The commitments of the Hauts-de-France region, European gastronomy region 2023

Our committed

manifesto

to reveal the culinary identity of Hauts-de-France

The Hauts-de-France region has been labeled the European Region of Gastronomy 2023. The candidacy was led by a collective of 9 members, under the sponsorship of Alexandre Gauthier, chef of “La Grenouillère” in La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil. This label is a distinction and process of progress.

Alexandre Gauthier

Chef du restaurant La Grenouillère,
La Madelaine-sur-Montreuil

Our ambition

To be recognized

as a great gastronomic region in addition to being a great agricultural and agri-food region.

To enhance

all the initiatives that participate in this transition towards better eating by encouraging innovation, creativity and audacity.

arras-grand-place-famille amis trinquant avec de la biere

Bring high

our culinary heritage, our local products, our know-how but also the Hauts-de-France spirit, the one of generosity, conviviality and hospitality.

agneaux-pres-sales-saint-valery-lachant-michael

Accompany

the changes towards greater sustainability, ecological responsibility, and the use of proximity circuits by providing better training on the issues of healthy, sustainable and local food.

Engage

the mutation of the educational system to create value that cannot be relocated and to promote employability and employment.

Develop

a sense of pride and belonging among the inhabitants of Hauts-de-France by recognizing the excellence of our food sectors, our training centers and our actors from farm to fork.

Strengthen

the scientific, economic, tourism and residential attractiveness of Hauts-de-France.

Consortium

The word of the 9 members

The Hauts-de-France application for the European Gastronomy Label was led by the Campus des métiers et des Qualifications Tourisme et Innovation and supported by 8 other regional actors.

Campus of trades and qualifications

This label is a message to our youth: “Sublime its terroir, it’s a talent that can be learned”. Choosing a career in gastronomy is the hope of living a life rich in meaning, encounters, passion and exchanges. And it’s happening now in Hauts-de-France.

UMIH (Union of Trades and Hotel Industries)

The label “European gastronomy region” is a pride and a reward for all professionals, hard hit by the health crisis. It is the symbol of our desire for conviviality, the intention to please and to share.

Region Hauts-de-France

This label promotes a unique gourmet heritage and therefore the cultural identity of Hauts-de-France. It embodies the spirit of Hauts-de-France, the art of caring.

Regional Committee of Tourisme and Conventions

Gastronomy helps build an emotional story for demanding visitors, who place it high on the list of factors that drive their choice of destination. Eating better in Hauts-de-France means aligning the values of the territory with the promise of authentic experiences.

Unilasalle

The global challenges of food are immense. Winning a European award is proof that in Hauts-de-France there are men and women ready to take up these challenges.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry

To create, to innovate in order to produce a value that cannot be relocated, that is the identity of this region and that is emotional, this is the formidable adventure offered by the label “European gastronomy region”.

POT Hauts-de-France, Platform for tourism organizations

Obtaining the label is the result of a collective effort that mobilizes many players in the tourism, education and food sectors. This collective adventure reflects the image of Hauts-de-France: sincere, demanding and friendly at the same time.

Regional Chamber of Agriculture Hauts-de-France

Producing better to eat better is also the approach of this label which aims to encourage responsible and sustainable practices and to remind us that our regional products are of very high quality because the breeders and farmers also put their heart into them.

Regional Chamber of Trades and Crafts Hauts-de-France

The passion, the gesture, the heritage, the transmission and the requirements are at the heart of the collective dynamics which led us to be the first French region to obtain this European Label.

Territory

Our territory

The European Gastronomy Region Label is intended to be a witness to cooperation around the values of European educational excellence. Intercultural, eco-responsible and digital skills are at the heart of the French education system’s concerns. They are the basis for training the European citizens of tomorrow.

They anchor the future ambassadors of the HDF’s sectors and gastronomy in a transforming regional dynamic to make them adults open to the challenges of nutrition, eco-responsible practices and innovation.

Our territory is not the first one that comes to mind when we evoke the French regions famous for their cuisine or their culinary traditions. However, it offers an incredible wealth of products and know-how, for an infinite exploration!

BETWEEN LAND
AND SEA

Our gastronomy is alive, full of taste and authenticity. It combines bitterness, sweetness and smokiness. These incomparable flavors and identity are the reflection of its anchorage between plains, fields, orchards and coastline. It is the French leader in agri-food production and home to the country’s leading fishing port, Boulogne-sur-Mer. Land and sea contribute to the regional wealth in terms of cultural and culinary heritage, linked to a diversity of products and know-how just as great.

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CONVIVIALITY AND SHARING AS THE REGION'S DNA

The pursuit of good food and the sharing of gastronomic experiences play a central role in the cultural identity of Hauts-de-France, while the values of conviviality are at the heart of social life. Getting together to enjoy a good meal while supporting local traditions and producers is also part of the quest for well-being and a healthier life. Authenticity and pride in culinary traditions and cultural heritage are the main drivers for the Hauts-de-France region as a European gastronomy region.

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COMMITTED, CREATIVE
AND AWARD-WINNING CHEFS

Alongside the long-established traditional restaurants, the region has a dynamic culinary landscape, with chefs revisiting classic recipes in innovative ways. These chefs favor short circuits and value their local producers. The quest for sustainable practices is one of the main ambitions of restaurants today giving a new dimension to regional cuisine.

The region is proud to count more and more starred chefs, rewarded for their cuisine reflecting their own personal values by offering original culinary experiences.

These chefs are storytellers, playing a key role in linking the general public, producers and the region. The apprenticeship starts in the region’s hotel schools, which are using more and more local products in their kitchens, with teaching adapting to new trends.

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UNIQUE KNOW-HOW
THAT IS RENEWED

Our chefs rely on our craftsmen (butchers, cheesemakers, bakers, pastry chefs…), who deserve to be highlighted. They perpetuate traditional know-how, recipes and techniques, while also creating new flavors to renew the regional culinary landscape. They are essential to guarantee the quality of the food on our plates.

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6 millions

Number of inhabitants,
representing 9.1% of the French population

31 806 km²

This is the total surface area of Hauts-de-France

190 km

Number of km of coastline, 2 regional parks, 1 natural marine park and 9 seaside resorts

900

Cultural and tourist sites, visited by nearly 24 million people in 2019

134

UNESCO World Heritage Sites (2019)

European capitals within a 300 km radius

Délices des Hauts-de-France

Délices des
Hauts-de-France

Discover the gastronomic wealth of the Hauts-de-France region! You will be accompanied by all kinds of anecdotes, gourmet recipes and testimonies of chefs or best workers of France.

Follow the guide! →

A European Label igcat*

*International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts & Tourism

The “European region of gastronomy” award

The European Region of Gastronomy Award is given by IGCAT*, a network of more than 60 experts from different disciplines and regions around the world that aims to support the development of European regions.

The distinction is awarded to candidate regions that have planned a year of events highlighting local gastronomy and culture with the aim of contributing to a better quality of life in the long term. The “European Gastronomy Region” label relies on an exchange platform to connect the labeled regions and promote :

Discover the 12 labelled regions →

International visibility and outreach
Credibility through the evaluation of external experts who award the prize
Solidaritythrough the sharing of knowledge and best practices, the creation of joint projects and the search for joint funding.

Communication and valorisation are the first objectives of IGCAT through the different actions carried out. The European Gastronomy Region Platform Award aims to help participating regions to promote international visibility, joint projects and knowledge sharing.

Objectives

Les objectives

To make gastronomy a lever of attractiveness, transformation and development of the territories.

The label is open to regions that are committed to improving the quality of life of their inhabitants through gastronomy, to enhancing local culinary and cultural traditions, to orienting their strategies in the tourism, culture and gastronomy sectors towards the customer, and to innovating to support regional economic development. The Label encourages collaboration and the sharing of experiences and skills between the different actors to create value in the territories.

Finally, the label aims to recognize the uniqueness and importance of regional gastronomy and to ensure its national and international influence.

Commitments

By obtaining the “European Gastronomy Region” label, each territory undertakes to respect a responsible charter.

to raise awareness

of the importance of cultural and food originality

stimulate

creativity and gastronomic innovation

educate

on better nutrition

improve

sustainable tourism standards

enhance

distinctive food cultures

strengthen

community well-being

Actions

Other IGCAT actions

The IGCAT has several actions and projects that meet the different objectives of the Label awarded to the regions. Labeled regions are free to join several of these initiatives and to encourage new ones.

Food Film Menu

Gastronomic film competition, this award aims to create opportunities for the promotion of regional products and dishes of the labeled regions and to encourage young talents to become ambassadors of regional gastronomy.

Learn more →

Local Food Gift Challenge

Commercialization of quality artisanal and regional products under the brand “official products of the region” during the year of the labeling. This device allows to support small local producers by promoting their know-how and by linking their product to the culinary identity of the labeled region.

Learn more →

Young Chef Award

IGCAT has developed an annual competition for young chefs, in collaboration with the hotel schools of the labeled regions. The objective is to place these chefs as ambassadors of their region and to encourage them to use more local products and to propose innovative and creative recipes from traditional regional dishes.

Learn more →

Top Visitor Experience

To encourage the development of new culinary experiences and food tech start-ups, to initiate unique and unusual culinary experiences in the labeled regions, temporary or permanent, to promote the attractiveness of the territory for visitors and inhabitants. IGCAT then promotes the best initiatives internationally to improve the quality of customer experiences and reward the sustainable commitments of the winners.