Team

A japanese chef, passionate about french cuisine. After attending culinary school in Tokyo and 8 years working in Japan he chose to move to France, and started in a restuarant in the Dordogne called ‘Le Vieux Logis’, a one michelin star restaurant, where he worked under the eye of Chef Vincent Arnould (M.O.F 2007).

He then went on to become sous chef at Chateau Eza, a one michelin starred restaurant and hotel in Eze village where he stayed for three years untill he left to open HANgout in July 2013. He has also competed in the Neptune d’or competition twice, finising 3rd in 2012 and 5th in 2014.

Jean Michel Baranger, front of house Studied at the catering school of Nice, and has worked as waiter and sommelier in some of the foremost establishments on the cote d’azur, such as the Hotel de Paris in Monaco, the Negresco in Nice, La Chevre d’or in Eze Village and Chez Bruno in Lorgues.

He then moved to England and worked at the Gavroche and became a barman untill he returned to Nice 9 years later where he met Taka whilst working in Chateau Eza and chose to help him in the creation of HANgout.

James Todd Was brought up on an appreciation of wine and good cuisine. He has worked both front and back of house and has studied at a catering college in Birmingham and been apprentice in a rare breeds butchers in Gloucestershire.

He has cooked in many different countries and cities such as London, Birmingham, Atlanta, Sydney, Wellington, Monaco and now Nice, where he started at HANgout in January 2014