Launch a regatta on the theme of gastronomy
" Organising regattas is not so much in our habits, we prefer events such as cleaning operations in the Old Port for example. But when the idea of organising a regatta mixing sailors and a chef was proposed to us by the Marseille chef Rodolphe Bodikian (L'Eau à la Bouche) we immediately got hooked" begins Michel Lamberti, President of the Fédération Société Nautique des Bouches-du-Rhône.
It was in Venice, Italy, that the Marseille chef Rodolphe Bodikian discovered the Cooking Cup. A regatta that is very popular since they are already at the 25 e edition. The principle is simple: a crew invites on board a chef (professional or amateur) who has to create several culinary creations with the means on board within the allotted time of the regatta. But above all, everyone can take part!
Seduced, he then decided to organize the same thing in Marseille. With the help of Coraline Jonet (a crew member of the Swiss Alinghi team), he prospected the Marseille yacht clubs, who were not very enthusiastic about the idea.
The participants of the "test" edition of the Cooking Cup
"We thought the principle was fun, not very 'serious' and we organised a test regatta in 2017. There were 7 boats, but the concept has many more, the managers were enthusiastic and so were the sailors. In Marseille, there are a lot of regattas like Massilia or SNIM, but the crews who participate in them, as well as the boats, are more and more professional, leaving little chance for the yachtsmen who know their boat well and like to sail, but don't have the skills for this kind of race."
The idea is launched, everyone gets a taste for it, yachtsmen as well as chefs, and yet the majority have never set foot on a boat. "It was remarkable to see the open-mindedness of great chefs such as Dominique Frerard, chef of the gourmet restaurant "Les Trois Forts", located in the Sofitel Vieux-Port Hotel, or Ludovic Turac, 1 Michelin star. They were told "You're going to cook with 2 fires, a small oven, in a cramped place, banging your head...", but they loved the principle!"
The starred chef Ludovic Turac in full dressage
A first edition under the patronage of Europe
In 2018, the Bouches-du-Rhône Federation of Nautical Societies decided to make the event official and launch the Cooking Cup. And, fortunately, it was helped in its approach by the department and the European Commission.
"This year's a bit special. 9 May will be Europe Day and the European Commission was looking for an event to celebrate. So we responded to a call for projects launched by Departmental Council 13 and obtained the Commission's approval. The Cooking Cup will therefore be held in the framework of Europe Day. Thus, the idea will also be to enhance the landscape and taste heritage."
Opening the world of yachting to as many people as possible
With the Cooking Cup, the FSN13 also has a double objective, as Michel Lamberti explains to us "We want to broaden access to this somewhat closed world of regattas. The public doesn't always understand what's going on and doesn't often have access to it. The participants will be Mr Everyman's boats! There are people who used to do regattas, but who had stopped because of the increasingly high level. The aim is to have a good time on the water, a friendly time and above all to have fun!"
The second objective is to open sailing to the youngest and to people in difficulty, in particular with the participation of two rehabilitation schools: the Cana table and the school of the 2 e chance (E2C) who reintegrate young people through training in the kitchen.
"All chiefs have the opportunity to have a second and we urge them to choose their tandem from the youth of both schools."
A Marseille-Cassis crossing under the sign of creation
To take part in the Cooking Cup, all you have to do is register on the website of the Federation of Nautical Societies of the Bouches du Rhone, which is then in charge of putting boaters and chefs in touch with each other. Anyone can take part, except regatta boats "firstly because they don't have a galley on board, but also because that's not the objective. To win the regatta, you have to average the rankings at the finish of the boat, but also the chef's achievement. So, if the boat goes too fast, the chef won't have time to cook... It's a fair balancing act..."
The route starts from Marseille with a crossing near the coast by the creeks (because the landscape is beautiful!) to Cassis. The chef takes his products (only raw materials) on board before departure and has to cook on board - with the means on board - plates of high gastronomy! Cold or hot, it's up to him to choose, but the dishes must be placed in front of the jury (cooks, journalists and amateurs) 20 minutes after crossing the finish line, who will evaluate the dishes on a visual and gustatory level!
In spite of the means on board, these are real little gustatory jewels that the chefs have cooked... As the photos show.. "I was sailing with Ludovic Turac and he brought out some amazing dishes! It's impressive to see that despite the difficult conditions, the cramped conditions, the lack of means, the creativity is enormous!"
See you on May 5, 2018 in Marseille with a nice surprise!
For the moment, the Cooking Cup has between 12 and 15 boats registered and the organisation is aiming for around 30 entries. "We've had quite a few chefs who have responded to the call, such as Lionel Levy, a great chef from Marseille, Georgiana, a former candidate for the Masterchef programme... And we're also lucky enough to welcome Bertrand de Broc, who sails a lot in this area. He found the project very nice and will be associated with Dominique Frerard. The latter was rather excited, but suffers from seasickness, so I had the idea of having him cooked on Betrand de Broc's catamaran - the TS 52.8 Pampero - because a catamaran, it stays flat!"
"The goal is above all to have fun. We're not in competition, neither in the kitchen nor on the water, even if there's a prize to be won. We're trying to open ourselves up to the public, to have a good time, in a good mood!"
What next? "Next year, Marseille is the capital of gastronomy so we hope we'll be called to continue with a second edition!"
