"The aim of the Rendez-vous passerelles? To create links between different regions. I want to promote cheeses; and, through them, pass on knowledge, a knowledge of the rural world, show how people live in different French regions," explains Philippe Olivier. On Friday evening, the Jura mountains were in the spotlight. On the menu for the meal, attended by around a hundred people, were crème renversée with Mont-d'Or, sea bass escalope with farmhouse morbier risotto... not forgetting the cheese platter. All accompanied by a variety of Jura white and red wines.

During the evening, Philippe Olivier was named"Ambassador of Comté Country ", the first in France. In his two cheese dairies, in Boulogne and Lille, he will present his favorites to customers. This cheese, which this year celebrates the 50th anniversary of its appellation d'origine contrôlée, represents the Jura identity, its people and its landscapes," insists Nicolas Bouveret, coordinator of the Les Routes du Comté network. It's the symbol of a heritage, a culture, an art of living. It creates unity between different regions. Comté has a lot to say! "Every two months or so, Philippe Olivier will propose a new Rendez-vous passerelle: an evening in an estaminet to taste Belgian cheeses, a meal in a country inn or an Aligot evening. "I don't want to be an elitist, I want cheese to be popular", insists the president of the national union of crémiers fromagers affineurs. And he doesn't intend to stop there: " Next, I'd like to create Nord-Pas-de-Calais embassies across France."