The first customers of Saveurs & Savoirs discovered yesterday afternoon, the chic and cozy atmosphere of the brand new application restaurant of the Lot trades school, in Cahors. As for the young apprentices, they put their know-how to the test.
It was the big day on Tuesday for the opening of the application restaurant of the Lot trades school, in Cahors. In the indoor maneuver, the very first to serve were Kitana Habib, Louay Jalloul and Otis Even. Under the benevolent and expert eye of their restaurant teacher Véronique Massias, they were the ones who welcomed the first guests and customers of Saveurs & Savoirs.
“To start, we only have three tables reserved. Our young apprentices in training will be able to start gently and get used to this new concept. We will be running in for some time, to ramp up by March”, explains Sébastien Grimal , responsible for the food division of the school of trades.
While their comrades were busy serving, in the kitchen, three other young people were in the kitchen, Elliot Berger, Soline Daurel and Yoann Gonzalez-Segura. “This afternoon on the menu, it will be English fish soup accompanied by its rouille and its small croutons, rack of pork cut in front of the customer and its potatoes. Followed by crepes flambéed for dessert”, proposed the waiters.
In the kitchen, they had 3h30 to prepare the meal
Objective of the day: introduce yourself, create contact with customers, decline and unroll the unique menu, accompany the meal and work on additional sales, while highlighting the vineyard of the month, a major challenge for these young people. In the kitchen, too, the challenge was tough; Since they were delivered with fresh produce that very morning, they had three and a half hours to prepare the meal, following the advice of their cooking teachers Dominique Campergue and Maxime Moreau. “For this first day of school, it was a bit hard for our apprentices, especially since because of the avian flu we had to remove duck from the menu in favor of a rack of pork. Usually I practice with a teaching approach to mistakes, emphasizes Dominique Campergue. In the learning restaurant now, we can’t work like this, because everything has to be good and ready in due time, so it’s a teaching approach to support until ‘at kick-off’.
Everyone keeps in mind that Saveurs & Savoirs is a brand new tool for the school of trades, a medium for learning and perfecting one’s training. “We remain indulgent, recognizes Véronique Massias, restaurant teacher, who will debrief her team of waiters at the end of lunch. I will give them feedback on their behavior, their relationship with the customer, their techniques and know-how and on their ability to sell”.
As for Otis, from Le Havre and aged 18, apprentices at Côté Sud, he assured not to be stressed but on the contrary delighted to work in this new setting, to serve good products.
Thus, over a year, around forty waiters and around sixty cooks aged 18 to 24 will work in this apprenticeship restaurant, open on Tuesdays and Thursdays at lunchtime, on the basis of a daily menu at €18. Reservations on www.edm-cahors.fr
The Lot trade school restaurant opened its doors to the first customers on Tuesday