Business
Green cuisine
GOOD eAtiNG The Mouvement Ecologique is launching “couvert”, a new label for restaurants serving organic and vegetarian dishes. Text: Cordula Schnuer — Photos: Olivier Minaire
This year’s Oeko-Foire saw the launch of couvert, a label created by the Mouvement Ecologique and its affi liate, the OekoZenter. The label marks out restaurants that cook at least partly with organic products and feature a regularly changing variety of vegetarian dishes on their menu. Mouvement Ecologique president Blanche Weber says there is dual motivation behind the launch of couvert; both political and functional. While the Mouvement Ecologique works as a so cio-political lobbying group, the OekoZenter, with Myriam Schiltz acting as consultant, offers practical advice and support. Together they hope to reward restaurants already working to couvert standards, but also to act as a catalyst for change in the restaurant trade, as well as with suppliers and in agriculture. Couvert is the result of a consultation between the Mouvement Ecologique, the OekoZenter and a number of restaurateurs. As a first batch of restaurants are already on their
DATE LINE August - September 2011
way to receiving their certification, there are high hopes for the new label. QUALitY For Carlo Speltz, chef and owner of the Brasserie Speltz and À la Soupe, the benefit of cooking with organic products lies clearly in the quality of the food. Talking about the rise in demand for organic produce he says, “ for me, this is not a trend or a fashionable fad.” Food, for Speltz, is about health. “Food is something that we literally put inside our bodies. With certain products I would be very hesitant to do that.” Using food grown organically and regionally is also connected to identity, says Speltz. “When you go to the supermarket you can buy food from across the globe. Many consumers don’t consider what is in season, because they don’t have to. There’s no connection to the food.” Despite his belief in the superior quality of organic food, Speltz sees it as a benefit for the couvert label that restaurants are not bound to cook solely with
UBS CUTS STAFF A Swiss bank anAUG nounced the loss of 3,500 staff. UBS said 35% of redundancies would come from its wealth management business, which employed 410 in Luxembourg. The bank posted lower-than-expected second quarter earnings in July.
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organic products. Cooking organically is more expensive and “we live in times where the cost of things has become incredibly important,” says Speltz. It also offers restaurateurs the chance to gradually develop their commitment to organic food. In this context, Myriam Schiltz highlights that the OekoZenter “is there to give support, especially in regards to suppliers of organic produce,” acknowledging that restaurants often have longstanding working relationships with trusted suppliers. re-tHiNKiNG Fabiana Bartolozzi, owner of the Casa Fabiana, has already gone the extra mile, with her restaurant serving a wholly organic menu. Like Carlo Speltz she says, “organic food is good food and quality food.” But she also highlights the importance of a creative cuisine, as vegetarian dishes and seasonal cooking make some ingredients simply unavailable. The distinction between organic and vegetarian food, for her, is an important
FAKE FIRM? Luxembourg and UK AUG regulators warned an entity called “AC-Alternative” was providing financial advice illegally. On their website the alleged fraudsters use the real address of legitimate fund manager Alceda, which is not implicated in the affair.
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DOWN UNDER Clearstream signed AUG on with the Australian Stock Exchange, extending its Asia-Pacific reach. The companies will develop a collateral management service for the $2.4 trillion Australian market. More than 20% of Clearstream’s revenue comes from Asia.
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22.09.2011 15:09:30 Uhr