Stengforter Neigekeeten N°113 - Octobre 2023

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Portrait of Guy Erpelding
Second alderman of the Steinfort Municipality

On 11 July 2023, Guy Erpelding was sworn in by the Minister of Home Affairs Taina Bofferding and took up the position of the 2nd alderman in the aldermanic council of our municipality. 

He takes over from his predecessor Marianne Dublin-Felten – who now assumes the role of first alderwoman. Sports, voluntary work, the environment and transport are among the 2nd alderman's responsibilities. 

The family man, who has worked in banking for 35 years, also devotes much of his time to the community and club life. Described as a helpful and communicative worker, Guy Erpelding is known for taking an objective view of different aspects. At the same time, he is a family man who enjoys weekends at home with his wife and children. 

As part of his new role, it’s high time we got to know Guy Erpelding a little better! 

Describe yourself briefly.

Helpful, open to new ideas, (usually) diplomatic, like to be funny and sociable.

How has your new role at the municipality changed your daily life?

Of course, I have had to adapt, especially in my job, since I can no longer work full time, which is very unusual. But thanks to my boss and my colleagues, I’m managing. I also spend a lot of my free time in the municipality, which is part of the job, but also fun. It's important to find a healthy balance so that the family doesn't miss out.

What goals do you have in mind for your new role and how might these goals be implemented?

We have many projects and ideas in our election manifesto that now need to be discussed in detail and implemented in the interest of the community and its citizens. It is important that we find the best possible solution together with the municipal council and interested citizens.

What does sustainable living mean to you, or what is the best way to deal with the Environment?

We have to question ourselves every day and weigh up the small and big actions that have a positive or negative impact on our environment. It is up to each of us.

How do you see the development of mobility and traffic in our municipality in the coming years?

One thing is clear: we cannot solve the traffic problem in our municipality on our own. Solutions are needed beyond the municipality and even beyond the national border. However, we can make a difference by trying to calm traffic, reduce speed, and better protect residents, especially children. Again, it is important to communicate with the residents in the neighbourhoods and to find and implement solutions together.

As far as individual travel is concerned, everyone can contribute to reduce car use. Of course, as a municipality, we also have to create the necessary infrastructure so that citizens can get around safely on foot or by bicycle. Improving the (already good) public transport in the municipality and beyond is also very important.

What does it mean to you to be active in a sports or other local club?

Being part of a club means being part of a community, making social contacts and being there for each other. What club life has given me since childhood, including friends, is second to none. The sporting, cultural and social development you experience in a club helps you every day without you even realising it. I can only recommend to everyone to join a club or volunteer to help out at an event. It is a great experience every time.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?

I hope that in 5 years' time the people around me and myself will be in good health, that is the most important thing. I also hope that we will have made progress with our projects and that we will have implemented many things and had a positive impact on the municipality. I hope that I can look forward to future projects with the same motivation as today. It always goes on.

2nd alderman Guy Erpelding in private

If you could have a superpower, what would it be?

Preferably a dual force that makes people healthy and ensures that everyone has enough to eat.

Coffee or tea?

Coffee

Dog or cat?

Dog

College of aldermen or family council?

Both are exciting (I have a boss in both places)

Would you rather have a nice wine or a good beer?

A nice wine

Volleyball or handball?

Volleyball, playing since the age of 9

Snow or water?

Snow

In front or behind the counter?

Both can be nice, but if there is no one behind, the one in front also comes away empty-handed.

Sweet or salty?

Salty

Mental arithmetic or calculator?

Calculator, but I try to keep the brain fit by doing mental arithmetic.

Cooking or eating ?

Both ;)

***

Personality of Steinfort:

Aloyse Jacoby, chef, restaurant and hotel owner, philatelist, local historian and much more…

Cooking is his passion

In 1929, Aloyse's grandparents bought the house next to the mill and since then the Jacoby family has lived in Kleinbettingen ever since. The interest in gastronomy came from Aloyse's mother, who cooked with her sister. They used to cook for groups rather than "à la carte" as they do today. His path then led him to hotel school, where he trained in cooking and pastry. After graduating, he spent time in Switzerland and a year in Paris to complete his training and to get to know the different culinary cultures.

In 1978, Aloyse took over the Café Jacoby from his parents and since then there has been the Restaurant de Bräiläffel. For the young chef, it was very important to choose a special but also Luxembourgish name for the restaurant. The card is also written in Luxembourgish. In the end, the name Bräiläffel was born and remained. In 2001, the Hotel Jacoby was added before his youngest daughter, Fabienne Jacoby together with Ralph Schmitt, took over the business in 2015.

Cooking has always been his first passion. Although the chef has been enjoying his retirement for the past 8 years, he still helps out in the restaurant almost every day. He fills in wherever there is a need,… even doing the washing up. But he is also there to help and support the trainees. Almost every year, the restaurant takes on trainees from the hotel school and a school in Switzerland. For over 30 years, Aloyse has also been a member of the examination board at the Diekirch Hotel School and the Bonnevoie Technical College, helping young people on their way to one of the many exciting careers in the hospitality industry.

For a long time, Aloyse was a member of the Luxembourg national team of chefs taking part in the Expogast Culinary World Cup, the international competition with chefs from all over the world, combined with a trade fair for gastronomy professionals. He has travelled with the national team to many countries, including Canada, South Africa, Australia, Tasmania, Sri Lanka and Dubai. Aloyse has always combined competition with private trips to discover the country as a tourist with his wife. In the meantime, he is a member of the jury.

For many years, the passionate chef was president of the Vatel Luxembourg - a gastronomic association that brings together Luxembourg's professional chefs - but today he is "only" a member. They are member of the World Association of Chefs (WACS). In 2022, he received the Certificate of Recognition from the President of the World Chefs Federation, Thomas Gugler, for his many years of work for the World Federation, as well as for world exhibitions and jury work.

A passionate collector

Aloyse inherited his passion for stamps and postcards from his father. Since 2021, Aloyse Jacoby has also been president of the “Cercle Philatélique de la Vallée de l’Eisch”, where he is involved in the preparation of meetings and assists the service in charge of the publication of new stamps. They traditionally meet 3 to 4 times a year at the Bräiläffel. The association used to have about 150 members, but today there are only about 40.

For several years now, the Poste has been organising the “Journée du timbre” event, in which a different village receives a personalised stamp each year. In 2024, it will be Kleinbettingen's turn. It will be interesting to see which motif will eventually appear on the stamp. In any case, Aloyse has his finger in the pie!

Recently, Aloyse has also been active in the Stamp Federation, which represents 28 associations in the country. Regular meetings take place at the Foyer de la Philatélie in Luxembourg City.

A passionate philatelist, he collects flowers and all sorts of things from Kleinbettingen: stamps, postmarks and even postcards from his village. In his youth, at the age of 16, he went to the World Exhibition in Poland, where he exhibited his flower collection. It was his first trip abroad alone by train without his parents. They stopped in Berlin, in the GDR and FRG, which had an enormous impact on the young Aloyse Jacoby.

The collection of our passionate philatelist is impressive: 4 shelves full of albums and folders withstamps, postcards and postmarks.

A dedicated citizen

Aloyse Jacoby is also involved in Harmonie Klengbetten. Before he had the restaurant, he used to play clarinet - unfortunately, this was no longer possible due to a lack of time. He was also a member of Jeunesse, a group of young people who put on plays together. About 10 years ago the former members met again and had the idea of doing theatre together again. The whole thing happened through Harmonie Klengbetten, because the old team now plays music together.

The performances take place in the "Hispic" hall in Kleinbettingen. The same hall is also used for rehearsals. It is not very big, but it has a wonderful stage that allows a privileged contact with the audience. The performances are well attended and usually sold out. The retired chef only plays small roles, but he is still happy to be a part of it.

He was also president of the committee for the 125th anniversary of Harmonie Klengbetten.

What many may not know: Aloyse is also the sexton of Kleinbettingen church. This includes tasks such as opening and closing the church, as well as maintaining the church and ringing the bells. Aloyse used to do this as a child, pulling the ropes in the church tower when the priest called. Nowadays everything is done electrically. Our sexton is currently working on a brochure about the church in Kleinbettingen.

Through his research and his huge collection of postcards, the local historian came up with the idea of compiling a book of all the existing documents on the 125 years of Kleinbettingen during the lockout in 2020. Until 1897, Kleinbettingen was known as "Betten/Bettingen". He started by sorting and arranging them. Then he photographed and scanned everything. Finally, he categorised and placed each document.

In 1972, Aloyse began photographing the houses in the village. As soon as he knew that work was being done on a house, he would go and take a photo before it was renovated or demolished. Sometimes people would ask him if he had a photo of their house or property from the past. There was also a lot of outside help in recognising the people in the photos and remembering their names. All in all, he received a lot of documents, photos and offers after the book was published. There is enough material for a second book, which has not yet been planned.

Who knows what Aloyse will publish in the upcoming months and years? We are and will remain curious!