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| The Diamond Cuvée of Pommery champagne. |
It’s been a big year for 60-year-old Relais & Châteaux, and so the 2014 Rendez-vous was especially triumphant. Held in Paris on November 18, the annual meeting drew more than 500 hoteliers and chefs from all over the world to UNESCO headquarters, a symbolic setting for the announcement of a new vision. The association—which added 36 new members this year—is launching a movement to make the world a better place through a 20-point manifesto which outlines ways to support local farmers, safeguard the world’s diverse cuisines and elevate the “Art of Living” to the 10th art. Acclaimed chefs Olivier Roellinger and Anne-Sophie Pic outlined the vision, and Peruvian superstar Gastón Acurio spoke about his experience as a global ambassador for Peruvian cuisine. Luxury Travel Advisor attended the event, which included a star-studded soirée at the Palais de Tokyo, the sprawling contemporary art center near the Seine. “Taste Art” showcased the culinary talents of five Relais & Châteaux chefs, whose cooking stations were set up as mesmerizing works of art. And with champagne provided by Pommery, it was a celebratory evening, indeed.
Julien Dumas, chef from Lucas Carton, Paris; Mr. and Madame Vranken, Vranken-Monopole Pommery and Loïc Morvan, host at Lucas Carton, Paris.
Madame Nathalie Vranken, Vranken-Monopole Pommery; Philippe Lalloit, ambassadeur of France to UNESCO and Philippe Gombert, chairman of the board of Relais & Châteaux.
Chef Jean Sulpice, from the Restaurant Jean Sulpice in Val Thorens, during the “Taste Art” soirée at the Palais de Tokyo.