At least 18 chefs from the Philippines have been selected to join 3,000 others to join the 4th edition of Goût de France (Good France)—the biggest dinner in the world to celebrate French gastronomy.
According to French Ambassador to the Philippines Nicolas Galey, French cuisine is listed among Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.
“As such, it belongs to everybody, and we want to give as many people as possible in the Philippines the chance to taste and enjoy it,” he said.
Launched in 2015 by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by celebrated French chef Alain Ducasse, Goût de France is an annual event organized by French diplomatic missions in their host countries as a tribute to the excellence of French cuisine and its capacity to innovate and unite people around the common values of sharing and enjoyment in an environmentally-friendly and healthy way.
The concept is inspired by Auguste Escoffier’s “Epicurean Dinners” – to serve the same menu, on the same day, in several cities, for as many guests as possible.
“As many people, Filipinos can be intimidated by French food. It is often perceived as classy, or complicated, or elitist, and inevitably, costly. As if French people’s everyday meals were made only of sophisticated, expensive cuisine that is difficult to make, as if everyone in France had to spend hours and a fortune each day to prepare his or her lunch or dinner. Of course, it is not the case. Daily food can be easy to make, simple, light, affordable but tasty, varied, and surprising,” added Galey.
An international committee of chefs led by Ducasse selected chefs from all over the world, including the Philippines, to cook a French dinner to be served in their respective establishments on March 21. Their proposed menus must follow the sequence of a traditional French meal—aperitif with finger food, starter, one or two main courses, cheese platter, and dessert—accompanied by French wines and spirits. Chefs are also encouraged to use local ingredients.
The number of participating chefs in the Philippines tripled from six chefs in 2015 to 18 chefs this year. The chefs include Michel Herbert of Le Bistro d’Agathe, Jessie Sincioco of Chef Jessie Rockwell Club, Katrina Kuhn-Alcantara of CDP Global Table, David Olyver Virrey of Eiffel Kubo, Victor Magasaysay of Elbert’s Steak Room, Martin Kaspar of L’Entrecôte, Joshua Mara of Gourmet Bar-Novotel Manila Araneta Center, Kevin Endaya of Lemuria, Robert Lilja of Maria Luisa’s Garden Room, Clément Damotte of La Mère Poulard Manila, Dino Ferrari of Paris Délice, Michael Aspiras of Le Petit Soufflé, Justin Baradas of Restaurant 101, Marc Aubry of Sagana Epicerie and Bistro, Jonathan Bouthiaux of Samira, Julien Cossé of Spiral Manila-Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, Pierre Cornelis of Vatel Restaurant Manila, and Richard Amado of La Vie Parisienne.
A special private dinner will also be hosted by Ambassador Galey at his residence on March 21. Chef Camille Calo, who trained under acclaimed French chef Joël Robuchon, has been invited to serve a special menu prepared with native Filipino ingredients. Guests will also be serenaded by Kate Torralba with a repertoire of French and Cebuano standards.
“French cuisine is more than just wine and cheese. It is about the precision of techniques, the freshness of ingredients, and the value of sharing a meal. There is so much that Filipinos can discover about French culinary traditions, and this is what Goût de France aims to offer. We want to make French food more accessible to Filipinos,” said Galey.
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