TEAMS

Chef Alain Bianchin
Chef * Maison Alain Bianchin Belgium

Dimitrije Markovicl
Constance Ephelia Seychelles

Chef Christopher Haatuft
Chef * Lysverket restaurant, Bergen in Norway

Akash Kumar
Constance Lemuria Seychelles

Chef Mark Kempson
Chef * Kitchen W8, London, UK

Lakshman Gedara
Constance Moofushi Maldives

Chef Riccardo Gaspari
Chef * Restaurant SanBrite Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy

Caunhye Doorgesh
Constance Prince Maurice

Romuald Fassenet
Chef * Château Mont Joly, Jura, France

Mahendran Seenivasan
Constance Halaveli Maldives

Chef Thomas Wohlfeld
Chef * Handwerk restaurant, Hannover in Germany

Tatiana Ponton
Constance Belle Mare Plage

THE CONCEPT
Six promising and passionate Starred Chefs, all Michelin star holders, come to Constance Belle Mare Plage to meet the six “Constance Chefs” of Constance Hotels and Resorts in Mauritius,  Seychelles and Maldives.
This professional and cultural pairing gives rise to great and exciting moments in the kitchen. Each Starred Chef works with his “Constance” team member. All cooks of the Constance Hotels Group, from Sous Chef to Chef de partie, can participate in the Constance Festival Culinaire as a “Constance Chef ”.
All entrants must go through the three stages of the rigorous selection process, made up of a theoretical questionnaire; the realisation of two classical recipes; and finally, the actual creation of two dishes within the confines of specified local products. Final participants are therefore selected purely on their skill, knowledge and innate talent. Each team (One Starred Chef and one Constance Chef ) is given specified pre-determined products which they must use. These criteria are communicated to the teams in advance.

All spices must be prepared with the traditional "roche-cari" a stone used for crushing spice ingredients.
Candidates look for their own products (vegetables, fruits, etc.) at the local Flacq market. The idea is to encourage creativity in design using only local seasonal products. The dishes prepared by the finalists are tasted by a panel of judges and other well-known professionals.

THE ASSESSMENT:
1st phase, THE TASTING AT THE BLUE PENNY CELLAR: The Chef ’s creative approach and the reason for the recipe are explained by the organising group of Chefs - the only ones admitted into the kitchen. The members of the jury taste each dish and note down their impressions.
2nd phase, DELIBERATIONS IN THE PRIVATE AREA OF THE BLUE PENNY CELLAR:
After all dishes have been tasted, the jury takes a recess for its deliberations, comprising:
individual reflection of each member of the jury on the dishes tasted. Overall exchange of opinions and points of view.
3rd phase, FINAL COMPUTATION OF MARKS: After the name of the winning team has been agreed upon, the results are handed over to the  jury.