For this edition, students will enjoy a menu specially designed by chef Lionel Laval, patron of Le Grand Repas for the Charente region. This event aims to highlight local produce, seasonality, and the pleasure of sharing a meal.
The principle of "Le Grand Repas" is simple: once a year, players in collective and traditional catering from the same territory offer a common menu on the same day. This menu is created by a patron chef from the region, using local and seasonal products. School canteens, restaurants, EHPADs, health facilities, university restaurants, associative structures, and solidarity restaurants can participate in this gathering that unites inhabitants around the same table.
The menu created by chef Lionel Laval highlights seasonal and local products: Starter: Endive Tatin with lamb's lettuce; Main Course: Trout fillet with autumn barley risotto; Dessert: Carrot cake with Manslois.
Lionel Laval, participating for the third time, emphasizes the importance of this event in bridging different forms of catering. "There is no border between commercial and collective catering. We share the same values. A recipe as a common thread: using one single recipe for everyone is the most beautiful symbol of fraternity," he explains. He also wishes to highlight the work of all catering professionals, stating that "Le Grand Repas is a unique moment where cuisine becomes a common, simple, and generous language."
Beyond the menu, "Le Grand Repas" raises awareness among participants about issues related to food, short supply chains, food waste, taste, health, and well-being. For the school restaurants in Angoulême, this participation is fully integrated into the year-round work on food and taste education. On October 8, students in the city will share the same meal with many guests in Charente, creating connections around the plate.
