From August 7 to 11, 2024, the Belgium House in the center of Paris will vibrate to the colors of Wallonia-Brussels. For the occasion, Michelin-starred chef Ricarda Grommes, originally from St-Vith, will be behind the stoves to delight visitors' taste buds with Walloon products.
Michelin-starred chef Ricarda Grommes is in the starting blocks. A native of Saint-Vith, she will be representing Wallonia at the Olympic Games and will be cooking at Belgium House in Paris from August 7 to 11, 2024 during the Wallonia-Brussels Days.
"It's a great honor for us to be part of the 2024 Olympic Games. We can't wait to take part", explains Ricarda Grommes. In Paris, she will be accompanied by her sous-chef Lorena and pastry chef Marc. "We didn't think long when the request for Paris came in. We're very proud to be part of this delegation, an opportunity like this doesn't come along very often."
Rewards
Her passion for cooking? Ricarda Grommes found it at an early age, cooking with her mother in Schönberg, a small village near Saint-Vith in the province of Liège. It was immediately obvious that Ricarda Grommes wanted to make a career of it. After training in a restaurant in Saint-Vith, the young woman worked in Tongeren at the Clos Saint-Denis restaurant (two Michelin stars), then at the Sonnora restaurant in Dries, Germany, which still boasts three stars.
"In 2010, I set up my own restaurant, Le Luxembourg, in Saint-Vith. Then, I opened Quadras in 2016", explains the chef. Very quickly, her cuisine was rewarded. A year after opening her Quadras restaurant, she was awarded a star in the Michelin Guide, as well as the title of "Michelin Woman Chef 2017" in recognition of her outstanding personality and commitment.
"Ricarda Grommes doesn't seek the limelight. She prefers to focus her attention on her pleasant, elegantly designed restaurant. (...) The chef navigates effortlessly between French tradition and Asian precision. The menu features regional products as well as exotic specialties. Ricarda Grommes' cuisine can be summed up in two words: elegant and feminine", writes the famous gastronomic guide about the Walloon chef and her restaurant Quadras.
Her Olympic menu
Selected to represent Wallonia at the Wallonia-Brussels Days during the Olympic Games in Paris, Ricarda Grommes decided to highlight Walloon products. "For the different dishes, like beef, we want to show what Wallonia has to offer culinarily", she explains.
To start with, the 300 guests expected to attend each day will be treated to an appetizer of shrimp, fennel, samphire and olive praline. For starters, a pike-perch ceviche will be served with peas, sun-dried tomatoes and dill. For the main course, Ricarda Grommes has chosen to focus on beef, with fillet and cheek accompanied by shallot jam with old port and a lentil and tarragon flan. For dessert, the chef will highlight the cherry.
A culinary marathon awaits the woman who loves cooking as much as running. "When you're running a marathon, you need passion, stamina and sheer willpower, even in preparation. Things that are just as important in the kitchen", she concludes.