VIDEO. Maryse Bastié school in Romainville, the first organic and local canteen in the Île-de-France region

Here, the products are received fresh in the morning and then cooked to be served at lunchtime. “It’s 100 times better. The taste, the smell… Before: we receive trays, the food in it we take the temperature, after, we just heat it up. We don’t know the ingredients, the taste… Here, we’re doing real cooking”, explains an agent. Around this 100% local project, the main idea is that the dishes offered are no longer made in a central kitchen. “We wanted to leave the central kitchen system, which posed a lot of quality and plastic problems and which ultimately created an incredible distance between the peasants and the cooks, between the cooks and the children, we have a certain number of farmers, farmers who work with us. By doing organic, local, home-cooked, we manage to make it cheaper than a centralized and industrial solution. It’s three times less food waste”, explains François Dechy, Mayor of Romainville.

“This meal is important in terms of balance”

This project appealed to the entire team working in the kitchen, starting with Samuel Mocka, the chef. “It’s up to us to cook, to touch the product, to cut, to carve. I did Ehpad, in the hotel industry and gourmet restaurants. But I made at the base especially for the children. I’d rather have reviews from kids than adults. I have a very good team. Without the team, I’m nothing”.

With this canteen, the employees enjoy cooking and the children eating. For Isabelle Bretegnier, dietitian nutritionist, these new recipes allow a more balanced and nutritious diet, compared to the old food offer proposed. “We were outraged, angry about the food offered on our children’s plates. Now, it really is nutrition that is benevolent with regard to children. We’re also in a town where for some kids it’s the only meal of the day so it’s really important in terms of balance.”.