Constance Festival Culinary 2023

7/14/23, 11:00 AM

Foodies! This Mauritius festival is your shortcut to a galaxy of Michelin stars

Judging took place in The Blue Penny Cellar restaurant, and each day a different competition featured a new panel of experts. Image: Supplied

The best part of these daily competitions for the supporters was after the judges were fnished, the scores collated and the dishes captured on camera. Then it was our chance to taste. Some of the competitions had a more serious tone, such as the Bernard Loiseau Trophy (see box), in which six of the visiting Michelin star chefs, paired with a Constance chef, had to prepare a starter and main course using specifed ingredients. A sweeter note was struck by the Pierre Hermé Trophy. An internationally lauded French pastry chef and chocolatier, Hermé was the senior judge in the festival. He has confectionery boutiques around the world and his macaroons are considered some of the best — and I can vouch for that having tasted them. This segment involved pastry chefs paired with visiting chefs to create pastry and chocolate creations.

There was even an Art of Table Setting Trophy, for which Constance waiters and chefs competed in presenting the best service and table presentations.

MICHELIN STAR DINNERS

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For the duration of the festival, each night different restaurants around the hotel and at its sister establishment Constance Prince Maurice Hotel offered dinners by the visiting Michelin star chefs matched with superb wines. Each was a multi-coursed gastronomic feast which gave guests an opportunity to enjoy fve-star dining without having to leave the comfort of the hotel. The Twelve-Hand Dinner was orchestrated by three-starred Michelin chefs at Constance Prince Maurice hotel — Alain Bianchin of Belgium, Riccardo Gaspari of Italy and Thomas Wohlfeld of Germany. Together with three pastry chefs from the Relais Desserts association, they produced a stunning feast served with a selection of excellent French and German wines to match each course.

https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/lifestyle/travel/2023-06-25-foodies-this-mauritius-festival-is-your-shortcut-to-a-galaxy-of-michelin-stars/ 4/8