It’s all about good food and good wine at the 7th World Gourmet Festival. The food fiesta brings the world on a plate, importing 16 world-class chefs from five continents to whip up a tantalizing feast and host a cooking demonstration at the Four Seasons Hotel, Sep 10-17.

Food Hub

Wooing a small battalion of award-winning chefs to cook under one roof is no easy task, but for Four Seasons Food & Beverage Director Lubosh Barta, it’s getting easier and easier. “Now that the festival’s reputation has grown, we don’t have to explain as much about what we are doing. The festival itself attracts the chefs. Plus the participating chefs from past years are great references,” says Lubosh.

Among the active references is Michael Ginor, who has been with the festival since its inception. “I have helped recruit many of the chefs. It is an event that is very dear to my heart,” writes Michael in an email. “I love Thai people, culinary traditions and culture. I love learning about new ingredients and techniques. Thailand is probably my favorite culinary nation in the world.”

Australian chef Geoff Lindsay, The Age Good Food Guide’s 2005 Chef of the Year, agrees. “I can’t wait to feel the rush of Bangkok and to taste exquisite Thai food,”
he says.

Claims to Fame

Top chefs are gearing up to whet your appetite with their renowned signature dishes. If you love foie gras, book a dinner with Michael Ginor, whose Hudson Valley Foie Gras won the 1998 Award of Excellence from the American Tasting Institute. “I have a great passion for foie gras and have devoted my life to it,” Ginor says. “I still remember the first time I sampled foie gras. It was in a simple restaurant in Israel. I’ll never forget the essence of simplicity of its taste.”

Satisfying your carnivorous cravings, Peter Gordon, the executive chef and co-owner of The Providores in London, cooks up his New Zealand-inspired recipes that won him the 2003 Cateys Award for Newcomer of The Year. “I love to cook fish, seafood and fatty meats like pork and lamb. I also enjoy the discovery of new ingredients and try to find ways to incorporate them into my cuisine. For me, fusion is about a successful combination of ingredients,” says the New Zealand chef.

From Concha Y Toro, Chile comes Ruth Van Waerebeek, who is known for her new Latin cuisine. “I sort of reinvent traditional Chilean and South American dishes and play with exotic ingredients. I like to open a whole new world of sensations with Chilean flavors paired with the best wines.”

On the sweet side is 2004’s James Beard Foundation Pastry Chef of the Year, Emily Luchetti, who whips up fresh summer fruits into “desserts that are full of flavors without tasting too sweet.”

Forbidden Food

The only limit to what these amazing chefs can create is their own convictions. For example, Parisian pastry chef Vincent Bourdin is adamantly against using shark fins. “Sharks are very important in the sea kingdom. Shark fins don’t have taste by themselves, so I think it’s stupid to kill these animals.”

Other chefs have no restrictions. Chef Geoff claims he’s tried a bit of everything, “but there’re a few things I won’t need to eat again, like spiders and cockroaches in Cambodia.” Chef Michael concurs. “I had some critters in Thailand,” he says, but admits he couldn’t enjoy them, even after washing them down with Thai whisky.

Hitting the High Points

If you can’t afford every chef’s cooking, Lubosh recommends three particular things. “I’d definitely try chef Yoshii Ryuichi’s Japanese fare,” he says. “His restaurant (Yoshii on the Rocks) has earned a great reputation in Australia. The Moroccan cuisine is also new and exciting for me. For the ladies, there’s an interesting wine tasting class led by Robert Joseph (publishing editor of Wine International). It’s reserved for women only, so they would feel free to ask as many questions as they want.”

Those on tight budgets who would like to take part in this flavor extravaganza should consider investing B6,800 to book a seat at the special Gala Dinner on Sep 14, when every chef will be serving up their most brilliant dishes. It’s not just you who benefits from taking part in the event—parts of the proceeds will go to the Save a Child’s Life From AIDS project. For more information, call 02-250-1000 ext. 1517 or email [email protected].