This year the International Grand Chapitre and Annual General Meeting were held in Paris. All the organised meetings took place at the Shangri-La Paris Hotel.

Thursday 14 June

For the first dinner, almost 100 members were invited to the Salon Bonaparte in the Shangri-La where the atmosphere was warm and congenial.

Michelin 2-star Chef Christophe Moret and his brigade produced a perfect and delicate menu that pleased all the guests.

MENU

Spider crab and caviar
in a delicate cucumber and almond jelly

Smoked soft-boiled egg, green asparagus
abalone ragout, golden foam

Sea bass fillet
kasha and Baie de Somme samphire
lemon seaweed condiment

Iced Corsican honey
flavoured with citron and eucalyptus

Tea, coffee, petits fours

WINES
Sancerre ‘Chambrates’ 2014 - Domaine Vacheron
Gevrey-Chambertin 2010 - Domaine Sérafin

Friday 15 June

Friday was a busy day. From 9am onwards a series of working meetings took place at the Shangri-La Hotel.

The first working session, led by David Tetrault, Member of the Conseil d’Administration and Chair of the Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs Competition Committee, was about the organisation and running of a national competition. It was followed by a debate and question and answer session on that subject.

The second working session, led by Secretary General Philippe Desgeorges together with David Tetrault, concerned the development and use of the national websites created for the Bailliages by the International Headquarters. During that session there was a series of extensive and constructive exchanges of questions/answers.

Finally, a third working session on the Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs (OMGD) was led by Mohamed Hammam, Member of the Conseil d’Administration and Chair of the OMGD Committee.

During that time a visit to Le Cordon Bleu Paris was organised for guests. Participants in the visit were welcomed by André Cointreau, Chairman of Le Cordon Bleu International and Member of the Conseil d’Honneur, and Charles Cointreau, Asia Representative Director for Le Cordon Bleu, together with the professional team of Le Cordon Bleu Paris, including Chef Eric Briffard, Maître Rôtisseur and Meilleur Ouvrier de France; Chef Philippe Groult, Meilleur Ouvrier de France; Chef Kay Baudinette, Maître Rôtisseur; Chef Franck Poupard, Chef Rôtisseur.

After a comprehensive visit to the premises and the famous roof terrace converted into a kitchen garden where various herbs and plants used in the school’s gastronomic creations are grown, members were treated to a culinary demonstration by the professional team.

In the early afternoon, the Conseil Magistral held a meeting in the reception rooms of the Shangri-La. The Conseil was chaired by PresidentYam Atallah, assisted by Vice-President Marie Jones, the members of the Conseil d’Administration and Secretary General Philippe Desgeorges.

Detailed statistics of the membership situation in 2017 were presented, followed by a presentation of the projects completed, in progress and to come. The meeting of the Conseil Magistral was closed after the presentation of the 2017 accounts.

At the same time a visit had been organised to the new Bubble Suite at the Hôtel Hilton Opéra. This is a completely new champagne bar created in association with Champagnes Collet. The members who took part had the chance to discover this new Parisian venue and enjoy a tasting session with commentary of Collet champagnes.

At about 7.30 pm, all the members met for cocktails and the second dinner in the Hôtel George V.

Chef Christian Le Squer, holder of 3 Michelin stars, very skilfully created a dinner for 160 guests. Quite apart from the menu, the emphasis was also on the service brigade with their absolutely perfect performance.

MENU

White asparagus and apricots

Blue lobster from our shores in Savagnin wine
presented in a spaghetti timbale

Fillet of beef
Mozzarella, tomato and basil garnish

Fresh and crunchy candied grapefruit

Tea, coffee, petits fours

WINES
Chablis 1er Cru ‘Vosgros’ 2015 - JP Droin
Savigny-lès-Beaune 2012 - Domaine Vincent Girardin

Peter Musa and André Cointreau, who are both Members of the Conseil d’Honneur, were present at the dinner. To celebrate their attendance, a bottle of Château Latour 1978 graciously provided by André Cointreau was enjoyed with President Yam Atallah and International Vice-President Marie Jones. It was a true moment of sharing and friendship.

At the end of the meal, following praise delivered by Ira Falk, Member of the Conseil d’Administration and Chancelier of the USA, Chef Christian Le Squer and the entire kitchen and serving staff received a long ovation for their performance.

Saturday 16 June

For the members or guests not taking part in the Annual General Meeting, a visit to the Cave du Château followed by a wine tasting session was organised in the basement of the elegant Clarence Hotel.

The International Annual General Meeting took place in the Salon Bonaparte at the Shangri-La. President Yam Atallah chaired the meeting, assisted by International Vice-President Marie Jones, the Conseil d’Administration and Secretary General Philippe Desgeorges.

As per the agenda, the members present were told about the 2017 annual accounts and achievements, about the work on the Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs and Jeunes Sommeliers competitions, the ongoing development of new Bailliages, the OMGD’s activities, the outcome of the 2017 World Chaîne Day and the ACCR’s current and future initiatives.

Jacqueline Wolfovski, from the accounting firm Exponens, was also in attendance to present the annual accounts for 2017 and provide any explanations required in respect of the financial results.

Later in the day, following an address by President Yam Atallah, the Induction Ceremony took place in one of the salons of the Pavillon Ledoyen. The ceremony was coordinated by Benoit Fragnière, Member of the Conseil d’Administration, with President Atallah of course being the Inducting Officer.

With almost 45 inductions, highlights of the ceremony included:

• The Grand Commandeur Award being presented to Saihei Makinami, Member of the Conseil d’Administration

• Officier Commandeur Awards being presented to three members: Antoinette Chaville from the Bailliage of Guadeloupe; Karim Henein, Member of the Conseil d’Administration, Chancelier of the Bailliage of Egypt; and Norbert Simon, Member of the Conseil d’Administration, Bailli Délégué of Austria

• The induction of three new Members of the Conseil d’Administration: Ira Falk, Chancelier of the USA; Norbert Simon, Bailli Délégué of Austria; and Allen Wong, Bailli Délégué of China

• The induction of five new Members of the Conseil Magistral: Stephen Gross, Argentier of the USA; Steven Kahn, Bailli Délégué of Hong Kong; Tomi Lantto from the Bailliage of Finland; Shabnam Nayer, Bailli Délégué of Kenya; and Thore Sande, Bailli Délégué of Norway

• The induction of three Baillis Délégués: Koji Fukuda for Japan; Johanna Hornborg for Finland; and Magnus Scherr for Myanmar

After a champagne reception, the doors to the dining room were opened to the 230 guests to reveal tables set for the Gala Dinner created by Michelin 3-star Chef Yannick Alléno.

MENU

Fine Iberian ham aspic
Rye sourdough mousse with Kalamata olives

Flame-grilled green asparagus from the South of France
smoked oil, savoury saffron papaya with Kalamata olives
Sansho pepper sauce

Lightly braised John Dory
dauphine potatoes with brawn and flower tartare
risotto of peas, lentils and buckwheat with chervil
Tome cheese with milk mousse and seaweed chutney

Wagyu beef Stroganoff

Caramelised butternut squash and frangipane ravioli
citrus and almond butter sauce

Tea, coffee, petits fours

WINES
Viré-Cléssé 2015 - Héritiers du Comte Lafon
Châteauneuf-du-Pape ‘Les Trois Sources’ 2013
- Domaine la Vieille Julienne

At the conclusion of the dinner the kitchen and service brigades, led by Chef Yannick Alléno, received an ovation from all the guests. President Yam Atallah and Ira Falk, Member of the Conseil d’Administration from the USA, then said a few words.

Philippe Desgeorges
Secretary General

All photos (c) Mary Erhardy