French gastronomy is coming to Bangladesh, Ambassador Marie Masdupuy has announced an exciting news for the food lovers.
The 134-year-old Paul Bakery and Cafe is planning to open its outlet in Dhaka.
“Probably after elections,” the ambassador said as she aimed at expanding Dhaka, Paris relations in all fronts from trade, investment to culture and food.
The relations took a new turn following President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Dhaka in September.
After the bakery, the ambassador said, their private sector is also working to open one of the leading French cooking academies in Bangladesh.
That would be the first of such an academy in Bangladesh, she said.
“We cherish our relations with Bangladesh,” the ambassador said, adding that she found politics and food are the two common areas French and the Bangladeshi people like most.
The ambassador made the announcement while talking to a group of reporters after inaugurating the new website for Alliance Française de Dhaka.
The website is aimed at providing an enriched online experience for language enthusiasts, cultural aficionados, and the community at large as France launched a global campaign ‘Make it Iconic –choose France’ campaign ahead of Olympics.
Gastronomy is one of the focuses as Paris will showcase its strength to the world through the yearlong branding campaign.
“Savoring what France has to offer means choosing innovative agriculture and culinary arts that are great to eat and good for the planet, sustainable agriculture that feeds both the soil and people, and gastronomy that is open to international cuisine and the blending of various cultures,” according to the campaign brief.
France is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. It plays an influential role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the G-7, the G-20, the EU, and other multilateral organizations.
France boasts a number of key strengths including high-quality transport and telecommunications infrastructure, a key geographical position within Europe, a strong domestic market, skilled and productive workforce, robust demographics, tourism powerhouse, competitive international groups such as aerospace, energy, environment, pharmaceuticals, luxury goods, food processing, and retail, and global agricultural powerhouse.
Macron’s visit, particularly after his trips to Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Sri Lanka, was seen as a diplomatic milestone for Bangladesh and France's push to consolidate its presence in the Indo-Pacific.
With la Réunion and the overseas territories in the Western part of the Indian Ocean, as well as New Caledonia and Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean, France considers itself an Indo-Pacific nation.
Through the visit, the French president tried to portray the image of Bangladesh as an emerging country that is looking to the rest of the world with the capacity to become one of the 30 largest economies by 2030.
Both countries reiterated their interest in expanding bilateral trade and exploring the potential for investment in quality and resilient infrastructure development in Bangladesh, including in the railway sector.
“France is already attractive; we will make it global through the make it iconic campaign,” the ambassador said.
As of today, 30 French companies have an office in Bangladesh, most of them in the RMG sector, logistics shipping or engineering.
According to its website, Paul originated in 1889 as a small bakery run by a family of agricultural workers in Croix, France. It acquired its name in the 1950s after the owner took over a bakery-pâtisserie from the Paul family.
The company now has over 620 restaurants in 34 countries.
