Jacqueline Dalais , The Grande Dame of Mauritian Gastronomy
MAURITIUS ISLAND DISCOVERY la restauration à Curepipe . Le Petit Gourmet , une crêperie ouvrira en 1980 .
Cinq ans après , elle reprend la maison Oxenham et fait le Grand Gourmet . Sa réputation a maintenant franchi les frontières et François Mitterrand , la Princesse Anne , le Prince Edward , Graça Machel ( épouse de Nelson Mandela ), Margaret Thatcher , défilent chez elle . En 1991 , elle tente une nouvelle aventure au Domaine les Pailles . Si le succès est au rendez-vous , les relations avec les propriétaires sont tendues et elle quitte au bout de trois ans . Après deux autres années de traversée de désert , elle ouvre en 1996 , La Clef des Champs à Floréal . Dans ces nouveaux quartiers elle affirme son talent et se pose désormais comme la Grande Dame de la Gastronomie Mauricienne .
Le talent de Jacqueline Dalais dépasse aujourd ’ hui nos frontières et il n ’ est pas rare de croiser dans son restaurant , de grands chefs . Toujours dans le partage , cette femme au grand cœur reste sans conteste l ’ une des plus belles personnalités de l ’ île dans le milieu gastronomique et bien au-delà , à l ’ image de sa cuisine , généreuse et raffinée .
Jacqueline Dalais , The Grande Dame of Mauritian Gastronomy
It is little known that one of Mauritius ’ flagship hotel resorts , namely Shangri-La ’ s le Touessrok , is located on the very spot where Jacqueline and her husband , Cyril Dalais , ran a 14-room hotel back in 1969 …
Indeed , Touessrok ’ s story starts in 1915 . Whilst making rounds in his sugar cane fields , Henri Wiehé , Jacqueline ’ s maternal grandfather , also known as Père Coco , stumbles upon a corner of paradise , stretched upon a lagoon of crystal clear waters near Trou d ’ Eau Douce . He decides to lease it to his wife , Hilda , as a gift , for a monthly rental of one rupee . Mrs . Wiehé renames the island ( formerly île aux lièvres ) Touessrok , after another island , Tuerocs , located in their native Brittany .
This signals the start of Jacqueline ’ s journey behind the stoves ... she takes over the kitchen , buries herself in cookbooks , follows her mother ’ s advice closely and soon , starts creating dishes that have Fuel and Constance sugar estates ’ employees rushing over ! “ At the time , there were no tourists . Touessrok ’ s week-end guests comprised mainly of sugar estate employees .” But Mauritius is freshly independent and the Tourism Office is busy launching small promotional campaigns . “ Our first tourists were Italians , brought to us by Régis Fanchette .”
It is mostly Jacqueline ’ s exquisite cuisine that starts to earn the Touessrok its reputation . So much so , that she can barely hide her surprise and delight when , one beautiful day , Belgium ’ s star singer , Jacques Brel comes striding in ! That ’ s it , Le Touessrok has taken off ... But tragedy comes knocking in 1975 when Cyril , diagnosed with cancer , finds himself having to move to Great Britain to seek treatment . The entire family accompanies him and after a three-year absence , is forced to consider selling the property . The lease is bought out by Sun International Group , and the island turned into the now famous Touessrok , today a Shangri-La resort .
However , for Jacqueline , more bad luck is in store . Late 1978 sees her husband passing away , leaving her with four children , aged between seven years and six months . Always a fighter , she refuses to give up and going against her in-laws ’ wishes , decides to start a catering business in Curepipe . Le Petit Gourmet , a crêperie , thus opens its doors in 1980 .
Five years later , she takes over Maison Oxenham to open Le Grand Gourmet . By now enjoying some level of international recognition , her guests include the likes of François Mitterrand , Princess Anne , Prince Edward , Graça Machel ( wife of late Nelson Mandela ), Margaret Thatcher . In 1991 , she embarks on a new adventure at the Domaine les Pailles which though successful , she decides to end after three years due to her strained relationship with the owners . After a barren spell lasting two more years , she opens La Clef des Champs in Floréal in 1996 . Her new kitchen allows her to further explore , showcase and express her art , and to rapidly establish herself as the Grande Dame of Mauritian Gastronomy .
Jacqueline Dalais ’ talent has now transcended the national borders , and running into famous chefs in her restaurant is far from being a rare occurrence . With sharing as her creed , this big-hearted woman is , without doubt , one of the most beautiful and endearing personalities of the island , in the world of gastronomy and beyond - a generosity and refinement of spirit that is evident in her cuisine .
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