Monaco specialties on royal wedding menu

(CBS/AP) - While they have the means to indulge on gourmet items like Beluga caviar from the Caspian Sea or Italian white Alba truffles, Monaco's Prince Albert II and bride-to-be Charlene Wittstock are choosing to feast on locally grown food for their royal wedding.

Pictures: Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock
Pictures: Monaco ready for royal wedding
Special Report: Monaco's Royal Wedding

Besides the champagne, which comes from the eponymous region of northeast France, and a South African red wine honoring Wittstock's roots, nearly all ingredients will come from a 6-mile radius of Monaco, says French celebrity chef Alain Ducasse, who is preparing the multi-course gala dinner next month.

"Prince Albert is very interested in protecting the Mediterranean, its flora and its fauna. It's something of an obsession," Ducasse told the Associated Press in an interview Wednesday in Paris. "We decided to do something sustainable, local and ethical.

The vegetables, a sun-drenched medley of local staples including tomatoes, peppers and zucchini, are being grown at the prince's own farm, and will never suffer the indignity of refrigeration, being harvested just hours before the dinner.

The honey will come from Monaco's own urban bee hives and the fish -- all local species, none of them threatened with extinction -- are to be line-caught hours before they're served up, Ducasse said.

"It's going to be like the essence of the Mediterranean Sea, its tastes, its smells and its colors ... fresh line-caught fish, garden vegetables and fruits for dessert," he said.

While Ducasse, a veteran cook who has three triple-star Michelin restaurants and more than 20 other temples of haute gastronomy scattered around the globe, may be used to catering to the rich and famous, the chef says he's feeling the pressure to deliver a royal-worthy meal for Albert, Wittstock, and their 500 A-list guest.

"I've done gala dinners before, but never an official meal for a head of state. It's a first for me," he said.

Fortunately, Ducasse says he will have a 350-strong team on hand for the July 2 event, which caps thetwo-day long nuptial festivities, to "share my stress."

"I'm going to pass it along to those I work with," he said, laughing.