Nicolas was born in Rennes, the capital city of Brittany, in northwest France, 34 years ago. A second child, Nicolas has a brother born three years before him. Contrary to the norm of the time, it was his mother who had received the better education, and consequently the better pay-packet as a civilian engineer in the Defence Force, while his father worked in a warehouse. Both Nicolas’ parents worked very hard, both in their jobs and at home, to provide for the family. Nicolas had to search his memory hard to pinpoint a significantly happy childhood memory, a day when his parents had tricked the boys into believing that the day’s outing, with its pre-dawn start, was a routine car trip to their friend’s home, and not to an amusement park where the family had a day of rides and merriment. This is not to say Nicolas didn’t have good times with his loving family, but rather that his memories have been coloured and over-written by the fact that he identified as a “bad boy”, particularly as he entered his teenage years.

Since he had a high IQ and was gifted academically, the education system tried advancing Nicolas in some classes, with limited success. Nicolas concedes he may indeed have ADHD, since he had such pronounced behavioural difficulties as a child. School did not provide the challenge and the mental stimulation that Nicolas required, his poor and distracting classroom behaviour accelerated and Nicolas needed to start afresh in four different schools in order to graduate. Nicolas displayed strong skills in logical thinking and was keen to learn about all aspects of history, but in other subject areas such as French language classes he could be a teachers’ worst nightmare. Rather than assimilate information provided, Nicolas wanted to debate any topic from all angles, setting himself up as devil’s advocate purely to get a rise from the teacher. In retrospect, Nicolas acknowledges how challenging this period must have been for his poor mother, who prioritised him above all else and stood by his side as she strived to ensure he received a satisfactory education. Nicolas holds three separate diplomas and a Bachelor’s degree, so it is clear his, and her, persistence paid off in the end.

Nicolas has slowly built himself a solid career in the beverage industry, yet it started out as pure serendipity. After his secondary graduation, Nicolas began an internship as a waiter, concurrently studying in hospitality school. From the very first service, he felt more at home in the restaurant than he had ever felt in a school classroom. In what could be seen as a rebirth, Nicolas started afresh without too much baggage, and quickly impressed his hospitality teachers with his diligence and willingness to learn. Nicolas had never experienced praise from teachers before, and it had a positive impact on his self-esteem, the “bad boy” turned good, becoming much more disciplined and mature. Working and studying at college week and week about, Nicolas took his first post-secondary diploma in hospitality over two years, then followed it the subsequent year with a further diploma in bar-keeping, then a final year’s study and work for his final diploma as a sommelier.  A trained and knowledgeable wine professional, a sommelier normally works in fine restaurants, specialising in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing. All the while, Nicolas was living at home in Rennes.

At this point, Nicolas considered his formal education complete and was eager to spread his wings, working full-time as a sommelier for a year, glad to be earning more than a trainee’s wage. But much as Nicolas enjoyed his new-found freedom from study and the additional hours he had to party with friends; it quickly became clear to Nicolas that there was still much for him to learn if he wanted career success. With financial support from his parents, Nicolas quit his job and returned to study at the age of 25, now a mature-age student focused on taking a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce (Wine & Spirits), necessitating his move to Paris for two years and then to Beaune in the Burgandy region of France for a further year. This return to study is something that Nicolas credits as one of his life’s greatest achievements so far, along with kicking his addiction to nicotine. Nicolas gave up smoking three years ago, having smoked from the age of only 13, and he feels much better for it.

After graduating with his degree, Nicolas felt that just working in a restaurant wouldn’t allow for the career progression he was looking for. He took a job with France Boissons, the distribution arm of Heineken, as a regional travelling sales executive, based again in Brittany. Nicolas credits this particular job with allowing him to re-enforce his skills over the next three years, however it was then time for the stone to roll again. On a whim, Nicolas found himself a new job in Bangkok, but returned to France, tail between his legs after only one month. He required a much greater proficiency with the English language to feel completely comfortable, and moreover the role as restaurant manager was not as engaging as Nicolas had hoped. Although teenage Nicolas had scant interest in learning any language, and could not even have imagined holding a conversation in English, gaining improved facility in English then became an imperative for Nicolas. He moved to the Philippines to study an intensive English program which required seven hours a day of concerted effort and focus.

Once he was confident that his English language was showing definite improvement, Nicolas was able to take a further career step to Thailand in June 2023. Appreciating a strong professional opportunity, he didn’t hesitate when he was offered a job in the Tops wine division in Ko Samui as store manager, based purely on his online resumé, without even applying. It wasn’t until eighteen months later, in December 2024, that Nicolas first encountered Hua Hin. He travelled with all his worldly goods, sight unseen, to Hua Hin, to take his current job managing eight staff members with Italasia, which is one of Thailand’s leading importers and distributors of commercial kitchen requirements as well as beverages of many varieties including the world’s premium wines. This move showcased Nicolas’ adaptability and courage once again. When Nicolas is faced with a challenge, he reminds himself of his favourite saying – “It’s not because things are difficult that we don’t dare, it’s because we don’t dare that things are difficult.”

Nicolas is happy in his role with Italasia, stimulated by the work, yet still with many things to learn such as how to better motivate and empower his staff members to learn and grow. Working life settled, he is now able to turn his focus to getting his social and personal lives aligned as well. There is ever so much more to living well than working and like many of his generation, Nicolas aims for early retirement. When it comes to work, Nicolas, a perfectionist at heart, always aims to do each task properly the first time, principally so he doesn’t waste time repeating jobs. This level of focus and commitment is something that Nicolas wishes he’d had earlier in life, as well as a knowledge of bitcoin!

Nicolas describes himself as open-minded, curious and empathetic, though a little shy and reserved. He still feels his occasional inability to express himself perfectly in English is a deficit, but it is not as bad as he imagines it. His history with restaurants has turned Nicolas into a real foodie, who loves to cook and even had his own YouTube cooking channel with a friend. Nicolas loves the positive, multicultural community vibe of Hua Hin because it offers him the ability to follow a healthy lifestyle full of his favourite sports and matcha, which promotes a positive mindset. If Nicolas could improve one aspect of Hua Hin, it would involve building a more vibrant food scene, as he has been told he has a special talent for finding the best places to eat. Luckily, Bangkok isn’t too far away for a quick visit, if necessary. Nicolas’ favourite cuisine is Japanese, with an emphasis on ramen, although it is actually the broth, rather than the noodles, that he finds most interesting.

As a boy, Nicolas loved to dip his little finger into a glass to get a taste of champagne, yet his relationship with alcohol remains very healthy. Nicolas has a profound knowledge of wine types, characteristics and production but generally regards wine drinking as a work activity rather than a daily social one. As Nicolas moved into adulthood, and learnt more about wine, it provided further opportunity to connect with his father, a real wine enthusiast.

Although Nicolas has a strong friendship group, it takes a while for new people to get to know him. He chooses to keep his cards close to his chest, declaring himself good at keeping his own secrets, though not necessarily the secrets of others. There is no single person Nicolas most admires. Rather, his approach to life has been influenced by many people, with learning taken from family, colleagues, previous managers and employers. Different people have different qualities and Nicolas has drawn on those in his own eclectic fashion and incorporated them into his own kind and easy-going style. He believes his good friends think he is weird, but in the nicest possible way, since he doesn’t feel the need to think, act or behave like anyone but himself.

Attaining complete financial security is Nicolas’ greatest hope for the future. He can envision himself ensconced somewhere in Thailand, living on a high floor of an apartment tower, sheltered from noise and hubbub, which he finds irritating. A perfect day away from work would involve good food, time for sport and a date in the evening, or at least quality time with friends, which always makes Nicolas happy. He is both thankful and proud that after a difficult childhood and adolescence, he has matured into a focused and thoughtful man capable of setting, and then achieving goals through making the smart choices. For the next stage of Nicolas' life, Hua Hin seems the perfect place for this stone to stop its rolling.