Food Designer - FASHION Advisor, Former DIRECTOR of ESMOD INTERNATIONAL & LE CORDON BLEU INTERNATIONAL COOKING SCHOOLS. Advisor at the Permanent Assembly of the French 130 Chambers of Trades and Artisans in PARIS Head Office. About François: François Lavergne’s love affair with Champagne & Sake began fewer than 25 years ago. A trained oenologist, he had been sent to Tokyo to open Cordon Bleu’s third international cooking school. It was there he fell in love with sake and all the Japanese culture. It is in Japan then he became our Umami specialist having done the first Umami event in Tokyo with Tim Hanni (first American Master of Wine and Umami authority). When he was in Japan he also organized the first wine boom and French food weeks in Tokyo, following the success of this he travelled all of Asia with the same concept and become a real aficionado. Now back in Europe Francois moves between Paris and London where he works as international food and drink advisor.