This year marks the 10th anniversary of the prestigious festival in which top European chefs are paired with island chefs to create an award-winning menu.
An eye for detail: compiling exquisite dishes at the Festival Culinaire Bernard Loiseau 2014
Held at Constance Belle Mare Plage, Mauritius, this year’s festival will run from 21-28 March and will be especially exciting as this year each of the European chefs hold two Michelin stars.
Guests at Belle Mare Plage during the festival will have the unique opportunity to experience a ‘12-star meal’ prepared by the six Michelin-starred chefs working together.
A sharing of culinary passion
The Festival Culinaire Bernard Loiseau has, since its creation a decade ago, striven to embody the ethos of the legendary French chef after who it’s named, by celebrating the culinary tradition of sharing and passing on of knowledge between passionate, inspirational chefs.
The Michelin-starred European chefs pass on experience and expertise, while the island chefs contribute passion, energy and a unique knowledge of local ingredients and culinary traditions.
‘The Constance Hotels & Resorts Festival Culinaire Bernard Loiseau is a truly catalytic collaboration of passions, wholehearted investment on everyone’s part and a quest for excellence in all realms,’ explains Dominique Loiseau, Bernard Loiseau’s widow and CEO of Relais Bernard Loiseau.
The festival
During the week-long festival each Michelin-starred chef is paired with a Constance island chef. Each team must visit a local Mauritian market, buy fresh local ingredients and create a menu good enough to impress a panel of illustrious culinary judges.
Picking the winning dish
The Michelin-starred chefs
From some of the most prestigious kitchens across Europe, the team of Michelin-starred chefs at this year’s festival is more impressive than ever.
- Serge Vieira of Serge Vieira Restaurant (2 stars), France – Winner of Bocuse d’Or in 2005, Vieira went on to open his own restaurant in 2009.
- Rolf Fliegauf of Ristorante Ecco (2 stars), Switzerland – The youngest Swiss chef ever to receive a Michelin star, Fliegauf spent time working in the UK at The Fat Duck and De Librije in Netherlands.
- Michael Caines of Gildeigh Park Restaurant (2 stars), UK – Caines has held his 2 stars at Gildeigh Park for more than 15 years. He gained his experience working in the kitchens of Relais Bernard Loiseau and alongside Raymond Blanc.
- Denis Feix of Restaurant Giardino (2 stars), Germany – Declared ‘Discovery of the Year’ in 2007 by Gault Millau, Feix won his first star the same year. In 2013 he won his second star and garnered 18 points in the Gault Millau.
- William Frachot of L’Hostellerie du Chapeau Rouge (2 stars), France – Having trained at Bernard Loiseau and Lameloise, Frachot travelled to UK and Quebec to widen his experience before returning to France to open L’Hostellerie du Chapeau Rouge which won it’s first Michelin star in 2003 and its second in 2013.
- Alexandre Bourdas of SaQuaNa Restaurant (2 star), France – Bourdas believes cuisine is a shared social experience based around authentic flavours. In 2005 he opened SaQuaNa in Honfleur which won two stars in 2010. In 2012 he also opened La Pascade in Paris.
The island chefs
Competition winners Masashi Ijichi & Dammika Sarath of Constance Halaveli, Maldives
Any of the chefs from across Constance’s seven hotels and resorts in the Indian Ocean were able to compete to take part in the festival. A rigorous selection process included a written theory test and the creation of a dish for the judges.
- Harrish Mungur of Constance Belle Mare Plage
- Kritesh Halkory of Constance Le Prince Maurice
- Amit Chandel of Constance Ephélia
- Aviraj Pareeague of Constance Lémuria
- Dilup Gamage of Constance Moofushi
- Hem Pulami of Constance Halaveli
The judges
Overseeing and judging the food of such a prestigious range of chefs is not for the feint-hearted so this year’s panel of judges is made up of some of the world’s leading culinary figures.
- Dominique Loiseau, CEO of Relais Bernard Loiseau (3 stars), France – Our head judge is chair of the Bernard Loiseau Group of three Michelin-starred restaurants.
- Patrick Bertron of Relais Bernard Loiseau (3 stars), France – Carrying on the legacy of Bernard Loiseau, Bertron has expanded the Relais Bernard Loiseau menu since his appointment in 2003 and retained its impressive three stars.
- Poh Tiong Ch’ng, wine writer, China – Publisher of The Wine Review, Asia’s oldest wine publication, since 1991 he is also regional chair of Decanter World Wine Awards.
- Cyril Lignac of Le Quinzième (1 star), France – Lignac is a Michelin-starred chef at Le Quinzième but also a culinary entrepreneur with two bistros, a creative culinary workshop and two pâtisseries in Paris.
- Andreas Larsson, Sweden, Best Sommelier in the World 2007 – Winner of the global accolade in 2007, Larsson is a keen wine taster and educator with expertise in gastronomy, food and wine.
- Ørjan Johannessen, Norway, Winner of Bocuse D’Or 2015 – At 29, Johannessen won the world’s most prestigious culinary accolade having previously won gold at the Bocus d’Or Europe 2012 and bronze in 2014 and come 5th in the Bocuse D’Or 2013.
Book a place at the unique 12-star dining event at Constance Belle Mare Plage through our online concierge service.
Follow all the action on the official site: https://festival-bernard-
Read more
- Learn to cook like a chef with cookery classes at Constance Belle Mare Plage and Constance Le Prince Maurice
- Discover hidden culinary gems across the Indian Ocean islands.