Grand Concours Culinaire TGV Lyria 2025: a gastronomic event at 320 km/h

Gare de Lyon: an open kitchen in the heart of the station

From the morning of October 15, Hall 2 of the Gare de Lyon was transformed into a vast open kitchen, attracting curious travelers and gourmet passers-by. For three hours, the four finalists - young French and Swiss chefs aged between 18 and 30 - cooked in public on the platform, amid the hustle and bustle of the station. Under the watchful eye of the jury of top chefs and the public, each candidate had to prepare a dish inspired by French and Swiss terroirs, combining seasonal produce, bi-cultural identity and the constraints of train service. The exercise proved as exciting as it was demanding: in this atypical context, the young talents demonstrated their ingenuity, improvising, for example, a makeshift pestle with a stewpot to crush walnuts! Despite the hectic pace and the unusual environment (noise, cameras, travelers all around), some real little masterpieces were created, as much for their creativity as for their precision of execution. At the end of the timer, the plates were presented to the jury for a first critical tasting.

After the station test, Michel Roth and Danny Khezzar deliberated to select two finalist recipes. The challenge had only just begun: the two selected dishes would be served a few hours later during the final on board the TGV. This station/train link-up gives the competition a unique character, "a live competition that extends from the station to the train", unheard of in the rail industry.

On board the TGV Lyria: a gourmet finale on the rails

That evening, the competition continued under real travel conditions. The two finalist dishes were taken aboard the TGV Lyria no. 9781, departing Paris Gare de Lyon at 6:17 p.m. for Geneva. Both in first class(Première Signature) and in the bar car, the day's travelers were able to taste the two finalist culinary creations in turn, and play jury for a night! Equipped with voting cards, these privileged passengers chose their favorite dish, bringing a "life-size" verdict to the competition. At the same time, TGV Lyria's Instagram community was also called upon: a photo of each finalist plate was published on the social network to gather the opinion of subscribers on the most appetizing visual. The final vote combined the scores of the jury of chefs, the preferences of travelers and the digital vote. It was this original three-dimensional system that unanimously crowned the most popular recipe.

In the hushed intimacy of the speeding train, this unique tasting offered a great moment of sharing. Imagine the atmosphere on board: the finalist chefs in their white jackets, moving from the TGV's kitchen to the rows of seats to observe the tasters' reactions; Michel Roth and Danny Khezzar gathering passengers' on-the-spot impressions; and flashbulbs crackling to immortalize these unusual scenes of a carriage transformed into a gourmet restaurant. It was a first in railway history, according to the organizers, proving that the demands of haute cuisine can be combined with high-speed rail travel. At 320 kph, Paris and Geneva have never seemed so close as over an exceptional dish served mid-trip.

A star-studded jury: Michel Roth and Danny Khezzar

Their expertise was invaluable in deciding between the finalists. " The products selected must be irreproachable in terms of taste and appearance, but must also be able to withstand the journey without losing their freshness or elegance," insisted Michel Roth before the event (thurlesmagazine.fr). Danny Khezzar, for his part, measured the opportunity offered to young chefs: "This competition offers a young talent the chance to live a unique experience, to surpass himself and to make his culinary voice heard... Being able to express oneself in a place as atypical as the Gare de Lyon is both a challenge and a source of inspiration". (dijon-actualites.fr). These two TGV Lyria signature chefs brought their support and passion to the competition, embodying the bridge between the transmission of know-how and culinary innovation.

Young talents in the final: 4 chefs, 1 Lyon winner

Following a call for entries from over 45 young chefs from France and Switzerland, four finalists won their place in the grand Parisian final. These up-and-coming chefs (two French and two Swiss) vied with each other in their creativity to win over the jury. Among them was Juliette Dufêtre, chef of the Botani restaurant in Lyon, whose locavore and plant-based cuisine stood out. Opposite her, Lorenzo Demirboga, cooking instructor at Zurich's famous Hiltl, proposed a daring dish combining port-aged beef, onions and autumn mushrooms. The last two finalists (also a man and a woman, one French, the other Swiss) did not disappoint, presenting original recipes rooted in the Franco-Swiss terroir - unfortunately for them, only the merciless verdict of the competition had to decide.

TGV Lyria and gatesolutions: a gourmet Franco-Swiss journey

This gastronomic competition would not have been possible without the joint initiative of TGV Lyria and gatesolutions Helvetia. TGV Lyria is the Franco-Swiss subsidiary of SNCF and CFF, operating daily high-speed connections between France and Switzerland (17 daily round trips, including Paris-Geneva). With a view to offering premium service on board, since 2020 the company has developed its "Première Signature" offer for first-class passengers, including a gourmet menu served at the seat. Gatesolutions Helvetia, meanwhile, is TGV Lyria's long-standing partner for on-board catering (a subsidiary of the Gategroup group, world experts in travel catering). Backed by its heritage in the world of haute aviation gastronomy, Gatesolutions has designed a tailor-made offer for Lyria trains, featuring seasonal dishes, local ingredients and an exemplary eco-responsible approach (organic products, short circuits, reduced packaging, etc.).

By launching the Grand Concours Culinaire together, TGV Lyria and Gatesolutions wanted to take the excellence of the customer experience a step further. The competition illustrates their shared desire to promote Franco-Swiss culinary heritage while innovating in the sustainable travel sector. It also puts the spotlight on the new generation of young chefs, in line with the values of boldness and transmission dear to both partners. For Gatesolutions, which already prepares on-board menus with Michel Roth and Danny Khezzar, it's an opportunity to reinvent train catering by making it participative and unifying. For TGV Lyria, it's a way of setting itself apart by offering passengers "much more than a journey: a complete sensory experience", in the words of director Valentin Thomas. (gategroup.com). The success of this new kind of gastronomic event confirms that the alliance between a premium rail carrier and a specialist in gastronomy can result in projects that are both original and meaningful.

My photo report: immersion in the heart of an exceptional culinary challenge

As the corporate photographer assigned to cover this Grand Concours Culinaire, my experience was as intense as it was unforgettable. This event photography assignment plunged me right into the heart of the action, from the scent of cuisine wafting through the Paris train station to the clatter of cutlery on board the TGV bound for Geneva. We had to be everywhere at once: capturing the key moments of the competition (the concentration of the candidates, the meticulous preparations, the looks of the jury), capturing the emotionally rich human interactions: hugs between finalists, whispered advice from chefs Roth and Khezzar, surprised reactions from travelers tasting a gourmet dish on their tablets... Not forgetting the more institutional aspects of the event: official speeches in the station, group photos with partners, or backstage where excitement was in full swing among the organizers and train crew.

Technically, it was an original photographic challenge. We had to juggle between the changing natural light of the station and the more subdued evening light of the train, adapt to the cramped spaces of a mobile kitchen, and deal with the constant movement of the TGV to obtain sharp, lively images. It was a totally immersive experience, during which I was up close and personal with the competing talents, and was almost drawn into the culinary adventure myself! I particularly appreciated the authenticity of these moments: nothing was frozen or artificially staged, everything was happening live in front of my lens, making each photo rich in spontaneity.

Beyond the chefs' performance, I sought to capture the unique atmosphere of the event in images: the bustle of a station suddenly captivated by cuisine, the magic of a gastronomic dinner that comes to life between two capitals, the pride visible on the winner's face as she receives the award. The result of this reportage was not long in coming: my photos were selected as official images of the event, distributed both in the press and on the social networks of TGV Lyria and Gatesolutions. It was extremely gratifying to see my shots picked up by the media (Le Progrès, Lyon Capitale, Falstaff...) and by the organizers' official pages - the best recognition for a corporate photographer to contribute to the enhancement of a large-scale project.

An unforgettable professional and human experience

In conclusion, covering the TGV Lyria Grand Concours Culinaire was an exceptional professional experience. This kind of assignment, on the borderline between events, gastronomy and travel, is an ideal field of expression for my photographic eye. I found it original, challenging and meaningful. If you too, as an events agency or company, would like to highlight your events in an authentic and dynamic way, I'd be delighted to work with you to produce a tailor-made photo report. This adventure with TGV Lyria proves that no challenge is too big (or too fast!) to be captured and told in pictures. Let's work together on your next project, and turn your events into unforgettable visual memories.

Sources : TGV Lyria (press releases); Falstaff.com; lyoncapitale.fr; leprogres.fr; lhotelerie-restauration.fr; infos-dijon.com; gategroup.com; thuriesmagazine.fr

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