World Gourmet Summit 2008
7 – 26 April 2008
Singapore

World Gourmet Summit 2008 boasts female chefs and three weeks of gastronomic delights

The World Gourmet Summit rolls into Singapore for the 12th year, boasting, for the first time, top female chefs and a three-week calendar bursting with about 70 activities.

An annual event co-organised by Peter Knipp Holdings and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), and presented by American Express, World Gourmet Summit will be held from 7 to 26 April 2008.

Some highlights this year include

• Anne-Sophie Pic – the World Gourmet Summit’s first female iconic chef. Ms Pic is the first French female chef in 50 years to receive three-Michelin stars. She will star with two other acclaimed female chefs – Antonella Ricci, a one-Michelin star chef and one of Italy’s celebrated TV chefs, and Chui Lee Luk, a Singapore-born lawyer-turned-chef;

• Serena Sutcliffe, a leading authority on wine and an internationally recognised wine writer and renowned taster who was the second woman to be admitted to the Institute of Masters of Wine in 1976;

• World-renowned patissier extraordinaire Pierre Hermé, George Calombaris (2 Hats) who shares his interpretation of Greek cuisine, and Kiyomi Mikuni, one of Tokyo’s highest rated chefs, who will present a delectable spread of French cuisine with a touch of Japan;

• Familiar television personalities, Curtis Stone of the Take Home Chef fame, and Ian Wright of Discovery Travel and Living’s Globe Trekker series, will each host a dinner;

• First-growth wine dinners and masterclasses featuring the estates of Alvaro Palacios, Dominio de Pingus, and Vega Sicilia from Spain. There will also be the vintner dinners that follow a wine masterclass with vintages from Château de Beaucastel and Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte with cuisine paired by some of the visiting masterchefs;

• Gourmet Retailers programme makes its debut. Retail outlets are highlighted in a dedicated booklet, offering an easy reference for guests to find premium products and services that will address their special gourmet dining needs;

• Sentosa Safaris and Wildlife Safaris transport guests to three different locations for a night of extravagant dining experience filled with fun and adventure;

• Culinary masterclasses and workshops designed for aspiring chefs to get first-hand secrets of the trade to spice up any home-cooked meal from famous chefs; and

• Truffle Dinner with renowned French truffle expert Pierre-Jean Pebeyre, as well as A Taste of the Highlands, showcasing 40-year-old whisky from Highland Park for the first time.

According to Mr Andrew Phua, Director of Cluster Development (Tourism Shopping and Dining), STB, last year’s World Gourmet Summit saw a 15 per cent increase in attendance with over 13,000 participants. One in five participants was a visitor and of these, more than 40 per cent were from countries such as Australia, France, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

This year, with the delectable line up of events and activities planned, ranging from champagne brunches to truffle dinners, it is hoped that over 15,000 gourmet connoisseurs, both local and overseas, will be drawn to the event.

Article is extracted from P@ssport, STB's monthly enewsletter on tourism industry news

Photo by Eugene Tang. All Rights reserved.