Meet Sébastien Fossat
Today, Guilhem Codera from Locations-06 went to an extraordinary nurseryman that Guilhem highly recommends.
This is Sébastien Fossat, a nurseryman located very close to the famous Château de Cremat on the heights of Nice-St Isidore.
In his greenhouses, in the company of his parents, he perpetuates with great passion the profession of nurseryman that his family has practiced for 400 years.
His great-grandfather, Mr. Vincent Fossat, was a painter and his watercolors can be admired at the Massena museum. Him, his works are in his greenhouses.
Guilhem had wanted to meet Mr. Fossat for a long time, who, to be a great specialist in citrus fruits recognized throughout the world, automatically addresses his interlocutor on familiar terms and was quick to share his passion, even going so far as to make Guilhem do an exercise. of size in order to correct his student for a moment.
Guilhem, at the end of his BPREA studies (Professional Certificate for Agricultural Operations Manager) at the CFPPA in Antibes, benefited from the advice of this great citrus specialist.
You should know that the fruits produced by Mr. Fossat are sold from 15 euros to 450 euros per kilo and are popular among the greatest French chefs: Alain Passard, 3 stars at L’Arpège, in Paris; Arnaud Lallement, 3 stars at L’Assiette champenoise, in Tinqueux; Ronan Kervarrec, 2 stars at La Chèvre d’or, in Èze-Village, who has since left for the Hostellerie de Plaisance, in Saint-Émilion; Bruno Cirino, 1 star at the Hostellerie Jérôme, in La Turbie, Alain Ducasse, 3 stars at the Louis XV at the Hôtel de Paris, in Monaco….
A nurseryman from Nice with a passion for citrus fruits
When Guilhem wandered with Mr. Fossat in his greenhouses, he went from discovery to enchantment, discovering along the way amazing inventions like a citrus fruit mixed with vanilla, or this sweet lemon that he offered to Guilhem who delighted in it.
His “babies”, whom he cuddles under his three open greenhouses in the open air, exude sweet exotic names: the lemon caviar, which looks like a pickle, which harbors precious crunchy and crunchy microbeads; the hand of Buddha, a variety of citron with astonishing digital branches; kumquat, which is eaten whole with the skin and does not contain a single seed, limequat, yuzu, vanilla orange, star ruby, pursha, diamond, lemon pear…
The trees will have taken twelve years to give their first fruit. “Between the seeds sown, the grafts, the framing, the pruning, the cutting of the heads, the incorporation of fertilizers strong in potash and trace elements, the watering, always early in the morning, the surveillance against attacks of “insects are the school of patience,” explains Sébastien Fossat.
Guilhem, who loves mango, was thrilled by the discovery of the tamarillo, also called “tomato tree” (solanum betacum). The fruit has a tomato-mango taste, it’s truly amazing. Guilhem looked with envy at this very beautiful specimen of lemon-pear with large fruits. A little too expensive for his current budget. The fruits are sold for €80/piece. The advice of this enthusiast poured out, And Guilhem delighted in it.
He ends up being tempted by the purchase of 10 beautiful 10-year-old bitter orange trees and a yuzu full of small fruits to plant giant-sized vegetable plants in his countryside, using potting soil that Mr. Fossat makes himself. Real F1s, not F3s like in many garden centers. To his grandmother Guilhem brought back a fragrant mosquito repellent geranium with purple pink tones and the smell of green apple, which was another curiosity. He took 1.60m tall raspberry bushes to spoil his father and pots of Clery de Carros strawberries for his mother.
So if you want to find a passionate, innovative nurseryman with extraordinary plants, always ready to give you time, Sebastien Fossat is your man. Without forgetting his parents Marcelle and Paul, of great expertise and kindness.
Bravo to these true and passionate people!
