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Last edited: 22 May 2025
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 This video (with subtitles) shows Pierre-Andre Aubert running his mobile solar restaurant, using a Scheffler reflector, and describing his plans for Le Présage, Europe's first permanent solar restaurant in Marseilles, France.
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News[]
- June 2024: Tour Le Présage just days before its opening! - The first permanent solar restaurant in Europe, located in Marseilles, France, will be inaugurated on 18 June 2024, and will be open to the public serving meals on 20 June. Founder, Pierre-Andre Aubert, provides a visual tour of his exciting restaurant in the accompanying video. All of the food preparation will be done on-site, and fresh herbs and vegetables will be grown in the garden out front of the restaurant. The building itself also incorporates several passive solar approaches to heating and cooling for the comfort of the patrons. In the interview, one of the chefs relates their philosophy that all restaurants should adjust their menu to follow the pattern of the weather, a strategy Le Présage plans to follow.
- March 2024: Opening date is given for Le Présage - Celestino Ruivo recently visited Pierre-Andre Aubert at the construction and temporary site of the upcoming solar restaurant in Marseilles, France. It is projected to open 11 June 2024 in its permanent location. Almost a decade of preparation, experimenting, planning, and running smaller temporary restaurants has preceded the creation of this impressive structure.
Celestino Ruivo recently visited Pierre-Andre Aubert at the construction site of Le Présage. Photos credit: Celestino Ruivo
Site plan for the new permanent Le Présage restaurant
- June 2023: Breaking ground for Le Présage - June 2023 marks the beginning of the construction for the permanent Le Présage solar restaurant location on their property in Marseilles, France. More information... Note: Groundbreaking ceremony for the construction on Saturday, 24 June, 2023 (See details)
- April 2020: Setting up the transition restaurant Pierre-Andre Aubert, solar chef, is setting up a solar restaurant - Le Présage - in Marseilles, France. He is collaborating with the local university to sponsor a PhD in restaurant-scale solar cooking, heat retention, and passive solar heating.
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Serving conference attendees at CONSOLFOOD2025[]
Between presentations, meals and hors d'oeuvres were prepared and served to attendees at the solar restaurant, Le Présage. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate fully, but lovely meals were shared. SCI program director, Sara Rosen, offers her reflections of the restaurant experience below.
Le Présage offers more than just a meal —it’s an inspired and ingeniously engineered showcase of solar cooking at its best. Perched on the outskirts of Marseille and brought to life by Pierre-André Aubert, the kitchen relies on Scheffler cookers—sun-tracking reflectors, positioned just behind the building—to funnel concentrated sunlight through specially designed windows to heat custom-built stoves. In this way, the chefs can preserve familiar indoor techniques while harnessing solar thermal energy.
During CONSOLFOOD2025, I sampled an array of plates that showcased the precision and creativity behind Le Présage. Each course celebrated healthy, locally sourced ingredients, expertly engaging the gentle, steady energy of the sun. The kitchen’s thoughtful design—and the team’s logistical prowess in orchestrating a full-scale restaurant service around daylight hours—was evident in every bite. They’re also expanding an on-site garden so that a significant share of their produce will come straight from their own grounds.
One standout meal was a beautifully simple fish stew ladled over creamy polenta, alongside seasonal vegetables. The polenta arrived impeccably smooth. lightly seasoned, and perfectly pale yellow. The stew itself was an amber-tinged broth, subtly perfumed with fennel, and generously scattered with tender flakes of Mediterranean fish and bright ribbons of carrot. The presentation struck the perfect balance between artful and unpretentious. Served in a rustic ceramic bowl, each component sat purposefully to highlight its natural color and texture. A quick scatter of fresh herbs added a cool, aromatic note, lifting the stew’s warmth against the polenta’s rich creaminess. Throughout the conference, courses ranged from bright, garlicky hors d’œuvre to indulgent, velvety desserts—but this fish stew and polenta remained especially memorable.
It all embodied Le Présage’s ethos: where chefs and sun collaborate to let exceptional ingredients shine. Sharing this dish with fellow solar-cooking enthusiasts was a fitting moment of community—and a reminder that sustainability and great flavor truly go hand in hand. - Sara Rosen
CONSOLFOOD2025 attendees gather before the mid-day meal. Photo credit: Kurt Neubek
Photo credit: Kurt Neubek
Lovely presentation Photo credit: Dave Oxford
Articles in the media[]
- January 2025: Europe’s First Solar-Powered Restaurant is in Marseille -France Today
Audio and video[]
- June 2024: Tour Le Présage just days before its opening, Pierre-Andre Aubert, provides a visual tour of his exciting restaurant
- May 2024: Le Présage founder, Pierre-Andre Aubert, is interviewed by Luther Krueger when construction was beginning on the new permanent restaurant, scheduled to open in June, 2024
- February 2022:
External links[]
- Construction blog photos taken during construction of Le Présage...
- https://www.ulule.com/le-presage/
- https://lepresage.fr/wp/
Contact[]
Web: https://www.ulule.com/le-presage/
Facebook: Restaurant Le Présage