After two years of work, Maison Lyel inaugurated its new premises. More than 1800 m2 renovated and equipped to allow the preparation of all lactose-free and kosher gourmet products. Visit to a company ready to make Nîmes shine throughout the world.
It’s the slightly crazy story of a visionary. That of Yohan Lasry, 49 years old who is bringing to fruition a project that he has been carrying out for years and for which some have laughed in his face. Since then, last week this gastronomy enthusiast, who arrived in Nîmes when he was 16 years old to study at Vatel (where his model, Alain Sebban, his uncle, was the founding PGD), has made his dream come true in premises of 1800 m2, just inaugurated.
A professional kitchen in your garage
It is the garage of the house that he bought with his wife and children, in Saint-Mamert-du-Gard, in 2012, after having managed gastronomy and events within the establishment of excellence which trained him, he decided to set up a professional kitchen, and to launch a catering service: called Atelier Traiteur. “Everything had been done in absolute compliance with the standards in force. And I did everything, alone. I cooked and I delivered”. The dishes cooked by Yohan are a success and word of mouth soon gives him plenty of work.
But it was his meeting with the new rabbi of the Nîmes Jewish community in 2013 that allowed him to test his talent. “It was indeed with the arrival of Yossef Tedghi that my culinary adventure truly began”says the business manager with a smile. “He asked me to participate in the organization of a kosher wedding in Switzerland, in Geneva. What first appeared to me as an immense challenge, later turned out to be a real turning point. An experience that I could call it a baptism of fire.”
Regional reference caterer
A real success. So much so that back in Nîmes, “Based on this enriching experience, I had the chance to be designated kosher caterer of reference for the different Jewish communities in the region”. A huge turning point and a hell of a pace of life. The opportunity also to think bigger. Thanks to the support of a loved one, the young man, husband and father of four children, installed his new kitchens in a 300 m2 premises, route de Beaucaire, in Nîmes. And took the opportunity to open a grocery store there.
See the glass half full
But Covid appears. “When the health crisis hit, our world turned upside down. Habits were disrupted, benchmarks changed. For us, this period coincided with the celebration of Passover 2020, the Jewish Passover. Paradoxically, it is in this context, that we were faced with an unprecedented challenge: meeting an exponential demand for fresh or finished products such as savory dishes, bakery products, pastries, pastries while facing restrictions on displacement and a shortage of supplies”
Lactose-free products
An unprecedented situation that the Lyel team chose to see as an opportunity. In addition to the growing demands of individuals, there are those of renowned professionals like Paul Bocuse in Lyon,
The Fairmont hotel in Monaco and David Guez caterer in Nice. “A real driving force for our company”assures Yohan. “The catering activity has been the driving force behind everything that has been undertaken so far with more than 70 events per year, Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, Brit Milahs, but also cocktails for all kinds of events and will be even more tomorrow“. Because since last week, thanks to the support of Frédéric Drai and Albert Sebag, his partners, the company has taken possession of brand new, state-of-the-art equipped premises of 1,800 m2 in order to respond to requests from all over France and in Europe.
A lactose-free range
Because everything is prepared and packaged on site. In Nimes. The grocery store found a larger surface area and the rest of the building was designed to allow products to be processed with high standards. So a lactose-free range has appeared and is enjoying enormous success. “40 to 50% of the European population are lactose intolerant. We offer them delicious products, without the risk of getting sick”. Orders are exploding on the cacheshop.fr website. So much so that the team is already working on 100% vegan products and many more.
