The project, with team building at the fore, involved 40 students, split into 10 teams, whose goal was to create a restaurant concept with a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. This year’s theme was "Cooking and Sharing", with specific emphasis on food waste and local products. 

The students had 3 days to work on these issues, focusing on marketing and management on the one hand, and cuisine on the other. Each team worked on the following marketing concepts: definition and objectives of the concept, value proposition, targets, insight, customer benefits, and the type of experience the teams were aiming to create. This was followed by practical sessions in the institute’s kitchens to create a signature menu, composed of a savoury and a sweet dish, which was presented to a professional jury.

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The workshop was an extremely rewarding experience. It gave us the opportunity to use our culinary creativity to design dishes from a basket of ingredients we were given, but also to understand in detail how a restaurant and its concept are created.
Manuella, Diplôme de Pâtisserie with Internship Pathway

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The students were supervised by Le Cordon Bleu Paris Chef Instructors, teachers from ESSEC, and consultants, who shared their expertise in marketing and the culinary arts, thanks to conferences and by recounting their first-hand experience.

Le Cordon Bleu Paris and the ESSEC Food Business Challenges Chair were delighted with the outcome of this partnership which, thanks to a project with team building at the fore, enabled skills and knowledge to be combined, to delight both the eyes and the tastebuds!