From the Challenge to the Association
An initiative of Yvan Vahanian to make bouillabaisse recognised heritage.
One house, one chef, one dish
La Calanque Bleue is a restaurant in Sausset-les-Pins, on the Côte Bleue near Marseille, run by the Vahanian family since 1975. Its speciality is bouillabaisse, made the traditional Marseille way.
Through the Challenge Bouillabaisse, Yvan Vahanian and his team have taken the dish abroad since 2019: New York, Tokyo, Mexico City, Geneva, Copenhagen, Abu Dhabi, then Singapore.
To go further, he founded the Association des Spécialistes de la Bouillabaisse with chefs Alexandre Pinna and Ludovic Turac. Its aim: protect the recipe and have bouillabaisse listed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Our aims
Preserve
Defend the recipe and its rituals: rockfish, the broth, the rouille, the two-course service.
Promote
Make bouillabaisse known in France and abroad through the championships and the Challenge Bouillabaisse.
Protect
Set bouillabaisse apart from imitations and highlight the restaurants that serve it the traditional way.
Pass on
Hand the craft down to new generations of cooks, fishers and food lovers.
The board
- President
- Yvan VahanianOwner of La Calanque Bleue, founder of the Challenge Bouillabaisse
- Founding member
- Alexandre PinnaChez Fonfon, Marseille
- Founding member
- Ludovic TuracUne Table au Sud, Marseille
Yvan Vahanian was made a Knight of the Order of Agricultural Merit (Chevalier de l'Ordre du Mérite Agricole) at the Challenge Bouillabaisse in Geneva, presented by Guillaume Gomez, Ambassador of French gastronomy, who joins the team at every edition.