manages 30 mobile-homes in Roquebrune-sur-Argens.

Graduating from the Fish Course
At one time, French people would probably have laughed at the idea of a British couple running a high quality restaurant in France, but Ewan Scutcher, who, with his wife Caroline, runs La Table du Mareyeur at Port Grimaud, along the coast from St Tropez in the Var, says he has never felt any prejudice in that sense – ‘or at least it never came to our attention. The gastronomic reputation of England has changed dramatically over recent years and I would say that England, and even the US, are on a par with many European countries.’

The Scutchers have been a long-standing and successful team, having worked together in Caroline’s family’s travel firm in Brighton, East Sussex, and studied together at the Lausanne Hotel Management School in Switzerland, before starting their present operation in 1989. The Lausanne course, divided equally between study on campus and practical experience in the field, led to diplomas that are widely recognised internationally. In the course of their work experience, they both spent six months working in Cannes – Caroline at the Carlton and Ewan at the Martinez – which, together with family holidays at Port Grimaud, created an attachment to the part of France where they married and have lived for the past 16 years. ‘Two sons and a dog later, we’re still enjoying it and feel very much at home here, says Ewan.

Although their training had covered the whole spectrum of hotel activities, Ewan points out that starting and running a hotel requires a considerable initial investment: ‘Many ex-restaurateurs end up running chambres d’hôtes or a small hotel as a retirement scheme, although these require more dedication and experience than one imagines. Perhaps one day we will add a few rooms to the restaurant for those who have eaten too much and want to stay the night. Meanwhile, the restaurant occupies them fully enough from March to November and during the Christmas and New Year season.

The restaurant, which these days numbers politicians, film stars and royalty as well as ‘ordinary’ people amongst its clientele, is on the waterfront, with a terrace with its own moorings from those arriving by boat, and views over the village and canals of what is sometimes termed ‘the Venice of the Riviera’. It specialises in fresh line-caught fish and seafood (mareyeur is an old word for fishmonger) supplied by local fishermen. ‘Although these are mainly luxury products, we try to provide value for money, efficient service and a friendly atmosphere, as opposed to the stuffiness and impersonal approach of many other gastronomic restaurants.’

Currently the lunch menu costs €25, including wine and coffee, and other set menus are offered at €42 and €55, the latter including foie gras and lobster. There’s also, naturally enough, a range of plateaux de fruits de mer of varying contents. The Scutchers also cater for weddings, meetings, parties, conferences, etc., particularly out of season, and run a home delivery service in the area.

At the outset, the Scutchers bought an existing restaurant, with a different name and kind of business, and this had some influence on their funding. They found that French banks were cautious about lending to new businesses, even based on a solid business plan and the qualifications and knowledge of the area that went with them. ‘Buying an existing business gives the bank something to go on, basing the value on an average of turnover in the previous three years – although it doesn’t follow that the clientele will take to the new ownership.’ They benefited from the advice of a notaire and an accountant, whose role they regard as essential, ’amongst other things to help you through the administrative minefield. Word-of-mouth recommendation is a good way of finding these professionals.’ Language, happily, was not a problem, as both had taken their studies in French.

The Scutchers don’t follow the traditional format of husband as chef and wife running the front of the house (or vice versa). ‘Caroline looks after the administrative side, while I deal with the front of the house and service side, explains Ewan, ‘and we’re both very much present for our clients. Although we both had training as chefs, we confer this role to our chef de cuisine, Ricardo d’Elia. Our team is composed of a core of faithful staff members who have also been with us for many years. A full complement at the height of the season is 15 to 18 people. Retaining good staff in this industry isn’t easy, particularly in a seasonal resort like this, and the continuity that our regulars provide helps mutual recognition between clients and staff members.’

Looking back over the years, Ewan remembers ‘the ups and downs of running any small business: recent governmental measures concerning the 35-hour week, the transition to the euro, the prohibitive charges on salaries that make finding and employing qualified staff difficult at times. However, our ability to attract excellent, dedicated young people gives us hope for the future of our business at a time when standardisation and corporate dominance tend to overshadow the small family-run business. We’re closely linked to local producers of wines and foods, and this element must be preserved: it’s part of our culture and history.’

For anyone contemplating following in their footsteps, Ewan emphasises that ‘coming on holiday or even for a longer period to a place isn’t the same as living and working there. One should weigh up the pros and cons – about schools, taxes, the local culture, etc. – and get the maximum amount of information not only on the business concerned, but also on the area.

Times change and a town or village that was once busy may not always be for a number of reasons. Beach concessions aren’t automatically renewable on a yearly basis, for example, and one could risk losing one’s business without knowledge of this and other similar laws. Seasonal work can be misleading, as turnover won’t always be the same as in high season, although your fixed costs will be. The French notion of fonds de commerce or leasehold is not always easy for foreign potential buyers to grasp.

Having made your decision, do it for the right reasons, enjoy it, don’t give up, do the best you can and don’t look back!’

Becoming Mr Fix-It
Introducing this case history, editor Joe Laredo remarks: Gordon Taylor found a niche market for his maintenance service, partly by chance and partly through perseverance. Like other entrepreneurs, however, he has taken every opportunity to diversify and exploit opportunities as they arise.

Gordon Taylor had worked his way up in the insurance business to become his company’s Regional Manager for the whole of South Wales and south-west England, with eight managers and 160 agents reporting to him. Then came redundancy, divorce and three years of job-hunting, during which he found that, at 50, he was over-qualified and too expensive to employ.

Things changed when a friend alerted to him to an article on ‘mature’ couriers working for Eurocamp, a company offering package holidays in ready-erected tents and mobile homes on campsites throughout Europe. Called for an interview, Gordon ‘travelled forth drowned in a wretched cold. I felt I hadn’t conducted myself too well, but, to my surprise, I was accepted and asked if I had a preference for any area of Europe.’ Remembering holidays there, he asked for Provence.

He rented out his house in Plymouth, bought a touring caravan and, after an intensive training course, arrived at his first posting, Camping Lei Suves near Roquebrune-sur-Argens. The start wasn’t propitious: ‘Patrick, the very Provençal campsite-owner, didn’t speak to me for three months, as apparently he didn’t like English people,’ Gordon recalls. And Patrick’s wife, Catherine, wasn’t impressed by his opening apology for not speaking much French. However, the Eurocamp team arrived to put up eight tents, install three mobile homes and an awning to convert his caravan into a reception office.

For the first few winters, Gordon went back to the UK, finding casual employment with various government agencies. This he recommends for anyone contemplating a life abroad: ‘Give it a try without 100 per cent commitment for a year or two; then, if you are happy, bite the bullet.’

Meanwhile, relations with Patrick had improved, not least after Gordon had managed to interpret for some British visitors. Another useful development was that, at the end of his first season, Gordon was asked to help a sick member of the regular maintenance teams who close down the Eurocamp mobile homes. ‘Working with him on many sites between Antibes and Le Lavandou, I learned much about care and maintenance that has served me well since.’

In the second year, Gordon was posted to a site in Tuscany, but stopped on the way back for a holiday in Lei Suves, where, by then, Patrick and Catherine had become good friends. They told him they had missed him and that there was an opening to work there for a Dutch manager of several foreign-owned units the following year. He took the offer up, but it didn’t work out and, when the Dutchman sold his business, he found that the owners were happy for him to work directly for them. With Patrick and Catherine’s blessing, he started the business he has run ever since.

I charge the owners a set fee for looking after their mobile homes throughout the year, making sure the pitches are made ready for the season, kept in good condition throughout, and closed for the winter.’

Establishing permanent residence and dealing with the red tape entailed in starting a business turned out to be more difficult than expected: ‘First I was required to attend a week’s course at the local Chambre des Métiers to learn how to be self-employed. My French is fairly good nowadays, but sitting for eight hours a day listening to rapid French did nothing to add to my knowledge of procedures.’

After a couple of years, Patrick and Catherine asked him to stay through the winter to look after the site for them when they were away. He sold the Plymouth house and bought his own mobile home on the site.

Now, as well as managing over 30 mobile homes belonging to British, Danish, Dutch and French owners, and ‘campsite-sitting’ out of season, Gordon has extended his operation to include control of all the bottled gas supplies on the site. ‘During the winter months, I do a lot of repair and general maintenance work. In the season, as a break from camping, I occasionally act as a tour guide for a local company running excursions to Monaco, Ventimille and the Gorges du Verdon.’

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