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SSP France, a subsidiary of SSP Group PLC, a leading operator of food and beverage outlets in travel locations worldwide, has opened a new restaurant called ‘Terroirs de Lorraine’ in Gare de Metz station with renowned chef Michel Roth. The restaurant was created in partnership with SSP France and SNCF Stations & Connections.

At the restaurant, guests can enjoy meals from a bistro lunch to a gourmet evening meal. The menu, created by Roth, will be served by chef Xavier Pauly and his team of eight. Highlights include perch fish and chips, Lorraine stew, classic mehlknepfle egg, and Rossini beef fillet.

The restaurant has over 130 covers, with additional seating on a terrace which can be used in the summer. The décor, which features warm saffron golds and sumptuous cobalt blues, combines period features of the historic building with contemporary flair. The Gare de Metz, which has been a classified historic building since 1975, was granted the title of the most beautiful station in France in 2017.

Born in Sarreguemines in 1959, Michel Roth began cooking at the age of 15 and has worked in some of the most iconic restaurants and hotels across France. In 1991, he was named Meilleur Ouvrier de France as well as winner of the Bocuse d’Or, and to this day is the only chef in the world to have received both of these prestigious accolades. The reputation of national star Michel Roth, will contribute to the renewal and restoration proposed in this unique station.

Michel Roth said: “Terroirs de Lorraine is born of my passion for the region, and my roots are in Lorraine where my culinary career began at my family restaurant. The Gare de Metz is, for me, a symbol of homecoming, and I look forward to welcoming customers to enjoy authentic cuisine in a place that for me is full of history and memories. With my team, we have developed a simple and refined menu that fuses regional dishes emblematic of Lorraine and French gastronomy. With the opening of the Terroirs de Lorraine restaurant, I hope the Gare de Metz will be established as destination in its own right, as well as a gateway to the city.”

The new development is part of a wider programme to refresh the food offerings at stations across France, in partnership with star chefs whose craft is founded in regional gastronomy. The partnership formed by SNCF Gares & Connexions (a branch of SNCF which manages 3,000 French railway stations) SSP (specialists in the operation of food and beverage in travel locations) and chef Michel Roth, was founded with the aim to revitalise food and beverage at stations at Gare de Metz

Patrick Ropert, Managing Director of SNCF Gares & Connexions said; “It is essential to rethink station food and beverage by creating a real sense of place and by working with leading chefs from the region who will be able to draw on their culinary heritage, while adapting their food and service to the station envirnonement and its customers.”

Gerard d’Onofrio, MD of SSP France and Benelulx said; “We are particularly proud to be working in conjunction with Michel in this outstanding venture. It underscores our commitment to innovation and high culinary standards that can be seen across our offer to the travelling consumer.”