International City of Gastronomy and Wine, Dijon makes good food

In the "canon de lumière", an immense square tube covered in rust-colored steel, toques are waving, visible through a huge bay window. From the brand-new forecourt leading down to the Cité internationale de la gastronomie et du vin (CIGV), this is the first signal.

Of the four candidate cities designated by the French Mission for Heritage and Food Cultures as members of the Cité de la Gastronomie network in 2013, Dijon seems to be the first.Dijon seems to have come out on top, even if it wasn't the first to take the plunge. Lyon preceded it, in October 2019, but had to close its Cité less than a year after its opening. A failure. The public is disappointed, those involved in the project are frustrated, and the copy needs to be completely revised. A new project is expected in 2023.

In the meantime, Dijon is moving forward and fine-tuning its project, drawing lessons from Lyon's setback. Dijon is not unhappy with the theme it has been assigned: the enhancement and promotion of vine and wine culture (food and health for Lyon, food science and culture for Tours, sustainable and responsible food for Paris-Rungis). However, all four cities share a common theme: that of the French gastronomic meal, the primary driving force behind the whole operation, following its inscription in 2010 as a Unesco intangible cultural heritage.

The site

This is the site of the former Hôpital Général, founded in 1204. From the 15th to the 19th century, various buildings were erected, keeping the hospital in operation until its closure in 2015. As a preamble to the historic site, architect Anthony Béchu chose to build an airlock building, open to the city and flanked by the famous tunnel of light, and then to create a shopping area in what was once the restaurant's parking lot, featuring fully glazed boutiques. The Cité's initial program also included the installation of a cinema and, more broadly, the construction of a neighboring eco-district comprising a park, residences and a business village.

What's on offer?

• 1750 m2 of exhibition space (permanent and temporary), like the opening temporary exhibition: "C'est pas du gâteau, les secrets de la pâtisserie française", dedicated to this French expertise and sponsored by Pierre Hermé.

• The Village Gastronomique: the beating heart of the Cité, this is a brand-new complex of 9 boutiques, showcasing French food, products and expertise. Rather than install established brands or merchants, the team from the K-Rei group (which owns a large part of the Cité and is the operator of the Village) decided to build the Village.a large part of the Cité and operator of its commercial activities) decided to select and organize the stores in this comprehensive market themselves. There's a bakery, fishmonger's, butcher's, cheese and delicatessen, dessert bar, tableware store, and a branch of Librairie Gourmande (rue Montmartre, Paris). There's even a crazy space dedicated to mustard! There's also a restaurant-cantine offering Village products, a dish of the day, a cocktail bar and events (educational workshops, guest chefs, ephemeral dinners, etc.).

• A Ferrandi Paris campus: the leading hotel school has set up shop in the "canon de lumière" of the Cité, with a program of short and long courses in cooking and pastry-making.

• La Table des Climats, le Comptoir de la Cité, la Cave de la Cité: three establishments overseen by Éric Pras, chef at Maison Lameloise (4 toques) in Chagny. The restaurant boasts a menu designed to enhance food and wine pairings, the brasserie-wine bar offers market cuisine to eat in or take away. Finally, the exceptional wine cellar brings together over 3,000 references (from Burgundy, but not only), with the possibility of tasting 250 of them by the glass. This feat is made possible by the Enomatic glass-dispensing system, which preserves the wines once the bottles have been opened using argon gas. For wine lovers, there's even Romanée-Conti available in 3, 6 or 12 cl formats.

• Tasting workshops, organized by the Burgundy Wine School. These are aimed at a wide audience, and take place in immersion thanks to a 360° projection system.

Key figures

• Surface area: 6.5 hectares

• Budget: €250 million, including €15 million in public funding (Region, City, State)

• 250 direct jobs and an estimated 1,500 indirect jobs

• Coming in 2023, a 4-star Curio By Hilton hotel in a wing of the former hospital, with 125 rooms and suites, swimming pool, spa and restaurant.