Festival Loiseau, buy the right food

Festival Bernard Loiseau has a long duration and since it is celebrated in a heaven like place such as Mauritius, it is a blessing, from the point of view of those following the event on location: jury, press, partners and sponsors. There’s no doubt that the six competitors, the so called island chefs, four from Mauritius and two from Sri Lanka, all working for the Constance group, in the Seychelles and in the Maldives, only know the word stress, but the six starred chefs who arrived from Europe to support them look like nice guys on holiday.

The competition is set to be on Thursday April 3rd, the word “haste” has been abolished. On Sunday, for instance, there was a Creole lunch in a hunting reserve surrounded by nature, beyond a golf course and a small lake. All was very varied as it would obviously be the case in a country in which there are three official languages, namely English, French and Creole, and in which 68% of the population (totalling 1 million and 322 thousand people) is Indo-Mauritian and 27% Creole (plus 3% Chinese, 1% French and 1% from South Africa). How about the cuisine? It is a mixture of India, China, France and Africa, all tied together with local aromas and fish.

One fact surprises: Mauritius was not inhabited before its long and intermittent colonization, starting from the early 18th century. And even though it geographically belongs to Africa, it feels like being in Asia, in the Indian subcontinent, except there’s so much French being spoken it would appear to be a Mediterranean island. Something truly unusual and intriguing.

And today, Monday March 31st, an early rise at Belle Mare Plage hosting the competition. All is set for 8 o’clock for the pairing of the 6 island chefs with the 6 European ones in as many pairs. As everything is organised by the French, each step is studied with attention and mistakes cannot be made. While three tables were covered with cakes, a silver cup stood out on a fourth one, with 12 chocolate spheres all around it, slightly larger than a tennis ball. The six European chefs were asked to choose one and break it in order to find the number hidden inside. It was then the turn of the six local chefs, six more balls, six more numbers and in 10 minutes the pairs were formed.

Time for them to introduce each other and they were already on the road to the capital, Port Louis. Their destination was the central market, selling fruits and vegetables and meat and fish, two blocks separated by a colourful and chaotic road. The chef only visited the former in view of the starter, which needs to be vegetarian. The main dish has in fact a set theme, duck breast, a product which they will receive at the right moment. Good that things were planned this way because the fruit and vegetable stands were as attractive as the fish and meat were repelling. Perhaps I’m mistaken but I believe I was the only one who walked there too. Due to a Hindu holiday which reduced the commercial activities, many spaces were closed and in the few that were open frozen food was prevailing. Given the temperatures, the flies and the colours, it was an invitation to becoming a vegan.

As for the festival, the first team is formed by German Jens Rittmeyer (Budersand Restaurant in Hornum) and Dinushan Patabadage (Constance Moofushi in the Maldives), the second by Swedish Jacob Holmstrom (Gastrologik Restaurant in Stockholm) and Sandy Sokalingum (Constance Lémuria in the Seychelles), the third by English Tim Allen (Launceston Place in London) and Yogessen Ramen (Constance Ephelia, also in the Seychelles), the fourth by Swiss Mirto Marchesi (Les Chalets d’Adrien in Verbier) and Emmanuel Fortuno (Constance Belle Mare Plage, the local chef, that is), the fifth by French Nicolas Masse (Les Sources de Caudalie in Bordeaux) and Sasha Dinnoo, the only woman in the competition, already in the finals last year (Constance Le Prince Maurice here in Mauritius), and finally the sixth team formed by Japanese Masashi Ijichi (La Cachette in Valence, France) and Dammika Sarath (Constance Halaveli in the Maldives).

Tomorrow, Tuesday April 1st, the first test for all of them will take place and the dishes will start to get shape. For all the others, the holiday continues.

2. To be continued (previous episode on March 28th)