RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – The Residence of the French Ambassador to Indonesia in Jakarta, Monday night, 12 January 2025, looked a little different from usual. This time, twelve chefs from various hotels across Indonesia showcased their skills in preparing a traditional French pastry called galette des rois.

The hotel chefs gathered to inaugurate a restaurant club named Club de la Galette des Rois d'Indonésie. The club brings together restaurants in Indonesia that serve galette des rois.

"I am very happy for this reason to officially launch today the Club de la Galette des Rois d'Indonésie, accompanied by 14 chefs. There are approximately 20 pioneer members all around Indonesia," the French Ambassador to Indonesia, Fabien Penone, said.

Galette des rois, especially the northern France version, is a circular puff pastry decorated with patterns on top and filled with frangipane. Hidden inside the cake is a small figurine called a fève; by tradition, whoever finds the fève is crowned 'king' or 'queen' for a day.

"People can become kings or queens, but on one condition: they have to dedicate the next galette. A beautiful lesson about harmony, sharing, and division, which is so relevant in this country (Indonesia), where harmony and a sense of togetherness are very strong," Ramon Medina of Levant Boulangerie Jakarta, who serves as the head of the club stated.

According to a statement from the French Embassy in Jakarta, the club currently includes 18 Indonesian restaurants. Fourteen of them are based in Jakarta, one in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, and the remaining three in Bali.

The event was attended by Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism, Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, and prominent Indonesian culinary figure William Wongso. They had the opportunity to cut a giant galette des rois and enjoy various galette des rois dishes prepared by the participating hotels.