The emblematic canteen of this small village in Lot-et-Garonne has given up her apron

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Gislaine Labarchède fed the students of the Argenton school, in Lot-et-Garonne for over 30 years. The elected officials wanted to thank her for all her years spent creating healthy, family-friendly cuisine.

Daughter of a farmer, Gislaine is from Romestaing where his parents, Elizabeth and Robert Larcher worked on a farm that Robert's parents already operated.

A plus for the school

On September 1, 1994, Gislaine will begin her career as a canteen worker and will return to school 31 times. While giving him gifts, Raymond Girardi, mayor of the town, recalled that at the time he attended this school, like his other classmates, he came home at midday to eat.

The communal canteen has been set up, almost 50 years agoon the initiative of the mayor at the time, Michel Guibert. Ginette Poutou was the first canteen attendant and Gislaine later took over. The next mayor, Bernard Mourlan, had the current canteen built. Raymond Girardi specifies: “With the RPI, regrouping and school transport, this has made it possible to keep the municipal school so dear to all the villagers. »

During these thirty years, Gislaine used her cooking skillsbut also as an educator; it takes a lot of patience and know-how to feed and take care of more than twenty hungry students.

With the trust placed in him by the town hall to manage the canteenGislaine knew how to find all the arguments, the good market products and good family recipes. Some students will even tell their parents: “It’s better in the canteen!” » While the students' favorite dishes were Gislaine's croque-monsieur and lasagna, by what miracle was this cook able to make the children love green beans? “It’s just a group effect,” Gislaine said modestly.

A cooking workshop

One of the activities that Gislaine said she really enjoyed was the cooking workshops set up 20 years ago. With her big voice, combining kindness, well-placed authority and pedagogy, Gislaine enjoyed teaching children how to make cakes. “Once cooked, we shared them at school and the students took them home. During taste week recently, these were small round breads that the children also made with Gislaine. »

A retirement already planned

In this somewhat moving momentwhere a page is turned and retired since November 1st, Gislaine will say that she will be busy with many activities.

The young grandmother will take care of her two grandchildren. The couple also enjoys traveling and Gislaine is going to help her husband at the palombièrecontinue to practice country dancing and hiking.

Gislaine therefore leaves her place to Mélisande Londero, an educator, originally from Samazanwho has already done an immersion with the students and in the canteen with Gislaine before the school holidays. The handover is assured, but the students will remember Gislaine's famous lasagna for a long time.

With JL.W.

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