In our special Hospitality ON issue on hospitality management schools and trainings, we unveil human resources programmes from hotel groups. Here's our interview of Aymeric Lecoq, Training Manager Louvre Hotels Group and Christophe Macedo, F&B director in charge of Chaud devant!.
Who and/or what ideas are behind this programme?
The idea of this hybrid space in the heart of the largest fresh produce market in the world was born from the mind of our CEO, Pierre-Frédéric Roulot, who was inspired by the atmosphere of television cooking competition shows. It was in this spirit that we built this inspiring space for our teams and our customers, combining quality, education, challenge and transmission of expertise.
If partnerships outside the company are involved in this programme, what types are they?
"Chaud Devant!" is a partner of the Rungis Academy, a training hub for the food industry. It is in this context that we have built a partnership with the Compagnons du Devoir et du Tour de France, who carry out their pastry training on site. In addition, the architecture and design of "Chaud Devant!" were conceived by the designers of the Louvre Hotels Group, in partnership with the London design agency Blue Plate, a branch of the Wilson Associates network.
How sustainable is this programme?
The university has a strong environmental and social approach. It buys locally from responsible suppliers at the Rungis International Market. It is also committed to paying particular attention to origin, using only products that respect animal welfare (fishing and sustainable agriculture) and seasonality.
In addition, "Chaud Devant!" is designed to create a dialogue between the interior and exterior in the catering service. In the kitchen, the students work with products directly from the university’s outdoor areas (vegetable garden, orchard) maintained by a local horticultural association, the "Ateliers de Fresnes". Opened in 1993, the association aims to promote the social and professional integration of disabled people unable to work in a company. In addition, thanks to a partnership Christophe Macedo with Gaël Cratron, a beekeeper who has already scattered more than 250 beehives on the roofs of Paris, the university produces its own honey! The bees will forage in a perimeter without any phytosanitary treatment.
At "Chaud Devant!" the aim is to take care of nature and to give participants the opportunity to follow the entire life cycle of their recipes: from the raw product, straight from the ground, to the cooked product, tasted by the consumer.
To what extent is this programme part of your employer brand communication strategy?
"Chaud Devant!" is an extremely strong pillar of our employer brand. It is a unique place where our teams are proud to be trained, especially by internal chefs. During the lockdown, we even used this place to maintain the link with our teams: all our Executive Committee and the group’s management joined and made recipe videos that were broadcast to all the hotels! a fun, educational and human way of bringing this place to life for our teams and encouraging them to come and learn.
What are the KPIs measured and their results or trends? Number of people trained, career development, etc.
In 2021, more than 700 employees will be trained under the Long-Term Partial Employment Program to prepare for the recovery of our hotels and restaurants.
Are additional/complementary steps being considered?
We had the honour to welcome Elisabeth Borne, Minister of Labour, to "Chaud Devant!" She was able to attend one of our pastry modules.
