Banquet catering service

Excellence behind the scenes

At the helm of the banquet catering department, Gontrand Toulet and his team orchestrate each reception like a gastronomic ballet, constantly pushing the boundaries of excellence. In 2024, three major events in particular illustrated the breadth of their expertise. Three events, three challenges, a single signature: a service where gastronomy is a performance, a score without false notes, played with passion and precision.

A sensory journey through the tropics

Immersive scenography, a room transformed into a giant aquarium thanks to a 360° screen and a Caribbean menu designed as a natural extension of the decor: the evening organised for a major Geneva company made a definite impression. To deliver an experience that lived up to the expectations of the clients and their 1,300 guests, the banquet catering service had to combine speed, precision and adaptability. Under the leadership of new chef Jean-Jacques Longhi, each dish was designed to harmonise with the immersive tropical atmosphere of the event. The smoked fillet of beef, the centrepiece of the menu, required a lot of upstream work in the kitchens of a Geneva partner to ensure perfect smoking before being elevated by the Palexpo team. The choco-passion dessert, the in-house pastry chef’s signature, crowned an evening that went on well into the night!

‘Orchestrating such a dinner, in a setting as spectacular as it was demanding, was an absolute challenge. Planning ahead, flow management, perfect synchronisation of deliveries from two kitchens set up in a single room: the team once again proved its ability to deliver an exceptional culinary experience within time and space constraints ’.

An exclusive dinner surrounded by the works of Art Genève

Rarity, precision and daring: this was the winning trio at the ultra-exclusive dinner organised during the Art Genève contemporary art fair in January 2024 for special clients of a private bank. In a hall magnified by contemporary artwork, 60 guests savoured an exceptional seven-course menu, enhanced by refined delicacies such as lobster, scallops and truffles. From the time the exhibition closed at 6.30pm to the end of the dinner, every detail was meticulously planned: a meticulous service, synchronised serving worthy of the finest Michelin-starred restaurants and impeccable timing to transform the venue into a gastronomic showcase. A technical feat carried out with an exceptional spirit of challenge, which transformed a simple dinner into a unique and unforgettable experience.

‘None of the team had ever experienced a dinner like this before – it was a total gamble! We had to recruit waiters and waitresses as well as a maître d’ and train them in record time. The team practised with a lot of role-playing to guarantee perfect execution.’

The Geneva International Horse Show: virtuosity in all areas

The Geneva International Horse Show in December 2024 was a major culinary challenge in which each catering segment had to be perfectly executed: on one hand, the general public offering; and on the other, VIP catering offerings ranging from meals served by the plate in the stands thanks to pop-up kitchens installed below, to refined cocktail receptions organised each evening for a demanding public.

This unique context required perfect coordination to meet precise service and quality requirements. The team was able to juggle between the different formats and guest profiles, while maintaining impeccable precision of execution. Every plate, every cocktail, every detail had to reflect the excellence of Palexpo, despite a constantly changing environment.

‘The Geneva International Horse Show was also an opportunity for our new Chef Jean-Jacques Longhi to add his own personal touch. Without suddenly revolutionising habits or upsetting expectations, he succeeded, with elegance and humility, in gradually imprinting his culinary vision on the plates and flavours. The feedback is unanimous: our customers have been won over.’