When Stars’n’Bars first surrounded its port terrace with a vegetable garden three years ago, it was the first time a restaurant had set up its own organic garden within Monaco.
During the summer season, it harvests more than 120 meters of tomatoes, courgettes, lettuce, peppers, eggplants and a myriad of herbs including basil, mint, thyme and parsley.
The vegetables and herbs are used by its kitchen in various traditional homemade dishes from burgers to chips and salsa but also for new vegan specialities. The mint and basil are used in cocktails.
The restaurant is now in the process of planting a winter garden to include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, turnips and cauliflower.
Stars’n’Bars manages its own seeding, maintenance and harvesting but, according to Didier Rubiolo, co-founder of the restaurant with Kate Powers, “We wanted also to show our customers how easy it is to grow vegetables for themselves and how much better it is for their health to eat fresh, organic products.
Photo: Monaco Life
Photo: Monaco Life
Photo: Monaco Life
Photo: Monaco Life
Photo: Monaco Life
Photo: Monaco Life
Photo: Monaco Life
“So we were delighted when Annabelle Jaeger of My Little Potager offered to give courses on gardening at the restaurant for adults and families with children.”
The third of three 1.5 hour workshops takes place October 21, at 10:30 am, as Annabelle shows how to grow an urban vegetable crop while covering basic gardening skills, including how to use wood chips, hay and soil on a balcony or terrace. Participants should bring a large shopping bag or bin, gardening gloves, and wear clothes and shoes that they don’t mind getting dirty.
Cost: €40 for 1 adult, 1 child or €45 for 1 adult and 2 children; reservations: annabellejaeger@hotmail.com.
So here we are back at Monday. If you’re reading this, congratulations on making it through the weekend in one piece. The sun was shining and so were the style stars around the Principality.
As time goes on, one begins to know exactly who will be wearing what where making it easy to spot a fashion moment. You’ll find Victoria Silvstedt soaking up the sun on a yacht deck, Julien Guirado out and about in Casino Square, and Ms Yana Weiman at her beloved Hotel Metropole.
This past weekend nobody played by any particular rule, comfort was key for some, cool for others and a healthy dose of classic Monaco glam for many. What caught my eye this time around with this bunch was not just what they were wearing but from what places and what they were trying to communicate … other than I’m obviously cooler than you. So enjoy this weekend style recap. Get inspired, get jealous, get DRESSED.
Julien Guirado
@giura22 Clearly someone is a Netflix Narcos fan. Drug Dealer casual was the mood for this TV star and influencer over the weekend … minus the drugs. Maroon makes me swoon as he rocked at Narcos Medellin sweater with colour-coordinated Old Skool Vans sneakers. Also clearly someone was missing the mid 2000s – hello Von Dutch trucker hat. I’m only letting that slide because Kylie Jenner is apparently the reason it’s making a comeback. Let’s see how long before I’m scrolling eBay to cop one. Overall this look is cute, it’s casual, I wouldn’t be mad if I walked up to my boyfriend at Casino Square rocking this look for date night (you’re a lucky girl Martika Caringella).
Yana Weiman
@yanaweiman This Russian beauty queen (actually you’re all probably quite familiar with her by now in this feature) channelled the essence of a Provençal lavender field this weekend in a Nezha fashion dress with a tulip style skirt, a pink Lady Dior bag and matching Montaigne Paris pink pumps at the Hotel Metropole. Side note: her mother Inna is exactly what you would expect the mother of this style driven young model to be … FABULOUS.
Okay, back to Yana. Like I’m trying to understand how whatever she wears and at whatever occasion, she manages to make it look like a high fashion editorial. Peep her Instagram and you’ll see what I mean, like hello, can I look that glam working out or jogging or just driving as she does. With 79,000 followers tracking her every fabulous move it’s no wonder she has strangers sending her boxes of roses.
Victoria Silvstedt
@victoriasilvstedt Classics never go out of style. Since I can’t crown her Princess of Monaco I’ll just refer to her as Princess of Style. The Swedish blonde television personality was white hot in a white La Reveche ruffled sundress on board a yacht in the port. Sunlight glinting off her always perfectly tousled hair she was #WEEKENDGOALS for just about everybody. Sometimes it’s just about the simple things in life to keep us happy you know, just a simple white dress on a simple super yacht … clearly I’ve been doing MY Sundays wrong. –
Cat?
cat98000 Well here’s a new entry to my weekend style club after much consideration (and research). I’m still not sure who she is … well, other than incredibly chic. There’s so many things to note with this look that it’s overwhelming me. BUT PLEASE FIRST let’s note that the dog leash is coordinated with Cat’s blouse!! I’m SCREAMING. Like hello attention to detail. Please tell this woman has a closet of dog leashes to match her daily outfits. Oh Monaco, I love you. The Blue Atoll Hermès Kelly bag, the baby blue Chanel jacket, Hermès belt, silver Chanel flats and Dior So Real sunglasses all for brunch. Like this is how I think I look rolling up to the Meridien for eggs and mimosas when in reality I’m in last night’s outfit still.
Looking blue but feeling good, Cat’s not worried that there’s no lifeguard on duty at the beach. She has more important things on her mind … I can only imagine what the doggie poop bags look like.
Antoine
@monsieurlifestyle Oh, hi Antoine, I was wondering when you would make it into this recap. If you’re not familiar with this instahunk (I mean, fashion influencer) get to scrolling. Yes, we will overlook the fact that he hashtags #MenWithClass with inspirational quotes. That is my edict. Now we can continue.
The lifestyle blogger/entrepreneur trekked up from Cannes this weekend to hangout in Monaco, and by hangout I mean just look generally cooler and more handsome than the rest of us. Maybe he wanted to be incognito (sorry, we spotted you anyways) but he looked super slick in a “The Spy Who Loved Me” sort of way in all black wearing Karl Lagerfeld, Mont Blanc and a Maxwell & Scott bag (to carry my heart away in).
Anyway this look is pure hashtag men’s fashion inspiration. You can’t go wrong with black, it flatters all body types from the general blobby masses to Antoine’s Herculean situation. Ok this is getting out of hand. The end.
Trainer’s background: A professional footballer in France, the UK and Israel, Morgan Biancone trained at AS Cannes where David Bettoni (now assistant to Real Madrid’s head coach Zinedine Zidane) recruited him at age 15.
After Israel, he decided to develop a business based on his “Body & Mind” concept and became a certified personal trainer at the Fédération française de Fitness in Paris and also got his American certification with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
Target area: Everything from head to toe. The exercises changed every day but the focus stays the same: self-myofascial release, balance-proprioception (position, motion, and equilibrium), warm-up, full body workout strength and cardio with elastic weights rope, postural improvement and correction, and to finish, stretching and sophrology.
Who’s the workout for: Everybody, but intensity, reps, weights – the whole workout – are all tailored to the client.
What equipment do you need: Training is outdoors (in season). Could be at the helipad or to work the lower body (and burn the legs) at the Fort Antoine Theatre or a flat surface like Stade Louis II to work on sprint technique. Could also be at a client’s home. Material and equipment provided by Morgan.
Few names of clients: Victoria Secret Model Cindy Bruna before various Fashion Weeks, OCG Nice footballer Mickael Le Bihan, AS Monaco footballer Giulian Biancone, Émil Humbert, Monaco architect (Song-Qi, BeefBar)
Hardcore level: “Depends on my mood.” No, seriously, each session is different and is based on the progression and goals of the client, among other factors.
Cost: For one-on-one training (first session is free) €100/hr, 5 1-hr sessions: €450 or 10 for €900. Group rates range from €42.50 to €50/hr/per person.
Heading off to spend 60 minutes with personal trainer Morgan Biancone, I anticipated an overly-buff macho dude more interested in his own biceps than mine. I mean, when you’re dating a Victoria Secret model who was just named the Sexiest Woman in France, it would be a full-time job to make sure you look good, right?
Wrong.
This trainer who spent the last three years between New York and Paris has an endearing nature and depth of experience that are both welcome in Monaco.
And while English- and French-speaking Morgan admits he’s always felt a special attachment to the Principality – “I have everything here, my family, my friends, the Mediterranean Sea – the 24-year-old has a new reason to call Monaco home.
He’s just signed with AS Monaco Futsal, where not only will he play with the indoor football club, but he’ll be the team’s physical trainer and try to recruit the best players to put Monaco at the highest level of the French League.
Unlike football, indoor football is played on court with boundaries, has five players on a team and uses a size-4 ball, which has 30% less bounce. Also, the game is played in 20-minute halves with a stopped clock.
“AS Monaco Futsal has an exciting project to reach an elite level in four years,” Morgan enthused. “I talked with the team coach, Jean Claude Haddad, and he was so open. I sense great energy and see big potential for the team.”
When he’s not developing indoor football in Monaco, Morgan is training minds and bodies. And he’s good at it. “One hour training is the easiest part of your day,” Morgan explained. “It’s the 23 hours after – the invisible training – that are the hardest. What you eat, what you drink, how much sleep you get, your social life. You are in fact your best personal trainer.”
Morgan divides our session into two workouts. A sprint training for my colleague, which included 45 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of sprinting.
And when I say preparation, I’m not talking limp jumping jacks and burpees. Morgan’s sprint session included a roll-on (7 times each muscle), balance-proprioception exercises (30 sec each leg, 3 times), skipping rope (3x1min) plus a global warm up (head to toes, 7min) and activo-dynamic stretching.
Finally, there were dynamic steps on the rhythmic scale, eccentric and specific exercises for the lower part of the body and ballistic exercises.
Then the main event: sprinting with a parachute. “For the experienced athletes, you can add a light relaxation-stretching plus 15 minutes of sophrology after your session,” Morgan suggested, “and it will help your recovery, and you’ll feel a progression in your performance over time.”
I wasn’t allowed to play with parachutes. After completing the Isles of Scilly swimrun in June and then an alpine swimrun in Engadin three weeks later, I have a stress fracture on my left leg. After discussing the nature of my injury and doctor’s advice, Morgan gave me a series of exercises me to assess my movements (overactive and underactive muscles), my balance and morphology. These involved walkable movements, and repetitions with elastics, balance discs and ankle weights.
It’s clear from the get go that Morgan (who never swears by the way) has an extensive sports background and didn’t wake up one day and decide to be a trainer. After an hour of bending, extending and twisting, I had no pain in my left leg, nor did I feel any niggles on my right side from over-compensation. After working on my iPhone syndrome, I felt taller and lighter in the shoulders and neck.
Morgan demonstrated that even with an injury, you can obtain a full body work out and achieve well-being. I’ve worked out with other trainers and walked away feeling, “yeah, that was good.” But with Morgan, I walked away digesting on what he talked about during our training and wanting to Google some of the principles he bases his programs on.
And although Morgan is fun and funny (and you can tease him about the pressure of being a Victoria Secret model’s boyfriend), he’s a thinker. For him, the strength of the mind is equally as important as the body, and he provided me with a reassuring philosophy: a strong mentality is essential in sports but it’s also okay to admit to yourself an injury sucks.
Dmitry Rybolovlev appeared in court in Monaco on Thursday morning charged with “being complicit in violating privacy” and was released to appear at a later date.
The Russian billionaire, and majority owner of AS Monaco, is involved in a long-running dispute with Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier over claims that he was overcharged for a number of iconic art works when Bouvier acted as a middleman.
The criminal charge against Rybolovlev stems from a complaint by Monaco resident Tania Rappo, who introduced Bouvier to Rybolovlev in 2003. She was briefly held in custody along with Bouvier in February 2015, under suspicion of moneylaundering.
The high profile affair took a dramatic turn with the sudden resignation and later arrest of Monaco’s top judicial official, Philippe Narmino, four weeks ago. Narmino, and a lawyer acting for Rybolovlev, Tetiana Bersheda, had come under suspicion of colluding in the original arrest of Bouvier through an exchange of text messages. Both have strenuously denied any wrongdoing.
Monaco’s public prosecutor Jacques Doremieux told AFP that Rybolovlev’s brief court appearance Thursday was a “procedural formality”.
“There’s no questioning and it is referred to another date to be heard on its merits.”
Minister of State Serge Telle and Jean Castellini, Minister of Finance and Economy, have presented an outline of the 2018 Budget, describing it as a “budget of achievements.”
The rebalancing approach initiated in 2011 is continuing with a surplus of revenue expected of €2.9 million in 2018.
With a 0.6 percent increase in revenues compared to 2017 and a reasonable increase in spending of 0.9 percent, the draft 2018 budget is “both a budget achievements and of ambitions for the future”, according to the Minister of State.
Housing for Monegasques has made advances with the Engelin and U Pavayùn projects, the rehabilitation of the Jardins d’Apolline and reinforcement of digital security, and that of the financial sector. Furthermore, there’s been consolidation of the social model in terms of the preservation of public service pensions, health policy, sports and cultural policy.
Future projects include the launch of major urban works (the renovation of Stade Louis II, for example), the restructuring of the Fontvieille shopping centre, the Larvotto development and the installation of Jardin Exotique-Rocher gondolas.
In addition, energy transition will continue in order to further sustainable development and protection of the environment. Discussions with Europe will continue under the conditions set by the Prince Albert, and an increase in assistance in official development and investments in Monaco Explorations.
Ludovic Subran, Chief Economist at Euler Hermes and Head of Macroeconomic Research at Allianz. Photo: SD-Realis/MEB
The economist Ludovic Subran regaled his audience with a brilliant and original analysis on the theme “The United States at the foot of the wall,” at the invitation of the Monaco Economic Board (MEB) at the Hotel Metropole on Tuesday, October 17.
Held in the presence of Jean Castellini, Minister of Finance and Economy, Monaco Junior Chamber of Economy and sponsor Monaco Asset Management, the event attracted some 70 entrepreneurs from the MEB.
Ludovic Subran is Chief Economist at Euler Hermes and Head of Macroeconomic Research at Allianz, one of the leading players in the insurance industry. For more than a decade, he’s been working on the development of economic diagnoses and policies in more than 30 countries and his knowledge is regarded as essential for any company operating internationally.
For this economist, while the American president may have come to the White House on a wave of promises to overturn what had preceded him, in the end he has achieved little. In his view, the fault lies with Trump’s “inability to make the American political system work”. Referring to Trump’s failure to bring about symbolic reforms, such as ending Obamacare and other projects announced with such fanfare during the presidential campaign, he noted their very slow progress.
As a result, the United States has not been able to take full advantage of a favourable global economic context, with growth forecasts of 2% in 2017 and 2.2% in 2018. This he believes is due to lack of credibility, as important as confidence, in the world’s largest economy which is the driving force behind its financing
However, the ineffectiveness of the Trump administration to reform is rather “good news”, limiting the consequences of the very protectionist inclinations of the current White House resident. In addition, Mr Subran noted that markets seem to have learned to manage “political noise” that is often alarmist, smoothing the risks over time.
The economist also highlighted the stakes of the new digital economy, the opportunities that could arise in Europe by the weakening of American leadership and the risks due to potential geopolitical tensions.
The Euler Hermes Group is the world’s leading provider of B2B trading solutions in more than 60 countries, protecting more than €890 billion in commercial transactions worldwide in 2016. The Allianz Group, to which Euler Hermes belongs, is one of the world’s leading insurance groups, which began in Germany but is now present in 70 countries with 140,000 employees, 86 million customers and a turnover in 2016 of more than €120 billion.
MEB’s next event is the Trophies of the Monaco Eco Club on November 28 at the Grimaldi Forum.
PHOTO: Michel Dotta, President Monaco Economic Board, Jean Castellini, Minister of Finance and Economy; Prince Albert Carl Philip of Sweden; Veronika Wand-Danielsson, Ambassador of Sweden to Monaco, Mattias Lindgren, Secretary of State to the Minister of Infrastructure, Robert Wentrup, Business Advisor of Sweden in France -Business Sweden and Jonas Jakobson, Founder of Nordic Equities. Photo: Realis/MEB.
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Victoria Silvstedt
Antoine
Heading off to spend 60 minutes with personal trainer Morgan Biancone, I anticipated an overly-buff macho dude more interested in his own biceps than mine. I mean, when you’re dating a Victoria Secret model who was just named the Sexiest Woman in France, it would be a full-time job to make sure you look good, right?
