The green asparagus is crunchy, just pan-fried. The white can be tender to accompany a fish or be served in vinaigrette. Asparagus is in season. A vegetable that is found in many regions of France, even if that of Alsace, that of the Landes or that of Touraine are the best known.

What attracts so many chefs to this product? The answer of Thierry Marx, two-star chef in Paris: “First, it draws towards spring. These are the first really green vegetables of the year, a marker of renewal in the kitchen, a marker of freshness and light on the plate.”

It is true that there is also a strong demand among citizens, not only for asparagus, but for vegetables. We rediscovered a taste for gardens and local products. Vegetables bring a new dynamic of flavour, taste and color palette, and asparagus is one of the spearheads.

To be consumed very fresh

It remains to know how to choose them? Thierry Marx has his technique: “By affinity! Me, I make a palette. From time to time from Touraine, which I alternate with Alsace, then I’ll go to the Landes. White, green, I panache. Above all, you have to keep the idea of ​​no longer cooking it in 10 liters of water, which softens it. I prefer to simply scrape it, pass it under running water, and color it in a buttered pan with salt, pepper and a pinch of water.”

The harvest goes very quickly, asparagus can grow 15 cm in 24 hours, so it is a product to be eaten very fresh. Very often, asparagus is shipped the same day it is harvested. You have to eat her quickly, she doesn’t really like the fridge.

Supporting its brand’s core pillar of creating a life in balance through mindfulness, Miraval Resorts & Spas announced details of its 2023 brand collaborations that emphasize mental wellness, mindfulness and inclusion in travel and hospitality.

“The Miraval brand is built with the intention of supporting the integral well-being of the person through human connections with a purpose. Through the evolution and expansion of our collaborations, Miraval Resorts can make a lasting, positive impact on our guests, colleagues, and extended community with meaningful tools to build resilience and create a balanced life,” said Susan Santiago, Chief Lifestyle Officer. and Miraval operations.

Highlights for 2023 include continued collaboration with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the introduction of a new collaborative relationship with Alfiee Breland-Noble, founder of the BIPOC mental health and AAKOMA project.

Now in its third year, the Miraval brand collaboration with NAMI focuses on caring for caregivers and promoting a balanced life for colleagues and guests.

In January, Miraval Austin hosted a retreat for the NAMI Helpline Team, a group of staff and volunteers dedicated to providing resources and support to people affected by mental health conditions.

The retreat created a space for reconnection and rest to support the holistic wellness of the NAMI Helpline team.

NAMI thought leaders will also be present at each of Miraval Resorts & Spas’ Authentic Circle Appreciation Weeks throughout 2023, with additional mental wellness sessions dedicated to Miraval colleagues.

Other highlights include NAMI’s contribution of data and resources to a mental wellness tool for Miraval colleagues.

Highlights of the previous collaboration include a series of soundscape and meditation videos on NAMI’s Hearts+Minds website, which was created to raise awareness of the connections between physical and mental well-being.

“Miraval Resorts are valued partners of NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. This year, Miraval Austin generously hosted a retreat for the NAMI Helpline team. Every day this team provides help and support to thousands of people dealing with mental health challenges and the Miraval brand allowed them to experience a much-needed retreat where they were able to pause and focus on their well-being. You can’t pour from an empty glass, and NAMI is so thankful our helpline team has been able to recharge, so they can continue to support people who need us. Supporting mental health in the workplace is hard but essential work. Both management and colleagues have an important role because everyone benefits when we bring our full and authentic selves to work,” said Jessica Edwards, CDO, NAMI.

Additionally, during 2023, Breland-Noble will host three in-person “Caring for Our Caregivers” sessions focused on self-care for Miraval colleagues and cultural responsiveness training.

The sessions will offer colleagues access to mental wellness resources to enable more meaningful work-life integration through mindfulness and empower Miraval colleagues to foster a safe and inclusive work environment. Inspired by the first Elevation: Diverse Women’s Wellness Retreat that hosted nonprofit mental health and social impact leaders in Miraval Arizona in 2022, the experience includes transformative conversations regarding elevation and creating safe spaces for caregivers to rest, they rejuvenate and renew.

Later this year, Miraval Berkshires will host an immersive leadership retreat for Breland-Noble and a group of colleagues to reset and recharge, and this fall, Miraval Austin will host Breland’s second annual Elevation: Diverse Women’s Wellness Retreat. -Noble.

“When we met with the Miraval team, we immediately clicked around the shared values ​​of mindfulness and mental health equity. At The AAKOMA Project, we embody my personal value of creating a space for human authenticity, self-acceptance, and self-love,” said Breland-Noble.

With a score of 14,000, Gadirova beat her compatriot Alice Kinsella (13,666 pts) and the Romanian Sabrina Maneca-Voinea (13,566 pts).

The 18-year-old Briton, world exercise champion five months ago, thus won her third title of the week following winning the all-around and team gold.

“I had so much fun. That’s why I go to the gym,” said the one who now has six European gold medals. “It’s been an amazing week, I can’t believe it. Couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

Also in the beam final, she was only able to take seventh place following an unusual fall on the dismount.

The Dutch Sanne Wevers won on the apparatus ahead of the Italian Manila Esposito and the Hungarian Zsofia Kovacs.

On the French side, the only Habs in the running, Cameron-Lie Bernard, took fifth place in the parallel bars final, won by the Ukrainian Illia Kovtun

In the absence of the reigning European champion, the Briton Joe Fraser, the Ukrainian scored 15.166 points, which allowed him to beat the Turkish Ferhat Arican in front of his home crowd (14.933 pts). This is the first international title for Kovtun, 19, who won moments following the bronze medal on high bar.

For his first European Championships, Bernard, 24, performed a stable and controlled exercise on his favorite apparatus, rewarded with 14,366 points.

Thinking of Antwerp

“It was a stressful final because it was going very fast,” he reacted. “I managed to reach this final and make a move. Fifth in Europe, that looks good, I’m happy. The results of these European championships are positive, I think.”

The male delegation of the Blues therefore left Antalya without a medal but with four finalist places and above all a seventh place in the teams, which offered them a team ticket for the World Championships, their main objective before the start of the competition.

The Antwerp Worlds in October will be crucial to aim for a team qualification for the Paris Olympics.

“We’re not thinking of Paris yet, we’re thinking of Antwerp, that’s where it’s going to happen. When we see France in the top twelve nations, that’s where we can talk regarding Paris, but not before “, said Bernard at the microphone of France Télévisions.

In the day’s other finals, the Croatian Tin Srbic won on the high bar, while the Armenian Artur Davtyan won the European title in the vault ahead of the defending champion, the Briton Jake Jarman.

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