As each month, Ms Food & Wine students attended a workshop allowing them to meet gastronomy and oenology professionals. Let’s go to the Val d’Oise, discovering farms which provide the greatest Parisian chefs…

 Nature Getaway

A few kilometers away from Paris, real traditional farms offer to collect vegetables or eggs by yourself. Back to basics, this is an incomparable country walk and even more; a gold mine for all the great Parisian chefs like Yannick Alléno, who is used to working with local producers.

The Ile-de-France may host one of the largest cities in Europe, it remains though a great and large rural area, three-quarters covered by agricultural land and forests.

In this relaxing atmosphere, it is in the natural park of the Vexin that our students went to meet the farmers who grow these quality products of great interest.

A day of knowledge sharing and expertise

On this unique day, three farm visits were planned, in partnership with La Route des Gourmets :
– The mushroom farm: in the 1200m of underground galleries that this producer runs, we can find Paris mushrooms, Pholiota, oyster or shiitake with an expertise almost unique in France
– An outdoor poultry farmer: chickens, guinea fowls, rabbits but also orchards, where they could learn about the farming production steps.
– A goat cheese producer, the last in the Ile-de-France, with a tasting at the end of the visit.

Accompanied by a food culture specialist, the students were able to discuss major issues around, as the most appropriate distribution channels for these producers to fight against food’s excesses; quality labels to promote their products and develop new opportunities; the difficulties of everyday business or the new consumer trends.

They also enjoyed a lunch in a beautiful 19th century barn; Le Chemin des Peintres. Pastoressa brothers value the products of their region by a traditional bistro cuisine, engaged with the CERVIA via the label “Cooked by local products.”

This is for students a source of knowledge about the sector, discovering the base that founded the great French gastronomic reputation. The fundamental understanding of the challenges of farming in the region has helped them to learn a little more about a key stakeholder in the sector: “peasants” as they still call them in this beautiful countryside close to the bustle of the capital.

Thanks to our partner La Route des Gourmets and to Carole METAYER for this beautiful day!