Fifty chefs call for French gastronomy to become a cultural “exception”

They say they fear the eventual closure of many restaurants. Some fifty French chefs, including Hélène Darroze , Thierry Marx, Sébastien Bras , and Alain Ducasse, are sounding a " cry of alarm" for French gastronomy to be recognized as a cultural exception, warning of the risk of "degastronomization" of France.

"Our gastronomy, the key asset of our soft power, the pillar of our culture and the emblem of our regions, is in danger," they argue in a column published this Friday, July 25, in Les Echos . "We call on the public authorities to consider gastronomy, like music or cinema, as a French exception, and to find solutions to encourage talent and support their success," write the chefs, including Alexandre Mazzia , César Troisgros and Stéphanie Le Quellec .

Faced with "soaring energy and food prices" and the reduction in certain aid, particularly those related to apprenticeships, they denounce what they consider to be increasingly restrictive conditions for restaurateurs and say they fear the closure of many independent restaurants.

The signatories say they are having difficulty paying their employees, despite the implementation of "innovative measures" in this area. In the book Violences en cuisine published in May , Nora Bouazzouni, based on testimonies from numerous employees and former employees in the sector, denounced the violence at work in the profession and a system based on the "exploitation" of employees and the failure to comply with the labor code, particularly with regard to the payment of overtime. The author also pointed to the significant public money paid to the sector.

In the column in Les Echos , the signatories are still calling for increased support for "homemade" cooking, better tax treatment for tips, and appropriate public policies to preserve "labor-intensive" signature cuisine with limited margins. They are also calling for increased food education starting in schools.

"It's a milestone that the community of great chefs is unanimous in defending the profession in this way," Laurent Guez, a culinary journalist at Les Echos and Le Parisien and founder of the gastronomy think tank Le Passe, who initiated this column, told AFP. Gastronomy has been listed as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage site since 2010.

Today, it is "industry that is taking precedence over craftsmanship," three-star chef Christopher Coutanceau, who signed the article, laments to AFP. Owner of the restaurant that bears his name in La Rochelle, the chef has been "fighting" for years for the "obligation" to have a service or cooking diploma to be able to open a restaurant.

Two-Michelin-starred chef Fanny Rey sums up the concern shared by the profession: "French gastronomy is a promise of connection, beauty, and a job well done. Today, it is faltering. If we don't protect it, it will fall silent in the silence of closing tables."