Le Grand Repas continues to grow for its 5th edition
A lunch that brings together hundreds of thousands of French people? That's the idea behind the Grand Repas, a sharing experience promoted by Thierry Marx and Guillaume Gomez to put good food back on the map.
It's back for a fifth edition! On Thursday, October 3, 2024, hundreds of thousands of French people will come together to share a Grand Repas based on local, seasonal produce. The brainchild of Emmanuel Hervé, Le Grand Repas has quickly established itself as a major event on the calendar. Its values of sharing, living together and conviviality have met with national success. A popular event with chefs, some have had the honor of being national sponsors, such as Anne-Sophie Pic in 2021 and Mory Sacko in 2022. Once again this year, Le Grand Repas will bring together more regions, even beyond the metropolis. The national patron is Claude Pothin, chef of the Palm Hôtel & Spa on the island of La Réunion. He will be joined in this quest for good food for all by two ambassadors for the association, Thierry Marx, chef at Onor (3 toques), and Guillaume Gomez, former chef at the Élysée Palace.
A moment of sharing, pleasure and learning
Once a year, for the past five years, the Le Grand Repas association has been inviting you to share a communal meal based on local, seasonal produce. The aim is simple: to unite citizens around thesame local menu, in the same area, in order to rediscover moments of sharing and rethink food consumption. "The Grand Repas is an opportunity to raise awareness of short circuits, ecology, the fight against waste, health, well-being and taste education.and taste education, particularly for younger generations", explains Emmanuel Hervé, founder of the association.The event concerns all catering establishments and all ages: school canteens, CROUS, public and private catering establishments, traditional restaurants, associations, EHPAD, hospitals, community catering, etc.
Getting involved couldn't be easier! For individuals, all you have to do is find the participating establishments on the Grand Repas website, and enjoy a delicious meal. This moment of sharing will be the ideal opportunity to explain the approach to the youngest and to talk about it around you to spread the word about the event.
Catering professionals (public or private, collective or traditional) can sponsor their territory and design a gourmet menu using local, seasonal produce. All you have to do is contact the association to benefit from support and promotion by the Grand Repas.
An event committed to ecology and social cohesion
Every year, the organizers try to integrate, department by department, every corner of France, metropolitan or overseas. That's why Claude Pothin, a chef from Reunion Island, has been selected as the national sponsor." It's an event that's very close to our hearts, even though we're 12,000 km from mainland France, and it's part of our daily routine to work with local produce," confides the chef.
This steady growth is reflected in the presence of more and more chefs and partner departments. "In 2019, there were 8 partner chefs for 11 departments; by 2023, there were 36, and we were present in 60 departments. This represented 450,000 meals," explains Emmanuel Hervé. This expansion gives us the opportunity to reach a wider spectrum of the population. The younger generation, certainly at the heart of Le Grand Repas's ambitions, "isn't entirely committed to eating fast food", explains Thierry Marx. He adds: "However, there is work to be done on everyday cooking. We need to demonstrate the economic reality: processed products are more expensive than those considered inaccessible for eating well". In short, Le Grand Repas aims to put good food and good products back at the heart of everyday cooking, whether for groups or individuals.
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