PARIS - Worried by the declining standards of France's famed restaurants, top chefs including Alain Ducasse and Joel Robuchon, yesterday launched a new "label" for establishments that prepare their own food and give diners a proper welcome.
PARIS - Worried by the declining standards of France's famed restaurants, top chefs including Alain Ducasse and Joel Robuchon, yesterday launched a new "label" for establishments that prepare their own food and give diners a proper welcome.
The "quality restaurant" label will be granted to eateries in any price range that meet the standards set by the College Culinaire de France, a 15-member industry group founded by the country's leading chefs.
"Of the 150000 French restaurants, three quarters of them do only industrial cooking. The others fight to cook using fresh products and those are the ones we are looking to," said Ducasse, who operates restaurants in eight countries.
"These days, the average person has no idea what they are in for when they open the door to a restaurant," said Ducasse, noting that recognised establishments would need to have an in-house chef and not "someone who reheats a frozen bag".
The culinary group will grant the label to restaurants by request if the establishment meets its standards. To maintain the designation, it will need to score a client satisfaction level of at least 75% on a website set up for the initiative.
Ducasse has accused the French government of "doing nothing" to help the restaurant industry despite its significant benefits to tourism and the economy.
"We cannot wait for things to get worse," he said. "We cannot continue to let media in the English-speaking world say 'France is not what it was' in terms of cuisine."
France's top chef's create elite label
PARIS - Worried by the declining standards of France's famed restaurants, top chefs including Alain Ducasse and Joel Robuchon, yesterday launched a new "label" for establishments that prepare their own food and give diners a proper welcome.
PARIS - Worried by the declining standards of France's famed restaurants, top chefs including Alain Ducasse and Joel Robuchon, yesterday launched a new "label" for establishments that prepare their own food and give diners a proper welcome.
The "quality restaurant" label will be granted to eateries in any price range that meet the standards set by the College Culinaire de France, a 15-member industry group founded by the country's leading chefs.
"Of the 150000 French restaurants, three quarters of them do only industrial cooking. The others fight to cook using fresh products and those are the ones we are looking to," said Ducasse, who operates restaurants in eight countries.
"These days, the average person has no idea what they are in for when they open the door to a restaurant," said Ducasse, noting that recognised establishments would need to have an in-house chef and not "someone who reheats a frozen bag".
The culinary group will grant the label to restaurants by request if the establishment meets its standards. To maintain the designation, it will need to score a client satisfaction level of at least 75% on a website set up for the initiative.
Ducasse has accused the French government of "doing nothing" to help the restaurant industry despite its significant benefits to tourism and the economy.
"We cannot wait for things to get worse," he said. "We cannot continue to let media in the English-speaking world say 'France is not what it was' in terms of cuisine."
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