the essential
Céline is one of the 10 participants selected to take part in the French paella championship in Nîmes, Saturday May 18.
There were 274 participants trying to find a place in the French paella championship, which will take place in Nîmes (Gard) on Saturday May 18. Only 10 outstanding chefs were selected, including Céline Louzao, a Ruthenian with Galician blood in her veins.
“I signed up for my brother”
To rise to the level of the masters of the discipline who will take part in the French championship, Céline had to answer a spicy questionnaire on paella, provide photos of her best achievements and finish with a motivational video. A few days later, she received a call to inform her that she was one of 10 selected for the competition.
The championship will be more than an experience for Céline Louzao, it will be a tribute. She, who founded Paellera Louzao in 2021, before the death of her brother Blaise in a construction site accident in Rodez in June 2022. He always helped me morally. He was the first person who told me in my life that he was proud of me. When I started cooking, he was always there to give me valuable advice“. Céline’s company became Paellera Louzao Blaise Paella, in homage to the brother to whom she devoted unconditional love. “It’s for him that I registered for the French championship“.
“I’m not going there to lose.”
The 43-year-old mother will prove all her talent and her love of paella from 11 a.m., the day of the competition, on avenue Feuchères in Nîmes. “I thought I could make my Rodez-Galicienne paella, but ultimately it will be an imposed recipe with a common list of ingredients from which we can draw! “Céline will be able to count on the caterer Hervé Paulhe, a close friend of her brother, who will assist her as a clerk during the competition.
“It’s going to be difficult to win. I will be among chefs who participated in the Paella World Cup, or even facing the previous winner of the French championship. But I’m not going there to lose either, I’m going to give it my all“.
The winner will leave with a trophy, a trip to Spain but above all with the possibility of participating in the Paella World Cup which will be held on September 20 in Valencia.
Outside of the French championship, you can dip your fork in Céline’s immense paellera on weekends, from 20 people. “ I make the preparations in a kitchen area set up at my home, and I deliver hot to groups of 80 people. Beyond that, I can travel to cook on site. It’s lively, people are always curious to see how paella is prepared! “
