During a press conference this Thursday, Gilles Pélisson, administrator of the Paul Bocuse Institute and Dominique Giraudier, schoolteacher in charge of the Institute now called Lyfe (Lyon For Excellence) announced the change of name of this great culinary site. A name to which we will now have to get used since the Institut Paul Bocuse no longer exists as such. It keeps all its functions but this change will allow “look to the future and look internationally” according to Gilles Pelisson.
However, it is difficult to disregard the legal dispute between the Institute and Jérôme Bocuse who was precisely asking for a change of name. The latter reacted shortly after in a press release, explaining that it is still too vague in his eyes: “Nothing has been mentioned about the consequences of this choice and its many repercussions, while legal proceedings are still in progress.
But the site administrator says he is confident because the Paul Bocuse appellation belongs to them free of charge until 2037, a deadline issued by the Lyonnais chef himself during his lifetime: “We are confident about the future school.” Anyway, the name change would have nothing to do with Jérôme Bocuse according to the two men.
Make the hotel industry a “inspiration for future generations”
Beyond this new name, the Lyfe Institute opened a new campus in 2023 which will be officially inaugurated in September. Because if the name of Paul Bocuse is no longer directly associated with the Institute, it is still associated with the campus that bears his name where the cooking classes will always take place. Opposite the latter, the second campus, named after Gérard Pélisson, will focus more on entrepreneurship and the training of “managers and leaders.
The project was initiated in 2017 for approximately three years of work. Built by the Lyonnais architect Mathias Soulier, this campus includes 22 classrooms and a 250-seat amphitheater. Since Lyfe officials want to look internationally, a semester abroad will be mandatory for students. Through this new establishment, Dominique Giraudier wants to go one step further: “We want the hotel industry to inspire future generations.” This new 6500 m² building is almost the same size as the slightly larger Paul Bocuse campus at 6700 m².
The cost of the work amounts to 25 million euros, including 16 million euros for the Gérard Pélisson campus, 8 million euros for the Paul Bocuse campus and one million euros for the innovation center, also a new building. which will be used instead for research and business development. In this sum, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region and the Metropolis of Lyon contributed up to two million euros each and the City of Lyon up to 500,000 euros.
Despite these changes, students today will still see “Institut Paul Bocuse” on their diploma, the change will only come into effect in two years for newcomers.
