At the Colbert Foundation's... publié le 08/11/2023

"Oh mon resto !"...the awarded masterpiece

TCSR students from the Lycée de l’Atlantique in Royan were proud to win the “Grand Prix du Jury”.
The Colbert Institut de France Foundation aims to support scientific, economic, social and cultural projects in keeping with Colbert’s legacy.

Every year a masterpiece competition is organized for students in their final CAP and BAC PRO years of study.
The aim is to recognize the values of excellence, encourage pride and stimulate emulation among students who have dedicated themselves to the vocational path.
The competition takes place at a regional level first. The winners are then eligible to compete at national level.
The awards ceremony took place on October 5 2023 at the Institut de France, home to the French Academy.
The prize was presented by Xavier Darcos, former French Minister of Education, in the presence of numerous officials, including Christophe and Françoise de Colbert, members of the foundation.
This was followed by a gala dinner at the Lycée Hôtelier Drouant, where students enjoyed a menu, cooked and served by a BTS MHR ( “Management en Hôtellerie et Restauration”) class.

The following day, on the October 6, the students were invited by the Colbert foundation to visit the Gobelins factory and its national furniture collection.
The award-winning masterpiece "Oh mon resto !" began as a reflection on the theatricality inherent in the job of waiter, and took place over two years. It was supervised both by an English teacher and a vocational education teacher.
The first year consisted in the creation and performance of a cabaret show based on the catering trade and, more specifically, the job of waiter.
The main theme of the writing was the reopening of a restaurant following the COVID crisis and its consequences on catering professions.
Through a variety of acts based on the codes of cabaret and the cultural traditions of the performing arts -singing, acting, juggling, acrobatics, magic and dance- this masterpiece was a genuine reflection on the job of waiter and its requirements : gestural techniques, sales argumentation techniques, foreign languages abilities (especially in English), social skills and the constraints of the profession (working hours, weekends...).
English was integrated into sketches evoking restaurant situations (for example : the English customer, the writing of a song : “I am so greedy “...).
The show was an essential step for the students, who performed in front of the school community and their parents.
In the second year, enriched by their experience, the students brainstormed on a restaurant concept called "Cabaresto !" The aim was to create a themed restaurant from its set-up to the creation of menus and the suggestion of entertainment that customers could order “à la carte” while ordering their meals.
Entering this masterpiece in the Colbert Foundation competition was an opportunity for the students to promote their work and involvement over the two years and boost their self-esteem.
Let alone the great joy of winning the Grand Prix, the students took home a diploma and a letter of recommendation to add to their CVs.