Giant Omelette Celebration

History of the Giant Omelette

According to legend, when Napoleon and his army were traveling through the south of France, they decided to rest for the night near the town of Bessieres. Napoleon feasted on an omelette prepared by a local innkeeper which was such a culinary delight that he ordered the townspeople to gather all the eggs in the village and to prepare a huge omelette for his army the next day.

From this beginning, the omelette became a tradition to feed the poor of the village at Easter. It has also become the symbol of a world-wide fraternity, rich in friendship, tradition and cultural exchange, known as the Confrerie.

Abbeville's Joining of the Confrerie

In 1984, three members of the Chamber of Commerce (Emery "Bichon" Toups, Tracy Kays, and Sheri Meaux) attended the Easter Omelette Festival in Bessieres, France and were later knighted the first of Abbeville's Chevaliers. They returned home with the determination to bring Abbeville closer to its French Heritage by hosting an omelette festival and joining the sisterhood of cities who celebrate the omelette - Bessieres, France; Frejus, France; Dumbea, New Caledonia; and Granby, Quebec in Canada. Malmedy, Belgium and Pigue, Argentina later joined the fraternity, bringing the number making seven locations to celebrate this festival annually. Abbeville's Giant Omelette is truly an international festival.

Each year, foreign representatives from each of these cities arrive here to be knighted as chevaliers (chefs) into Abbeville's Confrerie (fraternity). Beneath majestic moss-covered live oak trees in historic Magadalen Square, they help to prepare the 5000 egg Giant Cajun Omelette. They also come to experience the area's joie de vivre, to share its rich culture, to meet and mingle with its people, and to make memories and friendships which last a lifetime. The omelette is then given away freely to all in attendance.