Not All Heroes Wear Capes: Nick Honeyman's French River Dog Rescue

Not all heroes wear capes. Sometimes, apparently, they wear chef whites.

Nick Honeyman is accustomed to attracting attention for what he does in a kitchen. But the MICHELIN-starred chef and Collaborate Management talent has made headlines in France and New Zealand for an altogether different reason: rescuing a frightened dachshund from a French river.

As reported by The Connexion and the New Zealand Herald, Nick was driving through Montignac in Dordogne when he spotted a small dog in trouble.

The dog was Yvi, an 11-year-old miniature dachshund who had escaped from the garden of a friend looking after her while her owner was away in the UK.

After making it through an encounter with a moving car unharmed, a terrified Yvi continued running through the village. Nick followed, initially trying to work out who she belonged to. She eventually reached the bridge at Montignac, headed down towards the Vézère River and jumped into the water.

Nick followed.

Yvi had reportedly never swum before, but managed to make her way approximately 300 metres downstream before taking refuge in a small grotto on the opposite bank. Nick stripped down, entered the river and swam after her.

He eventually reached the frightened dog, carefully approached her and managed to get her into his arms. There was, however, one fairly significant problem still remaining: he now had to swim back across the river carrying a dachshund.

Nick made it safely back to shore with Yvi before driving around the village trying to locate her owner. With no immediate luck, he took her to a local vet, arriving wet, in shorts, with one very cold and shaken little dog.

Fortunately, Yvi was microchipped and was soon reunited with her owner.

For Nick, the rescue was apparently far less remarkable than it sounds to everyone else. A lifelong pet owner himself, he told The Connexion that helping Yvi simply felt like something anyone in the same situation would have done.

The story adds a rather wonderful new chapter to what has already been a significant few years for Nick Honeyman.

Nick divides his time between Auckland and France, where he operates two acclaimed restaurants: Paris Butter in Herne Bay and Le Petit Léon in Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère.

In 2024, Le Petit Léon earned Nick his first MICHELIN Star. Then, in June 2026, Paris Butter — co-owned by Nick and fellow Collaborate Management chef Zennon Wijlens — received One MICHELIN Star in the inaugural MICHELIN Guide New Zealand.

It was another major achievement for Nick, Zennon and the Paris Butter team, and one we were very proud to celebrate here at Collaborate Management.

There was one final twist.

Yvi and her owner later visited Le Petit Léon so she could meet Nick again and thank him properly. Nick approached his former swimming companion with a treat.

Yvi growled at him.

Perhaps not quite the reunion he was hoping for, although after a runaway adventure involving a car, a river and an unexpected swim with a stranger, she can probably be forgiven.

For everyone else, however, Nick Honeyman’s status has gone up another notch.

Acclaimed chef. Two restaurants with MICHELIN Stars to their names. And now, dachshund rescuer.

Not all heroes wear capes.