Thursday, November 17, 2016

3rd Annual Trophées de l'Art Culinaire du Monde Créole Award Ceremony - Trophy Winners

Last week, I presented details about the ambassadors inducted by the Academy of Culinary Art for the Creole World for outreach to countries around the world with the intent to safeguard, promote, and transmit Creole culinary culture and savoir-faire. Today, I'm presenting the award winners!

Trophées de l’Art Culinaire Créole award

Sixteen prizes were awarded in front of a crowd of ~300 persons. (This is twice the number of prizes awarded in 2015!) The winners were:

Trophée Entrepreneurs (Entrepreneur Trophy): for those who respect Creole culinary traditions and promote them through their preparation of traditional or modern, innovative dishes

For traditional cuisine - Stéphane Sorbon

For innovative, modern cuisine - Nathanaël Ducteil

Left: Presenter Isabelle Tulle and Stéphane Sorbon
Right: Nathanaël Ducteil
© Discover Paris!

Trophée “Avenir” (“Future” Trophy): for a young culinary professional who particularly distinguished himself or herself over the course of the last 1-2 years

Yannis Artigny

Trophée Chef Créole de l'Année (Creole Chef of the Year): for commitment and talent in the promotion of Creole gastronomy

Béatrice Fabignon

Left: Miss Nappy 2016 (Aurélye Dangeles) and Yannis Artigny
Right: Béatrice Fabignon and Xavier-Guillaume Sivager
© Discover Paris!

Trophée Littérature Gastronomique (Gastronomic Literature Trophy): for persons who contribute to the promotion of Créole cuisine through literary works

Nadege Fleurimond

Nadege is an American of Haitian origin. She won this award for having written the book Haiti Uncovered. One of the three Americans to be included in the award ceremony, she was not able to be present to accept her award in person.

Nadege Fleurimond
Image courtesy of Nadege Fleurimond

Trophée Innovation Economique (Economic Innovation Prize): for persons that the jury wishes to honor (students, researchers, farmers, restaurant owners ...) for innovative work which is economic in nature

Christophe Luijer for Jus de Canne SO'KANNA (bottled, pressed sugar cane juice)

Trophée Meilleur Blog Culinaire (Best Culinary Blog): for the best of the Web in the dissemination of Creole gastronomic information

Leslie Belliot for Je Cuisine Créole

Christophe Luijer (center left)
Leslie Belliot (center right)
© Discover Paris!

Trophée d’Honneur (Trophy of Honor): for persons (whether culinary professionals or not) who demystify and passionately promote the recognition of Creole cuisine (three awards were given this year)

Janick Ancete for La Bonne Crêpe Martiniquaise

Isabelle Avril for Karaib'Confiseries

Elodie Donardim accepted the award for Leslie Ferraty, founder of Beyond the Beach

Left: Janick Ancete and Mariama Jones
Center: Aurélye Danglades, Isabelle Avril, Mariama Jones
Right: Elodie Donardim
Winner of the Trophée Avenir
© Discover Paris!

Trophée Chef Traiteur Créole de l'Année (Creole Caterer of the Year): for the person who, through his or her catering activity, puts Creole gastronomy at the heart of events that do not have a Creole theme

Jean-Marc Floro

Prix Spécial du Jury (Jury's Special Prize): for a person that the jury wishes to particularly honor

Doris Kazi

Jean-Marc Floro and Doris Kazi
Winner of the Trophée Avenir
© Discover Paris!

Grand Prix de l'Académie de l’Art Culinaire Créole (Grand Prize for Creole Culinary Art): for a person, institution, or geographical entity (city, region…) that has particular distinction in the domain of culinary culture

Robert Pellegatta for Hôtel French Coco (Martinique)

Left to right: Stéphane Gaboreau, Aurélye Danglades,
Robert Pellegatta, Mariama Jones
© Discover Paris!

Trophée Excellence Créole (Trophy for Creole Excellence): for a person who has distinguished himself / herself in the field of gastronomy throughout his / her career

Jessica B. Harris

Left to right: Nicole Etienne, Aurélye Danglades,
Jessica B. Harris, Mariama Jones
© Discover Paris!

Trophée du Mérite Créole (Trophy for Creole Merit): rewards services rendered in the name of Creole gastronomy

Association des Cuisinières de Guadeloupe - 100 ans (Guadeloupan Cooks Association - 100 years of existence)

MC Rony Théophile and the Cuisinières de la Guadeloupe
© Discover Paris!

Jessica B. Harris is a longtime member of this organization.

At the end of the evening, all the laureates and ambassadors returned to the stage for photos.

Ambassadors and trophy winners
© Discover Paris!

Chef Jérôme Bertin took his place at the front of the stage for a photo with the group.

Chef Jérôme Bertin
© L'Académie de l'Art Culinaire du Monde Créole

Dessert was served and the evening ended with much laughter and camaraderie.

Medley of chocolate desserts with banana
© Outremers 360


Panna cotta with sweet potato coulis and cocoa bits
© Outremers 360


Looking forward to next year's award ceremony!

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Thursday, November 10, 2016

3rd Annual Trophées de l’Art Culinaire Créole Award Ceremony - Ambassadors

In its ever advancing quest to safeguard, promote, and defend Creole gastronomy, the Académie de l'Art Culinaire du Monde Créole held its third annual award ceremony on November 5, 2016.

Each year, the Academy expands the award ceremony, increasing the number of honors it bestows and including more areas of the world that are cradles of Creole cooking. This year was no different - for the first time, three culinary professionals from the United States were celebrated. Most importantly, the Academy introduced an ambassadorship program that will extend its reach in a more official and visible way.

This year's dinner was created by Chef Jérôme Bertin, winner of the 2015 Trophée d'Honneur. The amuse bouche consisted of a small cup of a fish soup containing a single shrimp.

Ravioli in citronelle-perfumed bisque
© Discover Paris!

This was followed by an entrée (first course) of a large ouassous (crawfish) ravioli served with citronelle-perfumed bisque. The main course was a delightful assembly of veal medallion, wild mushrooms seasoned with Bay St. Thomas, sweet potato puree dusted with crushed hazelnuts, and a delicate risotto hash brown seasoned with Parmesan cheese and truffle.

Veal Medallion, sweet potato purée, and risotto hash brown
© Discover Paris!

The meal was served during the award ceremony. Dessert was served afterward.

Our MCs, Solange Lucina and Rony Théophile, moved the audience through the evening with light-hearted banter.

Solange Lucina and Rony Théophile
© Discover Paris!

Several performers provided colorful, rousing breaks in the presentation schedule.

Performers
Images and collage © Discover Paris!

The first person from the U.S. to be acknowledged in the Academy's award ceremony was renowned author and food historian Jessica B. Harris. She was the Invitée d'Honneur (Honored Guest) for the evening and addressed the audience multiple times during the proceedings.

Jessica B. Harris
© Discover Paris!

I was the second American to be acknowledged at an Academy award ceremony. I have been named U.S. Ambassador for the Academy!

Each ambassador was called by name as he or she walked onto the stage.

2016 Ambassadors (from left to right): Marie-Antoinette Séjean, Monique Y. Wells,
Jenny Hippocrate, Andjizy Darouche, Gordon Henderson, Joel Kichenin, and Rosange Lhuerre

© Discover Paris!

We recited our oath together. Then each of us was given a sash by Academy president, Georges Garnier.

Reading the ambassador's oath
© Discover Paris!

President Georges Garnier distributes certificates and sashes
© Discover Paris!

The entire list of 2016 Ambassadors for the Académie de l'Art Culinaire du Monde Créole is as follows:

Andjizi DAROUECHE - Mayotte

Jenny HIPPOCRATE-FIXY - Europe

Gordon HENDERSON - Dominica and Anglophone Caribbean

Joël KICHENIN - Guadeloupe

Rosange LHUERRE - French Guiana

Marie-Antoinette SEJEAN - Health Ambassador (France)

Monique Y. WELLS - USA

Stéphane DURAND - Haïti (absent)

Marie-France GRAIN-GALET - Reunion Island (absent)

Edis SANCHEZ - Dominican Republic (absent)

After the ambassadors left the stage, the MCs introduced the Cercle Gastronomique des Jeunes Chefs Créoles - five young chefs who are making a name for themselves in the Creole cooking arena. Chef Xavier-Guillaume Sivager (center in the photo below) won the Trophée Avenir award last year.

Cercle Gastronomique des Jeunes Chefs Créoles and MC Rony Théophile
© Discover Paris!

Next week, I'll present the trophy winners - two of whom are American!

Monique with ambassador's certificate
© Discover Paris!

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Thursday, November 3, 2016

African-American Masters at Three Major Paris Museums

Perhaps for the first time ever, works by several master African-American artists are simultaneously on display at three major Paris museums.

THE COLOR LINE (October 4, 2016 - January 15, 2017)

I have already written about The Color Line, the groundbreaking exhibition at the Musée du quai Branly Jacques Chirac, in an ETBP blog post:

The Color Line - Buzz

Curator Daniel Soutif has borrowed the vast majority of the works in this show from private collectors, galleries, and museums in the U.S. Lenders include the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dr. and Mrs. Walter O. Evans, and the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery.

The catalog (Flammarion, 49€) contains 400 pages of images, essays, and references. Published in French, it presents a comprehensive review of the exhibition.

Portrait of Booker T. Washington
Henry Ossawa Tanner
1917 Oil on canvas
State Historical Museum of Iowa, Des Moines

Fifty-nine artists are represented in The Color Line. Below is a partial list of their names:

  • Charles A. Alston
  • Jean-Michel Basquiat
  • Beauford Delaney
  • Palmer Hayden
  • Edmonia Lewis
  • Faith Ringgold
  • Augusta Savage
  • Henry Ossawa Tanner
  • Hale Woodruff

This exhibition is so rich in depth and breadth that serious visitors should either plan to spend the entire day at the museum or foresee making multiple visits.

The Color Line
Musée du quai Branly Jacques Chirac
37, quai Branly
75007 Paris
Telephone: 01.56.61.70.00
Internet: http://www.quaibranly.fr
Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday - 11 AM to 7 PM; Thursday through Saturday - 11 AM to 9 PM. Closed Mondays.
Entry fee: 10€
Reduced fee: 7€


LAMENTATION (October 20, 2016 - January 15, 2017)

Lamentation over the Dead Christ
Kehinde Wiley
2008 Oil on canvas
© Kehinde Wiley Studio

For the last ten years, I've been obsessed with stained glass.
-- Kehinde Wiley

Several monumental works by Kehinde Wiley are being shown at the Petit Palais in the artist's first solo exhibition in France. They consist of paintings and stained glass and can be found in the heart of the museum's permanent collections.

A contemporary portraitist, Wiley explores religious iconography in this exhibition. He makes artistic reference to Christ in several paintings and depicts the Virgin Mary in stained glass. This is the first time he has represented the Madonna in his work; he sometimes uses a male figure to portray her.

Six works of stained glass are installed in a hexagonal structure in the "Galerie des Grands Formats" on the first floor of the museum. Four monumental paintings that hang in one of the rooms dedicated to 19th-century works on the ground floor.

Lamentation
Petit Palais
Avenue Winston Churchill
75008 Paris
Telephone: 01.53.43.40.00
Internet: http://www.petitpalais.paris.fr
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM. Closed Mondays.
Entry to the Kehinde Wiley exhibition is free.


AMERICA AFTER THE FALL: PAINTINGS FROM THE 1930s (October 12, 2016 to January 30, 2017)

The Musée de l'Orangerie is hosting America after the Fall: Paintings from the 1930s, a traveling exhibition that it co-curated with the Art Institute of Chicago. The show represents a large cross section of styles and artistic themes that capture the volatile pulse of the United States as well as the state of flux of American art during the 1930s.

Works by several of the U.S.' greatest artists, including Georgia O'Keeffe, Grant Wood, and Stuart Davis, are displayed in the exhibition. Among these great artists are two African Americans - Aaron Douglas and William Henry Johnson.

Douglas' Aspiration and Johnson's Street Life, Harlem are part of the show. Aspiration is on loan from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, while Street Life, Harlem is on loan from the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Aspiration
Aaron Douglas
1936 Oil on canvas

Street Life, Harlem
William H. Johnson
ca. 1939-1940 Oil on plywood

Many of the works in this exhibition are traveling abroad for the first time. America after the Fall: Paintings from the 1930s will travel to London's Royal Academy after it closes in Paris on January 30, 2017.

America after the Fall: Paintings from the 1930s
Musée de l'Orangerie
Jardin des Tuileries
Place de la Concorde
Telephone: 01.44.77.80.07; 01.44.50.43.00
Internet: http://www.musee-orangerie.fr/
Hours: Wednesday through Monday - 9 AM to 6 PM. Closed Tuesdays.
Entry fee: 9€
Reduced fee: 6,50€
Free entry on the first Sunday of the month
Free entry for persons less than 26 years of age



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