15th Congress of Jeunes Restaurateurs
Every two years, European young masterchefs from Jeunes Restaurateurs (JRE) come together to share their never-ending passion for good food at a special location in Europe. This year, Switzerland had the honour of hosting and organising this great international event. There were around 390 attendees from 16 different European countries. The first culinary highlight was a spectacular welcome party on the Sunday afternoon at the Casineum Grand Casino in Lucerne, which provided a breathtaking backdrop for the event.
On the Monday morning, a Lucerne steamship was the delightful setting for the communal breakfast. Guests feasted on typical regional specialities and enjoyed the dramatic beauty of Lake Lucerne while the ship made its way to the Verkehrshaus Museum of Transport where the official congress then took place. To open the event, JRE President Ernesto Iaccarino shared his thoughts on the history of food and the JRE manifesto. This was followed by speeches from Justyna Adamczyk (Gault&Millau CIO) on the subject of becoming a culinary legend, and Francesco Wessels (master coach at the Netherlands Olympic Committee) on leadership and passion. A JRE awards ceremony then honoured skilled chefs excelling in the following areas: Talent of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Innovation, Service, Taste of Origin and Heritage. A special Never-ending Passion award was presented by JRE Vice-president Alexander Dressel to an exceptional chef who exceeded expectations in more ways than one. Our very own chef Rudolf Pelegrini was awarded the Service Award by SANPELLEGRINO/AQUA PANNA for his restaurant Pelegrini in the town of Šibenik, Croatia. The full list of awards an winner can be found HERE.
The classic Schweizerhof Hotel was an elegant setting for the gala dinner when JRE masterchefs cooked for JRE masterchefs. In stylish surroundings, 30 Swiss JRE members served their colleagues a range of amuse-bouches followed by a mouth-watering menu made from local Swiss produce of the highest quality. The dishes were created by the following JRE chefs: Adrian Baumgartner, Silvia Manser, Markus Gass, Rolf Fuchs and Rolf Mürner. Chef Daniel Lehmann from the Moosegg Restaurant in Emmenmatt was Master of Ceremonies for this memorable evening, and Michael Ellis (Michelin CEO) delivered a speech on the importance of JRE for the Michelin Guide. Yet again, the JRE congress was a fantastic celebration of JRE’s never-ending passion, values and commitment to creating unforgettable moments.
What is JRE (Jeunes Restaureteurs)?
JRE, one of the most prestigious culinary organizations in the world, brings together young restaurateurs and chefs who want to share their talent and passion for food with likeminded people. Founded in 1974 in France, JRE is now active in 16 countries with 350 affiliated restaurants and is looking to expand on a global scale. With over 180 Michelin stars and 4,000 GaultMillau points between them, all our chefs combine a love of creativity and innovation with a respect for local produce and tradition.
