Yves

At the Café des Fédérations, Yves perpetuates a tradition of hospitality. With a name like that (fédération = workers’ federation), you could hardly expect any less. He is the noble descendant of the local silk worker of Croix-Rousse hill fame who, by dint of spinning kilometres of silk from dawn to dusk for just a few sous, rose up one day in 1831 to declare loudly and clearly to the French management that he’d had enough of being underpaid. From the slopes of Croix-Rousse to the heart of Lyon, the silk worker marched behind the black flag to federate (hey, that’s a familiar word!) a large portion of the Lyonnaise population around his claims. This workers’ revolt led the call from deep within French territory and sparked troubles that reached Paris. The silk workers were properly federated (again!) and, every morning, like a solemn ritual, they shared bread and wine to give themselves courage. This tradition of ‘breaking bread’ together lives on and Yves, as a well-intentioned nutritionist, can only confirm the beneficial character of the repast. He stands there, a noble guardian of the temple, the knife never very far away, the cloth for wiping flung over his shoulder, a smile that speaks volumes…