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Month: June 2024

Sohn Monaco investment conference to host Europe’s top hedge fund managers

by: Niki Borisova
20/06/2024
Sohn Conference

The Sohn Monaco Investment Conference will soon return for its fourth edition, gathering Europe’s top hedge fund managers for discussions on new investment strategies and ideas at an event that will also be raising funds for paediatric cancer care and research. 

On Wednesday 26th June, the Yacht Club de Monaco will host the 2024 Sohn Monaco Investment Conference. This annual event is part of the global Sohn Conference series and brings together leading hedge fund managers for roundtable talks on investment strategies.   

Founded in 1995 to honour Ira Sohn, a Wall Street professional who succumbed to cancer at the age of 29, the Sohn Conference Foundation has since expanded to 11 cities across five continents and has, to date, raised more than $95 million in donations from the international financial sector.  

“Sohn Monaco offers a unique perspective for leading investors in the hedge fund industry,” says Evan Sohn, Vice President and Co-founder of The Sohn Conference Foundation. “The growing success of the conferences has enabled the Foundation to benefit children’s causes and scientific research worldwide.” 

See more: Paediatric cancer: CSM reports encouraging results following clinical trials

This event in Monaco, which will be chaired by Justin Hilbert and Florence Tournier, will feature prominent individuals from the European hedge fund industry. Previous speakers have included notable financial experts such as: Guido Maria Brera of Kairos Partners; Jean Castellini, Monaco’s Minister of Finance and the Economy; and Jian Shi Cortesi of GAM Investment Management. 

The beneficiaries of the funds raised at the upcoming conference include the Division of Paediatric Hematology-Oncology at the University Hospital of Nice, the French National Institute INSERM and the Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer in Paris.   

The event will begin at 12pm with a welcome lunch, followed by the conference from 1.30pm until 6pm. Later that evening, attendees and speakers will be given the opportunity to socialise and network.  

Tickets cost €1,000 per person and can be purchased here. 

 

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Photo source: Sohn Conference Foundation

Monaco’s The Niwaki to host European Sushi Championship

by: Stephanie Horsman
20/06/2024
european sushi championship

The Japanese restaurant on Monaco’s Avenue Princesse Grace, The Niwaki, has been chosen as the host venue for the European Sushi Championship, which will see nine chefs from the continent battle it out for the winner’s title later this year.  

Although not scheduled to take place until 4th November, anticipation is already building for this second-ever edition of the European Sushi Championship to be held in Monaco.  

The competition will showcase the talents of nine chefs from throughout Europe, including France’s Tino Singharaj, who recently claimed the 2024 French Sushi Championship title. The other nations set to appear in the line-up are Belgium, Spain, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and Monaco.  

HOW IT WORKS 

The competition is two-fold: there is a 60-minute preparatory round for chefs to plan and prepare the raw materials that will go into their final dishes, and then the creative round, where they are tasked with plating 40 to 50 imaginative pieces of sushi that must include nigiri, maki, uramaki, kazari-maki, kazari-sushi, vegetarian sushi and 15 pieces of sashimi in a strict one-hour time limit.  

A panel of five judges, featuring prestigious names such as Hirotoshi Ogawa, the President of the World Sushi Skills Institute, and Michaël Pankar, last year’s European Sushi Championship winner and 2023 World Vice-Champion, will then select their winner based on six main criteria.  

These include: workspace cleanliness and organisation; appearance and nigiri preparation skill; appearance and look of the maki; appearance and presentation of sashimi; risk-taking creativity in final products; and general appearance of the plate.  

For more information about the event, click here. 

Read related:

Photos: French sushi chef takes the win at inaugural European Sushi Championship

 

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Photo source: The Niwaki, Facebook

 

What is going on with the weather in Monaco?

by: Elsa Carpenter
20/06/2024
weather in monaco

From the sand-stained rain to storm warnings and a yellow weather alert, the current conditions in Monaco, as well as across the Riviera, couldn’t be less like the usual sunshine and balmy temperatures that residents and tourists have come to expect on the first day of summer. 

Right across the region, people looked out their windows on Wednesday morning and were greeted with a peculiar haze that barely lifted throughout the day. Clouds and air heavy with dust particles from the Sahara Desert seemed to envelop the Riviera, largely blocking out the sunlight and creating a strange overcast atmosphere from sea to mountains.  

As the rain began to fall over the course of the day, the droplets turned muddy, leaving vehicles and streets streaked with traces of the Saharan sand.  

By the morning of Thursday 20th June, officially the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the dust appeared to have settled, but in its place were rain clouds and the threat of storms to come later in the day. A yellow weather alert has been activated.  

“Strong storm instability”

According to Météo France, the weather conditions experienced by the south of France and Monaco in recent days have been caused by “a descent of cold air at high altitude currently positioned off the Iberian Peninsula” and a rise of warm and humid air from the south. Combined, these factors are “associated with strong storm instability”.  

Earlier this week, the Monaco Government warned of increasingly poor air quality and advised those vulnerable to the unusual conditions to limit exercise and time spent outdoors.  

“According to air quality measurements conducted by the Environmental Directorate, the information threshold of 50 µg/m³ for fine particles (PM10) is likely to be reached on Wednesday 19th June,” shared a spokesperson for the government. “Starting Friday 21st June, weather conditions should allow for better dispersion and a decrease in the concentration of fine particles in the ambient air.” 

The weather is set to considerably improve on Friday 21st June, but the Riviera could be in for even more rain and bad weather next week, with forecasts predicting the possibility of extended stormy conditions between Sunday 23rd and Wednesday 26th June.  

Read related:

Blue Flag: French Riviera beaches among the cleanest in the country 

 

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok. 

 

Photo by Monaco Life

Marius Monaco replaces Conscientiae at former Stars’n’Bars premises

by: Stephanie Horsman
20/06/2024
marius monaco

The Principality has welcomed the talents of another Michelin-starred chef to its ever-growing list of restaurants and vibrant gourmet scene, this time in the form of Sébastien Sanjou, who is collaborating with Marc Dussoulier and Stars’n’Bars’ Didier Rubiolo to run the recently unveiled Marius Monaco on the Quai des Artistes in Port Hercule.  

Prince Albert II of Monaco was among the many guests invited to the opening of Marius earlier this month. The concept, which was launched on 14th June in the premises that were once home to Stars’n’Bars and then later Conscientiae, is a nod to classic Mediterranean and Provençal traditions, blended with a vision that only a Michelin-starred chef can offer.   

L-R: Marc Dussoulier, Niall Robinson, Prince Albert II, Sébastien Sanjou and Didier Rubiolo. Photo credit: Michael Alesi / Palais Princier de Monaco

The new restaurant is a joint effort between the former manager of Le Plongeoir in Nice, Marc Dussoulier, Didier Rubiolo from Stars’n’Bars and the two-starred chef, Sébastien Sanjou, who has previously headed up the kitchens of Le Relais des Moines in the Var, Trente-Trois and La Residence in Paris, and La Voile d’Or in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.

“An ode to the Mediterranean”

Speaking about the new venture, Sanjou said, “Marius is a new opportunity for Monaco to discover a simple, authentic and sustainable approach to food: tasty, generous and accessible with the freshest high-quality ingredients from local producers. Marius is in essence an ode to the Mediterranean and its Provençal traditions.” 

The menu features familiar yet elevated ingredients, from violet artichokes à la barigoule, braised octopus and Mediterranean langoustines to sage-smoked chicken and a Piedmont beef fillet.  

There are sharing plates as well, including the perennial favourite of aïoli, lamb shoulder with a thyme and garlic confit, and roasted fish with a sauce vierge.   

For a sweet treat to finish off the meal, there’s a comforting rice pudding made with Tahitian vanilla, tarte aux fraises or chocolate mousse, as well as many other tempting choices. Meanwhile, the wine menu boasts a selection of over 400 vintages, rounding out the overall experience.   

As for the interior, it is inviting: all softly curved chairs, bench seats and sofas, beautiful marble-top tables and ambient lighting. The outdoor space overlooks Port Hercule and boasts a classically nautical feel with blue and white striped seating.   

The interior of the restaurant on Port Hercule’s Quai Antoine Ier. Photo credit: Lisa Derea Photography

Marius Monaco is open seven days a week for both lunch and dinner.  

 

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Photo source: Marius Monaco

Podcast: VistaJet’s Simon Rochefort talks elite travel

by: Cassandra Tanti
20/06/2024

In this podcast, Cassandra Tanti chats to Simon Rochefort, Vice-President in charge of sales at VistaJet, a company founded by Thomas Flohr win 2004 that has revolutionised business aviation. 

Simon Rochefort talks about how many HNWIs are using private jets in this post-Covid world, why flying private makes sense for today’s elite business leaders, and where sustainability fits into VistaJet’s business mission.

 

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok. 

 

 

Bugatti’s ‘Trois panthères marchant’ sells for record-breaking sum

by: Stephanie Horsman
20/06/2024
Trois panthères marchant

Rembrandt Bugatti’s 1905 bronze Trois panthères marchant sold for the record sum of €3,678,400 at a recent Impressionist and Modern art auction hosted by Bonhams in Paris earlier this month. 

The piece was one of 69 lots sold by the auction house on 5th June, and it smashed all previous records for any of Bugatti’s other works.  

The troubled Italian artist, the brother of the automobile world’s Ettore Bugatti, is considered one of the most important sculptors of the early 20th century. Only a handful of pieces known to have been created by Bugatti are in existence, due in part to his life being cut tragically short by his suicide at the age of 31.  

A common theme among his precious creations is wildlife. Bugatti was particularly fond of exotic animals and panthers were one of his favourite subjects, with the artist quoted as once having called them his “companions in life and work”. 

He became acquainted with these majestic cats at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, and it is said he felt a kinship to these animals. He observed them daily, working from vantage points where he could watch unnoticed.  

Speaking about the sale of Bugatti’s Trois panthères marchant in early June, Bénédicte van Campen, Bonhams’ Senior International Specialist, said, “This is the strongest result for a work by Rembrandt Bugatti ever seen at auction. Featured on the cover of the catalogue raisonné of the artist’s work, written by Véronique Fromanger, this unique piece is the most iconic sculpture by the artist, exceptional by its size and its beautiful patina.” 

The total sales for the day came to €5.2 million. Among the lots that sold was a rare early Picasso landscape from 1900, El campanar de l’esglesia del Pi, which went for €762,400, and a pencil drawing, Étude de crânes, montre molle, fontaine, soulier et main, by Salvador Dalí, which sold for €53,740.  

Read related:

Monaco Auction Week returning in July with exquisite accessories and rare collectors’ items

 

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Photo source: Bonhams