Vincent Fanutza, a new arrival at the Nîmes market, already has many projects in mind for the future. Midi Libre – E.A.
A dream that came true last October, after 27 years working in the automobile industry.
“I grew up with the market. My father was a baker in Villaret, my grandmother cooked at Entr'Aide in Richelieu, and they came to do their shopping here. I was always immersed in this atmosphere”, recalls Vincent Fanutza, the new manager since October of Labo de Jules, formerly Labo de la blonde, located at the entrance to the Nîmes market halls, rue Guizot. For as long as he can remember, working in the market halls was a big dream for him. But before it came to fruition, he had to be very patient.
No taste or smell for ten years
Firstly, because, following an accident, Vincent Fanutza had to have an operation on his esophagus and stomach. A major operation that made him lose his sense of taste and smell for almost ten years. “Everything I ate had the same taste, that is to say none. And then one day, it all came back”, he explains. A great lover of food, the first dishes he wanted to (re)discover were those of his grandmother. “The taste, the smell, all the sensations were multiplied by ten”, he remembers. A victory over life, which would lead to another, a few years later, at the dawn of his 45th birthday.
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“At that time, after nearly 27 years in the automobile industry as a workshop manager in a dealership, I asked myself what I should do. Because I no longer enjoyed my work. And I am someone who works on emotion”, he explains. After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to leave his company and try something completely different. And that is when Vincent Fanutza would touch his dream. And this, thanks to his wife. “Like when I was little, today I take my son (Jules, hence the name of the store, Editor's note) to the market halls to taste the products. And every time I go, I tend to linger. And one day, my wife said to me: “Since you like them so much, why don't you stay there? Find a job there!” And then I said to myself, why not!”, recalls the young father.
“Since I started, I don't feel like I'm working”
An adventure that would come to fruition thanks to his meeting with Natacha, from Labo de la blonde. “Last April, at the time of the Feria, I heard that she wanted to sell. I was the first to position myself and we agreed on the transfer. We worked together until September. After that, I took over the stall”, he rejoices. The concept ? It remains largely the same. “I have just refined the products I sell a little”, he specifies. But only quality! Spices from around the world, which perfume the stall with each order. As for the customers, they have already adopted the newcomer to the market, renowned for “his perfect nose”. “It's a pleasure to work here, the interaction with customers, their smiles. It's very pleasant, so much so that since I started, I don't feel like I'm working”, declares the forty-year-old, all smiles.
And regarding the future of his stall with the future work on the market halls planned for 2028, Vincent Fanutza does not say he is worried. “If by then, I have managed to make myself well known, why not open a restaurant focused on world cuisine, where I could showcase my products and spices”, he plans. As for the location, unsurprisingly, it will be not far from the market halls, where it all began.
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