Bouvet-Ladubay Next Gen Arrives with Style

One of the most common phrases that I have heard is ‘Like Father, Like Son’. This may be an example of male chauvinism. Women have done so much better in most fields, and my meeting with Juliette & Marie Monmousseau is just a case in point.

Daughters of Patrice Monmousseau, Managing Director of Bouvet-Ladubay, the premium sparkling French wines, and the fifth generation Monmousseau’s, they were in India recently. Though it was meant to be a casual meeting along with exclusive wine and food pairing event, I came back much impressed with these two lovely, young girls whose smiles are as bubbly as their wine. Juliette is the elder of two daughters and after graduating from the European School of Graphic Design at a small town at Angers, moved to Paris to start her career as a trainee graphic designer in an advertising firm. The morning till evening job can become boring to most and she switched job to become a switch board operator in a film distributor company. This is where she learnt her marketing skills when she grew to be a marketing assistant.

Juliette became executive assistant of one of the biggest independent film distributors in France and later started her own company as an independent publicist. When she was ready to market films internationally, she decided to market wines for Bouvet-Ladubay where today she is the Global Sales Director.

Equally interesting is the story of Marie Monmousseau who was into wines and later became a chef following her mother’s footsteps who was a chef before she got married. Post working at a trendy restaurant in London, La Petite Maison, Marie is soon starting her own restaurant Le Route du Sel, at the Bouvet Ladubay estate on the banks of the Loire.

The evening was planned with immaculate detailing by Abhay Kewadkar, Chief Wine Maker and CEO of Four Seasons, which is a part of UB group that has Bouvet Ladubay as part of its portfolio. Four Seasons also receives technical collaboration from Bouvet Ladubay. The afternoon started with a crisp glass of Brut at Lotus Pavilion, the open and central 24-hour dining café at ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru. My friends for the evenings included Reva Singh, Magandeep Singh, Subhash Arora, Juliette and Abhay Kewadkar to give his personal touches. Marie was busy in the kitchen to prepare the dinner but joined us briefly. All the guests were pleasantly surprised to note that the platter served along that looked like desserts was Italian Masterchef Greco’s special preparation for all of us. It included Foie gras rochers, Brioche & Foie Gras granche topped with strawberry caviar, reconstructed guacamole in red chilli and olive powder, and eggplant parmigiana. It was sufficient to raise our appetite and went well with the sparkling.

The next course of our lunch was at Edo, the speciality Japanese restaurant at ITC Gardenia. The magic of the evening influenced my glass of red wine too, and without any warning, it jumped out of my glass straight for Magandeep’s whiter than white shirt.  But the fun group that we were, we made it another excuse to have some laughter, and believe me, I was terribly relieved.

Lunch was a gourmet collection of sushi, sashimi, tempura, robatayaki and no-agenda. The excellent food, fun filled conversation and the wine made it an afternoon to remember.

Our evening dinner was organized at the open terrace at ITC Gardenia, Botania. The lovely evening breeze at Bangalore was such a welcome change for me after the freezing Delhi winters. Almost a score of Bangalore’s who’s who joined us to enjoy the meal cooked by Marie, and oh boy, we were floored by the main course. Marie reproduced Choux Farcis, a simple traditional cabbage dish that is filled with variety of grounded meats.  Marie’s version had duck meat and strategically central placed foie gras, porcini, and black truffles. Neither too heavy nor over-spiced, each ingredient could not only be individually enjoyed but created a symphony of flavors. The entrée of beetroot, radish, mushroom & herb salad and the dessert consisting of fresh strawberries, pastry cream, short crust pastry & elderflower liqueur were equally interesting. Someone who can create magic with simple ingredients certainly has a bright future ahead.

ITC hospitality was as usual great. This was my first visit to ITC Gardenia and I loved the small gestures including an embroidered personal name cushion. The attentive and responsive staff is a boon at any hotel and I was glad to see a bunch of them here.

It was a weekend well spent and I whenever in France I would love to try more of Marie’s preparation in the picturesque surroundings.