It was this Saturday that the elected members of the Capelina d’Or gathered in one of the “Cuisine Nissarde” label restaurants, Lu Fran Calin, to elect their new President and the other members of the association’s board. Unsurprisingly, it is Franck Bermond, Chef, cooking instructor, and Disciple of Auguste Escoffier, who is taking over from the late Renée Graglia.
But, the new president will have an entire team around him, with a clever mix of veterans like Jean Giachino or Eliane Vissian, elected Vice-Presidents, and newcomers like Jacquie Berben, President of the France/United States association, or Franck Viano, winner of “A Nearly Perfect Dinner” and also a member of the technical committee of the “Cuisine Nissarde” label, who will handle Communication and Public Relations in collaboration with a new Russian entrant, Elena Tukiainen. The secretariat will be managed by Martine Lespagne, assisted by Simone Fanciotto, while the treasury will be held by Pierre Bellon assisted by René Allieri and an auditor, Denis Chauvet. The positions of culinary assistants have been assigned to Jeannine Torrelli, Gabrielle Marguet, Maurice Ours, Bernard Chabert, and Daniel Silvetti.
With the new team ready to go, the agenda could turn to studying the many upcoming events for the Capelina d’Or. On the menu are cooking demonstrations (01/15, 02/19, and 03/12), the Annual Gala set for March 14, 2014, the Student Competition at the end of March, and an active participation in the festivities for the 100th anniversary of the Lycée Hôtelier Paul Augier. On the communication side, a website and a presence on social networks are being prepared for the end of the year, and a communication campaign will be launched very soon.
So there’s no room for boredom for this Capelina d’Or, which has found new vigor to defend and promote the jewel of Nice’s heritage, which is its cuisine. There is no doubt that this year will be a true stepping stone for the association, thanks notably to the theme of the 2014 carnival, which will be none other than gastronomy, as well as through the “Cuisine Nissarde” label created by the association and now managed by the Nice Tourism Office, with “mystery shoppers” being, among others, members of the Capelina d’Or.
So as we say around here: Issa!
