The 1st Bernard Loiseau Trophy brought together fifteen teams of three players in Burgundy. Combining golf and gastronomy, the idea of Madame Dominique Loiseau and Tobias Yang, general manager of the Château de Chailly Hotel and Golf Club. A successful alchemy both at the table and on the course…
By Claude Granveaud-Vallat
No one has forgotten the Chef’s enthusiasm! Bernard Loiseau, a passionate, genial and creative man who reinvented gastronomy in the heart of the Morvan.
At the table, he awakened all the senses. Nearly twenty years after his death, this magic remains intact in Saulieu and is passed on well beyond the confines of Burgundy. A good reason to share it with golfers who are often more at ease in front of the plate than on the greens! The proximity and shared values between the Relais Bernard Loiseau and the Château de Chailly Hotel and Golf Club have made it possible to create this spring event, which is only waiting to become a permanent fixture. Fifteen teams have paved the way for this first edition, on 12 and 13 June 2022.
Often we play and then eat… In the Côte d’Or, we do the opposite, starting the festivities in this cathedral of good French taste as the Chef liked to remind us, welcomed by Bérengère and Blanche Loiseau, worthy heirs of their father, during a dinner orchestrated by Patrick Bertron, a Breton who arrived in Saulieu in 1982 – forty years in the house! A star-studded dinner where we enjoyed duck foie gras, a white Saint-Pierre, a piece of veal melting in the juice of Morvan herbs, a touch of Époisses before finishing with a subtle creation based on cherries… All washed down with a Crémant blanc de blancs, a Pouilly-fuissé, a sublime Santenay and a rosé champagne! Enough to dream of birdies all night long.
The next day, under a radiant June sun, the Chailly course was superb, the layout hid its secrets behind its fast greens, a tolerant rough while the arms of the Rubillon reminded us of the vigilance of a flat but capricious design. The formula of two scores out of three per hole allowed a little tolerance after the evening’s agape. The birds chirped in the foliage, as a tribute to “Master Bernard”. Fifteen shot gun teams played quickly, according to Thierry Bresson, the golf director. In his backyard, Tobias Yang, an American with an atypical course, now general manager of Chailly, led Antoine Davot of Fairway Magazine and yours truly to victory in the gross. From Lyon, Vincent Le Roux, Olivier Couvin and Gilles Reinhardt won in net, the birdies smiled on them.
Gross Winners
Net Winners
Around a buffet of sweets and a well-struck cup, between invitations to dine in Saulieu and beautiful bottles rewarding the best scores, the party ended in beauty in the presence of Mrs Dominique Loiseau, delighted to see all these smiles on the faces of blossoming players. A good reason to come back to play and dine in Burgundy in any season.
