Munich. All four winners have now been named:
Three-star chef and nouvelle-cuisine pioneer Michel Guérard will be
presented with the International Eckart Witzigmann Award (ECKART) 2017
in the category “Art of Living” at the Palace of Versailles, near
Paris, on 21 Sept. 2017. This is the final selection to be announced
by the ECKART jury.
The name Guérard is synonymous with nouvelle cuisine. In 1974, Michel
Guérard and his wife, Christine, opened the “Les Prés d’Eugénie” hotel
and restaurant in the spa town of Eugénie-les-Bains. Many of the
visitors to the spa were actively looking to lose weight, so Guérard
began observing how and what they ate. He soon recognised that diet
meals were optimised for their benefits, without any attention to
pleasing the palate. Guérard therefore decided to combine his ideas
for healthy cuisine with classic French dishes. His recipes focused
not only on reducing calories, sugar and fat, but also on enjoyment.
“Taste and pleasure are the essence of all French cuisine,” said
Guérard, explaining his approach. “It is important to remember that,
whenever we are trying to change eating habits, people simply want to
enjoy their food.”
Guérard has continued to refine his methods and recipes, working with
researchers, nutrition experts, biologists, sociologists,
anthropologists and behavioural therapists. With the right techniques,
Guérard and his team can reduce the calories in a classic dish by
factor five. His healthy cooking nevertheless remains based on the
traditional recipes of “nostalgic cuisine”, consisting of dishes with
names such as “cassoulet”, “magret of duck”, “chocolate soufflé cake”
and “Paris-Brest”.
In his book, “La grande cuisine minceur” (English: Light gourmet
cuisine), published in 1976, Guérard describes his new way of cooking:
Today, it is considered the first description of nouvelle cuisine. By
1977, Guérard had earned three Michelin stars for the “Les Prés
d’Eugénie”, which it has retained to this day.
“Michel Guérard embodies an approach to cuisine that has since become
almost commonplace, but which was revolutionary at the time,”
explained Eckart Witzigmann, “chef of the century” and patron of the
ECKART award, with reference to the jury’s decision. “His commitment
to responsible gastronomy and modern cooking is more important than ever.”
“Healthy, sustainable company catering is also a priority for the BMW
Group. With the support of the Witzigmann Academy, we have launched a
number of new projects in recent years – such as NAHtürlich, which
provides healthy, seasonal and regional dishes,” explained Dr. Nicolas
Peter, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for
Finance, and patron of ECKART 2017. “Michel Guérard is a pioneer of
healthy cooking and thus the perfect candidate for the ECKART 2017 for
‘Art of Living’.”
The ECKART 2017
The ECKART 2017 will be presented in the categories “Art of Cookery”
(Alain Ducasse), “Innovation” (Maria Marté and Luisa Orlando), “Art of
Living” (Michel Guérard) and “Creative Responsibility” (Tiffany
Persons) on 21 Sept. 2017 in Versailles, near Paris. This
international meeting of the culinary scene will be hosted by ECKART
award-winner Alain Ducasse. It is the first time the award ceremony
will be held outside of Germany and marks the start of the ECKART
world tour, which will continue in the United States in 2018.
The BMW Group and the Witzigmann Academy have been partners since
2012 and are committed to their joint aim of creating an international
platform for healthy eating, sustainable cuisine and responsible use
of resources. Previous award-winners include Daniel Boulud, HRH
Charles, Prince of Wales, Elena Arzak, Anne-Sophie Pic, Harald
Wohlfahrt, Dieter Kosslick, Ferran Adrià, Marc Haeberlin, Joël
Robuchon, Alex Atala, Jon Rose, Mick Hucknall, Massimo Bottura,
Dominique Crenn, Andreas Caminada and many others.
Sustainability has been an integral part of the BMW Group’s corporate
strategy for many years, with sustainable development firmly
established as a corporate target at Group level: from the development
of alternative, fuel-saving vehicle concepts through
environmentally-compatible production processes to eco-friendly
recycling methods.
If you have any questions, please contact:
BMW Group Corporate Communications
Julian Hetzenecker, BMW Group Business and Financial
Communications
Tel.: +49-89-382-39229
Email: julian.hetzenecker@bmw.de
Email: presse@bmw.de
Media
website: www.press.bmw.de
Press contact
Witzigmann Academy
Otto Geisel
Lachner-Straße 18
80639 München
Tel: +49
89 139 260 26
office@ottogeisel.de
Further information on the Eckart Witzigmann Award can be
found at:
www.eckart-witzigmann-preis.de
The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW
Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and
motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services.
As a global company, the BMW Group operates 31 production and assembly
facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than
140 countries.
In 2016, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.367 million cars and
145,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax was approximately
€ 9.67 billion on revenues amounting to € 94.16 billion. As of 31
December 2016, the BMW Group had a workforce of 124,729 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established
ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain,
comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to
conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.
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