Sirha 2023: A Show Dedicated to Creativity and the Environment
From January 19 to 23, 2023, more than 150,000 food service professionals gathered at Eurexpo Lyon for the world’s leading food service event, Sirha (also known as the International Catering, Hospitality and Food Show). This was the show’s 40th year, and it focused on innovation, moments shared together and ethical engagement, inviting visitors to find new inspiration, start a dialog and rethink the sector’s usual practices.
As usual, the show’s programming was rich and varied, with all the talks, demonstrations and competitions that make Sirha the special, vibrant event it is, including the famous Bocuse d’Or and Pastry World Cup.
Working towards creative and ethical gastronomy
Valrhona used its stands to showcase its latest innovations, including Hukambi 53%, the first ombré couverture, and 100th anniversary couverture chocolate Komuntu 80%.
Stand VIP Valrhona © Yanis Ourabah
True to its mission to do good things with good food, Valrhona’s series of events served as a showcase for creative, ethical gastronomy, and included “Reasonable Indulgence” chocolate tartlet tasting, Reasonable Indulgence talks and masterclasses, a revamped Valrhona Food Forward Festival and a presentation of the Essentials 2023.
Conférence Gourmandise Raisonnée par Frédéric Bau & Antoine Michelin, Sirha Food Forum © Hugo Tordjman
A new version of the Essentials
Created by L’École Valrhona with leadership from Frédéric Bau, the Essentials are a collection of basic recipes which has become a pastry-making benchmark. This indispensable resource, last updated in 2018, returns in 2023 with more than 20 recipes reworked with a sense of Reasonable Indulgence.
This concept launched by Frédéric Bau was born out of a belief that desserts should be beautiful, delicious and healthy. As opposed to the current trend of “free-from” and “zero”, Reasonable Indulgence is a philosophy about opting for less and better which has now permeated to every corner of Valrhona Selection. Inspired by this philosophy, the chefs at L’École Valrhona have reworked 22 recipes for the Essentials 2023.
Throughout the show, chefs from L’École Valrhona held exclusive demonstrations of the new version of the Essentials, attended by customers from all over the world.
Getting the Valrhona Food Forward Festival back on the road
To celebrate Valrhona’s 100th birthday in style, we decided to look to the future with the Valrhona Food Forward Festival!
For four months, chefs and talents with a deep commitment to the future of gastronomy came together all around the world to push back boundaries, discover surprising new things and inspire others. At each stage, a theme directly related to the future of gastronomy was addressed: reconnecting to the Earth, zero waste, blue foods, ultra-local and urban agriculture, new baking, the revival of North African pastries, and more. Chefs, pâtissiers, ice-cream makers, artisans, farmers, mixologists, winemakers, brewers and other creative pioneers from each country were able to express their vision of avant-garde and committed gastronomy.
Valrhona brought back the Valrhona Food Forward Festival for Sirha and revisited a cosmic theme from its very first work: Moon Trip. Over 5 days, an exclusive line-up reimagined cuisine’s future on the VIP stand, featuring Valrhona exploratory pastry chef Frédéric Bau, pastry chefs at Dorner Frères Maxime and Gauthier Dorner, and chef Kévin Eyraud from L’Auberge de Crussol, as well as the chefs from L’École Valrhona.
For the duration of the show, three sessions were held every day for 12 people. The interactive format with an open kitchen and U-shaped table gave the chefs the chance to make their dishes before guests’ very eyes and chat with them. The themes of ultra-local sourcing and getting back to the Earth, nature and plants featured prominently in the chefs’ remarkable menu.
Prestigious national and international competitions
Sirha is also an opportunity to feel the heat at competitions and top-flight championships as it is home to more than 15 tournaments, with 56 countries represented in the finals and more than a hundred candidates.
Valrhona once again sponsored the Bocuse d’Or, the International Catering Cup, the Pastry World Cup and the French Baking Cup. What a unique opportunity to showcase skills and talent from around the world!
