Babyloan is an incredible micro-enterprise funding system that operates worldwide, a dignified means of helping all those forgotten by the banks. To date, via the Internet, Babyloan has given out a total of 5.6 million euros in loans and supported 13,600 micro-entrepreneurs in 14 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and also France, thanks to the support of 24,600 third-party lenders. Read more

These are: Rosa, who sells braised chicken in the street in Ecuador, Sina, who grows red corn in Cambodia, Juvy in the Philippines, who grows bananas, coconuts and vegetables which she then sells at the market, Sreymao who sells cooked food at a Cambodian market, and last but not least, Solange who manages her own restaurant in Benin.

“Ciao Svezia!” is the name of a multicultural event organised by the Swedish-Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Lugano in September 2013. Jonas was invited along to produce two dinners for 70 people alongside chef Dario Ranza from Villa Principe Leopoldo. www.ciaosvezia.ch/en

This very special event will take place on Monday October 28^th 2013 from 11 am, at the Bayview restaurant, located inside the Hôtel Président Wilson – 47 Quai Wilson – 1201 Geneva.

Much more than just a meal, this event is a testimony to an extraordinary experience; during an aperitif featuring some tasty extracts from their competition dishes, the two champion chefs will explain what the Bocuse d’Or represents for them: the selection process, the birth of ideas, training, the sensations on D Day, and so on. A seated meal will then provide an opportunity to savour dishes that only the jury members had tasted until now.

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After recruiting him as a consultant, the owners of the famous brasserie Grand Café Modeste in Antwerp asked Gert Jan Raven to become their head chef. Great choice! Gert Jan is delighted to be able to work in a typical setting with such a beautiful soul and where he’s been given carte blanche  to produce the kind of cuisine he loves; simple but good!

If you’re passing through Antwerp, be sure to check it out: www.grandcafemodeste.be

Ever wondered how the Norwegians perform so well in the Bocuse d’Or? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Odd Ivar Solvold, active coach for the Norwegian candidates for years has just competed in the Norseman Extreme Triathlon!

This now famous endurance test consists in jumping from a ferry in the middle of the night, swimming 4 km in the Hardanger fjord, then hopping on a bike for a 180-km “ride” that starts with a 40 km climb, then at 1,200 m altitude segues into a mini 42.2-km marathon of which only the first 25 kilometres are flat; then you have to climb to the top of Gaustatoppen, which reaches a height of 1,880 m.read more

Nomination of Chef of the Year in Norway… Ørjan Johannesen will represent his country at the Bocuse d’Or Europe once again

The jury was made up of famous chefs, including of course several members of the Bocuse d’Or Winners: Tom Victor Gausdal (Bocuse d’Argent 2005), Terje Ness (Bocuse d’Or 1999), Odd Ivar Solvold (Bocuse de Bronze 1997), Bent Stiansen (Bocuse d’Or 1993), Charles Tjessem (Bocuse d’Or 2003). Alongside them of course Eyvind Hellstrøm and Sven Erik Renaa. The Norwegians had also invited another Bocuse d’Or Winner to join their jury, Swede Jonas Lundgren.

With Régis Marcon bringing out a beautiful book entitled quite simply“CHAMPIGNONS”(Mushrooms), it’s a good time to remember that several months ago the Marcon family opened “La Maison du Champignon”, a place where you can find out everything there is to known about mushrooms!

It’s located in the church square, you can’t miss it, with its giant sculpted boletus mushroom in front of the entrance. Feel free to go through the door into a world where everything is mushroom: the sculptures, the pottery, the art objects, the glass… You’ll find some nice little mushroom-picker’s tools: knife, compass, cane… A bookshop is available to help you with mushroom identification. Read more