From a 50m² garage to state-of-the-art 1,800m² premises, the incredible epic of the Lyel house

Yohan Lasry and his associates inaugurated the new production unit of the Lyel house Midi Libre – Alissandre Allemand

Yohan Lasry and his partners inaugurated the new production unit of the Lyel house Midi Libre – Alissandre Allemand

After two years of work, the Lyel house inaugurated its new premises. More than 1800 m2 renovated and equipped to allow the concoction of all lactose-free and kosher gastronomic products. Visit of a company ready to make Nîmes shine throughout the world.

This is the slightly crazy story of a visionary. That of Yohan Lasry, 49 years old, who is realizing a project that he has been carrying out for years and for which some have laughed in his face. Since last week, this gastronomy enthusiast, who arrived in Nîmes when he was 16 to study at Vatel (where his role model, Alain Sebban, his uncle, was the founding CEO), has been realizing his dream in 1800 m2 premises, which have just been inaugurated.

A professional kitchen in his garage

It was the garage of the house he bought with his wife and children, in Saint-Mamert-du-Gard, in 2012, after having managed gastronomy and events within the excellent establishment that trained him, that he decided to fit out a professional kitchen, and to launch a catering service: called Atelier Traiteur.. “Everything had been made in absolute compliance with the standards in force. And I did everything, all by myself. I cooked and I delivered”. The dishes prepared by Yohan are a success and word of mouth soon gives him plenty of work to spare.

But it was his meeting with the new rabbi of the Jewish community of Nîmes in 2013 that would allow him to test his talent. “It was indeed with the arrival of Yossef Tedghi that my culinary adventure truly began”, the business leader says with a smile. “He asked me to help organize a kosher wedding in Geneva, Switzerland. What initially seemed like a huge challenge, turned out to be a real turning point. An experience that I could call a baptism of fire.”

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

Regional reference caterer

A real success. So much so that back in Nîmes, “With this enriching experience, I was lucky enough to be appointed as the kosher caterer of reference for the various Jewish communities in the region”. A huge turning point and a hell of a pace of life. It was also an opportunity to see bigger. Thanks to the support of a loved one, the young man, husband and father of four children, set up his new kitchens in a 300 m2 space on the Route de Beaucaire in Nîmes. And took the opportunity to open a grocery store there.

Seeing the glass half full

But Covid made its appearance. “When the health crisis hit, our world was turned upside down. Habits were disrupted, benchmarks changed. For us, this period coincided with the celebration of Passover 2020, the Jewish Passover. Paradoxically, it was in this context that we were faced with an unprecedented challenge: meeting an exponential demand for fresh or finished products such as savory dishes, bakery products, pastries, Viennese pastries while facing travel restrictions and a supply shortage”

Lactose-free products

An unprecedented situation that the Lyel team chose to see as an opportunity. In addition to the growing demand from individuals, there are also those from renowned professionals such as Paul Bocuse in Lyon,
The Fairmont Hotel in Monaco and David Guez caterer in Nice. “A real driving force for our company”, assures Yohan.“The catering business has been the driving force behind everything that has been undertaken so far with more than 70 events per year, Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, Brit Milahs, but also cocktails for all kinds of events and will be even more so tomorrow“. Because since last week, thanks to the support of Frédéric Drai and Albert Sebag, its partners, the company has taken possession of brand new 1800 m2 premises with state-of-the-art equipment in order to meet the demands that come from all over France and Europe.

A lactose-free range

Because everything is prepared and packaged on site. In Nîmes. The grocery store has found a larger surface area and the rest of the building has been designed to allow the products to be worked with high standards. Thus a lactose-free range has appeared and is enjoying huge success. “40 to 50% of the European population is lactose intolerant. We offer them delicious products, without the risk of getting sick”. Orders are exploding on the site cachershop.fr. So much so that the team is already working on 100% vegan products and many more.

I subscribe to read the rest