It was the first time in over 36 years that the annual students contest of the Cercle de la Capelina d’Or only had young women at the starting line of a day which saw Ahlem Gharsi win the Capelina d’Or and first place in the competition.
It was 8 a.m., and all the contestants were already gathered within the grounds of the Lycée Hôtelier Paul Augier, which was hosting, as it does every year, the edition of the emblematic Nice cuisine contest, dear to its late president, Rénée Graglia. Eight candidates ready to participate in the first competition of their budding careers as future chefs: Ahlem Gharbi, Myriam Barda, Andréa Bregier, Mima Decozier, Ilona Cessens, Jade Sovieri, Marlène Moreira Mendez, and Samantha Gullung. The first two being from the CFA and the Greta, and the remaining six, residents of Paul Augier.
The initial phase consisted of a written test with questions related to Nice culture and cuisine. From naming Garibaldi’s first name to the name of the new grand stadium, including the definition of a tian, they had 30 minutes during which each correct answer would earn them a point before the cooking test.
Just enough time for a short coffee break, and the culinary tests could begin in the kitchens of Paul Augier’s “Bistro” under the guidance of the contest’s supervising professor, Mr. Capuzzo. Two dishes to prepare in 3 hours: The first being a mandatory traditional “Swiss chard pie” and a second surprise using a basket containing all the ingredients to make a Niçoise salad their own way.
The hive could get to work, and each participant took possession of their workstation and the ingredients necessary for making the Swiss chard pie. Making the dough, cutting the ingredients, preparing the mixture… The movements were precise for students with only a few months of training. Members of the Freternelles des Cuisiniers (Mr. Blondel, Mr. Pasini, and Mr. Scarcelli) as well as members of the Capelina d’Or navigated among the contestants, providing helpful and judicious advice here and there.
A good hour had passed, and the first pies were heading to the oven while some contestants were already running out of time. It was now time for the Niçoise salad, and they headed to the giant basket at the back of the kitchen to gather the ingredients needed for the preparation and presentation of this iconic Nice cuisine recipe. The clock continued to unforgivingly tick, and the announcement of the last half-hour provoked a final “flurry” among the candidates who had to leave a workstation as clean as their plates were appetizing. Here again, points were valuable to either earn or not lose.
Time’s up! The last seconds had just ticked away, and the culinary test was now over. The contestants came to present their two dishes to the jury who thanked and warmly congratulated them for their creations before moving on to the tasting. “For the most part, they are quite at home in any showcase of a Nice pastry shop.” Mr. Capuzzo added, visibly impressed by the level of his first-year students. The same went for Franck Bermond, President of the Capelina d’Or: “The level is really high. I don’t know if it’s because we only have female candidates, but the bar is set very high…” All the technical scores were now collected before the final tally, and it was around a good table that the juries and professors met to comment on this new edition of the Capelina d’Or contest.
It was thus at 5:30 p.m. in the “Bistro” setting that all these people gathered for the traditional awards ceremony. Prizes that were generously endowed this year by the many partners of the contest. Tied for 5th place were Jade Sovieri, Marlène Moreira Mendez, Ilona Cessens, and Samantha Gullung, while Mima Decozier took 4th place. On the third step of the podium was Andréa Bregier, narrowly behind Myriam Barda in second place.
It would ultimately be Ahlem Gharbi, a student from Greta de Nice and apprentice at Restaurant Lu Fran Calin, who would win the 2014 contest with, according to the jury’s unanimous opinion, an excellent Swiss chard pie. A beautiful conclusion with a nice nod with Ahlem’s little gift to her chef, offering him one of her prizes, an official OGC Nice ball signed by all the players. Undoubtedly, it will sit in Daniel Silvetti’s kitchen, right next to the rugby ball from RC Toulon.
A rendezvous is already set for next year for a contest that could well open to other high schools and culinary training centers in the region.
But that’s for “l’an que ven”
