A French chef’s mysterious death has devastated a family’s dream of building a new life in New York City. François-Tanguy Olivon, 34, died under suspicious circumstances just weeks after investing over $200,000 to launch a restaurant in SoHo with his wife, Manon, and their two young children.
Olivon was found dead after CCTV footage captured him falling from a bridge in Bayonne, France. His body was recovered from the Adour River 12 days later. The tragedy occurred shortly after he made a frantic 1 a.m. call to his wife on February 22, during which he reportedly cried out for help and claimed he had been attacked by several individuals.
“He was shouting at me for help, to come and get him right away,” Manon told French outlet Sud Ouest. According to her Facebook post, Olivon appeared intoxicated and afraid, and was seen by a passerby wearing a torn shirt the night he vanished.
The couple had sold their home, car, and business in Brittany to fund their American dream. They placed a $166,000 deposit and paid $47,500 in rent for January and February to secure a location for their restaurant, Chez Fanfan, in SoHo.
“Everything was ready – the location, the preparations – but now this dream will never come true,” Manon shared on her GoFundMe page, launched to help support her children, Rose (4) and Ethan (8), following their father’s death.
After informing the landlord, Robert Moskowitz of Only Properties LLC, of her husband’s passing, Manon pleaded for a partial refund. In a heartfelt letter, she wrote: “Today, I am not writing to a landlord – I am writing to a man. A man who, I hope, can look beyond clauses and figures and understand that sometimes, life puts us through unimaginable trials.”
However, her request was denied. Instead, she was warned that unless she signed a “surrender agreement,” she could be held liable for the entire 10-year lease—amounting to $3 million.
“Refusing to sign the surrender agreement will not result in a return of your security deposit, but it will result in you being held fully responsible for all of the obligations set forth in the parties’ lease agreement,” attorney Nicole Waknine wrote on behalf of Only Properties, as reported by the New York Post.
Manon ultimately signed the agreement, losing the family’s entire investment. Now left without a home, car, or job, she is forced to start over.
“I have nothing left. We sold everything to move to New York. I don’t have a house, a car, or our restaurant. I have to rebuild from scratch—without my husband, without our dream, and with two children depending on me,” she said.
Through her fundraiser, Manon hopes to cover expenses related to her husband’s passing and provide some financial stability for her family.
“François-Tanguy was an exceptional father and husband, a kindhearted man who always put others first,” she wrote. “We were a close-knit family, full of love and dreams. Now, my children and I must find a way forward, but the reality is devastating.”
The GoFundMe campaign aims to help Manon and her children navigate this painful chapter and begin a new life after unimaginable loss.