Association Welcomes New Ambassador in France

15 June 2021

Recently the World Food Travel Association (WFTA) announced the appointment of its first Ambassador in France, Elise Botiveau, who is based in Paris.

Elise left her job as a director of a big IT company, where she had been a specialist in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for nearly 20 years. Seeking something more fulfilling, Elise’s knowledge and passion for gastrodiplomacy led her to create her own company in 2021. Today Elise runs Béchamels, a consulting agency that supports the promotion of culture and local identities by using the tools of food and history.

Elise holds Masters degrees in political science and international relations. She taught Leadership in a multicultural environment at the Business School of Reims in France and organized cultural events with the French embassy in Rome. Today she works to discover and understand other cultures through the development of meaningful local food experiences.

Always very curious about the world, Elise has visited many countries: Iran, Syria, Jordan, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, the UK, Germany, mainland China and Hong-Kong, Thailand, USA, UAE, Morocco, Canada, Haiti and South Africa. In Paris, she would regularly welcome tourists – mostly American – to whom she would take on tour to introduce her love for French food and its history. Elise attended the prestigious Ferrandi French culinary school and also holds a degree in French Wine Tasting, as well as a Bachelor degree in Tourism.

With her skills and past experience in the IT industry, Elise contributed to the creation and launch of a digital food influencing agency and supported small businesses in their digitalization efforts. Elise is committed to supporting women and youth in their own professional success. To this end, she serves as a “digital project management” mentor for Openclassroom, an online learning platform.

You can also learn more about Elise by listening to our interview with her in our Association’s podcast episode number 42.

Edition française:

La WFTA a récemment annoncé la nomination d’Elise Botiveau, sa première représentante pour la France, basée à Paris.

Sa connaissance et sa passion pour la “gastrodiplomatie » ont amené Elise à créer son entreprise dans l’industrie du tourisme culinaire en 2021 après avoir passé presque 20 ans comme Directeur au sein d’une entreprise leader mondial du secteur informatique.

Forte de cette expérience Elise a récemment contribué à la création et au lancement d’une agence d’influenceurs “Food” et accompagne les professionnels de la restauration dans leur transformation digitale. Engagée pour aider les femmes et les jeunes générations à réussir professionnellement elle œuvre comme mentor « Chef de Projet Digital » auprès de la plateforme de formation en ligne Openclassroom.”

Elise est aujourd’hui la présidente et fondatrice de Béchamels, une agence de conseil spécialisée dans la promotion de la culture et des identités locales au travers de la gastronomie et de l’Histoire.

Titulaire d’une maîtrise en Sciences Politiques et diplômée de l’Institut Politique de Strasbourg section Relations Internationales, Elise a enseigné « le Leadership en environnement multiculturel » et travaillé avec l’ambassade de France à Rome en Italie à l’organisation d’un événement culturel. Aujourd’hui elle travaille à développer la découverte et la compréhension des cultures au travers d’expériences culinaires locales engagées.

Curieuse et ouverte sur le monde Elise a voyagé dans de nombreux pays : Iran, Syrie, Jordanie, Italie, Suède, Danemark, Espagne, Allemagne, Chine continentale et Hong-Kong, Thaïlande, Etats-Unis, Emirats Arabes Unis, Maroc, Canada, Haïti et l’Afrique du Sud. Elise a suivi les cours de la prestigieuse école de cuisine FERRANDI et est également titulaire d’un diplôme d’œnologie en Vins Français et d’une licence en Tourisme. A Paris elle accueille régulièrement des étrangers, principalement américains, à qui elle fait découvrir la ville au travers des histoires culinaires locales.

Vous pouvez également en apprendre davantage sur Elise en écoutant l’entretien que nous lui avons accordé dans l’épisode 42 du podcast de notre association.

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