Michelin-starred chef Nadia Sammut adopts the Solar Brother solar cooker from Sunchef Pro!
Specializing in the design of environmentally-friendly solar solutions, French startup Solar Brother recently announced the industrialization of the
SunChef Pro
the 1st “large-format” solar oven designed to meet the needs of professionals (restaurants, campsites, caterers, etc.). Launched on the market a few weeks ago, this Made in France innovation has just been adopted by several estates, restaurants and campsites, including Nadia Sammut, the first Michelin-starred chef of a gluten-free restaurant. After several months of experimentation, the chef explains why she uses the solar cooker every day to prepare her recipes.
“Solar cooking brings a sublime taste and a special harmony to our preparations”.
At the helm of
Auberge La Fenière
since 2018, Nadia Sammut creates gluten-free dishes with the aim of “thrilling the palate” of her customers. The ingredients she uses come from committed organic farming, local peaches and garden vegetables that she sources in the region. A responsible 80% plant-based gastronomy that she cultivates on a daily basis.
During a meeting in early February with solar energy professionals, Nadia Sammut decided to purchase the Sunchef Pro solar oven and the Omy solar dryer from Solar Brother to test the impact of solar energy on her plant-based cooking: “I quickly started testing with the intention of putting the plants in the middle of nature, so that they could evolve gently with the natural energies. Very quickly, I was able to identify a positive impact on the taste and evolution of the ingredients in the oven. It quickly found its place in our world and in the preparation of our dishes this summer at our Auberge. With the oven, we were able to work on cooking fish, on vegetables such as tomatoes or eggplants, on roasting fats, on brioches… the resulting taste and harmony were completely insane”, explains Nadia Sammut.
“With 300 days of sunshine a year, it seems obvious to us to use more responsible cooking”.
Over and above the taste of solar energy, which is a real revelation, Nadia Sammut explains the importance today of using natural, free energy: “With so many days of sunshine in the south of France, it seemed obvious to me to use this natural energy, to cook and feed consciously with these solar ovens. We’re only at the beginning of understanding how to use solar energy, but I’m convinced that it will have its place in the professional catering world in the years to come – in any case, I’m going to do everything I can to make it happen!
Convinced by the potential of solar cooking, Nadia Sammut introduced the SunChef Pro into the cooking courses she gives her students, to raise their awareness and inspire them to experiment with this natural energy.
Other professionals have also recently acquired the
SunChef Pro
These include restaurants such as Une place au Soleil near Lyon and Le Présage in Marseille, Camping Paradis d’Arvor (Morbihan), L’Eco-Domaine de la Fontaine aux Bretons (Pornic) and Ferme d’Elancourt in the Val d’Oise: “These first deliveries enable us to penetrate the professional world of catering and gastronomy. We are convinced that French gastronomy is the main vector for the internationalization of our market, thanks to the recognition that French cuisine enjoys. Solar cooking is more than just a source of energy savings; it offers new, high-performance cooking methods, with the added benefit of preserving nutritional qualities and an incomparable taste, the taste of the sun”, explains Gilles Gallo, CEO of Solar Brother.>
SunChef Pro, a giant solar oven for professionals
With its 1.8-m sensor surface and 36-litre cooking volume, the
SunChef Pro
can feed more than 50 people. It works even under cloudy skies, and can reach temperatures of up to 250°C. It features 2 stainless steel racks for simultaneous preparation of 2 different preparations. What’s more, it’s completely self-sufficient, thanks to its photovoltaic panel and storage battery, which allow it to face the sun. A high-performance product that meets the expectations of professionals thanks to its many advantages:
- Eco-friendly cooking: no fuel consumption, so zero waste and no C02 emissions!
- Economical cooking: solar cookers are long-lasting, low-maintenance and easy to repair. Above all, solar energy is free and abundant.
- Safety: solar cookers produce no fire or smoke. There are therefore no restrictions on their use for cooking in areas where fires are prohibited: forests, beaches, balconies, etc.
- Autonomy: with sunlight, you can cook with solar energy anywhere, in summer or winter.
- Fast cooking: the most efficient solar ovens reach 250°C in 10 minutes, so you can prepare any meal just as you would with a traditional oven.
A final advantage for professionals: just like
solar dehydrators
and the
Norwegian kettle
solar ovens have recently been considered eligible for the
Sustainable Tourism Fund
This fund provides financial assistance of up to 5,000 euros for restaurateurs and innkeepers in rural and peri-urban areas.
About Solar Brother
Created by Gilles Gallo and Gatien Brault in 2016, Solar Brother is developing a range of ingenious, outdoor-friendly objects that work on the basis of concentrated solar energy, captured using a system of parabolic reflecting mirrors: a technology as old as Archimedes and one that almost everyone experimented with a magnifying glass as a child. Based on this principle, Solar Brother has designed and distributes a complete range of innovative products, 3 of which have won Lépine awards. They can be found in almost 300 outlets – in Europe, with a promising launch in Japan. With the support of the Banque Publique d’Investissement, both for innovation and export, Solar Brother is now looking to accelerate the brand’s international development, particularly in Germany and the United States. Committed to minimizing its environmental impact, Solar Brother uses recycled and up-cycled materials, 0-waste packaging and French manufacturing.
Press contact La Toile des Médias – David PILO – Tel. 06 20 67 70 37 – dpilo@latoiledesmedias.com