Chef Boutwood designated ambassador of French dairy line
THE NAME of Elle & Vire immediately conjures up an image of France. The dairy products brand, after all, is named after two French rivers — the Elle and the Vire.
The brand was founded in 1945 as a dairy cooperative. By 1975, it had become the first French dairy exporter in the world. During a press conference last week, the country manager of Savencia Fromage & Dairy’s (Elle et Vire’s parent company) in the Philippines, Errol Medina, said that 65% of chefs with Michelin stars use Elle & Vire’s Professionel Excellence Cream.
With a strong hold on the culinary arts, the brand has also established La Maison de l’Excellence, a professional kitchen and innovation center in Paris which offers exclusive training programs. Around the world, the brand’s Professionel line has appointed 17 Chef Ambassadors. The brand itself has a presence in 120 countries, including the Philippines (since 1997). The country will even have its own Chef Ambassador, Josh Boutwood, who spoke at Madrid Fusion Manila and founded The Test Kitchen.
According to Jennifer Zapata, National Food Service Head for Savencia, Mr. Boutwood’s responsibilities would include conducting pastry and culinary demonstrations, promoting the brand through social media, translating content from La Maison de l’Excellence to the local scale, and conducting product testing before their local launch.
Speaking of his ambassadorship, Mr. Boutwood, who is now sporting a mustache, said during the press conference, “I’m over the moon.”
“I couldn’t say no. It was such a wonderful opportunity,” he said. He has been using Elle & Vire Professionel for years, he pointed out. “I’ve never had a bad day with them.”
Mr. Boutwood, while aware of the products available in the Philippines that use carabao milk, said, “Because we don’t have any cultural heritage to any dairy products, we’re able to use Elle & Vire products as an innovative addition to our recipes and creations.”
One of the things he’s playing with is adobo (meat stewed in a soy and vinegar sauce). Since every adobo recipe is different, he noted, citing adobo sa gata (adobo made with coconut milk), “There are no rules that we can’t add French dairy to an adobo.” — J.L. Garcia
