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Michel Guérard: patron of the 2012 edition
”A successful dish is a thing of beauty and balance, born of the spirit and hand of man.”
Michel Guérard served his apprenticeship in the town of Mantes-la-Jolie and was appointed Head Pastry Chef at the Hôtel de Crillon in 1956. At the age of 25, he won the title of Best Craftsman in France for Pastry (Meilleur Ouvrier de France en Pâtisserie). In 1965, he opened his restaurant Le Pot-au-Feu in Asnières-sur-Seine, earning his first Michelin Guide star in 1967 and a second star in 1971. From 1970 to 1972, he served as Culinary Ambassador for French Cuisine to the United States. His travelling companions were Paul Bocuse, famous for his VGE Truffle Soup, the Troisgros Brothers, legendary for their Salmon with Sorrel Sauce, and Roger Vergé, renowned for his Cuisine of the Sun. With Alain Chapel, Alain Senderens and Jean Delaveyne, they are known as the founder fathers of the global ground-breaking French Nouvelle Cuisine movement. Michel Guérard settled with his wife in Eugénie-les-Bains in 1974, where he created the Grande Cuisine Minceur® in 1975. This deliciously light style of cooking complemented the benefits of this Landes spa resort’s health treatments. At the same time, he earned two stars for his Grande Cuisine Gourmande served at Les Prés d’Eugénie in 1974 and 1975, followed by a third star in 1977. In 1976, Michel Guérard became an international consultant for leading international food firm Nestlé. He developed the Findus-Guérard food range and, a little later, the Findus Cuisine Légère low-calorie line. It was the first time since Auguste Escoffier that a French chef shared his skills with a food group and they were to go on to work together for 20 years.
In 2009, Michel Guérard came up with the idea of a healthy cooking institute for cookery and health professionals, l’Institut Michel Guérard – Ecole de Cuisine de Santé®, which is scheduled to open its doors in Eugénie-les-Bains in late autumn 2012. This world-famous innovative chef offers up his own vision of the Fête de la Gastronomie, where “subtlety, refinement and creativity meet freedom of expression, there where tradition and invention leap into the fray.” As patron, he will accompany the Fête de la Gastronomie throughout 2012.
The 2012 theme Local produce: tradition and creation
Frédéric Lefebvre, Minister of State in charge of Trade, Craft Industries, Tourism and Consumer Affairs, felt we should ask the French and French food lovers everywhere on the Internet and Facebook what they would like to see as the theme for the second edition of the Fête de la Gastronomie. The theme of Local Produce: Tradition and Creation was chosen for winning 58% of over 45,000 votes on the three suggested themes (the other two being In Praise of Hands and Let’s Cook Together). Food lovers are therefore invited to honour and celebrate the diversity and creativity of our local cuisine. France’s local specialities bear a history and freshness that is steeped in this rich, thriving cuisine with its roots in the earth and the traditions that have inspired it. Cooking is first and foremost a social and cultural activity. The land, especially in its traditions, is full of live and the promise of new creations, with an incredible capacity for fusion with other cultures and practices.
2012: the international food festival French chefs have long proudly flown the flag of French Cuisine worldwide. The talents of our chefs, food and drink professionals and other industry players have exported French cuisine and taken it to tables the world over. So it is only natural that the Fête de la Gastronomie should also have been exported right from its first edition in 2011. Some forty restaurants in South Africa joined the celebration with their French menus. The French-Japanese Institute in Yokohama held a picnic with a French spread. In Montreal, the Martinique Tourism Committee created La Martinique Gourmande and invited customers to share “the colours, aromas and flavours of Martinique”. In 2012, the Fête de la Gastronomie is powering up in two flagship cities abroad: New York and Tokyo (the United States and Japan boast the largest number of Michelin-starred chefs outside France). Chefs and producers are already hard at work on creating great projects with the talents in these countries. 2012 will see the emergence of new, ambitious events in these two cities. New York has also set up a steering committee co-ordinated by the Festival Director for all the local food players. The first committee met at the Consulate General of France in New York on 17 April 2012. The programme for this new edition is jam packed with picnics, banquets, cookery demonstrations, exchanges of techniques and practices, and culinary experiences and events in restaurants, on producers’ premises, in department stores, embassies, and even people’s homes!
The FĂŞte de la Gastronomie > Presentation > 2011 report
Presentation Why hold a food festival in France?
French cuisine is thriving. It is a time-honoured social pillar, uniting the French at mealtimes and providing a passionate topic of conversation at all times. On 16 November 2010, the “French Gastronomic Meal” was placed on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list in a mark of recognition of the French art of “good living”. The Fête de la Gastronomie was created by Frédéric Lefebvre, Minister of State in charge of Trade, Craft Industries, Tourism and Consumer Affairs, as an extension of UNESCO’s recognition of the French “Gastronomic Meal”. It is held once a year on the first day of autumn. The festival attracts everyone from professionals to amateurs, and dedicated foodies to casual visitors. It rejoices in the diversity of France’s local specialities and the excellence of French expertise and produce in a tribute to all fine food players. The festival is all about food and more, reaching out to showcase trades, products and training, tourism and local producer areas. French cuisine can be found the world over, celebrating the French way of life. Like the Fête de la Musique created in France in 1982, the Fête de la Gastronomie is set to travel the world, promoting France abroad and sharing the French touch with all.
The Fête de la Gastronomie players The Fête de la Gastronomie covers a host of sectors, taking in all aspects of fine food and its players in France:
Tourism Local authorities Tableware and kitchenware Agriculture Hotels, restaurants and cafés Food industry Fishing industry Professional training Amateur cookery Wine industry Wholesale and retail food sectors Markets Catering and more
Who organises the Fête de la Gastronomie? A steering committee, chaired by the Minister of State, meets three times a year to discuss projects and best practices. It comprises nearly 80 members including trade federations, ministries, manufacturers, catering schools, the press and key industry figures. 7 commissions are held by the Fête de la Gastronomie’s Festival Director on the following focuses: Top Chefs, Tableware & Kitchenware, Products, Amateur Cookery, Wines & Spirits, Press, and Restaurants & Cafés.
Key Points
A clear structure Promote an attractive, representative theme every year Define a central thread from which to spin off ideas, concepts and actions, and network all the sector’s players.
Two key values Relaxed atmosphere A meal is a time for pleasure, talking and sharing. A relaxed atmosphere sets the scene for discussions of culinary views and creations and provides opportunities to network through the discovery of cuisine and its products. Generosity The FĂŞte de la Gastronomie festival spans a vast range of venues for the pleasure of sharing a strong, unique experience. Because food is not just for thought. It is about seeing, tasting and sharing.
Report on the 2011 edition
2011 was the launch year for the Fête de la Gastronomie. Industry players and the general public flooded to this new-born festival to attend the thousands of events held across France and even countries the other side of the world (Japan and South Africa). Key figures on the first edition of the Fête de la Gastronomie: 6,000 approved projects 75,000 professional participants 98 participating French départements Events in nearly 2,000 towns and cities nationwide 133,000 website hits 1,832 press articles 5,700 Facebook fans 98% of French people want to see the festival put on again Examples of projects developed in 2011: Popular banquets held by mayors in symbolic venues in their towns and cities Reduced rate cookery classes given by catering schools and private bodies Kids’ cooking workshops held by schools and playgroups Picnics organised by amateur cookery associations Business visits to find out about specific skills (tableware & kitchenware and food products) Tastings with food and drink professionals and in French markets Special menus created by restaurants (reasonably priced local speciality menus) Meet the chefs and visit the restaurant kitchens
The Tools The festival website An interactive geographic search engine to find events near you An online form in French and English for people the world over to suggest and register their own event on the website Illustrated news to keep up with festival preparations Original information on everything you ever wanted to know about cooking and cuisine. An online communication kit so everyone can fly the colours of the FĂŞte de la Gastronomie
www.fete-gastronomie.fr
A Facebook page for a culinary community
Social media to connect and share: Create a FĂŞte de la Gastronomie community, networking the general public with industry players, Give event organisers their space to publish information on their festival events Encourage participants to discuss and share information on food and cuisine (polls, open questions, experience, etc.) Offer tailored content and special community (videos, quizzes, etc.)
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The Fête de la Gastronomie Festival Director
Frédéric Lefebvre has appointed Sophie Mise as Festival Director of the Fête de la Gastronomie. The Festival Director’s brief is to steer, manage, organise and co-ordinate festival projects with all the players concerned. She creates the environment for players to work together and drives project creation, encouraging and supporting the projects. She is there to step in and help with the different events – exhibitions, forums, conferences, etc. – talk about the Fête de la Gastronomie and share her experience of the first edition. Sophie Mise has a lifelong love of cookery and cuisine, with her discerning palate and keen eye for culinary skills. Boasting over 20 years’ experience in cultural events, communication, marketing and culture, she is in her element today working in the area she loves.
Sophie Mise +33 (0)1 53 18 85 20 sophie.mise-lebouleise@finances.gouv.fr