“We had some fantastic days in Lausanne and are very glad we took the trip”
A group from Stavanger decided to embark on a journey to see how Lausanne controls its culinary scene and its food policies. From October 24 to October 26, our Lausanne team members enthusiastically led them on a two-day immersion tour of the city. The municipality gave them a warm welcome to the city despite the rainy weather.
The city of Lausanne put up a program filled with fascinating and enlightening culinary discoveries from the area. They were featuring cooking classes and excursions to the "Alimentarium" Museum and wineries, among other things. The importance of the link between producers and customers, the issue of the short circuit, and sustainability-related issues were all heavily emphasized throughout this immersion. In addition, both participating cities used the opportunity to discuss their individual experiences and continuing projects.
The Stavanger delegation had the chance to visit Lausanne's renowned Alimentarium food museum. Well-known Swiss Chef Philippe Ligron joined them on a culinary journey in the kitchen, where they prepared their lunch. A delightful event that allowed them to communicate, exchange ideas and find inspiration.
Chef Didier Sidot, a Bocuse d'Or participant, presented a project while lunch was served at Quai 14: a social project that is part of the "Introduction to the labor market" for immigrants. The restaurant helps the social integration of migrants and other similar profiles by providing them a stable employment.
Additionally, this trip provided an opportunity to address concerns like sustainability and proximity to regional producers. To accomplish this, the group was invited on a guided tour of the Local Pop-Up and the downtown market, which serves as a meeting place for producers and customers to engage in open dialogue.
They discussed the advantages of markets as vehicles for fostering social ties and bonds with producers, caterers, craftspeople, and artisans.
Stavanger's desire to understand more about the Lausanne-enacted gastronomic policy also contributed to this 2-day immersion. They could visit Clos des Abbayes and talk about urban agricultural policies. Urban agriculture project manager Daniel Varadi provided an informative overview of the various measures Lausanne has engaged to expand greening in the city.
"We had some fantastic days in Lausanne and are very glad we took the trip" said a member of the Stavanger's delegation who took part in the journey. A knowledge-sharing experience with a wide range of topics. By finding many parallels in shared projects, the two cities enjoyed cooperating. And why not a chance for future culinary cooperation?
Our two member cities could truly learn, share, and connect through their collaboration over these two days!