It was hot and it was humid. But it sure was a helluva lot of fun for guests who turned out at this year’s World Gourmet Summit Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne Brunch. Chefs from several WGS partner restaurants served up everything from intriguing molecular gastronomy dishes to a whole baby lamb roasted on a spit. The starring sensation, of course, was Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne, which flowed freely throughout the morning. Our visiting masterchefs, including Japanese maestro Kiyomi Mikuni and one-Michelin-starred Chef Vincent Pouessel, turned up the heat by joining in all fun on a balmy Sunday afternoon! Click through our photo gallery for more exciting pictures of the event!

It was definitely a treat for those who had signed up for the classes held on Sunday as it was one full day of nothing but culinary knowledge from esteemed chefs from all over the world. From Chefs Didier Corlou and Chris Salans representing Asia, to Chefs Andrea Canton and Bart De Pooter from Europe and Chef Pierre Herme, the God of Pastry himself, it was an afternoon worth savouring. Chef Bart De Pooter kicks the session off with a lesson on the elements that makes a dish tick. Chef Andrea Canton then takes over with the help Chef Michele for translation on cooking with using an authentic Italian flair. Chef Didier Corlou then shows how a perfect marriage of ingredients local to a specific area can be combined to make a dish that tastes out of the world. Chef Chris Salans after that steps in to teach participants that you don’t have to look far in procuring ingredients to create a magnificent dish. And finally Chef Pierre Herme is there in the flesh showing you first hand on how to really make a good dessert. Though it had been a long day, with chefs like them each second was considered gold.

It was an extended evening of gastronomical and Bacchalian delights, as Daniel Cathiard, owner of Chateaux Smith-Haut-Lafitte led a one-and-a-half hour tasting session at the Raffles Convention Centre. Titled ’A retrospect of Chateaux Smith-Haut-Lafitte through five decades’, the wine tastings covered the 1985 Blanc, 1995 Blanc, 2005 Blanc, 1978 Blanc, 1989 Rouge, 1995 Rouge, 2005 Rouge and the much anticipated 1961 Rouge. Together with Dr. NK Yong, Cathiard went through brief explanations of each wine, such as how the 1989 Rouge and the 1995 Rouge differ in colour and concentration, partly due to changes in the structure and methods used. Dr Yong in particular, praised the 2005 Blanc and 1995 Rouge. Questions were also forthcoming from the attentive audience, who posed queries on topics pertaining to the process used wine making at Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte, where Cathiard answered that the whites, for example, are not fermented in stainless steel vats unlike most wineries. Following the wine tasting event, an exclusive Chateau-Haut-Lafitte vintner dinner was held at the Equinox, featuring two-Michelin-starred chef Bart de Pooter’s cuisine paired with the wines. Overlooking the magnificent city nightscape from the 69th level of Equinox’s private dining room, guests were treated to an exquisite 9-course dinner that included dishes like pike perch - crisp-skin wth lime, fine rhubarb and leek puree and hints of tarragon and coconut, that was served with a 1998 Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte Blanc.

There was initially room for only one hundred diners. But Chef Eric Johnson gave in to our pleas and made allowances for another five special diners, who had the chance to indulge in an evening of Castaing foie gras. Chef Eric Johnson’s meticulous attention to detail saw him plate up every dish for the evening, supervising every sauce and of course every piece of foie gras sent out. From foie gras terrine to foie gras brulee, Chef Eric Johnson structured a four-course menu (excluding dessert) with foie gras as the starring ingredient, complemented with interesting flavour pairings. Also present at the dinner was a very special guest, Jean Daniel Castaing, of Castaing Foe Gras, who was truly impressed with the consistency of Chef Johnson’s cooking, and the perfect doneness of the pan-roasted foie gras on practically every plate!

In a half-day exclusive session at the Unilever Foodsolutions Regional Culinary Academy, renowned Chef Sam Leong led five fortunate participants through a culinary workshop that covered three dishes featured in his restaurants. Guests were seated in the discussion area before the demonstration kitchen in the academy, and Chef Leong showed the audience the step-by-step method for the dishes while dispensing basic cooking tips. ’To get that shiny glaze that you see on sauteed vegetables in restaurants, use a little mixture of chicken consomme, a bit of salt, sugar and a bit of cornflour and water, and stir into the vegetables,’ said Chef Leong, as an example. Dishes showed include the Crispy Prawn coated with Wasabi-Mayo in Cheese Basket, Pan-seared Wagyu Beef & Foie Gras With Sauteed Vegetables, and the Warm Sabayon Green Tea with Mixed Fruits. After Chef Leong’s demonstration, the participants broke up into pairs and started to prepare the same dishes at the cooking stations inside. Said Jacqueline Loh, a tutor and food lover who is participating in the World Gourmet Summit culinary workshop for the first time, ’I was impressed. I joined because Sam’s so popular and good at what he does.’ She also added that she and her friend, Jennifer Ngiam (another participant), would consider joining another WGS workshop next year.

Calm night, warm mood and glamour splashed everywhere. And that was but just some of the ambience that filled the evening during the Gala Charity Dinner at Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore. In a bid for charity, World Gourmet Summit 2008 was proud to do its part for charity and it was a night that was full of generosity and excitement. Jean-Pierre Blanchard, a renowned speed-artist from France was flown in for not one but three separate performances where he painted a portrait of luminaries within minutes and giving the audience no clue until it beautifully revealed itself. Silent auctions were made where guests bid for the best wines and products. And backed by Dr Henry Tay of Hour Glass and Ms Jennie Chua, they got the audience roaring in stitches during the auctioning of Mr Blanchard’s painting. Meals served during that night was also worth the mention. Guests were tantalized by dishes made by talented chefs and the highlight was definitely the dessert prepared by Pierre Herme himself. This year’s total rake in is a record breaker with a grand sum of S$432,458 and it couldn’t be done with the support and kind benevolence of those who attended.

The pouring weather on Thursday morning surely did not dampen the moods of the participants who came for the masterclass. It has sessions meant to be remembered coupled with valuable culinary lessons from established and talented chefs like Chui Lee Luk, Ramon Freixa, Stephane Carrade and David Warren. Each chef showcased around two dishes and walked through with the participants, carefully step by step on how to make it plus giving tips on how the audience can improve or add their own touch to it. Chef Chui’s class was rather inspiring as she shares with the audience that what she was doing was not to dictate on how to make the dish work but rather to spur their passion in letting them do as how they deem fit. Chef Freixa showed participants that cooking methods are no longer confined to the stove, oven or fire as modern technologies have developed unique techniques to cleverly recreate textures of an ingredient. For Chef Carrade, in his class, he sends out messages that cooking a genre of cuisine do not narrow down the options to choices of ingredients and with an open mind, cooking can be an art. Finally for Chef Warren, he cleverly explains the importance of using the best ingredients is crucial to the success of a meal.

One of the world’s most established culinary schools, Le Cordon Bleu, again participated actively in this year’s World Gourmet Summit. Three masterchefs, two from the school’s branch in Thailand and one from Paris, France, are being hosted at InterContinental Singapore’s restaurant, Olive Tree. Chefs Fabrice Danniel, Cedric Maton, and Patrick Terries also presented a special Bleu Ribbon dinner, with dishes incorporating Classical French cooking techniques from the 18th century — when the school was first established. It was certainly and evening to remember, from the ballroom’s chandeliers and Old World style decorations to the jellied consommé served as a second course.

The menu was fantastic, the chefs were stellar and the company enjoyable. The American Express Sentosa Safari was all that and more. Starting from the Carlsberg Tower, to the restaurant by the sea, Ami’s, guests were brought to Nogawa Restaurant and finally, Café Del Mar. On the menu was the cuisine of Chef Kenny Yeo, Eric Johnson, Chef Yoshio Nogawa and Chef Edward Voon. Altogether, it was an enriching experience, according the Chef Eric Johnson, from Jean Georges Shanghai. ”It was wonderful to be able to get together with other talent and bring people a feast.”

Bringing to you foie gras done two different ways, was Chef Eric Johnson of Jean Georges Shanghai. He taught the inquisitive audience how to make roasted foie gras in galangal broth, grapes and morel mushrooms as well as foie gras brulee, diced sour cherries, candied pistachios and sweet wine gelee. ”It is an honour to be invited so I’m happy to be here. I chose the following foie gras dishes because one of them is our speciality in Jean Georges and the one with galangal broth fell in line with the Asian theme.”

On the menu: buckwheat crisp with crabmeat and coral vinaigrette and a meli-melo of sweet and spicy ceviche in lima style with guacamole and violet potato crisp. Chef Cedric’s helpful hints along the way was taken down by the audience. ”You have to keep the original taste of the ingredients in the dish as much as possible. These chosen dishes are fresh and very colourful, matching with the Singapore weather. Plus, Singapore uses a lot of crabs in their food, so I decided to use crabs in another way!”

Chef Fabrice Danniel’s chocolate and yuzu soft cake with kiku ice cream was simple, yet fantastic. Teaching the audience how to make the cake was relatively simple, but his passion for pastry came through in the hints he gave. Next he created the hibiscus peach granite, which was light and icy, a fantastic complement to the hot weather. ”At Le Cordon Bleu, we use these recipes at the intermediate level.” He concluded by saying, ”Patience, hard work, respect for temperature and the methodology is very important when you are training to be a pastry chef. If you respect the temperature you control the entire dessert.”

The first gourmet safari for this year ’s World Gourmet Summit started off to a fantastic start on 15th April, as a small cosy group of 20 plus individuals gathered at the Sky Bar, beneath the Carlsberg Tower in keen anticipation for the safari event. Beginning with an exciting sky-chair lift journey down, with the glorious sunset in full view, guests were led to the first destination Ami ’s, where Chef Eric Johnson and Chef Kenny Yeo welcomed them with the first two courses of foie gras brule (Johnson ’s specialty) and Yeo ’s Trilogy by the sea dish which included pan-seared sea scallop on potato blintzes. With Hamish as the emcee for the evening, the guests then proceeded to Suburbia by chartered coach. Here, they were treated to the combined cuisine of Chef Eric Johnson and Chef Odin Fu that included tantalising dishes like the seared beef tenderloin with steamed bok choy and rhubarb mousse. Finally, the evening culminated in a beach-side dining experience at Barnacles. Chef Thomas Figovc worked his magic by the sea, as he presented a delightful goat cheese souffle, while Chef Eric Johnson served an espresso brule with bittersweet chocolate and passion fruit. Said one delighted guest who declined to be named, ”This is definitely a unique experience, and I ’m looking forward to coming back again next year for the next WGS gourmet safari.”

It was a night just for him. From the stage to the menu and heck, there was an even large cut out of the man himself but never at one moment did the world-famous traveller went self-absorbed. Meet Ian Wright, the man with the best job in life. Though being no taller than five foot nine, he is actually very much larger than life. His presence managed to capture everyone’s attention and you just had to listen to his stories. The food presented by Executive Chef Lucas Spoel and his team matched not only with the wine but with Ian’s character. It was easy, straight-forward, British but slightly jazzed up for a touch of class. A lovely night indeed with Ian Wright who managed to get everybody’s mood going and how great would it be if it had went on for slightly much longer.

As a launch pad for its spanking new Regional Culinary Academy, Unilever Foodsolutions presented a unique culinary master class with the World Gourmet Summit. A very intimate affair, the class only had room for six participants, each of whom received detailed directions and encouragement from Chef Emmanuel Stroobant from Saint Pierre. Chef Stroobant began the session with a demonstration of three dishes, and participants then had the opportunity to trying cooking the dishes themselves. The most fun part of all was having Chef Stroobant evaluate the final products of his ’ students’ ! This is definitely an event you will see more of at WGS in time to come! Click on to our gallery to catch a glimpse of all the action!

Straight from Sydney, from the famous three-hat rated Claude’s restaurant was none other than Chef Chui Lee Luk, who graced the kitchens of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on April 14th. Simply titled ’An Evening with Chui Lee Luk’, the exclusive World Gourmet Summit event saw guests arriving from varying prestigious backgrounds, including Dr Lee Boon Yang, minister of information, communications and the arts, and a visiting US dignitary and his wife. And the Singapore-born Chef Chui - famous for her modern French cuisine and for being the only female owner-chef of a three-hat rated restaurant in Sydney - soon began working her magic in the kitchens, together with Chef Eric Teo, her assistants and the chefs of Mandarin Oriental. Guests were treated to a live telecast of what goes behind the scenes in the kitchens, as emcee for the evening Darryl David followed Chef Chui into the kitchens. True to her creative ingenuity for cuisine, Chef Chui created interesting dishes including abalone broth served with crocodile floss (the floss was made from fresh crocodile meat) and an amazingly succulent semi-cured breast of duck, that were served together with wines sponsored by Culina. ”My cuisine is about how the sum of everything is greater than the parts”, said Chef Chui. As the event drew to a close, tokens of appreciation were given to notable figures, including Michael Chong from Culina and Chef Chui herself.