Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok Hosts the 11th Annual World Gourmet Festival

[Nicholas Snow]

Special package offers guests the opportunity to sample meals by guest chefs from around the world

A culinary extravaganza organized by Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok is ready to roll out and once again satisfy the palette of the gourmands and the taste bud of the wine connoisseurs. The 11th World Gourmet Festival welcomes award-winning chefs from America, South America, Europe, and Asia who will prepare their celebrated cuisines, which range from Italian, French, British, South American, Australian to regional American and Chinese.

The week-long festival which begins on September 6 includes a variety of exciting dinners which showcase the culinary expertise and exquisite cuisine of award-winning chefs paired with superb wines from famous vineyards of the world as well as lunch, weekend brunch, buffet afternoon tea and a not-to-be missed Scent Dinner.

Since its inception, the festival has grown in prominence to feature an extraordinary lineup of some of the best chefs from across the globe. Gourmet festivals exist throughout the world, but only Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok brings award-winning master chefs under one roof for a week-long celebration of outstanding food and superb wines.

Currently confirmed to participate are:

• Daniel Chambon, Le Pont de l’Ouysse, Lacave, France (awarded one Michelin Star)
• Anthony Demetre, Wild Honey and Arbutus restaurants, London, UK (each awarded one Michelin Star)
• Alejandro Digilio, La Vineria De Gualterio Bolivar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Gale Gand, TRU, Chicago, USA
• Douglas Keane, Cyrus Restaurant, California, USA (awarded two Michelin Star)
• Alvin Leung, Bo Innovation, Hong Kong (awarded one Michelin Star).
• Brent Savage, Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Sydney, Australia
• Matteo Vigotti, Ristorante Novecento, Meina, Italy
• Chandler Burr, Perfume Critic, New York Times, and organizer of “Scent Dinners”

PROFILES:

Daniel Chambon
Le Pont de L’Ouysse, France www.lepontdelouysse.com

Born on January 30, 1949, in the small village of Lachapelle Auzac in Quercy-Perigord, Chef Daniel grew up helping his mother around the kitchen. His visionary interpretations of classic French cuisine have earned him one star in the Michelin Guide and he was acclaimed “Master Chef of France.” He is held in high regard for his signature dishes, such as foie gras and truffles, which are classics in his hometown in France.

Anthony Demetre
Wild Honey www.wildhoneyrestaurant.co.uk and
Arbutus www.arbutusrestaurant.co.uk, London, UK

Chef Anthony, now head chef and co-owner of Arbutus restaurant in London, is celebrated for his firm belief that ‘cheap doesn’t have to mean nasty” when it comes to food. This way of thinking garnered his first restaurant a Michelin star within months of opening, which then led to him opening a second restaurant, Wild Honey, in 2007. Wild Honey took the BMW Square Meal Award for Best New Restaurant Autumn 2007, a year after Arbutus took the 2006 title. Chef Anthony’s first book, Today’s Special, was published in 2008 by Quadrille and is a collection of the recipes from both Arbutus and Wild Honey. He has also featured on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen and Good Food’s Market Kitchen.

Alejandro Digilio
La Vineria De Gualterio Bolivar, Buenos Aires, Argentina www.lavineriadegualteriobolivar.com

In 2007 Chef Alejandro opened the doors of his acclaimed restaurant La Vineria de Gualterio Bolivar. His aim was to create a different type of restaurant with new flavours and aromas in dishes and handmade pastries and breads. Digilio’s dishes are inventive and unusual, toying with textures and flavour combinations. His creativity has brought him international recognition and in May 2009, the American Food & Wine Magazine published a list of 20 new restaurants in the world that offer ‘a unique and exciting experience on the planet’, among which La Vineria de Gualterio Bolivar is listed. In 2008, the Argentine Academy of Gastronomy awarded him two Suns out of three in the yearly guidebook.

Gale Gand
TRU, Chicago, USA www.trurestaurant.com

Chef Gale is the executive pastry chef and partner of the renowned four-star Mobil, five-diamond AAA, Relais & Chateaux Relais-Gourmand restaurant TRU in Chicago with culinary partner Rick Tramonto and Rich Melman. She was recognized in 2001 as Outstanding Pastry Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation and Bon Appetit Magazine and in 1994 as one of Food and Wine’s Top Ten Best New Chefs. Chef Gale is an accomplished cookbook author with seven titles to her credit, including her most recent ‘Gale Gand’s Brunch’, released in 2009.

Douglas Keane
Cyrus Restaurant, California, USA www.cyrusrestaurant.com

In 2003, Chef Douglas and his partner Nick Peyton envisioned their luxury restaurant in Sonoma County. At Cyrus, admittedly his ‘dream restaurant’, Keane specializes in an ambitious culinary style he refers to as ‘contemporary luxury’ cuisine using ingredients that are uncommon to create exciting new tastes for guests to experience. Open just four years, Cyrus and Chef Keane have received numerous accolades including two stars from the Michelin Guide, four stars from Michael Bauer at the San Francisco Chronicle, Gourmet Magazine’s ‘Top 50 Restaurants in America’, Esquire Magazine’s ‘Chef of the Year’ and Food & Wine Magazine’s ‘Best New Chef..’ In 2009, Chef Douglas was honored with the James Beard’s ‘Best Chef – Pacific’ Award.

Alving Leung
Bo Innovation, Hong Kong www.boinnovation.com

In 2009, Bo Innovation became Hong Kong’s only independent restaurant to be awarded one Michelin star by the prestigious Michelin Guide. For his menus, Alvin uses fresh seasonal market produced sourced locally and internationally from trusted suppliers, therefore, his menu changes constantly, retaining only some signature dishes while new dishes showcase the best of what’s on offer in the markets.

Brent Savage
Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Sydney, Australia www.thebentley.com.au

Head Chef Brent Savage and award-winning sommelier Nich Hildebrandt opened Bentley Restaurant & Bar in 2006, which has been recognized by the likes of Australian Gourmet Traveller and the Sydney Morning Herald’s critics as one of the most dynamic eating and drinking experiences in the country. In the 2007 Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide, described Savage’s food as ‘visually astonishing’ and a ‘deliciously wild ride’. He was named ‘Chef of the Year’ by the Sydney Morning Herald. Savage’s food is modern Australian and draws inspiration from many cuisines especially Spain and France where he conducts yearly overseas ‘research’ tours.

Matteo Vigotti
Ristorante Novecentro, Meina, Italy www.nov-ece-nto.it

Chef Matteo Vigotti is one of Italy’s most creative young cooking talents. He has spent no less than 24 of his 38 years learning the art of cookery and practicing it to the point of perfection. In 2004 he opened his own restaurant Novecento in Meina on the shores of Lake Maggiore in the Piedmont region and since then his guests have been spoilt with choice. His cuisine’s inspiration are ‘terroir’, tradition and the different seasons. His exceptional creativity in presenting his masterpieces and seeking new and fascinating flavour combinations has already earned him various national and international awards including the Bocuses d’Or in 2002 and the Marchesi Award in 2003.

Chandler Burr www.chandlerburr.com
Perfume Critic, New York, USA

Chandler Burr is The New York Times’ Perfume Critic and author of the Scent Notes column. He began his journalism career as a stringer at the Christian Science Monitor’s Southeast Asia bureau in Manila. Burr has a Masters in International Economics and Japanese Political Economy and has studied in Paris and Beijing. Collaborating with chefs around the world, Burr hosts interactive Scent Dinners, master classes in gourmand scents.

The event is coordinated and overseen by Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok’s Executive Chef Nicolas Schneller, along with Shintaro Chef Satoshi Sawada and Biscotti Chef Danilo Aiassa. It is presented in association with Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia.

Each guest chef will host two evenings in one of the Hotel’s restaurants, with the exception of Chef Gale Gand, who will host three afternoon teas in the Lobby Lounge from Friday to Saturday. Something new this year is the World Gourmet buffet lunch also in the Lobby Lounge from Monday to Thursday. Chandler Burr, Perfume Critic for the New York Times, will host a special “Scent Dinner,” an olfactory dining journey combining flavours and fragrances.

And the evening doesn’t have to end there. Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok has created the World Gourmet Festival package so that guests enjoying one of the festival dinners can retire to their guestroom afterwards, full and content, and enjoy a good night’s sleep. The package includes overnight accommodations, complimentary breakfast, and a featured dinner for two persons per night booked.

Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok is proud to support HRH Princess Soamsawali’s ‘Save A Child’s Life from AIDS Project’ under the auspices of the Thai Red Cross Society which provides medicine for pregnant mothers who are afflicted with AIDS. Proceeds from the silent auction with items to be displayed in The Lobby for the duration of the event plus Baht 100 per dinner ticket sold will be donated to this charity.

The 11th World Gourmet Festival would not be possible without the help of our friends and partners. We are pleased to recognize Thai Airways International as the presenting airline sponsor who have generously supported air tickets for the chefs; the primary sponsors such Citibank N.A. and Mercedes Benz (Thailand) Ltd. as well as the official sponsor, Tourism Authority of Thailand for their monetary support; and the official media partners such as Prestige, Elle, Elle Decoration and Martha Stewart Living.

Don’t miss this once a year food and wine extravaganza at the only Hotel in the country to organize this mammoth event for all the discerning gourmands. So, hurry and make your reservations today by contacting the Hotel at 66 (0) 2 126 8866 or e-mail [e-mail]. Individual dinner tickets can also be booked through [e-mail].