The merest of glances at French interprofessional organisation Interfel’s plans for Fruit Logistica this year is sufficient to inspire two things: hunger and considerable sympathy for those making the preparations.
As usual, Interfel’s head chef, Paris-based Charles Soussin, will be on hand to prepare typically French delights to visitors, utilising produce supplied by exhibitors from the country. This time around, however, a separate restaurant is also part of the set-up.
“The new French restaurant will offer a full menu at a price of €25 per person including drinks,” says Daniel Soares, Interfel’s head of international marketing. “There will be three service times per day between 12pm and 4pm.”
Predictably, the menu is packed full of fruit and vegetables, with apples, berries, parsnips, potatoes, pineapple, kiwifruit and melon appearing alongside scallops, foie gras, chicken, beef and various cheeses.
“The idea is to use French products that are in season, as a way of making our customers feel that they are truly in France,” Soussin tells eurofruit. “For this year’s menu, I wanted to combine some very classical things, but also to surprise using a little creativity. We work only with French products, with fresh fruit and vegetables supplied by the exhibitors of the French pavilion, while the rest is equally sourced from France.”
For Soares the biggest challenge at Fruit Logistica is always to make the Interfel stand the centre of activity for France at the exhibition. For Soussin, it is to create something new for all those gravitating to this focal point, an aim achieved with the creation of the new dining area.
“This year, we have the usual bar and tasting area,” says Soussin, “but it is the new restaurant space that is the difference, allowing the exhibitors to warmly welcome their customers.”
Soussin has worked for Interfel for nearly 12 years now, including 10 years of international travel, cooking at major exhibitions in Berlin, Moscow, Hong Kong, Madrid and Dubai. “What I appreciate most in my job is being able to meet so many producers of fresh fruit and vegetables,” he reveals. “I use their products with pride, but also with humility.”
Soussin is also aware of his role in shaping diets and takes pleasure in creating healthy dishes that put fruit and vegetables at the centre. “Of course, consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables is vital as part of a balanced and diversified diet,” he says. “To achieve this, my mission is to devise recipes that are simple, accessible, attractive and delicious.”
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