Friday October 22: meet the Local Ambassadors live from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., from Café Babel in Bardonnex, with Ellen and Stefane, to introduce you to this historic Geneva institution, which devotes its cuisine to local cuisine.
A historic Geneva restaurant
Café Babel is a a true Geneva institution. Founded in 1906, it was originally an old farm located in the heart of the village of Bardonnex.
The current manager, Julien Bernardstrives to perpetuate the many traditions which make the richness of this place, while continuing to write the history of the Café.
Cafe Babel has retained, since 1906, its original atmosphere and furnitureincluding tables dating from 1900. Its menu, for its part, has remained unchanged for more than 30 years.
The team consists of three waiters, three cooks and Julien Bernard, who do not hesitate to lend a hand to their colleagues. The chef, Fabrice has worked at the restaurant for over 16 years, with always the same motivation and the same fervor.
A few words are enough to sum up Café Babel: warm and come as you are.
A seasonal and local menu
Café Babel offers a traditional menu for over 30 yearswith legendary dishes like the vigneron fondue, accompanied by small onions caramelized for 7 hours.
Faithful to the values of Local AmbassadorsCafé Babel puts the spotlight on seasonal, quality, local foods and dishesproudly displaying and the label GRTA.
But Café Babel is not only about wine fondue: it is also a varied menu, with rösti, fondues, fresh fish from the lake, and depending on the season, hunting specialties or cardoon-based dishesas is the case at the moment.
Local products less than 500 meters from the restaurant
We are now interested in a local producer who collaborates closely with the restaurant: Georges Vuillod, market gardener in Bardonnex (Bio flavours). Its exploitation, located less than 500 meters from the restaurantextends over 75 hectares of plantations, bringing together producers, restaurateurs, and customers.
Georges Vuillod cultivates around thirty 4th and 5th range vegetables, such as carrots, cabbage, beets, and celery.
Its exploitation is also committed to the planetnotably by fighting against food waste. Unsold vegetables find a second life thanks to innovative initiatives.
Sales are made directly to consumers via the Union Maraîchère portals, as well as in the Côté Jardin stores located in Pâquis, Perly, and Carouge.
The real ones stars of the operation are the soups, created in 2010-2011. Available in several recipes, they are offered in pasteurized and sterilized versionsoffering better preservation over time. Georges Vuillod’s favorite remains the cardoon velouté, which is back for the season.
To find out more: www.umg.ch
Aurel wines, a family production
Another one production ultra-locale highlighted in the restaurant, it’s wine, with the Les Vins d’Aurel estate, managed by Aurélien Lacraz.
This family estate produces a wide variety of wines: whites, reds, rosés, sweet wines to accompany desserts and festive starters, as well as a sparkling wine ideal for parties.
Since 2013, Aurélien Lacraz has cultivated in particular Sauvignon on plots in the hamlet of Charrotremaining faithful to his family’s winemaking traditions.
Today, Aurélien highlights a special wine, created from a recipe inherited from his grandmother. Ce wine, fruity and aromatic, is a real source of pride for him, and he takes pleasure in sharing it with his customers.
A restaurant that seeks to innovate for the local
Café Babel gets involved in numerous projects and collaborations, notably with SICAM Chocolat for the creation of Clés de Genève in chocolate.
The sale of these creations will support projects aimed at young people in Genevawhile contributing to reforestation in Peru, thanks to SICAM’s commitment to environmental initiatives.
Café de Babel is open every day from 9 a.m. to midnight, except Monday and Tuesday.
A big thank you to everyone the restaurant team, the chef, the producers, and the Geneva Region Terre Avenir teams for this new edition of Ambassadors of the Terroir.
