This month, we have chosen to present to you the formidable and devoted Eddy Bonjean, instructor and Disciple Escoffier purple sash of the Provence Méditerranée delegation of the Country France through a talk between Auguste Escoffier and one of his Disciples.
A.E : Hello, dear Sir. Would you like to introduce yourself and tell us about your career and your story?
E.B : Hello, Master! With great pleasure.
My name is Eddy Bonjean, I have been passionate about foodservice since I was 5 years old.
It’s my true vocation! My life revolves around this fabulous job that has completely taken over my life.
I first toured the establishments as a sommelier and 1st Maître d'hotel, next I had a semi-gourmet restaurant, then I became director F&B.
A.E : What a beautifully assorted background, I am sure that all these different experiences were very rewarding and fulfilling!
Please, tell us what your current job is, more precisely? And what are you committed to?
E.B : I am a restaurant coordinator and trainer at an ESAT (establishment and work help service) with a hotel where we employ people with disabilities. I am also very attached to my association Restaur'Hand, which serves as an inclusion for people with disabilities in the restaurant industry. We have many projects including the opening of an inclusive bistronomic restaurant!
I have to say that my greatest satisfaction is the happiness and recognition of my colleagues and clients, but above all that of my teams who fight a battle every day with more than convincing results.
A.E : How wonderful and inspiring! In my time, I had found a way to help the infirm and the disabled in the workplace. You decided to dedicate your life to these people of an often-forgotten category and to pass on your passion to them, and that is a beautiful initiative. You should be very proud of yourself, that is indeed a noble purpose!
And regarding cuisine, what is the meaning it has for you?
E.B : Well for me, cooking is simply the essence and the meaning of life. It takes an important place in terms of conviviality, pleasure, and passion, and it brings together people and different cultures, which unites us positively. I am reminded of your creation, «Le rêve de Katinka» (Souvenirs Inédits, p.90), which inspires me with simplicity and grace.
That is why, in addition to your recipes, techniques and organization, I admire your modernity and inventiveness as well as your sensitivity, your ability to give to others and your project for the extinction of pauperism.
I integrated the Disciples Escoffier exactly for these values that match perfectly to mine, whether professional or personal.
The positive energy, the great atmosphere and the generosity that reigns in this association make that I find myself entirely in this big family representing the passion and the desire to promote our field of activity by transmission as well as all the unity that it generates with the different cultures.
I was inducted by the delegation president, Alain Laporte, in April 2019 at the Dolce Frégate in Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer through my godmother, Nathalie DUFFES, instructor at the Corot centre in Marseille.
A.E : My dear Eddy, I have dedicated my life to offering chefs and cooks the recognition that worldly society refused to grant them and to «extinguish misery definitively», so I am more than delighted to know that my Disciples are continuing to convey these beautiful values.
Thank you so much for this fascinating exchange. Please, tell us how we can we learn more about your wonderful association and your beautiful profession?
E.B : If you would like to learn more, you can visit our website or our different networks:
https://www.facebook.com/EddyBonjeanPro/
https://passionmaitredhotel.com/
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