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Day: 9 May 2022

Monaco rallies behind Alléno after son’s death

by: Cassandra Tanti
09/05/2022

Michelin star Chef Yannick Alléno, who just opened the Pavyllon at the Hermitage Hotel, has lost his son in a tragic road accident in Paris.

24-year-old Antoine Alléno was stopped at traffic lights in the 7th arrondissement when he was struck by a speeding Audi RS6, which had reportedly been stolen shortly after 11pm. The victim died at the scene, while his passenger and the driver of a VTC were transported to hospital in a critical condition.

The driver, who was reportedly wanted by police to serve a prison sentence for drink driving, fled on foot before being apprehended by an off-duty policeman.

Antoine Alléno had trained as a chef under his father, who has held three-Michelin stars since 2007, and was embarking on his own bright career. He opened the restaurant Burger Père et Fils with his father last year.

“It is with deep sadness that Chef Yannick Alléno, his mother Isabelle, his brother Thomas, his family, as well as the teams of the Yannick Alléno Group, inform you of the death of their son, brother, colleague and friend, Antoine, victim of a road accident which occurred on the night of May 8 in Paris,” said his family in a press release. “In this painful period, the Alléno family and their loved ones are very sensitive to the benevolence and understanding of all, while respecting their privacy.”

Yannick Alléno joined the Société des Bains de Mer in Monaco at the start of 2021 to take the reins of the Vistamar at the Hôtel Hermitage. Just two weeks ago, the chef, who currently holds 13 stars, unveiled there the Monte-Carlo version of his famous Pavyllon restaurant.

 

SEE ALSO:

Yannick Alléno unveils Pavyllon Monte-Carlo

 

 

Photo of Yannick Alléno by Monaco Life

 

 

 

Monaco takes zero tolerance approach to speedsters

by: Cassandra Tanti
09/05/2022

Rev-heads beware. The Monaco government has issued a warning that any dangerous behaviour on the roads during the Historic and F1 grand prix, as well as the Top Marques car show, will result in instant vehicle confiscation for five days.

The next few weeks is all about fast cars in Monaco, with the Historic Grand Prix set to take place from 13th May, followed by the Monaco Grand Prix from 26th May and Top Marques from 8th June.

In addition to an influx of car lovers to the Principality, authorities are also anticipating some rule breakers who get caught up in the hype of the events.

“Very often unscheduled, these gatherings of sports cars give rise to the commission of traffic offenses and inappropriate and dangerous behavior,” said the government in a statement. “The will of the Prince’s Government is to curb the phenomena mentioned as much as possible, but also to fight more effectively against the perpetrators of occasional nuisances and thus preserve the peace and public safety of the residents of the Principality.”

Therefore, the government is increasing the length of time it will impound the cars of anyone violating traffic laws to five days, or 120 hours, throughout the duration of the three events.

 

 

Photo by Jannis Lucas on Unsplash

 

 

 

Ikea opening doors to Riviera store this week

by: Stephanie Horsman
09/05/2022

The popular Swedish housewares super store Ikea is finally opening in Nice Saint-Isidore on 11th May, giving long-suffering shoppers of the brand a close and convenient option.

After years of making the trek to Toulon or Genoa to pick up all those items one needs but doesn’t really need – a hallmark of Ikea shopping – patrons on the Riviera will this week have their very own branch to go to.

The Nice Saint-Isidore location boasts eco-friendly construction and standards, making it one of the first of a new generation of environmentally conscious super stores in the region. The roof is lined with 3,100 solar panels which the company estimates will meet 40% of their energy needs. Additionally, the grounds have approximately 10,000 m2 of green areas to blend in with the surrounding landscape.

The store is accessible by tram from Centre-Ville Nice, allowing shoppers to leave their cars at home, and it has a massive 32,000m2 surface area. For those who do drive, 1,700 parking spaces are on-site for convenience.

Over 360 employees will be “á votre service” between 10am and 8pm, Monday to Saturday, with the market specialising in Scandinavian treats open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm.

Though this location is new, it will be comforting to know that the store itself is based on the same model as every other Ikea in the world. There will be the vast array of flat-pack furniture items, home accessories and plants that everyone knows and loves, with home deliveries and assembly services for fitted kitchens and other furniture  available.

 

 

Leclerc pipped by Verstappen in inaugural Miami GP

by: Luke Entwistle
09/05/2022

Amidst humid conditions in the Sunshine State, the on-track action took a while to heat up on Sunday as Max Verstappen fought off a late Charles Leclerc surge to take an historic victory.

Despite Verstappen’s victory, Charles Leclerc still retains a comfortable championship lead, with 19 points separating the rivals. Red Bull’s pace must nonetheless be a concern for the Monegasque driver.

Leclerc revealed he was “understandably disappointed to miss out on first place”. Up until Sunday’s main event, it was a weekend of contrasting fortunes for the two rivals. Whilst Leclerc managed to get plenty of laps in during the practice sessions, reliability concerns once again limited Red Bull to just a handful of laps. Not ideal when you’re trying to familiarise yourself with a brand new circuit.

It was only logical therefore that Leclerc took pole from team-mate Carlos Sainz, with Verstappen taking third. The Dutchman, however, wasted no time making up for Saturday’s disappointing showing as he overtook Sainz at turn 1. With Leclerc’s rear-gunner out of the picture, another Leclerc-Verstappen classic beckoned.

To the surprise of many, it was the Red Bull who seemed to have the superior race pace and Verstappen made light work of taking the lead, passing Leclerc with a simple DRS move on lap nine. In an attempt to keep pace with Verstappen, Leclerc began to make rudimentary errors as he lost touch with the leader whilst wearing-out his tyres in the process.

The race seemed to be trundling along to its natural conclusion without too much on-track excitement, but a collision between Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly towards the end of the race brought out the safety car and bunched the pack back together.

The main benefactor was George Russell, as he made his first and only pit-stop during this window; the Brit eventually sealed fifth in a stunning drive from 12th on the grid to finish ahead of his team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who once again bemoaned the team’s “unkind” strategy.

11 laps remained when the safety car came in and Leclerc immediately went on the offensive. Suddenly, his hard tyres had switched on, and he managed to get within DRS range of Verstappen. But that was as good as it got. Verstappen managed to hold position and even create a gap in the last laps as he capped his perfect Sunday win with a fastest lap.

Behind the front two, it was Sainz who held onto third from Carlos Perez, who could have got on the podium if not for an impatient lunge down the Spaniards’ inside at turn one, which subsequently cost Perez time and grip.

For large swathes of the race, the cameras instead followed around the many celebrities in attendance at the Miami circuit. David Beckham was amongst the A-listers in Florida, and the former England international enjoyed a pre-race kick-about with Leclerc (click on image above to watch).

“I thought the atmosphere was amazing this weekend,” said Leclerc. “There was a really great show around the race and I’m looking forward to coming back.”

It remains to be seen as to whether, when he does return next year, he will do so as the World Champion. It certainly looks as though Verstappen will give him a close ride.

 

Photo source: Scuderia Ferrari Media Centre

 

 

The award winning rose

by: Stephanie Horsman
09/05/2022

Organised by the Association of Friends of the Princess Grace Rose Garden, the 6th International Rose Competition has found its overall winner with a Catherine Frot rose grown by Marie-Françoise Dorieux.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, said Juliet of her Romeo, but perhaps she would have felt differently if she had been amongst the selection on hand at the 6th International Rose Competition held at the Princess Grace Rose Garden on 4th May.

The jury examined over 70 varieties of roses on several criteria including number of flowers, how many weeks they flowered, disease resistance, fragrance, colour, floridity, rise and vigour of the foliage.

The International Jury met in the Princess Grace Rose Garden for a final examination of the roses before deliberating and sharing a moment with the participants, members of the Association of Friends of the Rose Garden chaired by Yves Piaget, and the Department of Urban Development (DAU) who co-organised the event.

Later that day, a prize giving ceremony was held at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort.

The top prize, the Piaget Rose Trophy, went to the Catherine Frot rose from Marie-Françoise Dorieux, who competed under the ‘Multiple Flowers’ category. The Eudora rose from French company NIRP International, which was in the ‘Hybrid Tea’ category, won the Perfume Cup, offered by the Monaco City Hall.

The organisers are also looking to the people of Monaco to decide on their favourite as well. From 5th May to 21st June, members of the public can vote on their preferred flower by going to https://www.facebook.com/GvtMonaco/posts/349081873979715 and hitting “like” on their choice. The rose with the most votes will receive the People’s Prize, which will be handed out on 21st June.

 

 

Photo source: Government Communication Department

 

 

 

Roca Team mark domestic return with a win

by: Luke Entwistle
09/05/2022

AS Monaco Basketball scraped a victory against Le Mans on Saturday (83-84), as they made their first appearance in the Betclic Elite since their Euroleague exit against Olympiacos on Wednesday.

Focus has well and truly shifted back to the domestic division. The dream of Euroleague glory has been extinguished, but the chances of becoming French champions still remain realistic. Sasa Obradovic’s men have already secured qualification to the end-of-season play-offs; the remaining fixtures are simply about facilitating the kindest possible draw.

Following Sunday’s win, Monaco are second in the Betclic Elite, one win behind leaders Lyon-Villeurbanne, although the former have a game-in-hand.

After their midweek exploits, Donta Hall and Mike James were rested for the Le Mans trip, whilst Alpha Diallo remains sidelined by injury. The hope is that he will be fit and firing by the time the play-offs come around, given how integral Obradovic perceives the young American to be to his game-plan.

Yakuba Outtara, following his strong showing in Greece, propelled Monaco to an ideal start, scoring 12 of the Roca Team’s opening 16 points, as they took a slender first-quarter lead. Le Mans, however, have much more riding on the fixture, their determination to pierce the play-off places gave rise to an energetic performance as Monaco struggled to create openings outside the key, whilst also forcing Obradovic’s men into errors.

Going into the half-time break, Monaco had to come back out and overturn a deficit (40-39). The visitors, however, have the quality and strength-in-depth. Dwayne Bacon and Donatas Motiejunas stepped-up in the third-quarter to allow Monaco to retake the lead.

Monaco could never reel away, and Le Mans gave them a late scare as they retook the lead with under two minutes on the clock. However, the Roca Team had enough to see the game out, a late Le Mans three-pointer brought the gap back down to just one, but it wasn’t enough to force overtime (83-84).

“We showed a lot of character,” said Obradovic post-match. “We fought really well, especially in the second-half when Le Mans went ahead and we had to go and chase the victory.”

“It was an important match to jump back into the French championship and prepare for these play-offs. We want to have the best possible ranking in the table.”

Only three games remain before the end-of-season play-offs, the first of which will take place at the Salle Gaston Medecin against Nanterre on Wednesday.