‘Vye Marmit’ restaurant re-opens at Domaine de Val des Près |14 August 2023

  Minister Radegonde (right) and Mr Andre after unveiling the commemorative logo ‘Vye Marmit’  

People visiting the Domaine de Val des Près, Au Cap, will now be able to enjoy local creole dishes and refreshments following the re-opening of ‘Vye Marmit’ restaurant at the craft village.

The re-opening of the restaurant is a collaboration between the Seychelles Tourism Academy (STA) and the Seychelles National Institute of Culture, Heritage and the Arts (SNICHA) following an agreement signed in November 2022.

It was the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde, and the secretary general of SNICHA, David Andre, who had the honour to unveil the commemorative logo, ‘Vye Marmit’, to officially open the restaurant in a short ceremony on Thursday evening.

Present were the member of the National Assembly for Au cap, Hon. Kelly Samynadin, the executive director of Seychelles National Heritage, Benjamine Rose, the director of STA, Terence Max, STA board members, council members of SNICHA, members of the  tourism and hospitality industry and other invited guests.

Formerly known as Pomme Canelles, the south Mahé restaurant that serves authentic traditional cuisine only, was built in the 1990s to complement artisanal activities that were taking place in the village.

Managed by former lecturers and former graduates from the academy, the restaurant is also serving as a training facility for current STA students. Given the restaurant is situated on the premises of the Seychelles Heritage Foundation, this will also allow the students to enhance and develop their knowledge and appreciation of the country’s cultural heritage.

The six-member staff will be under the guidance of operations manager Nigel Denis while the kitchen will be under the supervision of executive chef Joel Constance.

The restaurant will open on Wednesdays (lunch), Thursdays (lunch), Fridays (lunch & dinner), Saturdays (lunch & dinner) and Sundays (lunch) only.  Service from the restaurant will commence on Wednesday 16, 2023 for lunch. Lunch is from 12pm to 3pm while dinner will be from 7pm to 10pm.

Speaking to Seychelles NATION, Mr Denis said they plan to take one day from the two days off on Monday and Tuesday, to organise cultural creole evenings for elderly citizens.

“We are planning to start those cultural evenings as from 6pm to around 9pm. Our cuisine will be purely of authentic traditional creole dishes. It will also include some special dishes which we will be made available on a daily basis for guests who would like to taste something special from our kitchen,” said Mr Denis who noted that they will also cater for private functions.

When addressing the guests, Minister Radegonde explained the aim for opening the restaurant is to provide STA students with a training ground to gather the necessary knowledge and skills to better serve the tourism industry when they leave the academy.

He added that its opening also bears testimony of the various potentials available and that are sometimes neglected.

“I hope that it will be an attraction for visitors which will also benefit other people working in the artisan sector in the village,” said Minister Radegonde who noted that Vye Marmit should remain nothing else, other than an authentic creole traditional restaurant.

Due to its state, the building, which at one point was a Chinese-based restaurant, had to undergo some major renovations and refurbishment, mainly the interior of the kitchen and bar.

In his opening remarks, Mr Max thanked everyone who have helped in its materialisation, stating it was now in high compliance with the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) and the health and safety regulations to address food safety.

“I thank you for being supportive and I count on your commitment to continue to support us to make this project a resounding success,” said Mr Max.

For his part, SNICHA’s secretary general, Mr Andre, said the opening of the restaurant is a concrete example of the kind of results that can be achieved through working in partnership.

“Tourism is everyone’s business, I would also like to say that culture is also everyone’s business. We have to get this very clear. Today I am happy that there is this partnership between the tourism academy and the Seychelles National Institute of Culture, Heritage and the Arts, which shows that culture and heritage are everyone’s concern,” Mr Andre said.

Given the tradition in culinary that the executive chef should be decorated to start his new venture, Mr Max had the honour to decorate Chef Constance with the official ‘Vye Marmit’ apron to be used on official occasions.

The opening of the restaurant was marked by a dinner where the guests were able to taste some of the creole delicacies that feature on the menus prepared by Chef Constance and his kitchen staff.

Text & photos by Patrick Joubert