MARIGOT--Rotary Club St. Martin Nord presented a cheque for 11,500 euros to the Lycée’s kitchen and restaurant training department during a ceremony in the Lycée restaurant Thursday evening as part of the partnership agreement validated on December 17, 2018, for replacement of kitchen equipment.
The funds were generated under the leadership of three-star Michelin Chef Gilles Goujon who was present for the cheque donation to Lycée Principal Janine Hamlet.
Goujon with three other three-starred Michelin chefs organised a charity and gastronomic dinner at Hôtel-Restaurant du Castellet in the Var on October 15, 2018, which brought together more than 90 guests paying 550 euros each.
The chefs expressed the wish that the donations collected (50,600 euros) would be used for post-hurricane projects under the supervision of Rotary Club St. Martin Nord (housing rehabilitation in partnership with the National Association of Compagnons Bâtisseurs, and creation of a mangrove nursery for the regeneration of mangroves in partnership with Réserve Naturelle of St. Martin).
They also wanted part of the funds collected to be used for an action in their own professional field (training in the catering and hotel industry).
It just so happened that the Lycée Professionnel des Iles du Nord launched a consultation for the replacement of faulty equipment: a pastry oven, two electric hobs, and a positive cold room.
To allow the Lycée to place the order, the Rotary Club officers at the club’s meeting on December 4, 2018, therefore agreed to a donation of 11,500 euros, corresponding to the amount of the estimate, and established a partnership agreement for this donation which was validated by the Lycée’s Board of Directors on December 17, 2018.
The Lycée placed the order after the end-of-year holidays and the equipment should be delivered and installed in St. Martin at the beginning of February 2019.
As soon as all the equipment has been delivered to the Lycée, the Lycée management will contact the Rotary Club to take photos of this equipment and will receive the actual cheque for 11,500 euros in exchange for a copy of the corresponding invoice.
Gilles Goujon has been in St. Martin since January 5 and departs today. He was invited to Rotary’s statutory meeting and dinner. Prior to the cheque presentation, he inspected the Lycée’s training kitchen and restaurant and chatted with the students, engaging in a question-and-answer session, and talked about his own career path to the top of the profession.
He and Janine Hamlet will consider the possibility of students attending training courses in France this coming summer.
Rotary Club President Jean-Luc de la Haye gave a resumé of Gilles Goujon’s career to Rotary members.
Rotary welcomed visiting Rotary Club members from North Africa Hatem Ben Slimane of Club La Marsa and Kamel Lagha of Club El Memzah.
