Dear friends, dear guests,
I am delighted to welcome you tonight for the Good France dinner, which has now become a tradition. A tradition because the 5th year that the “biggest French dinner in the world” across 5 continents is celebrating French gastronomy, with the support of the Residences of France, just like the one we are in tonight.
Around 5000 restaurants all over the world are showcasing a French menu during Good France. This year, as in the previous ones, Good France is a great success here, India being one of the top participating countries with 80 restaurants. These restaurants, selected by the committee headed by Chef Alain Ducasse, are not only here in Delhi, but also in the metros of Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Chennai, as well as in Pondicherry, Guwahati, Agra, Jaipur, Goa and Visakhapatnam.
I am always filled with great pride when I see that Indian chefs are increasingly enthusiastic about and inspired by French cuisine, and it is thanks to them that the event is such a success. India’s gourmets are more and more interested in French gastronomy, so today I wish to highlight its excellence and diversity.
Tonight’s dinner is therefore going to be a perfect example of a “diner à la française” curated by two very talented Chefs, trained in the best French culinary schools.
Ms Cyrène Randrianasolo and her mentor, Ms Magdala de Baulieu Caussimon.
Cyrène Randrianasolo is a rising talent of French cuisine. Born in Madagascar, she came to France to pursue her culinary passion at the Albert de Mun school. She has won numerous prizes and interned at the French Presidential kitchens at Elysée Palace. She very recently won the 5th International Young Chef Olympiad, which was held in India in February. The Olympiad was organized by the International Institute of Hotel Management, and we’re glad to have its Chairman, Dr Suborno Bose, among us tonight as well as its Delhi campus Director, Mr Abdullah Ahmed. Pitted against 48 other competitors, Cyrène won the finals in Kolkata and made her training school in Paris (Albert de Mun) very proud.
Her mentor and teacher, Chef Magadala de Baulieu Caussimon is the first woman to have graduated from the famous culinary arts school, Ferrandi in Paris. She has worked with the greatest chefs in Paris, and opened a restaurant with Guy Savoy, called “Les Bouquinistes”, in St Germain des Prés. She is now a teacher in Lycée Albert de Mun Hotel and Catering School in Paris.
The dinner that will be served tonight recounts the story of these chefs. But it also stands for what French gastronomy is about today : a cuisine of excellence, conceived and curated by talented women, trained in the best schools of France, thoughtfully promoting a sustainable, seasonal cuisine, open to dialogue with those around the world. An innovative and dynamic cuisine, blending local influences !
We will also have the pleasure to welcome, for service and in the Residence kitchens, students of the hospitality management school of Vatel and the culinary arts training school of Le Cordon Bleu, whose outstanding reputation – as we see tonight in India – extends far beyond France.