The Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo is the latest institution in Monaco to commit to the promotion of sustainable consumption of seafood products by joining the Mr. Goodfish programme.
Following on from the Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo in 2015, Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort and Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo in 2016, and Café de Paris Monte-Carlo in 2019, the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo – in partnership with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation – signed up to the sustainability initiative on Tuesday 18th August.
Managing Director of the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo Ivan Artolli joined Vice-President and Managing Director of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation for the signing of the Mr. Goodfish partnership agreement at the Salon Churchill of the Le Grill restaurant.
“Like other Société des Bains de Mer establishments, it seemed vital to us to participate in the Mr. Goodfish programme to preserve our marine species alongside the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation,” said Ivan Artolli, Managing Director of the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo. “Our objective should be a shared one: to promote a shift in mentalities and awareness of the importance of preserving our planet at all levels.”
Launched in 2010 under the aegis of the Nausicaa aquarium, the Mr. Goodfish programme was born of a simple observation: today, too many fish species are overly consumed and threatened with extinction while many others are barely known, abundant and, above all delicious.
The Prince’s Foundation has co-ordinated the Mr. Goodfish programme in the entire south-east region of France and Monaco since 2013, further to its commitment to preserving marine species. It is for this reason that the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo has committed to the cause.
All the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo restaurants under Executive Chef Franck Cerutti are committed to promoting on their menus the species of fish that are specifically recommended on the Mr. Goodfish lists. This spirit of sustainable fishing will find its place on the menus of the hotel’s restaurants in a genuine commitment pledge.
Some of the dishes to be incorporated this autumn in the Mr. Goodfish programme include chilled blue lobster in a crunchy marinade and fines herbs; locally sourced gilt-head bream; saffron and samphire risotto with cuttlefish and tempura fried squid; and Mediterranean sea bass fillet baked on embers with an aïoli garnish.
The Mr. Goodfish logo will be added to the menus and dishes that are part of the programme will be clearly identified.
The Monaco Stamp Office has released several new designs this summer guaranteed to interest avid collectors and amuse the public-at-large.
Featuring art, animals, current affairs and the Prince, Monaco Stamp Office’s summer stamp offerings are many and varied.
The office puts out new stamps several times a year featuring new designs that are tributes to anniversaries, public figures, or important events in or related to the Principality.
This year, the stamp featuring Prince Albert II also gives a nod to the Covid-19 crisis. The epidemic gave rise to the message emblazoned on the stamp that reads, “Patience, trust, courage and solidarity” with a photo of the Sovereign Prince holding a clear globe. The stamp reminds people of the necessity to be unified in these difficult times, but also that the Prince has a global perspective on the local situation.
There is also a stamp commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Fort Antoine Theatre, using a distinct art deco-feel design. The outdoor amphitheatre has been around since 1970, but became a focal point for cultural events this summer when social distancing rules made indoor occupations impossible, leaving the door open for people to rediscover this special spot during their half century celebration year.
Also in the collection is a stamp showing the painting ‘Indolence’ by impressionist artist Eva Gonzales, whose grandfather was from Monaco.
The environment takes its place on a stamp as well. 2020 is the year of coral at the Oceanographic Museum and to highlight the museum’s latest exhibit, ‘Immersion’, featuring the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Stamp Office has put out a selection of three models to show their commitment to the protection of the reef.
Finally, in honour of the first International Cat Show of Monaco on 26th and 27th September organised by the local organisation De Gati de Munegu, there is a stamp featuring a beauty of a Siberian cat called Jolly d’Artannes.
The next set of original designs will come out in September and are reported to be featuring the new Casino Square and the Italian village of Terlizzi which once was a Grimaldi holding.
British budget airline easyJet has announced it will close or cut back at three UK airports.
EasyJet will be closing up shop or drastically reducing flights at three locations starting on 1st September with a total of 670 job losses. The airports affected are Stansted, Southend and Newcastle Airports, with the biggest blow being a total closure at Southend, which currently services 21 cities.
The decision has been attributed to the fallout from the global pandemic, and the airline has stated that the choice was “difficult”.
Johan Lundgren, easyJet’s chief executive officer said, “We have had to take the very difficult decision to close three UK bases as a result of the unprecedented impact of the pandemic and related travel restrictions, compounded by quarantine measures in the UK which is impacting demand for travel.”
A spokesperson from Southend who spoke to BBC said that the four easyJet airplanes based there carried over a million passengers in 2019.
“These are leisure focused routes, which we expect to be attractive to other airlines, she said. “As such we are in active dialogue with airlines regarding their interest in capitalising on these well-established, profitable routes.”
With a reported 187 jobs at Southend on the line, it clearly is a great loss to the local economy of this south Essex-based airport. EasyJet is not expected to even consider returning until 2025, leaving a large gap in service for travellers in the area.
Southend does not service Nice Côte d’Azur directly, and it is not yet clear how the abridged service will affect passengers going to and from Stansted or Newcastle.
AS Monaco and the optical brand Alain Afflelou have announced the renewal of their partnership agreement for the 2020-21 season.
Afflelou and the Red and Whites have had a long history together, with the first sponsorship deal being struck in 1986 and lasting two seasons. The brand signed on again with the team in 2015 and 2016, then most recently in 2019.
Both the team and the brand are looking to extend their respective spheres of influence and starting this Sunday, with the first game of Ligue 1 for the season against Reims, AS Monaco will be sporting jerseys featuring the Afflelou brand.
The Afflelou Group, founded in 1972 by Alain Afflelou, is the leading optical franchise in France and Spain, with a presence in 18 countries on five continents. They have huge brand recognition in France, with 94% of people in the country saying they know the brand.
“We are delighted with the renewal of our partnership with the Afflelou group,” Oleg Petrov, Vice-President and CEO of AS Monaco, said in a statement. “The longevity of our shared history demonstrates the importance of this link between our two entities. This extension, in this context, strengthens it even more and I am convinced that many successes will accompany our partnership both domestically and abroad.”
Simon Pavitt speaks with British racing driver Chris Buncombe about life supporting best friend Jenson Button and rekindling the Rocket Motorsport name.
Chris Buncombe is a former winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours in LMP2 and had a prolific career in the ‘golden era’ of GT racing behind the wheel of such cars as the Ferrari 575, Maserati MC12 and Corvette C5 GTI. He raced at Le Mans until 2011 with Aston Martin. After a seven-year sabbatical from driving, Chris made a racing comeback in 2018 winning the Blancpain GT Endurance Championship in Pro-Am and was runner up in the Asian Le Mans Series. Chris is best friends with Jenson Button and together they have co-founded Jenson Team Rocket RJN. The team, amongst other racing, will partner with McLaren to run a 720S GT3 in the GT World Challenge. Monaco Life: Chris, why is Monaco so special to you? Chris Buncombe: I fell in love with Monaco when Jenson moved to the Principality in 2000 and I started to spend more and more time here. I am an outdoor person and need sunshine, space and sport. The views of the Cote d’Azur are unrivalled. Monaco feels like a village to me, where I am always only five minutes from catching a friend for coffee or popping somewhere for a meeting. I love zipping about on a scooter around the Principality on, essentially, the most iconic circuit in motorsport. I have a great network of sporty friends that I regularly train with, especially cycling, which the region is great for. Everyone is like-minded here and there’s always a group of people in very close proximity to be able to catch up with. So, there is much less planning required versus London, for example. Let’s go back to what we call the cornerstone phase of a career – growing up and some of the defining moments in getting you to where you are today. Can you tell us more about your early years?
I grew up with a pure passion for racing. My early career began in karting where I drove for Jenson’s father, John Button’s, Rocket Motorsport team. I moved through the junior ranks and loved going racing. I joined the Factory Nissan Europe Team and that’s where I first met Bob Neville who was management at Nissan Motorsport Europe. It’s funny now how it’s come full circle as Bob is the third partner in our new venture with Jenson. Much of our focus is giving back to the sport and so the early memories are always a good reference point. I’ve always remembered the people that would take time to mentor me and the drivers that would be nice in person. It’s important for kids to be inspired when they meet their heroes. What can be a short moment can have a lasting impact as a cornerstone experience. Chris Buncombe Next is what we call your keystone phase, we consider this the time you make your mark, the ‘middle age’ where you make a dent in the world, create and achieve success. When was that?
It’s been an interesting one to look back on. I spent a huge amount of time racing in Le Mans, GT championships etc. But, also as a close friend of Jenson’s, we had a really close group that would support him at F1 race weekends. They were really special times, being there for your friend when he reached the pinnacle of the sport: an F1 World Champion. There was a close-knit group of friends from childhood from Frome, our hometown in the UK. Jenson liked having his family and friends around him, some drivers just prefer having their trainer and manager there. As I was a racer, it helped having knowledge and understanding of the sport. It doesn’t always work having people at the track as they can be a distraction from racing. But we loved going racing all together. Often during the race weekend’s we’d relieve the pressure by chatting about what we would both do after retiring from professional racing. We’d envisage doing Le Mans together, classics, off road etc… so when thinking about peak moments, I had my own highlights, such as winning at Le Mans, but also highlights within a group all supporting Jenson’s mission of reaching the top of F1. What made it special was the long-term friends and close family all together. Do you have any top Monaco memories from the ‘keystone’ phase?
The year Jenson won the F1 World Championship, in 2009, he also won the Monaco GP – every racer’s dream and amazing times celebrating with the likes of his dad, John. We then had to follow him to support him in his fight for the Championship so I ended up supporting at 15 races that year. I was also able to build a business around Grand Prix hospitality and events. We’ve hosted on yachts for many years at the GP. One year, Jenson was out of the race early so came straight to the yacht to watch from there. That’s a pretty unique experience for sponsors and guests on the yacht and also for the driver… what other sport in the world can you start a race knowing you could either end up on the podium or on a superyacht? There’s a great video on YouTube of Kimi Raikkonen doing so in 2006.
We would host sponsors around the Grand Prix and it was always rewarding to bring them into the sport. Nothing beats being firmly at the centre of the action of the Monaco GP weekend. Many who experience F1 at Monaco are then hooked on the sport for life. Chris Buncombe in McLaren So, onto our focus now, the capstone phase. We like to look at what someone does after they’ve reached the top of their game, mastered their craft. What is next for you?
I would say we are both in a bit of a transitioning phase at the moment. We are both still racing in various championships but have one eye on capstone thinking. We are actioning now the plans we used to discuss at F1 weekends. For both of us, it’s about giving back and thinking more about helping others. We want to make sure that young drivers have the chance to go racing and ensure that they are enjoying it rather than having too much pressure at a young age.
A few dots have joined at the same time which has enabled us to form Jenson Team Rocket RJN. We were chatting to our friend Bob Neville who was running the Nismo GT racing team with Nissan. They were at a crossroads and we felt this was the right opportunity and time to all come together. Our vision is to use our experience and passion to be at the forefront of the next generation of motorsport. Our future is supporting young talent across a range of different mediums including the growth of women’s sport, the need for sustainability and the opportunity eSports provides in removing the barriers to entry into the sport. We want to rekindle the Rocket Motorsport name. It seems that you were happy to be a Wingman to Jenson in order to support him to reach the top of motorsport. Now you are more about your joint ambitions.
Yes, it’s now about shared ambitions and endeavours. Jenson’s late father John started Rocket Motorsport in the 1990’s as a karting team to help young drivers. Our team now successfully transitions drivers from the virtual to real world as the professional team for the World’s Fastest Gamer Competition. We have the opportunity for the team to compete in numerous championships and race series in the future from Extreme E (electric vehicle off-road racing) to W-Series (all-female single seater racing) to eSports. We also both have a vision of us racing in the same team at an endurance race like Le Mans in the future. It’s time for us to be Wingmen to each other but also to many others around us. What is driving your passion?
As I mentioned, we are at the start of this new journey so it’s exciting to push to see where this takes us in the future. I want to leave a legacy and ensure I give back more to the sport so it’s in a better place from me being a part of it. We have shown already proof points for our potential. From supporting emerging drivers to getting more youngsters choosing careers in engineering. Our team’s chief engineer has come through the ranks having been with us since graduating. I am driven to create more of those examples. Final thoughts… Why do people undertake capstones?
It’s enabling me to think about ‘what next’ in my life post professional racing. It’s giving me a purpose and something beyond just my own racing career and striving for personal championships. It’s a nice feeling to be free of certain constraints in order to think ‘what next?’ for our team and mission. It’s a chance to redress certain balances in life. Ideally, it will be closely linked to Monaco whether that’s due to sponsors, team members, partnerships, collaborations or simply the team racing on the circuit. It’s about designing life and projects to fit our future needs as well as being able to help many others at the start of their career. Monaco, hopefully, will continue to be a key part of that.
More details about Chris can be found here: www.rocket-motorsport.com
In his regular column for Monaco Life, Simon Pavitt, pioneer in helping remarkable individuals with their ‘capstones’, talks to those in the Principality about how they are finding meaning and fulfilment through passion projects that are beyond their day to day business. Simon’s focus is around the ‘non-financial’ motivations of success of the projects. Capstones include the likes of philanthropy, sports team, venture, wine and adventure projects.
Top photo: Jenson Button (left) and Chris Buncombe (right)
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