Coup de cœur

Laetitia and Amanda take action!
Laëtitia and Amanda are on a mission to protect the environment and promote sustainable development. And now they’ve got the entire  Institut Paul Bocuse behind them! The passion of the two graduates is something nurtured by their families, albeit in different ways. Laëtitia is from a family that not only embraces beauty, but also recognizes how fragile the Earth is. Amanda, who is from Brazil, has seen extreme poverty first hand in her own city, where people scavenge garbage as their sole source of survival. Together, the two have developed a tremendous initiative at the Institut Paul Bocuse that contributes actively to sustainable development and protection of the environment. The first step for Amanda and Laëtitia came to fruition at the ephemeral theme restaurant Avant Scène.

Avant Scène: an audacious project
Joined by their work group, they developed a completely “sustainable” theme for the Avant Scène restaurant, using organic products purchased from small producers who work in harmony with the changing seasons, coupled with recycled materials that they themselves cleaned and transformed.

A virtuous circle of success 
Energized by this initial success, the dynamic duo set out to introduce composting at the Institut. With its three teaching restaurants, bakery, two pastry labs and eight kitchens, the Institut generates an impressive amount of daily organic waste, even though every effort is made to limit waste. This made composting a natural positive addition.

A shining example for future graduating classes
Laëtitia and Amanda, who knew that they would retain their ties with the Institut Paul Bocuse after their graduation in October 2008, recognized the importance of building awareness among other students who would one day hold management positions in the hotel and restaurant industries. By setting an example they have cascaded best practices throughout the Institut and at the Clipper student residence, including systematic waste sorting and collection of plastic bottles and Tetra Packs, which are reused to decorate the restaurant. Bad habits can be hard to break, but they’ve convinced other students to join their efforts, and several are ready to carry on their mission…!