Francesco Totti is the latest blockbuster name to be confirmed for next Tuesday’s World Stars Football Match, joining a whole grid’s worth of Formula 1 greats, both past and present.
The match will take place at the Stade Louis II, and the build-up to the star-studded event is only intensifying. AS Roma legend Francesco Totti, who made 619 appearances for the Italian club, as well as winning the World Cup with the Italian national side, is the latest to join the AS Star Team for the Children MC, managed by Claudio Ranieri and current France manager Didier Deschamps.
Joining Totti will be team captain Prince Albert II, Louis Ducruet, AS Monaco legends Jerome Rothen and Ludovic Giuly, two-time Monte-Carlo Masters winner Stefanos Tsitsipas, Nico Rosberg, ROKiT Venturi Racing team principal Jérôme d’Ambrosio and many more.
For the F1 Drivers Team, almost the entire 2022 grid will be present, including current World Champion Max Verstappen and the current Monégasque Championship leader Charles Leclerc. The latter also featured in the Fight Aids Cup back in January.
The event will open the 79th Formula 1 Grand Prix week and the funds raised will go towards helping children in need all over the world. Speaking before the event, Totti said, “I am proud to be a part of this team and this charity event. I have always made every effort so that football and sport can help children and new generations all over the world. It will be a great joy for me to become part of Prince Albert II of Monaco’s team and play a game that represents these values.”
Mauro Serra, AS Star Team for the Children MC Executive President added, “This year is very important because we celebrate 30 years of our association and we will play this unique game for the 29th time.”
The event is free to attend for U14s provided they are accompanied by an adult. Tickets go on sale from Saturday, and can be purchased at the Stade Louis II Stadium ticket office from 09:00-18:00 up until game day, with prices ranging from €12-15 for adults.
The event is a great opportunity to watch the stars of football and F1 come together, as the build-up to one of the most important dates in the Monégasque calendar begins, and does so for a positive, charitable cause.
MEB makes business ties with USA, Vietnam and Djibouti
The Monaco Economic Board has accomplished three missions with three very different entities in the past month, starting with a trip to the United States, followed by two locally-based forums with Vietnam and Djibouti.
It’s been a busy few weeks for the Monaco Economic Board (MEB), who have been on the go and on the ground forging new relationships with countries around the globe, notably the USA, Vietnam and Djibouti.
Guillaume Rose, Executive Director of the MEB, explains that “By multiplying the meetings with quality interlocutors from all over the world, we strive to offer a maximum of business opportunities to Monegasque companies with an international outlook. These actions are intended to make Monaco a business hub within Southern Europe, and to further strengthen our strong appeal to economic decision-makers around the world. In this regard, we welcome the recent appointment of Frédéric Genta. This is an asset that can help tip the balance of economic decisions in our favour.”
On 29th April, MEB reps Michel Dotta, Justin Highman and Guillaume Rose visited the American state of Indiana where they were received by Governor Eric Holcomb and his Secretary of Commerce Bradley Chambers. They were treated to a business luncheon and later,a cocktail event, where several MEB member companies were in attendance.
Governor Holcomb is pushing for interactivity between his state and Europe, and the connections and opportunities between the Principality and Indiana were strengthened via discussions on energy transitions, electric car technology, sustainability and innovation, and of course, motorsport with the Andretti Autosport team taking part in the Formula E race.
Europe is one of the leading regions for Indiana in terms of foreign direct investment and business ties. Within this region, Monaco enjoys an excellent image with Indiana, particularly for the dynamism of its yachting sector, but also for its resilience in times of crisis.
From left to right: Philippe Ortelli, Jean-Jacques Robin, Youssouf Moussa Dawaleh, Frédéric Geerts, Guillaume Rose, Ayeid Mousseid Yahya, Alexis Mohamed, Jordana Remon-Coubeche, Justin Highman. Photo by MEB/ Carte Blanche
On 4th May, the MEB organised an economic conference dedicated to Vietnam at the Novotel Monte-Carlo. Vietnam, considered one of the “Asian Tiger” countries, is looking at a 6% GDP rebound in 2022, making them an attractive place to do business with. Additionally, the country of 98 million has opened up to free trade agreements with Europe in recent times, making them a good alternative to the Chinese.
Toan Thang DINH, Ambassador of Vietnam in France and Monaco, and Quôc Cuong DAO, in charge of investment promotion, presented the economic assets of their country to about 50 key leaders, before the Asian delegation visited two Monaco companies who are already active in their nation, 3xEngineering and SIAMP CEDAP.
Finally, on 9th May, the Monaco Economic Board, in partnership with the Club of Monegasque Entrepreneurs in Africa (CEMA), represented by its President
Frédéric Geerts and his Secretary General Denis Ruyant, organised an economic forum intended to intensify business relations between Monaco and the Republic of Djibouti, a country with a population of one million that enjoys a strategic location at the entrance to the Red Sea.
Bilateral economic presentations started off the day, leading to the signing of memoranda of understanding between the Chamber of Commerce of Djibouti and the MEB as well as a BtoB meeting session.
Maritime transport was the primary focus, but hardly the only, with meetings dedicated to finance, renewable energies, tourism, logistics and telecoms on the agenda. In the end, over 60 meetings brought Monaco and Djiboutian business people together.
During their stay in the Principality, the members of the Djiboutian delegation also visited members of “Team Monaco” who work to promote the Principality’s international influence: the MonacoTech incubator-accelerator, the Monaco Scientific Center and the Oceanographic Museum.
Photo: Frédéric Genta and Guillaume Rose with Eric Holcomb and the delegation in Indiana, by MEB/Carte Blanche
Revealed: the A-listers to be honoured at Monaco Streaming Film Festival
Some of Hollywood’s biggest names will be given accolades at the upcoming Monaco Streaming Film Festival’s Gala Awards ceremony, the only festival that is solely focused on video-on-demand content.
The 2nd Monaco Streaming Film Festival, running from 31st May to 2nd June at the Grimaldi Forum, is presenting a grand finale with the Streaming Awards Gala on Friday 3rd June at Le Meridien Beach Plaza Hotel.
The gala will feature some of Tinseltown’s biggest names, including Avatar writer and director James Cameron, who will be receiving the Reg Grundy Innovation Award, Bond-series producer Barbara Broccoli, celebrities Jeff Fahey, Victoria Smurfit, Mark Wahlberg, and Patricia Arquette, to name but a few.
As reported on by Monaco Life in April, the event, created by Tony Davis, is a powerful forum for the streaming content community, giving players a chance to network, communicate more easily and learn about the latest opportunities in this not-so-niche part of the entertainment industry.
Additionally, there will be free premieres and screenings to highlight some of the newest offerings in the streaming content world. Upward of a hundred films will be presented over the three-day period, made up of 20 feature length offerings and 80 shorts. There are also three black tie premiere evenings, which require advance tickets and include a cocktail event preceding the screening.
The festival itself will have a series of summits, conferences, keynotes and panel discussions with people in the know in video-on-demand (VOD) production and distribution, including talks on the future of Ad-based VOD (AVOD), Subscription VOD (SVOD) and Transactional VOD (TVOD) models.
Monégasque manufacturer ROKiT Venturi Racing bounced back from a difficult weekend on home soil to take consecutive podiums over two races in the German capital.
Key to their revival was Edoardo Mortara. The Swiss driver scored podiums in both races, including a victory from pole position on Saturday. Having expertly controlled the first-part of the race, Mortara was made to race in the second to ensure the lights-to-flag victory.
After taking his second boost, he fell behind Jean-Eric Vergne and Monaco winner Stoffel Vandoorne. Mortara made easy work of Vergne, before getting the job done on Vandoorne a couple of laps later to retake the lead.
Vergne, however, had a fan boost, and used it to good effect. The former F1 driver took a podium in Monaco a fortnight ago, but was looking for more in Germany. He launched an audacious move on Vandoorne and then on the leader Mortara. Although he made his first move stick, Vergne went too deep on the second and Mortara switched back on him to take the chequered flag. Vergne and Vandoorne rounded off the podium.
Lucas Di Grassi, meanwhile, had a difficult qualifying and then didn’t finish in the race, but the Brazilian’s fortunes turned-around on Sunday. He was still out-performed by team-mate Edoardo Mortara, who secured second-place having qualified on pole.
Nyck de Vries, who made a first corner lunge to jump from third to first, controlled the race from start to finish to secure his second win of the season. Di Grassi was pipped to the final podium position by Vandoorne late-on as the Belgian snuck down the inside of Di Grassi, despite the Venturi driver’s best attempts to shut the door.
It was a hugely successful weekend for the Monégasque team, who move up to second in the Formula E Championship. Mortara is also back in the hunt for the Drivers’ Championship, but still has work to do to catch Vandoorne, who has a 12-point lead.
“This weekend has been phenomenal and I’m extremely proud of the entire team for what we’ve been able to achieve,” Team principal Jérôme D’Ambrosio said. “62 points from two races is an incredible achievement and, in a championship as close and competitive as Formula E, is one that doesn’t happen very often at all.”
Formula E next heads to Jakarta at the start of June, and at the halfway mark Venturi are well and truly in contention for both the constructors and drivers’ championships.
RAMOGE, the international cooperation agreement between Monaco, France and Italy, is hosting its biennial photo competition and this year it has a category for the “New Generation” and photos taken on mobile phones.
The international photo competition is now open to budding photographers with a love of the sea via the RAMOGE- L’Homme et la Mer (Man and the Sea) event as part of their awareness-raising programme.
From now until 30th September, photographers are invited to submit snaps showing the relationship between human activities and the Mediterranean in three categories for adults and one for young people under 21.
The three adult categories are Man and the Sea, RAMOGE Zone, dedicated to photos taken solely in the region between La Spezia and Marseille, and free style. The under-21s are free to submit any relevant photo under the theme Man and the Sea, the view of the New Generation, which allows for submissions taken on mobile phones, tablets or other digital devices.
The contest is free and open to anyone, and each photographer can present up to four images.
This year’s jury is made up of a distinguished list including Ricardo Busi, President of the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP), Greg Lecoeur, “Nature Photographer of the Year” for National Geographic in 2016, and Sergio Pitamitz, “Environmental Photojournalist of the Year” for NPPA in 2016.
For each category, the winner will be awarded an FIAP medal, a €200 cash prize with an additional €100 cash prize going to the winner of the RAMOGE Zone theme. Second place winners will receive an FIAP medal and €150. Those in third will get an FIAP medal and €100.
Tucked away at the edge of Monaco, with nothing but the sound of lapping waves and the warmth of soul-enriching sunshine, Melanie Serre is busy adapting her recipes to the organic ingredients that she is now committed to using at Elsa.
“It is something that we have to do for our future, but it is a real challenge, the taste of everything is so different. I have had to adjust all the recipes I wrote in Paris,” the chef reveals to Monaco Life. “It is also very difficult to find all-organic produce, so I have had to make my own products like spices, etc. I never imagined that I would be doing this one day, but I am glad that I did.”
Melanie Serre is clearly not one to shy away from challenges. She trained in prestigious establishments like Eden Roc in St. Barts and the Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo under Christophe Cussac, and landed her first job as chef at L’atelier de Joël Robuchon Etoile in Paris, a restaurant with two Michelin stars, where she rose to executive chef within a year. In 2020, she spread her wings, joined the Parisian restaurant Louis Vins and won the Gault & Millau Young Talent prize.
The 36-year-old says she is now happy to be back in Monaco, where she can walk among the private fruit and vegetable gardens of the Monte-Carlo Beach, tasting the raw produce and be inspired by the possibilities. “In Paris, it is much more difficult to cook organically, so this is a real opportunity for me,” she says, adding that she loves to talk to local producers, “to learn about their approach, and what made them go organic.”
Melanie Serre defines her food as a mixture of “deliciousness and elegance”.
“I season a lot, so the dishes have character,” she says. “I have a big character, and I like food with character. That’s why I love pepper, chilli and spice.”
Carrots with cumin, carrot top pesto, fresh orange and ginger juice
Seated on the tranquil beachside terrace, surrounded by a bird-filled pine forest, we are presented with a three-course lunch menu, an official welcome to Chef Melanie Serre. It begins with an amuse-bouche of creamy courgette foam and dried fruits. It is a surprisingly flavourful start to a menu that travels from a bowl of sweet and salty carrots, exhilarated with pops of cumin, carrot top pesto, ginger and orange; to a classic Mediterranean dish of freshly-caught red mullet, potato gnocchi, and black garlic; and finishes with a refreshing plate of vervain-soaked red fruits, black pepper-speckled meringue, and strawberry sorbet.
Every dish is laden with the character that Chef Serre had promised, which is not an easy task in an eco-friendly restaurant like Elsa. There is often the risk that, when creating colourful wellness cuisine, flavour can be compromised. But there is no doubt here of the chef’s emphasis on seasoning.
Red mullet with potato gnocchi, peppered arugula, and black garlic
I’m excited to try the other dishes on the menu, perhaps the creamy burrata from Puglia with crunchy peas and almond milk, the blue lobster bisque spiced with citrus zest, or the beef tenderloin marinated in sweet spices served with beet curry.
It is understandable why Danièle Garcelon, Monte-Carlo Beach General Director, is so excited to have Serre at the helm of the Elsa kitchen.
“I am happy to have a young woman amongst the stars like Alain Ducasse, Yannick Alléno and Marcel Ravin,” says Danièle Garcelon. “I like her savoir faire and her experience, and I am sure she will meet our client’s high expectations.”
Monte-Carlo Beach has kicked off the season in style
It is an exciting time for the Monte-Carlo Beach. Just last week, they hosted the Chanel runway and Cruise Collection launch. It was “an exceptional start to the season”, says Garcelon. “We are very proud to have Chanel choose us, it was an unexpected opportunity to show who we are, how we work, and to showcase the best profile of Monte-Carlo Beach.”
Monte-Carlo Beach was also recently awarded the first ‘Hotel & Lodge Green’ special prize, a new award recognising it’s zero-plastic and waste recycling policy and its energy and water management.
This year, it welcomes the first ecological, ethical, organic and made in France luxury skincare brand Paoma, an approach that is “completely consistent with that of Monte-Carlo Beach, where taking care of yourself and the environment is a natural part of everyday life,” says Danièle Garcelon.
And Monte-Carlo Beach has just launched its first 100% electric shuttle service between hotels.
Meanwhile, coinciding with the season-opening of Elsa and its new chef, the Monte-Carlo private beach itself is now open to the public.
It all just makes for a very planet-friendly day; a place to enrich the body, mind and soul, and smile gratefully throughout all of it.
Top photo of Melanie Serre by Monaco Life. All other photos by Monte-Carlo SBM
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