SBM chefs' competition win for Hermitage's Romain Catala
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
Romain Catala of the Hotel Hermitage Monte-Carlo has won SBM's 15th annual Chefs' Competition, earning his dessert a place on festive menus.
Romain Catala, a chef de partie at the Hotel Hermitage Monte-Carlo, was named winner of the Societe des Bains de Mer's 15th annual Chefs' Competition on Monday evening at One Monte-Carlo. The contest, now in its fifteenth year, brings together rising culinary talent from across SBM's hotels and restaurants to compete for the chance to see their creation served to guests during the festive season.
Catala's winning entry, a Christmas dessert, impressed judges enough to secure him the title and a spot on menus across SBM's properties this December. For a chef de partie, the role one rung below sous chef in a professional kitchen, the competition offers rare visibility within an organisation that runs some of the Principality's most recognised dining rooms, from the Hermitage's Belle Epoque terraces to the restaurants at One Monte-Carlo.
The annual event has become something of a fixture for SBM's kitchen staff, offering younger chefs a platform that can shape their careers within the group. With Catala's dessert now destined for festive tables across Monaco, residents and visitors dining at SBM establishments this December will get a direct taste of the result.