Asia’s 50 best restaurants welcomes all-star lineup for forum and workshops

SINGAPORE - Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, sponsored by S. Pellegrino & Acqua Panna and organised by William Reed Business Media, will welcome some of the world’s leading chefs to Singapore to participate in a series of interactive workshops and a forum on global culinary trends. Held in conjunction with Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2014 awards, the two-day programme on 23 and 24 February offers a unique opportunity for the culinary industry and members of the public to hear from and interact with the world’s most prominent chefs. The programme comprises a one-day forum on 23 February, titled ‘The Future of Food: Back to our Roots’, and a series of ‘Signature Dishes’ workshops on 24 February.

The stellar lineup of presenters, mostly drawn from The World’s and Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants lists, includes:

Joan Roca, El Celler de Can Roca, (No. 1, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013) - Yoshihiro Narisawa, Narisawa (No. 1, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013, No. 20 The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013)

Bjorn Frantzen, Restaurant Frantzen, (No.12, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013) - Ben Shewry, Attica, (No. 21, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013)

Andre Chiang, Restaurant Andre, (No. 5, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013, No 38 The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013)

Manjit Gill, Dum Pukht, (No. 17, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013)

Manish Mehrotra, Indian Accent (No. 48, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013) Loh Lik Peng, global hotelier and restaurateur, The Unlisted Collection

David Thompson, regarded as the world’s foremost authority on Thai cuisine and chef of Nahm (No.3, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013, No. 32 The World’s 50 Best Restaurants), has been appointed as the chair and co-curator for the ‘Future of Food’ forum and the workshops. He will co-host the forum and present one of the workshops.

The Future of Food: Back to our Roots Jubilee Hall, Raffles Hotel Singapore Sunday, 23 February 2014, 10am-6.30pm This engaging and educational forum will explore current and future gastronomic trends through a series of talks, discussions, short films and spirited debates. Divided into three sessions, the forum will conclude with a cocktail party where attendees can network and meet the presenters.
The morning session (10am-12.30pm), called ‘Raw: The Rise of the Vegetable’, will explore ideas surrounding sustainability and increasing importance of ethics in the food industry. Presenters during this session include Yoshihiro Narisawa, Ben Shewry and Bjorn Frantzen, amongst others.

In the first of two afternoon sessions, David Thompson, Joan Roca, Andre Chiang, Manish Mehrotra and others will take the stage to deliberate questions on authenticity, innovation and overcoming the confines of convention. The final session, titled ‘Keeping it Real: The Rise of the Celebrity Chef,’ is likely to spark the most debate. Invited speakers include the ‘Demon Chef’ Alvin Leung from Bo Innovation (No.15, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013) who will discuss examples of fame eclipsing the food and question whether the cult of the celebrity chef is killing creativity in the kitchen.

‘Signature Dishes’ Workshops At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy Monday, 24 February 2014, 10am to 3-30pm For aspiring chefs, food lovers or epicurean experts, the workshops offer the ultimate opportunity to learn from the masters. Called ‘The Signature Dishes’, the workshops will be held at At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy, Singapore’s leading culinary school. Each workshop will be hosted by an international, award-winning guest chef who will reveal the inspiration, techniques and processes behind some of their most prized and beloved dishes.

Attendees will have the chance to interact with these celebrated chefs, learn their secrets, gain an insight into current culinary practices and sample the dishes cooked in the class. Classes are small and will run from 2 to 2.5 hours.

The exciting roster of culinary masters includes:
Joan Roca: A pioneer of sous-vide cooking, Joan remains at the forefront of gastronomic creativity– blending traditional Catalan flavours with cutting-edge techniques. El Celler de Can Roca has three Michelin stars and was voted No.1 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013.

Bjorn Frantzen: Patron chef of the eponymous Stockholm restaurant ranked No.12 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013 list, Bjorn will explore New Nordic cooking and the Asian flavours that inspire him.

Eneko Axta: As chef and owner of the much-lauded Azurmendi, Eneko is Spain’s youngest and most innovative three-star Michelin chef. Committed to sustainable practices, Enko uses ingredients grown at the restaurant to reinterpret Basque classics.

Yoshihiro Narisawa: Having earned the top spot at the inaugural Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, this dedicated environmentalist and avid nature lover is in the vanguard for environmental thought and kitchen practices in Japan. Sourcing all of his restaurant’s produce from small growers and transforming them into highly aesthetic dishes, Narisawa is considered one the world’s most influential chefs.

David Thompson: A leading authority on Thai cuisine, the Australian- born chef is a staunch traditionalist who tracks down recipes from the hundred-year-old cookbooks of former Thai matriarchs to serve at Bangkok’s Nahm (No.32 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013).His workshop will focus on time-honoured recipes and cooking styles.

Ben Shewry: His Melbourne restaurant, Attica, rocketed to No.21 on The World’s Best Restaurant list in 2013. Known for his foraging and championing of local producers, the celebrated New Zealand-born chef excites guests by challenging conventions and celebrating the diversity of natural ingredients. One of the most innovative chefs of his generation, his workshop will reveal the childhood inspirations behind his award-winning menu.

Tickets for the all-day forum, which include access to the cocktail party, are priced at SG$240 while a seat at one of the six workshops start from SG$250. Generous discounts are available for culinary industry professionals.

An Advisory Board, chaired by David Thompson, has been appointed to oversee this project and curate the programme. Other board members include chefs Yoshihiro Narisawa and Manish Mehrotra, as well as restaurateurs Loh Lik Peng from Singapore and Alan Lo from Hong Kong.

A detailed overview of the programme, including the forum itinerary, details of the workshops, profiles of the chefs and ticketing information, can be found online.

How Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list is compiled Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list is created from The Diners Club® World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, an influential group of over 900 international leaders in the restaurant industry, each selected for their expert opinion of the international restaurant scene. The Academy comprises 26 separate regions around the world. Each region has its own panel of 36 members including a chairperson to head it up. The panel is made up of food critics, chefs, restaurateurs and highly regarded ‘foodies’, each of whom has seven votes. Of the seven votes, at least three must be used to recognise restaurants outside of each voter’s region. At least ten panelists from each region change each year. None of the employees of any of the sponsors associated with the awards, including the main sponsor, votes or has any influence over the results.

Votes for restaurants in the following countries in Asia, cast during the voting period for The World's 50 Best Restaurants, will result in the list of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants: Bangladesh, Burma/ Myanmar, Brunei, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, the Maldives, Micronesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.

Sourced: TravelDailyNews