The French chef Eric Trochon, awarded Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best worker of France) in 2011, and teacher at the prestigious Ferrandi School of Culinary Arts, visited Cyprus recently where he had a meeting at the French ambassador’s residence in Nicosia along with the heads of training of the Higher Hotel Institute of Cyprus and their students.
Trochon, who also owns two restaurants in Paris and a restaurant in Seoul, led a master class with these students, who were able to benefit from the expertise of a recognised chef and teacher in one of the most prestigious schools of gastronomy in the world.
Having later visited the local market, Trochon and the HHIC students prepared the closing dinner of the symposium organised by the French Institute of Cyprus, the HHIC and the University of Cyprus that focused on the role of French expertise in the promotion of Cypriot culture and the development of tourism in Cyprus.
Dr. Jacqueline Karagioghis-Girard presented concrete ways to promote the Cypriot archaeological and historical heritage within the framework of the development of tourism in Cyprus. The symposium was also attended by Angelos Loizou, Chairman of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, Dr. Marina Solomidou-Ieronymidou, Director of the Department of Antiquities, Giorgos Michaelides, President of the Association for Cultural Special Interest Tourism, and Professor Yiannis Ioannou, President of the Department of French Studies at the University of Cyprus.
Trochon’s visit was made possible through the support of the Ferrandi School, thanks to a partnership signed in 2015 between the French Institute of Cyprus and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Paris-Ile de France. Since then, this cooperation has also given the opportunity to bring a French culinary arts professional to support the HHIC training. The first operation took place in 2015 on the occasion of the event Goût de France, and in 2016 a French oenologist also gave a master-class.
This French-Cypriot cooperation is part of the Erasmus+ programme.
The strengthening of co-operation in this field represents a further realisation of the letter of intent in favour of teaching French in Cyprus, signed in October 2016 by Educations Minister Costas Kadis and Jean-Marc Ayrault, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, during his visit to Cyprus. More broadly, the aim is to increase the attractiveness of France and its tourism activities, which represent a major sector of the French economy.
See the pictures of the event at https://www.facebook.com/pg/AmbassadeFRChypre/photos/?tab=album&album_id=441947866141744
