Colmar (AFP)

A fresh dish concocted by starred chefs between two video lessons: in Colmar, the region's star restaurateurs and cooks take turns preparing a hundred meals offered to students every day.

“You warm it up, eh?” Recalls the chef Olivier Nasti, two Michelin stars, handing a paper bag to Ludivine.

"Yes, of course," she replies.

"It's really complicated for us students. (...) It is already good to have a balanced dish during the day", confides, grateful, this student in food science and quality control at Colmar.

At the wide open door of Café Rapp, not far from the historic center of the Alsatian city, students follow one another from 11:30 am, presenting their student card to come and pick up a take-away meal after registering on the Facebook page. of the establishment.

For Auriane, 19, "it's great".

As the university canteens are closed, the DUT legal career student usually has a quick lunch with "poor quality ready-made meals".

"There, it allows to eat something good and balanced", she rejoices.

- Blanquette and apple pie -

On the menu this Wednesday: veal blanquette, fresh butter noodles and apple pie.

All concocted early in the morning in the kitchens of the gourmet restaurant of Chambard, the famous Château Hôtel de Kaysersberg.

In the kitchen, Olivier Nasti, the chef of Chambard, and his colleague Julien Binz, a Michelin star with his restaurant in Ammerschwihr, degrease the meats, immerse carrots and onions in the broth and peel the apples.

"I want the students to have great pleasure in eating what we have prepared for them, for it to be the best possible", explains Olivier Nasti, in his chef's outfit with the tricolor collar.

When the chef of Chambard called him on Friday, Julien Binz "said yes, right away".

"It is important to maintain social ties, it is important to be united", he remarks while at his side, the cases of trays of veal blanquette ready to distribute are already stacked.

The "100 menus per day offered to students" operation began Tuesday for four weeks, with different restaurateurs in the kitchen every day.

In total, 1,600 meals will be distributed free of charge to students.

At the origin of this initiative: two residents of Ribeauvillé (Haut-Rhin), mothers concerned with helping students in this period of health crisis which isolate them and deprive them of many odd jobs, especially in catering.

And a lot of word of mouth.

"We expected that it would be followed but not at this point", tells AFP Amandine Bruniaux, manager of apartments and restaurateur in Ribeauvillé, evoking "an incredible solidarity".

- Win-win -

Spurred on by the managers of Café Rapp and Olivier Nasti, who set up a food truck there, "the chefs have joined the idea and multiplied it", rejoices Ms. Bruniaux.

Among the sixteen participants, Marc Haeberlin from the two-star restaurant "L'Auberge de l'Ill", Nicolas Stamm from "La Fourchette des ducs", also two stars, or Jérôme Jaeglé, sustainable development award from the Michelin Guide in 2020. Everyone has defined their menu.

Checking the list of students registered for the day's distribution, Dominique Lenys, manager of Café Rapp, is still surprised by the fact that "all of this happened in a few days", with the financial and logistical support of the Banque Populaire and Umih, the Union of Trades and Hospitality Industries.

"Today, we can offer a hundred meals a day from Tuesday to Friday," she says.

Those that would not have been distributed to students before 2:00 p.m. are intended for Secours Populaire.

For restaurateurs and their teams, forced into a minimum activity for months, "it's good for morale" to be able to help by recovering in the kitchen, considers Julien Binz, evoking a "virtuous circle".

"This makes us continue to exist", adds Olivier Nasti.

And it's "win-win for everyone", considers Dominique Lenys.

Because "when students eat well, tomorrow's France is better."

© 2021 AFP