Praslin hotels take lead in putting local culinary skills forward |02 August 2014

In his address at the recent Seychelles Tourism Board’s (STB) mid-year marketing meeting, Tourism and Culture Minister Alain St Ange said the country’s culture remains the base for its tourism industry.

Minister St Ange said without our culture our tourism industry would be on very shaky grounds and appealed to hoteliers in the country to embrace the Seychellois creole cuisine and to include these delicacies on their hotel and restaurants menu.

Le Duc de Praslin, a fast-evolving tourism establishment which aims to be the top four-star hotel in Seychelles, has taken the step forward to put local knowledge in the forefront of its promotion of the Seychellois culture.

This small 'home-grown' hotel is headed by Robert Payet, a reputed businessman of Praslin. Le Duc de Praslin is situated in a prime location in the sub-district of Côte d’Or.

Mr Payet today says openly that “Le Duc de Praslin is the ideal place for a homely meal, a hearty breakfast to a fresh start of a day and to some freshly homemade pastries for a relaxing afternoon tea time.”

Speaking to Mr Payet and the hotel’s resident manager Gina Michaud-Payet, Minister St Ange commended the hotel’s management for putting forward Seychellois employees and their local knowledge.

Minister St Ange was on Praslin last week to continue his series of door-to-door visits to tourism establishments in the country, where he toured the Baie Ste Anne district meeting hotel owners and getting to know more about the services being offered.

Mr Payet said he believes in putting a strong Seychellois workforce in his hotel, adding that this is his contribution for the betterment of the island's tourism industry.

Le Duc de Praslin employs 70 workers out of which only two have been recruited from overseas.

Impressed with the taste and flavour of the truffles, Minister St Ange and his ministerial team who accompanied him on the visit, commended the Le Duc de Praslin team for such mouth-watering locally made pastries.

The hotel’s pastry chef Nathasha Vidot, who has been working at Le Duc de Praslin for almost three years, made her own recipes for these delicious hot pastries dubbed chocolate truffles.

She was also the one who set the nourishing breakfast with locally found fruits such as jackfruit and coconut sprout, accompanied by a selection of viennoiserie, all freshly baked by herself.

Minister St Ange’s last stop on Praslin was at Le Domaine de La Résèrve owned by well-established businessman Joe Albert.

A special welcoming ceremony had been organised for the ministerial delegation, who had the chance to taste some home-baked delicacies all made by chefs at the hotel using local products and their own imagination to turn them into highly tasty hors d'oeuvres – specialties of Le Domaine de La Résèrve.

Le Domaine de La Résèrve not only promotes the Creole cuisine but also other aspects of the Creole culture such as its sounds and traditions, through entertainment by its employees who give an added touch by wearing traditional clothes used in the old days.

Such initiatives from both hotels are today recognised more than ever before by the STB and by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

"Le Duc de Praslin and Le Domaine de La Résèrve are part of a list of properties receiving our due recognition because they have heard our call to make the Seychellois Creole culture the base of the attractions at their hotels,” Minister St Ange said.

“They will be recognised by the STB in its promotional activities not for only responding to the call we have made to bring forth the local culture, but through the togetherness approach with the tourism board to take the island's industry forward."