Good France cuisine on the menu

So said French Ambassador H?di Picquart at the launch of the event on Wednesday at the French Embassy in St Clair.

Go?t de France/Good France highlights French cuisine at diners around the world. In TT , two restaurants will be participating in the food fest –Zazou Bistro Modern located in the Country Club, Maraval, and Melange Restaurant on Ariapita Avenue, Woodbrook.

Worldwide, some 250,000 diners are expected to savour French fare at 2,000 restaurants.

Picquart said: “Go?t de France/ Good France is a celebration of the vitality of French cuisine. It is an event that promotes dialogue about different cultures by providing a common language: The language of food.” He said the third edition of the event, which began in 2015, will focus on training for the catering, hotel and tourism industries, bringing together schools and students from all over the world.

“Seventy-one culinary schools from around the world will take part in the event by serving French-style dishes on March 21,” he said. “More than 2,000 restaurants and 150 French embassies on all five continents will take part in the event by providing dishes that celebrate all categories of restaurants - from gourmet dining to exceptional bistros.” The event, organised in the form of a dinner, will honour the excellence of French cuisine, its capacity for innovation and the values that it conveys: sharing, enjoyment, respect for our peers, the planet and the art of eating well.

Two chefs, one local and the other from France will be responsible for the local input for this culinary adventure.

“We have the pleasure, here in Trinidad and Tobago, to have the participation of two great chefs, Pierre-Yves Le Bihan [France] and Moses Ruben accompanied by his daughter Collette, who, at their respective restaurants, Zazou Bistro Moderne and M?lange, will participate in this global event as they present their art and their culinary expertise,” Picquart said.

Each menu will feature dishes that are lower in fat, sugar and salt, thereby promoting the art of eating well and respect for the environment, and each restaurant will commit to paying five percent of sales to a local NGO (non-governmental organisation) working to support health and the environment.

Le Bihan will present a fivecourse meal with ravioli, tuna, duck, cheese and dessert using local ingredients but keeping the French spirit and techniques in his food.

Ruben’s dishes will be international with a local fusion. His menu will include chicken, salmon, mousseline, lamb and dessert.