Context
The initial idea is to share and pool skills on the subject of food. The purpose of the project is to allow professionals or actors in transition passionate about food to come together in an informal collective: Les Savoureux Compagnons ( Tasty Companions).
Project
Les Savoureux Compagnons is a collective based in Lyon which brings together players such as Le Bol, Anciela, Recup et Gamelle, Légumerie etc. The objective of this network is to create knowledge sharing and pooling. The collective sets up several forms of self-managed catering, organizes cycles of cooking workshops with different chefs, group catering services, group purchases for services, support for retraining people, highlighting establishments promoting ethical and local food. For example, once a week at the MJC Monplaisir, the “Thursday Toques” event takes place where chefs come to cook with the help of volunteers who come to discover or train in the catering industry. Also, every second Tuesday a participatory canteen takes place in a South East Social Health School, where students can come cook with the chefs.
The mission of the project is to allow all tasters to find outlets in their respective professions (cook, trainer, animator etc.). Meetings are organized to establish a link between food professionals in order to create new income-generating activities through cooperation rather than competition.
Project leaders
Les Savoureux Compagnons was created in early 2017 by Valentin, who comes from the catering industry. He had the idea to organize cooking workshops. Initially, the project took the form of an informal collective. In 2019, around twenty active participants are involved with around a hundred members. A call for crowdfunding was launched to finance communication campaigns in particular.
The Little Extra
The collective has also created an association: the University of Tasty Companions, which is a self-managed, popular and nomadic cooking school open to all, the first edition of which took place in Lyon in April 2019. Participants acquire culinary skills, discuss food via debates, conferences, participate in daily workshops, paid or free. This project aims to spread across the territory but also to export to other French and international cities.
Written by Alice Deshons, LFC volunteer - March 2019.
Last modification : 30 Mar 2020.
Les Savoureux Compagnons
They are a collective of enthusiasts convinced that food is at the heart of the ecological, ethical and societal transition. It aims to collaborate, to pool intelligence, skills, materials, ideas.