When the average French person thinks of a day in Nice, the
capitol of the French province of Proven็e, they think of
sitting under a golden sun at a sidewalk cafe with friends, a
glass of the anise liqueur Pastis in one hand, a cigar in
the other and a carafe of white wine on the table to blend all
the elements of the day into a harmonious whole.
The evening would include the Pastis, a roseด,
the chirping of cicadas and the perfumes of lavender and peach-blossoms
turning slowly on the evening air.
Pattaya Mail had the opportunity to talk with
Chef Xavier LeCourt, who will be planning and preparing the meals at the
Sunset Village’s Proven็al food festival. Chef Xavier is a graduate of
the Cote de Ville Bon School of Traditional Cooking near Paris and has
been to Thailand several times.
PM: What made you decide to become a chef?
XL: Both my grandmother and mother were excellent
cooks and I used to help them. Cooking became such an integral part of
my life that when I finished my normal schooling, I seemed pre-destined
to study cooking.
PM: You are supervising the Proven็al food festival
at Sunset Village. Are you a native of Proven็e?
XL: Actually, my father is from Limoges, the renowned
centre for beautiful china and my mother is from New Caledonia. They met
at school and began their life in Paris. We lived there for a time and
then moved to Proven็e. In my cooking, I don’t specialise in the cooking
of any one region.
PM: Why is the food at the festival focusing on
Proven็e?
XL: For several reasons. One is that Proven็e and
Thailand have some things in common. They are both warm areas. They are
both agricultural and are known for the availability of seafood.
PM: Could you tell us about Proven็e and her cooking?
XL: There is a lot of Italian influence in the region
as the province is near the border. The language, Proven็al, is a
patois , a mixture of French and Italian. The culture is also a
classic grape and olive culture. The people use olive oil and wine in
their cooking. Freshness of ingredients is of the utmost importance.
PM: What else is there about Proven็e that makes is
special?
XL: The area is also a large producer of honey. The
bee-keepers will move their hives from area to area just to take
advantage of the different types of pollen, such as orange blossom,
fireweed, and honeysuckle.
The people there love to keep kitchen gardens. One
fragrance that always brings back my days in Proven็e is the smell of
lavender.
PM: What are some of the characteristics of the
people themselves?
XL: The older people are still very traditional. For
example, there are only certain colours which are considered suitable to
paint a house. If someone tried to use fire-engine red or electric blue,
the opprobrium received and fines incurred could be quite harsh. Many
young people are migrating to cities in search of better employment but
those who remain are mainly involved in agriculture and viniculture.
PM: What are some of the specific dishes that are
classically Proven็al?
XL: A dish called Aioli. It is made with steamed
flounder, olive oil and garlic. Another well known food is Fougasse.
This is a bread which is scored diagonally and is often filled and
heated.
Dishes from Proven็e use quite a bit of fruit and
berries. There may be peaches, strawberries, apples and others. Fresh
herbs, such as rosemary and thyme are used in many dishes. The only
really way is to try them yourself.
PM: We are waiting to do just that at the Proven็al
food festival.
XL: I must tell you though, that the food will not be
totally authentic Proven็al, but a mixture with Thai food also. This is
due to the impossibility of getting some necessary ingredients which are
only found in Europe. This festival will be a marriage of cuisine.
PM: If you were to suggest any specific dishes, what
would they be?
XL: It’s difficult to say right now, but I’ll be
going to the market every day and suggestions for each day will be put
up on the menu card.
Hin Navawongse, Executive Director
of Bangkok Steel Industry Public Co. Ltd., flicks the switch to
get the KCI Konecranes Far East Training Center official opening
ceremony underway.
Press release
KCI Konecranes is a global crane manufacturer and crane service
company. The KCI group is spread all over the world, with
subsidiaries in 40 countries. The company is currently the
world’s largest crane service company, with 90,000 cranes in
service. Also, KCI Konecranes is the second largest crane
manufacturer in the world, with crane manufacturing factories on
all continents.
Konecrane Service Co. Ltd. is KCIs subsidiary in Thailand. The
company was founded in 1993, and currently employs 27 people.
The company does crane service, inspections, repairs,
modernization’s and also on-call service for overhead cranes,
hoists, harbor cranes, and shipyard cranes. At the moment,
Konecranes Service works on cranes and hoists in steel mills and
rolling mills, power plants, chemical plants, general work
shops, shipyards and harbors. The company is not tied to any
special brands of cranes, but does service and inspections for
all types and makes of cranes. Spare parts for any makes can be
tracked down through KCI Konecranes world wide service network.
Due to the ongoing growth of both crane sales and crane services
in the Far East Region, the Finnish company has established a
crane service training center in Thailand. The center is located
together with Konecranes Services Co. Ltd.’s headquarters in
Sriracha, Chonburi.
The official opening ceremony of the training center was held on
Thursday the 27th of February, together with the annual KCI
Konecranes Far East Service meeting. Present at the opening
ceremony were all Konecranes service managers from the Far East
Region together with the most significant customers that
Konecranes has in Thailand.
Also present were Konecranes Services Co. Ltd.’s Director, Khun
Hin Navawongse from Bangkok Steel Industry Co. Ltd., Mr. Markku
Leininen, President for the Far East Region and Vice President
for KCI Konecranes, Mr. Jyri Jusslin, Service Director for the
Far East Region and Mr. Patrik Starck, Training Manager at the
Konecranes Far East Training Center.
