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Brasserie Clemenceau celebrates 3 years success in Roanne!
October saw Brasserie Clemenceau in Roanne celebrate their 3 year anniversary with wine and song, and ten-pin bowling!
An exceptional evening of fun, excellent food, good friends, and entertainment. All laid on free and gratis by the owners Francis Kuchenbuch and Jean-Louis Clot. Over 400 guests were invited for this great evening of celebration – it was a packed house! Champagne flowed and a local rock band played into the night. A great bash!
Many thanks, Francis and Jean-Louis, and all at Clemenceau!
Brasserie Clemenceau is brilliantly situated in the beautiful setting of Place de Clemenceau, near the original Roanne chateau (now partly occupied by the Roanne and Roannais Tourist offices). It is exceedingly welcoming, and suitable for either individuals wanting a quite coffeee or beer, business men having lunch, holidaymakers,or local French families.
It is contemporary and professionally presented with a great front-of-house terrace. Superb for relaxing in the warm Roannais sunshine.
Great, simple, good value-for-money, ‘plat du jour’ served efficiently and quickly. Also with a semi- sports bar ‘feel’ – TV, pool table, wi-fi connection.
A successful mixture to suit a wide audience, very well! Go there!
Purefrancenow Roannais Directory
MIchelin Stars in BBC Masterchef !
BBC Masterchef: professionals finished with a resounding finale this week.
An exceptional programme featuring some of the best young professional chefs in the UK. The standard of cooking has been remarkable.
Some of the world’s top Michelin-starred chefs were invited onto the programme to test and comment on the 3 finalist’s food preparation’s at a special evening at the famous Brown’s Hotel in London.
These top chef’s included Raymond Blanc, Anton Mosimann, and Albert Roux, and including 3 former Michelin Guide inspectors.
Steve Groves who eventually won the competition was particularly praised for his broad knowledge of cooking techniques, and excellently prepared dishes.
‘In the final the three remaining chefs faced the toughest challenge of their careers – preparing a three-course menu designed by Michel Roux Jr (legendary 2 Michelin-starred chef) for 30 of the world’s leading Michelin chefs.
Then they had one final cook-off at the Masterchef kitchen studios to decide who would be the 2009 champion.
They had to cook the best three courses of their lives for the judges – Michel Roux Jr and Gregg Wallace.
Londoner Steve Groves was crowned the champion of BBC Two competition MasterChef: The Professionals.
The 28-year-old, originally from Essex, called his win “amazing” and vowed to “become the best chef”, with his own restaurant serving British food.
Over a week of challenges, Groves edged ahead of fellow finalists Marianne Lumb and Daniel Graham.
Competition judge Michel Roux Jr said: “Steve has all the talents required to make it to the top.”
‘Exceptional’
Fellow judge Gregg Wallace agreed, saying: “I have absolutely no doubt that Steve is going to go on and have a very glittering career and will be a serious player in the culinary world.”
He added that Groves possessed the perfect foundations to be an “exceptional chef”.
The finalists’ ultimate challenge was to create and prepare a three-course meal for the judges.
Groves’ winning menu consisted of a starter of roast quail with scotch egg, morels and asparagus, a main of venison loin with potato rosti, watercress puree and roasted beetroot.
He finished off with a dessert of millefeuille of raspberries and bitter chocolate with lavender and honey ice cream.
He said his late father – who motivated him to carry on cooking – would have thought his success was “unbelievable”.’
(courtesy of the BBC). Visit the BBC website: Masterchef and Brown’s Hotel, Mayfair, London
Troisgros and Michelin in the Roannais!
During the October festival of the ‘Roanne Table Ouverte’ a ‘Salon du Livre’ (Book show) was staged in Roanne, primarily in celebration of all things to do with food and cooking. 1000’s of books were available on all cookery subjects, and featuring many famous French chefs and their recipes.
There were also plenty of ‘collector’ items from the past, including old copies of original and famous Michelin Guides- there was even a copy of the very first 1900 edition! WOW!
The famous, 3-Michelin starred, Maison Troisgros was also at the top of the celebratory list, with Michel Troisgros personally presenting a special demonstration of two of his latest Italian dishes from his recently published cookery book called “Michel Troisgros et l’Italie”
There were also several other reputable regional chefs demonstrating their cookery skills and ideas to a packed house of interested and thrilled visitors.
The show was well organised with a cookery school for children, and exhibitions and information on the origins of food throughout the world, and quality of diet. To be honest, a thoroughly superb and entertaining event with both an abundance of facts and fun.
Samples of fascinating past menus from the Troisgros restaurant were on display, showing, once again, the empathy of art and good food.
Maison Troisgros and BBC Masterchef
Purefrancenow Roannais Directory
Gourmet Weekends in the Roannais
Pure Chocolate and Fashion in Paris, and the Roannais!
The annual ‘Salon du Chocolat’ in Paris, this October, is now creating a marvellous impact once again, combining fashion with the sensuality of pure chocolate!!
All in the name of many children’s charities. And, of course, one of the Roannais’s most famous chocolatier is well-represented. Pralus, based in Roanne, is featured once again this year. Francois Pralus, ‘le maitre chocolatier’ of the Roannais, received an Award of the Salon du Chocolat in Paris. A distinct achievement amongst the 9 best chocolatiers in France!
“For the 15th anniversary of the Show, the pageant will be presented as a fairytale opera, consisting of several tableaux on the theme of opera and music, featuring chocolate “couture” dresses worn by celebrities.
A unique and surprising Son et Lumière show, combining the magic of iconic couturiers such as Thierry Mugler and Jean-Claude Jitrois, the fervent imagination of avant-garde designers such as Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Christophe Guillarmé, Dognin, Jean Doucet and Virginie Stucki, the perfection of major chocolate makers such as Barry Callebaut, Chapon, Chocolat Bonnat, Christophe Roussel, Ghraoui, Jean-Paul Hévin, Jacques Bellanger, Le Roux, La Maison du Chocolat, Michel Cluizel, Nestlé, Philippe Pascoet and Pralus, and the talent of famous artists and celebrities.
To celebrate Chocolate, each year the Paris Chocolate Show stages a fashion-chocolate fusion in the form of the incomparable and essential “Chocolate Trends Fashion Show”.
Inspiring many a dream, the event has been organised for the 11th year in aid of the umbrella organisation “La Voix de l’Enfant” of more than 50 children’s charities. For the 15th anniversary of the Show, the pageant will be presented as a fairytale opera.”
Visit the wonderful world of chocolate at: Salon du Chocolat
Pralus, famous chocolatier in the Roannais
Read more about Pralus, and other fine food companies and restaurants in the Roannais, Rhône-Alpes, in our Blog, News, and Reviews at:
Fun and Gastronomy in the Roannais!
Early October at ‘Les Halles Diderot’ in Roanne was filled with the umistakable aromas of good cuisine, and the exceptional flavours of high quality food and wine from the best of the Roannaise.
The annual event of ‘Table Ouverte’ (Open Table), held throughout the month of October, was well and truly inaugurated on Monday 5th October, 2009 with the first evening ‘Soiree’.
Demonstrations and offerings of impeccable ‘tasting’ dishes and ‘Mise en Bouche’ were given by all the different food and wine businesses, celebrating the fantastic reputation of the Roannais’s well-reputed gastronomy.
Over 1000 visitors were recorded – eager to sample the best of the Roannais!
Top quality local businesses were, as usual, well represented, including Cheese from Maison Mons, creative delicacies from Chateau de Champlong, wines from the Cote Roannaise, chocolate and patisserie from Pralus, along with a whole range of other food tastings from many other quality producers and sellers.
A perfect evening of gastronomic indulgence!
Exceptional Gourmet Week-ends in the Roannais!
Food and Drink in the Roannais
Purefrancenow Roannais Directory
City of Design Opens in Saint-Etienne
‘La Cité du Design’ (City of Design) is now open for business in Saint Etienne. This higly creative architecturally designed site is now completed to encourage interest in ‘Design’. 
There will be ongoing events, programmes, exhibitions, and opportunities for businesses in all areas of Art and Design.
After take a little more than three years of work, part of the site of the old arms factory of Saint-Etienne has been brought back to stunning back life with this City of Design including a School of Art and Design (ESADSE) with its 350 students, and holding a variety of symposiums and exhibitions throughout the year, and open to all audiences.
La Cité du Design – Saint – Etienne
(Institution publique créée en 2005 par la ville de Saint-Étienne et Saint-Étienne Métropole, sous la forme d’un syndicat mixte. La Cité du design vise à développer les usages et les bénéfices du design en multipliant les occasions de rencontres entre professionnels du secteur, entreprises et particuliers.
Cette jeune institution s’inscrit dans le chantier de reconversion d’une ville emblème de deux siècles de révolution industrielle.
Produit de l’histoire stéphanoise, la Cité du design a bénéficié de la volonté et d’une forte dynamique locales initiées notamment par l’ École supérieure d’art et design de Saint-Étienne – ESADSE – (anciennement École régionale des Beaux-arts de Saint-Etienne ERBASE), créateur de la Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne en 1998.
Aujourd’hui, Saint-Étienne Métropole, la Ville de Saint-Étienne, la Région Rhône-Alpes et l’Etat – Ministère de la Culture accompagnent le développement de la Cité du design, à travers leur participation à l’EPCC (Établissement Public de Coopération Culturelle), nouvel outil juridique qui concrétise les partenariats publics et dynamise le déploiement de son activité. Cet EPCC sera effectif en janvier 2010.)
Visit: www.citedudesign.com
