To mark the International Signature Culinary Prize ‘Le Taittinger’, students from the Reims College of Art and Design (ESAD) had the opportunity to examine the two key ingredients from the 2024 contest: lobster and pollack.
Around 20 years ago, the ESAD in Reims was one of the first art schools to take an interest in culinary design – to the extent that it even set up its own ‘Design and Cuisine’ department, which is currently headed by culinary designer Germain Bourré.
While the partnership between the ESAD and Maison Taittinger – more specifically the champagne house’s International Culinary Prize – was initially established several years ago, it has recently gained new momentum. “The collaboration essentially requires us to reflect on the ingredients that the candidate chefs work with during the competition year, so we can then share with them the young visual artists’ and designers’ viewpoints on these ingredients,” Germain Bourré explains. Namely lobster and pollack, the theme of the latest Taittinger Prize that master’s students on this year’s ‘Design and Cuisine’ course have been tasked with studying. Their journey began in September 2023 on an educational trip to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France. “We went to the fish market, helped the fishermen and studied these species: their habitat and their role in the marine ecosystem, the implementation of fishing quotas, etc.”
10 student projects were born out of this shared reflection during their week-long stay in Boulogne-sur-Mer. Each ingredient was studied as part of an open-ended research in design, without overly restrictive specifications. The students then created finely crafted dishes, with guidance from Georges Ribeiro, chef and head of ESAD’s teaching kitchen, on cooking methods.
“I noticed that the competitive chefs showed a real curiosity for dishes that departed from their usual cooking style,” points out Germain Bourré. “They were genuinely interested in each student’s creative process – the way in which they had examined the ingredient and taken ownership of it.” Here, cooking techniques “are a tool, not an objective” and part of research that seeks to provoke “both emotion and reflection”.
Having been educated about environmental issues from a young age, the ESAD master’s students have grown up keenly aware of the need to protect fishery resources. Jean-Baptiste Walbecq’s dish attests to the fact that pollack is nearly extinct, under threat from both overfishing and ocean warming. This was brought into sharp focus after a thin fillet of pollack, “accompanied by a cauliflower purée beneath a layer of turnips” vanished upon coming into contact with a broth. It is a powerful image, with the interaction between the broth and the fillet sparking a debate about the possible extinction of the species.
Other dishes have an almost architectural, poetic dimension. Each one is unique in its own right. Lisa Marie Schmid has used the pollack’s fin as a spoon, while Justine Larue’s interpretation of the lobster is an ode to ritual, tribute and celebration. Naïs Jacomen’s project, on the other hand, focuses on the portrayal of lobsters in art history. “Members of this generation are not just whistle-blowers, they have already grasped the consequences of global warming, which is now underway and unavoidable,” Germain Bourré continues. “Nevertheless, I can see them all looking for solutions and this is strongly reflected in their work. It’s inspiring – very much alive – and sometimes their approaches have a lighter and more poetic feel to them than you might think given the wider context.”
As part of ESAD’s partnership with Maison Taittinger, students were able to “learn about winemaking techniques, receive an introduction to food and wine pairings and, above all, intermingle with the world of French haute cuisine for the Taittinger Prize. It’s a really unique opportunity,” notes Germain Bourré, who welcomes the open dialogue between the students and the Taittinger teams. And it is certainly an initiative worth replicating.
