The biggest haute cuisine names in Monaco will come together this autumn for the Festival des Etoilés, a series of exceptional evenings of gastronomy and art de vivre. Here’s what we know so far.
The 2023 Festival des Etoilés – or Festival of the Starred – will follow a similar format to the two incredibly popular editions that went before it: a Michelin-starred chef from one of Société des Bains de Mer’s (SBM) top restaurants will partner with another internationally-recognised talent for two nights of glorious haute cuisine dining ahead of a grand finale featuring a number of Monaco’s most iconic chefs.
Last year saw Yannick Alléno, Alain Ducasse, Dominique Lory and Marcel Ravin put their heads together for the menu of the black-tie closing night – a stunning culmination of weeks of fine dining across the Principality – and several of these chefs will be participating again in the third edition.
Michelin-starred chefs from across the Principality
Already confirmed is the two Michelin-starred Ravin of the Blue Bay, who will join with three Michelin-starred Julien Royer, a French chef most well-known for his prized Odette in Singapore and for having won Les Grandes Tables’ “Restaurateur of the Year 2022”. Together they will launch the festival on 29th and 30th September at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort. Their menu, which will be taking on the theme of “Garden Gastronomy”, will be available on both nights and costs €690 per person with food and the Grand Cru Champagne pairing of La Grande Dame cuvée from Maison Veuve Clicquot.
Next up on 13th and 14th October is a collaboration between the Hôtel de Paris’ Lory and British chef Jason Atherton. For €450 at Le Grill, the duo will be serving up “a moment of conviviality and generosity” on the eighth floor of this prestigious address.
Then on 27th and 28th October, Emmanuel Pilon of Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris and Amaury Bouhours, Head Chef at Le Meurice Alain Ducasse in Paris, will host another round of exceptional cookery inspired by the Mediterranean and “cuisine de l’essentiel” in the presence of the celebrated Ducasse. Each seat costs €900, including drinks.
The grand finale gala dinner
This year’s Festival des Etoilés is set to wrap up on 11th November with a gala dinner in the Salle Empire of the Hôtel de Paris. Ducasse himself will be cooking alongside Pilon, Ravin, Alléno and Lory as SBM’s greatest chefs present a menu of their own signature dishes.
The prices and entertainment for the night is yet to be confirmed, but stay tuned as Monaco Life will be giving you the low down as soon as we know all the details.
Reservations can already be made for the first three occasions via the SBM website, which is available here.
Make sure you’re never left out of the conversation.
Sign up for the Monaco Life newsletter, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Photo credit: Vergely Benjamin / Monte-Carlo SBM