Dubai says ‘oui’ to Apéritif à la française

The internationally recognised Apéritif à la française, organised by Sopexa, the specialist food and beverage marketing company, hosted the 4th annual event of the French food showcase on Saturday at the Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina Amphitheatre and Gardens, bidding ‘faire bonne chère’ to over 4,500 fans of French gastronomy.  

It was a case of ‘bon appétit’ as visitors enjoyed several mouth-watering live food stations with specialties including cheese platters, oysters, cold cuts and a BBQ all paired with a selection of French hops and grape.

French food aficionados also had the opportunity to try a range of authentic foods from leading exporters, including dairy products from Brittany-based specialist Payson Breton; goats cheese by Soignon; milk products by Régilait and gourmet recipes by Maille the mustard & vinegar expert. For those with a sweet tooth, French Bakery and La Patisserie des Reves had baked traditional pastries, including crêpe suzette, macarons and mille-feuille.

Newly opened Maisons du Monde, the accessible French home decor shop, was on hand to showcase the latest designs coming out of France.

Edwina Salvatori, Managing Director, SOPEXA Middle East, said: “We’re delighted with how popular this event has now become. We welcomed a huge number of French expats as well as many other nationalities with a keen interest in French gastronomy. Our attendance figures are up once again, making this another record year, all that remains to be said is, ‘merci beaucoup et à bientôt’, we look forward to seeing you next year!”