Night Life Impresario Jean Philippe Bernard Turns Villa Azur into a Global Hot Spot
“People will forget what you said, forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” — Maya Angelou
French restaurateur and nightlife impresario Jean Philippe Bernard, the founder and co-owner of Villa Azur restaurant group, is a master at making people feel special. While his reputation as a taste-maker and global trendsetter in the nightlife and hospitality scene precedes him, it is his knack for making people feel at home that truly sets him apart; and it’s one of the many reasons his Miami restaurant, Villa Azur, has become such a hit.
Bernard has since taken the unique concept that he developed for Villa Azur Miami and turned into a global brand, with Villa Azur Mexico opening in 2019, and the groundwork laid for Villa Azur to open on a posh rooftop in Dallas, Texas, as well as in Bodrum, Turkey in 2020.
Bernard says, ”We wanted to create a place where everyone who was coming felt like they were at home...where you feel so good and comfortable that you can do anything you want and you can ask anything you want.”
Decorated with white couches and a softly lit open air courtyard where guests can enjoy fantastic food and quality entertainment, Villa Azur invites them to blissfully dance the night away beneath the stars. Villa Azur Miami was even rated as one of Haute Living’s Top 5 Most Romantic Restaurants.
From the decor to the menu, Villa Azur transports its guests into a world of Mediterranean style with its fusion of elements of the South of France, St. Tropez, Monaco, Cannes with a little touch of Spain, Italy and Greece.
“When people are coming they feel like they are on the French Riviera, there’s a different ambiance, a different atmosphere,” explains Bernard. “There are many places where you feel like you are in the US, but if you want something completely different, you want to dream, you want to travel… Personally, this is what I like to create, I like to bring different inspirations to the US from different countries.”
Bernard, who spent decades as the General Manager for the famous Nikki Beach Group’s St. Tropez, St. Barth and Miami destinations, first opened Villa Azur in Miami with his partners, Michael Martin and Olivier Martinez, back in 2012. Shortly after the 2008 financial crisis in the U.S., while most other businesses were preoccupied with the sudden decline in tourism in Miami, Bernard saw it as the perfect time to bring a new flavor to the city so he went to work laying the foundation for Villa Azur.
He recalls, “We felt the energy, we felt the pull, we felt this place was going to turn on again and we knew it was going to be incredible.”
He quickly carved out a name for Villa Azur as one of Miami’s luxury destinations for mediterranean inspired cuisine where guests could sink into a unique atmosphere of comfort, fine dining and entertainment. Beyond this though, it is Bernard’s hands on approach and his constant interaction with his guests that keeps them returning time and time again.
“You cannot do this job if you are not passionate,” explains Bernard.
With a space designed by Francois Frossard (Set, Provocateur, Story, The Forge), Villa Azur’s unique ambiance and fresh Mediterranean menu has drawn an elaborate list of celebrity clients such as Paris Hilton, Beyonce, Robin Thicke, Leonardo Di Caprio, Ronaldo, Gael Monfils, Gabriella Sabatini, Florent Pagny, Johnny Halliday, Eric Cohet, Enrique Iglesias, Gerard Butler, Adriana Lima, Donatella Versace, David Guetta, Paul Young, Felipe Massa and more.
In addition to hosting events for Louis Vuitton, L’Oreal, Clarins, Cartier, and Guerlain, Bernard made Villa Azur a globally recognized name by creating numerous pop-ups including those in Toronto during the Toronto International Film Festival, as well as in Montreal and New York City.
Aside from his fine taste for food and ambiance, Bernard’s gift exists in his ability to provide people with dining experiences that are lavish, intimate and entertaining all in one, a gift that he developed in part from his French upbringing.
The French are known across the globe for their fine wines and incredible cuisine, but there’s more to the French way of dining than the carefully chosen ingredients and the preparation that goes into each meal. What makes the “French” way of dining uniquely special is how they approach the actual act of sharing a meal. It is a time devoted to sharing quality conversation, strengthening relationships, and enjoying the company of those at your table.
This is the kind of meal time Jean Philippe Bernard grew up with, and it shows in the way he runs his restaurants; and it’s arguably one of the reasons that, over the past three decades, he has become such an internationally respected restaurateur and nightlife impresario.
Born and raised in Marseille in the South of France, Bernard fondly recalls his mother, who hails from Corsica, carefully preparing each meal for their family. Her cooking not only endowed him with a palette for fine food, but her approach to mealtime set the stage for more than just eating — but a time to connect.
“My mother has a talent for cooking. We are three brothers and one sister, we are a big family,” explains Bernard. “My dad was very busy and the only quality time we had with everyone was around the table, so we wanted to enjoy the conversation and the food.”
Bernard credits his mother’s cooking as being the inspiration for how he approaches the food in his restaurants today, with the utmost attention to detail and a keen sense for what is fresh, organic and of the highest quality.
He says, “My mom was really conscious of what we were having for dinner, she wanted us to have good food, to have healthy food… she knew how to mix the spices, the vegetables, the meat, the fish, she loved this. I was inspired by her.”
His mother’s attention to detail in terms of the quality, pairing and flavoring of the food she offered her family carried over ten-fold to the way Bernard approaches what he offers his guests.
“If you want to create good dishes you need to have good products… When we have a delivery I try all of the products. I take a tomato and I try it, you can’t just look at it and say it’s a good tomato, you need to close your eyes and try it,” says Bernard. “And the plates need to be beautiful, they need to be colorful.”
Bernard says that for him, the best cuisine in the world comes from France, Italy and Spain, and he has ingeniously fused them together in a way that offers his guests at Villa Azur a fresh fusion of the Mediterranean. Having served as a member of the famous Bocuse d’Or, one of the most notable gastronomy contests on the planet, there’s no doubt that Bernard is globally respected for his taste in food, and his love for cuisine of the highest quality shows in Villa Azur’s dishes.
He admits, “I’m not a chef, but I’m a foodie. I love food and I know what is good and what’s not good because my mom taught me, she taught me how to recognize the flavor.” He chuckles a bit and continues, “If I like it, I’m sure everyone will like it.”
With a strong track record as an innovative genius when it comes to fusing luxury dining with a buzzing nightlife scene, it’s no wonder that Jean Philippe Bernard has managed to make Villa Azur a go-to spot not only in Miami, but a posh restaurant group that now caters to audiences across the globe.
