See how Mauritian spices are prepared in the traditional way, using a stone slab and rolling pin.
Here’s a video from the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau taking place at Constance Belle Mare Plage this week.
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Interview with Fabrice Rosset
Fabrice Rosset of Champagne Deutz
An event of the magnitude of the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau could obviously not happen without the support of sponsors. Luckily, their number is steadily growing every year, and at this year’s edition more than 30 companies from Mauritius and elsewhere are taking part.
One of those involved since the very beginning nine years ago is Air Mauritius, which since 2006 has brought hundreds of contestants, jury members and journalists to the island in its fleet from as far as Shanghai, London and Paris.
Another important, main sponsor since day one is Champagne Deutz and its sister company Maison Delas Frères with its selection of wines from the Rhône valley.
Both companies are managed by Fabrice Rosset, and I have talked to him regarding his relationship with Constance Hotels & Resorts in general and the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau in particular.
‘As with many other things in life, it all started through a personal friendship with some of the Constance hotel managers, especially Christophe Plantier and Bruno le Gac.
‘I also knew Dominique Loiseau quite well, and when they approached me a decade ago with the idea to create a tribute to her husband Bernard, I immediately found it worth pursuing. I also found the unique concept of the festival extremely interesting, so even though I do not have a big budget for events like that, I said let’s do it! A decision I haven’t regretted for a second,’ he adds with a smile.
‘Sponsoring an event like this is obviously also a question of image,’ Fabrice Rosset continues,’ and the luxury hotels of the Constance group and its world-renowned level of superb service fit perfectly with the profile we want for our two companies, Champagne Deutz and Maison Delas Frères.
Apart from sponsoring another hotel chain on the same level of high quality as Constance, The Peninsula group, we do not invest in events in other hotels. An additional benefit of working with the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau is obviously the fact that it gives my wife, Marie-Jeanne a perfect excuse to visit all our Constance friends in Mauritius once a year.’
Before leaving with his wife for a round of golf at the next-door Legend championship course, Fabrice Rosset informs me that more than 300 bottles of Deutz champagne areconsumed during the six day event. I look forward to my share of these magnificent, golden bubbles…
Keep up-to-date with all the action from the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau
Bringing daily highlights from the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau in Mauritius, Peter Bojesen, luxury travel and food journalist, is at the heart of the action at Constance Belle Mare Plage.
In the kitchen – Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau 2014
After 24 hours of intense talks, the six teams taking part in the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau finally found themselves in front of the pianos in the kitchen of Constance Belle Mare Plage early Tuesday morning, 1 April 2014.
British star chef, Tim Allen has been raring to start cooking since he arrived in Mauritius, and I have the distinct feeling that the others have felt the same way, including the Island chefs. Cooking is their passion, and cooking is the reason why they all find themselves in this beautiful, sun drenched country in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
Today is the day, when the strategies of yesterday laid out by each team shall be tested, implemented and tasted.
‘Are we on the right track? Do the two dishes live up to the credo of Bernard Losieau: “The taste, gentlemen, the taste”?
‘Is the recipe too complicated for the island chef to make all by himself on the final day? Can he/she create eight identical starters and 8 identical main dishes within the four hour time frame? Have all the compulsory items been properly used in the menu?’
These questions and many others have to be answered by no later than Wednesday afternoon.
Swedish chef Jacob Holmstrom tells me that he has had some rather heated discussions with his partner Sandy Sokalindum, who normally works at the luxurious Constance Lémuria in the Seychelles. Jacob likes to keep things simple (which is by no means easy to prepare – rather the contrary), while Sandy is used to a more elaborate cuisine.
And this is a perfect example of what the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau is all about – sharing ideas between professional chefs with different cultural backgrounds and traditions. Jacob feels that the exchange with Emmanuel is healthy and mentally challenging, and he is convinced that it can only lead to a better end result. He and Sandy obviously hope that the six jury members agree when they convene on Thursday afternoon, 3 April.
The atmosphere in the kitchen is slowly starting to change. From a very relaxed start in the morning to a more tense and nervous mood as the hours pass by. The game is heating up, the race towards the top of the podium is on. And time is running out…
Here’s a glimpse of the action from Day 1 at the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau.
At a time when South African wines are soaring to new heights of sophistication, Constance head sommelier Jerome Faure toured the country to seek out the best of this new breed of exciting wines.
Wine country: Enjoying a glass or two with Anthony Hamilton Russell.
Here is Jerome’s diary of discovery around the wine regions of South Africa.
Day 1
I arrived in South Africa with Jerome Carlier, head sommelier at Constance Le Prince Maurice, and Gaetan of Constance Moofushi. Together we visited the Raats Family winery in Stellenbosch for a tasting with Gavin. Raats wines are very famous for their Chenin and Cabernet Franc. We really liked the quality of the Cabernet, it was lively and fruity with soft tannins – I would say one of the top Cabernet Francs in South Africa. The Chenin was beautiful as well.
Later that day we visited the Marianne Estate also in Stellenbosch which has a nice range of wine, especially since the arrival of François, the new winemaker. He has added a fresh touch to the wine with more elegance and less extraction. This is definitely an estate to watch.
Day 2
We visited the Colmant Estate in the Franschhoek Valley. Run by Jean Philippe Colmant, it is a very young winery dedicated to cap classique with a small production of about 45,000 bottles a year. This is definitely one of the best cap classique producers, its sparklings are crisp and balanced with a nice acidity and could certainly be mistaken for champagne in a blind tasting.
Also in the Franschhoek Valley is the famous winery Chamonix where we ventured next. Its range of products are presided over by winemaker Gottfried Mocke. Most people associate Pinotage with South Africa and Chamonix makes one of the best in the region with a nice body and structure, a long finish and beautiful tannins.
Later that day we travelled south to Hamilton Russell Vineyards, one of the most southerly wine estates in Africa, where we had a fantastic night with owners Olive and Anthony tasting 3 top wines. The first was the Chardonnay 89 which slightly oxidises on the nose but overall is very charming with a surprising amount of freshness.
The second wine we tasted was the Pinot Noir 85, the third vintage from Hamilton Russell and an amazing bottle, elegant and silky with a mid-mouth with hints of blackcurrant, black wild fruits and undergrowth aromas balanced by a perfect acidity and smooth tannins. It is a wine ready to drink now but still has ageing potential. The third wine was a Pinot 01, still a young wine despite its 12 years, it has a dark colour with richness, elegance and body. The balance and harmony of the wine could be compared to a Vosne Romanée.
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The start of the week at the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau marks the draw of the teams, followed by a trip to the market in the Mauritian capital of Port Louis, writes Peter Bojesen of website Luxury Aficionados.
Chefs visit Port Louis market
Monday at the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau is the day that defines the rest of the week. At 8am, we meet the European and Island chefs at the Blue Penny Restaurant at Constance Belle Mare Plage.
After a short breakfast, it’s time to draw teams to decide which European one-star chef is paired with which Constance Island chef for the forthcoming competition.
I watched the young Constance chefs introduce themselves to the Europeans, and I was fascinated by the immediate bonding. Each team quickly tried to find a quiet place in the crowded restaurant to share thoughts on how to approach the challenges ahead.
The discussions continued in the bus to the market in the capital, Port Louis. Once parked in a narrow street in the busy centre of the city, we found ourselves next to the covered produce market, packed with fruit, spices and vegetables of every imaginable size, colour and shape.
Many of the exotic products were new to the European chefs, so their newfound local partners had a lot of explaining to do. Each team had received 500 Mauritian rupees (approximately £10) to buy samples, which goes a long way on a market in Mauritius. I think all the six teams left the place with money left in their pockets – in spite of a bulging shopping basket.
Having followed several of the teams through all the stalls, there is no doubt in my mind that the European chefs learned a lot during the hour-long visit. I am also totally convinced that the chemistry between the two chefs in each of the six teams already seems to be working extremely well both on a professional as well as on a personal level.
Having talked to all the Island chefs, I realize how important this competition is to each of them. The possibility of working for a month in the kitchen of a European star restaurant is a dream they all share. And on Saturday, the dream will come true for one of them. So the tension is already starting to build, the excitement is growing – and they haven’t even started cooking yet. That happens on Tuesday when all the teams start working at their individual stations in a specially appointed corner in the kitchen at Constance Belle Mare Plage.
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Journalist Peter Bojesen reports from the 9th Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau in Mauritius.
Wonderful colours and ingredients
To me, a seasoned travel journalist who covers food events in many countries, the highlight of the year is the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau held at the luxurious Constance Belle Mare Plage in Mauritius.
I have just returned to the hotel after a splendid lunch, which marked the official opening of the 9th edition of the event. Six days lie ahead, filled with international bonding and sharing between six Michelin star chefs from six countries and six ‘island chefs’ from Constance Hotels.
Today’s lunch was held at Le Chassé, a charming hunting lodge, next to one of Constance’s two championship golf courses, The Links. Some 100 people took part, where the chefs had the opportunity to taste the Mauritian cuisine, and meet the sponsors, the organisers and their fellow competitors.
I am greatly impressed by the super ambiance that already exists between the six foreign chefs. In spite of being competitors, I hear a lot of laughter and see plenty of smiles. Around the lunch table I listened to the chefs talking about their passion of cooking, sharing ideas, comparing techniques, discussing new trends.
We sampled sea urchins, oysters, palm heart salad, different kinds of curry, fried prawns, Chinese style dumplings – even a sorbet in the colours of the Mauritian flag!
After all that I should be heading to the gym but a sun bed under a palm tree on the beach sounds much more inviting. It’s a question of character, I guess.
On Monday, there is a draw to decide on the teams. Then everyone sets off for the market in the capital Port Louis. I look forward to joining them – and to following their hard work during the coming days.
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Find out more about the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau.