| > | | | | To give you an idea of what the dinners are |
| The ninth annual World Gourmet Festival | | | | actually like, here’s the menu from Siggi |
| entertained food enthusiasts for a week at the | | | | Hall’s Monday and Tuesday night dinners |
| Four Season's Hotel in Bangkok. Normal 0 false | | | | that were held in the hotel’s Shintaro |
| false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style | | | | Japanese restaurant. The starter was a variety of |
| Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable | | | | traditional Icelandic treats made up of herring with |
| {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; | | | | horseradish sauce, cured salmon and a langoustine |
| mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; | | | | tail. The next course was a piece of Arctic charr, |
| mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; | | | | a whitefish, with langoustine sauce served on a |
| mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; | | | | bed of julienned green leeks. The seafood theme |
| mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in | | | | continued with the next offering which was a |
| 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; | | | | baked cod with an almond crust. Next was |
| mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; | | | | another traditional Icelandic ingredient but from |
| mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; | | | | the land this time in the form of lamb fillet that |
| font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; | | | | was accompanied by a lamb sausage. A blueberry |
| mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; | | | | pie with vanilla ice cream finished off the meal. |
| mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; | | | | Also included in the 4,800++ price were five |
| mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; | | | | different wines and coffee. |
| mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; | | | | It may sound a little pricy but if you love good |
| mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; | | | | food and wine you would be hard pressed to find |
| mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; | | | | better value for money in many restaurants in |
| mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; | | | | Bangkok, not to mention Singapore or Hong Kong, |
| mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} | | | | especially when you take into account what wine |
| The ninth annual World Gourmet festival swept | | | | prices are like in this country. Another fact to |
| into Bangkok’s Four Seasons Hotel on | | | | consider is that most of the ingredients for the |
| September 22, 2008 and entertained food | | | | various dinners were brought in by the chefs |
| enthusiasts for a week with dinners, afternoon | | | | themselves (often in their luggage) so that they |
| teas, cooking classes and a brunch. Seven guest | | | | could produce their dishes as authentically as they |
| chefs from as far away as the U.S., Russia and | | | | do in their own restaurants at home. |
| Iceland displayed their culinary talents for an | | | | The other chefs presented menus that were |
| appreciative audience that was treated to great | | | | equally ambitious and equally representative of |
| food with fine wines to complement the | | | | their culinary pedigrees. Celine Tio’s menu |
| chefs’ inventive creations. | | | | featured a slow-cooked pork belly dish to |
| Thes festival was a bit smaller than preceding | | | | emphasize her American roots-based style of |
| years as two late and unavoidable cancellations by | | | | cooking. Australian Glen Ballis’ dinner |
| chefs trimmed the field from the original nine | | | | highlighted his combinations of top-quality |
| down to seven. But there was still plenty of talent | | | | international ingredients that also utilized some |
| present and enough events to satisfy the | | | | Russian influences. Jeffrey Jake s offerings |
| demand from guests. The festival was deemed a | | | | underscored the influence of the abundance of |
| success by the hotel’s management and | | | | fresh produce that he uses in his native Napa |
| plans were being made throughout the festival | | | | Valley. |
| week for next year’s 10th anniversary | | | | Michael Ginor, whose Hudson Valley foie gras farm |
| celebratory event. | | | | produces some of the best foie gras in the world, |
| Since journalists were given easy access to the | | | | used that delicious ingredient in all of his dishes to |
| chefs throughout the week there was ample | | | | great effect, creating what was probably the |
| opportunity learn about the chefs’ | | | | richest and most expensive (5900 baht++) menu |
| backgrounds and influences and what brought | | | | of the festival . Michael has also been involved |
| them to their current level of culinary prominence. | | | | with the festival since its inception and has been |
| And make no mistake; this group has been | | | | instrumental in recruiting chefs for the festivals |
| awarded its share of honors over the years from | | | | throughout the years. Maurizio Quaranta, the |
| various international food organizations and top | | | | recipient of a Michelin star for the restaurant |
| travel and food publications, attesting to their level | | | | Locand del Pilone in his native Piedmont area of |
| of skill and dedication to their craft. This | | | | Italy, displayed how his native Italian cooking style |
| year’s chefs were Jeffrey Jake from The | | | | has been influenced by his interactions with, |
| Carneros Inn in Napa Valley, California; Michael | | | | among others, top-quality Spanish chefs. And |
| Ginor from Hudson Valley Foie Gras in New York; | | | | Michael Laiskonis’ elegant and light desserts |
| Maurizio Quaranta from Locanda del Pilone in Alba, | | | | added just the right touch to the Gala Dinner and |
| Italy; Glen Ballis from Nedal’nij Vostok in | | | | the high teas that featured his award-winning |
| Moscow; Siggi Hall from Siggi Hall Restaurant in | | | | work. |
| Reykjavik, Iceland; Celina Tio from the American | | | | In the final analysis, the World Gourmet Festival is |
| Restaurant in Kansas City and Michael Laiskonis | | | | quite an achievement, especially for a hotel staff |
| from Le Bernardin in New York City. | | | | that continues to run a large five-star hotel at the |
| Each of the chefs cooked dinner two nights in | | | | same time that it is producing 23 special food |
| one of the hotel’s restaurants with the | | | | events in the course of one week. And that |
| exception of Michael Laiskonis who is the | | | | doesn’t include all of the preliminary |
| Executive Pastry Chef at Le Bernardin. He, | | | | planning, the marketing and promotional efforts, |
| instead, prepared pastries for three afternoon | | | | the logistics of transporting the guest chefs and |
| teas. And all seven of the chefs collaborated on | | | | their assistants and all of the other myriad details |
| the seven-course Friday night Gala Dinner which | | | | that are involved. This one-of-a-kind event in |
| also featured live entertainment and an auction | | | | Bangkok is the result of lots of hard work and |
| with a portion of the proceeds going to HRH | | | | inspiration from many people and it is hoped that |
| Princess Soamsawali’s Save A | | | | next year at this time food and wine lovers here |
| Child’s Life From AIDS Project. Also, | | | | will be talking about what a great success the |
| the contributions of some of the hotel’s | | | | 2009 version of the festival was. The city |
| chefs can’t be overlooked. Without a lot of | | | | certainly needs all of the first class events it can |
| coordination and overseeing from the | | | | get to help promote itself as a serious dining |
| hotel’s Executive Chef, Nicholas Schneller, | | | | destination in Asia and the World Gourmet Festival |
| Shintaro Chef Satoshi Sawada and Biscotti chef | | | | is leading the way. |
| Danilo Aiassa, the event could not be staged. | | | | |