Eric MASSON
Little River,USA
Summary
Successful former restaurant owner with extensive knowledge in the food and wine industry prepared to drive sales and foster client relationships on the Grand Strand and beyond. Skilled in wine pairing, menu development,inventory management, client communication, and sales strategies. Known for delivering exceptional service and ensuring customer satisfaction. Demonstrated ability to conduct effective wine tastings and presentations, showcasing strong negotiation and communication skills.
Overview
33
33
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Co-owner
Bucket List Wine Travel
01.2022 - Current
- Schedule wine dinners and wine tastings in several local restaurants and wine shops
- Team up with Chef to develop menu and select wine pairing accordingly
- Collaborate with co-owner to select, organize and book trips and cruises in famous wine regions across the globe
- Assisted in the coordination of group travel arrangements, ensuring a smooth experience for all participants
Executive Chef/General Manager/Proprietor
The Brentwood Restaurant & Wine Bistro
01.2007 - 08.2022
- Company Overview: www.TheBrentwoodRestaurant.com
- Managed daily operations of a 250-seat restaurant with 35 employees
- Created and developed a Wine Club with 400+ members with monthly dinners. Expanded off premise wine sales to $120,000+ per year
- Scheduled monthly wine dinners and weekly wine tastings
- Create all menus and recipes for dinner, private dining, cocktail list and wine list (Wine Spectator award 2021 & 2022)
- Ordered all food, wine, beer, liquor and all other inventory items, created all recipes, handled all accounting, payroll, calculated profit margin for menu items and supervised the kitchen
- Booked weddings and private events
- Maintained 25% profit margin
- Trained all FOH and BOH employees
- Sold the restaurant in 08/2022
- Brought sales from $400 K to $2.5 million per year
- Named best restaurant in Little River 12 years in a row
- The restaurant has been featured in three national TV shows
Executive Chef/Consultant
Marché at 74 State Boutique Hotel
01.2006 - 01.2007
- Hired to create, develop theme and set up all aspects of the food for an upscale restaurant 'Marché', boutique hotel and conference center, as well as design kitchen, purchase all equipment, supervise building and create breakfast, lunch, dinner, bar, banquet and room service menus
- Hired and trained all BOH staff, documented recipes and expected profit margin, developed relationships with local farms and put into action a full-service bakery
- Turned the reigns over once management felt things were running smoothly (five days after Grand Opening)
Executive Chef/Operations Manager/Owner
Saratoga Lake Inn & Bistro
02.2004 - 02.2006
- Set up and opened a fine dining resort on Saratoga Lake
- The operation included a fine dining restaurant with lakeside deck seating, an eight-room inn, public beach, ice cream stand, snack bar and a lakeside banquet/wedding area for functions up to 500 guests
- Summer schedule included breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week
- Responsibilities include overall coordination, preparation and presentation of high-quality cuisine, maintaining a high level of guest satisfaction, strong leadership of staff and detailed attention to Department of Health standards
- Managed daily operations with a staff of 60 employees, ordered food, alcohol and other inventory items, created all menus, handled all accounting and payroll, calculated profit margin for menu items and supervise the kitchen
- Voted Best French Restaurant by the Metroland in the first year of business
- Profits increased an average of 40% in the second year
- Iron Chef Competition Winner in 2004 for local competition sponsored by the March of Dimes
- Blue Cheese recipes highlighted in the December 2005 issue of Wine Enthusiasts Magazine
Executive Chef/General Manager/Owner
Ferrandi’s Restaurant
09.1998 - 01.2004
- Opened a successful restaurant two months after arriving in the United States
- Handled the opening of the restaurant, creation of the menu, hiring the staff, calculating profits and loss, purchasing food inventory as well as running the kitchen for lunch and dinner
- Assisted in a creative marketing plan to make up for the remote location
- Closed on January 1, 2004, to relocate in Saratoga Springs
- Voted 'Best French Restaurant' by Metroland three years in a row
- Awarded the 40 under forty award by the Capital Region Business Review in 2000
- Approached by local TV network, ABC/WTEN, to schedule guest appearances for cooking segment
Executive Chef
Chez Mary de Rosay
01.1997 - 01.1998
- Participated in opening a high-altitude chalet restaurant in the French Alps
- Ran the daily kitchen operations of a 500-cover restaurant, one side casual and the other buffet, managed the kitchen and staff of 10 employees
Executive Chef/Partner
Restaurant 'Le Quincampe'
01.1992 - 01.1997
- Handled the opening of a French/Moroccan restaurant, creation of the menu, hiring the staff, calculating profits and loss, purchasing food inventory as well as running the kitchen for lunch and dinner
Education
Bac Professional Restaurant -
01.1992
- Equivalent to Bachelors
- Www.ferrandi-paris.com/en
- GPA: Honorable Mention
BEP Hôtellerie - option Cuisine
01.1988
CAP Classical Cuisine -
01.1987
Skills
- Menu and wine list development (Wine spectator award of Excellence)
- Food and wine pairings
- Sales strategy development
- Social Media management
- WEST wine certification (level 1 Award)
- Customer relations management
Certification
- WSET Level 1 Award
- Red Cross Lifeguard Certificate
- Red Cross First Aid
- Safety & CPR Certified
Accomplishments
- Guest Chef on Holland America and Celebrity cruise line, conducting cooking classes and demonstrations.
- Performed for TASTE! A culinary cooking event with Guy Fieri, Fabio Viviani, Aaron McCargo Jr in 2010.
- Iron Chef competition winner in 2011 and 2012 for local coastal food festival (Coastal Uncorked).
- Second place for South Carolina Statewide Seafood Competition 2019 and 2020.
- Member of La Chaine des Rotisseurs since 2010, currently a Board member of Myrtle Beach Bailli.
- Manage short term and long term rental since 1998.
Key Qualifications
- Experienced chef/manager/owner with an extensive knowledge of opening restaurants from scratch, developing concepts, creating menus, hiring & training staff, increasing sales, marketing and all other aspects of the restaurant industry.
- Conducted cooking classes since 1998, teaching recipes, techniques and wine pairing.
- Consistent appearances on local news networks & national shows.
- Featured in local newspapers and international magazine (Wine Enthusiast).
- Participated in several food competitions and fundraisers.
References
Available upon request.
Computer Experience
- WORD
- EXCEL
- PUBLISHER
- CRE POS System
- TOAST Restaurant Software
Languages
French
Native or Bilingual
Spanish
Limited Working
Timeline
Co-owner - Bucket List Wine Travel
01.2022 - Current
Executive Chef/General Manager/Proprietor - The Brentwood Restaurant & Wine Bistro
01.2007 - 08.2022
Executive Chef/Consultant - Marché at 74 State Boutique Hotel
01.2006 - 01.2007
Executive Chef/Operations Manager/Owner - Saratoga Lake Inn & Bistro
02.2004 - 02.2006
Executive Chef/General Manager/Owner - Ferrandi’s Restaurant
09.1998 - 01.2004
Executive Chef - Chez Mary de Rosay
01.1997 - 01.1998
Executive Chef/Partner - Restaurant 'Le Quincampe'
01.1992 - 01.1997
Professional Lycée “Les Sorbets” - BEP Hôtellerie, option Cuisine
Culinary Institute of Brest - CAP Classical Cuisine,
Superior School of French Cuisine FERRANDI - Bac Professional Restaurant,
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