Spain's Roca brothers coming to Singapore for World Gourmet Summit

The chefs from Spain's El Celler de Can Roca are among the food experts to attend the annual fine-dining festival

The Roca brothers, Jordi and Josep, from three-Michelin-starred El Celler de Can Roca in Spain, will be here for this year's World Gourmet Summit.

The annual fine-dining festival runs from April 6 to May 3 and is themed Gastronomy In Motion.

Tickets are selling fast and sold-out events include the Culinary Masterclass & Luncheon at Miele featuring Tim Raue and the WGS Charity Gala Dinner.

Exclusive menus at partner restaurants are available during the festival, while the Epicurean Delights series runs from April 14 to 25.

Among the highlights is a whisky pairing dinner presented by the Rocas at Bacchanalia, a restaurant at Coleman Street. Its executive chef, Ivan Brehm, 31, will work with the brothers to put out an eight- course dinner on April 21, paired with single malts from The Macallan. Seats cost $688+ each.

There will also be a four hands dinner at Jaan at Swissotel The Stamford, which features three- Michelin-starred chef Christophe Muller and the restaurant's chef de cuisine Julien Royer, 31, on April 24.

Muller is executive chef at L'Auberge Du Pont de Collonges, the signature restaurant under the Paul Bocuse Group, in Collonges au Mont d'Or near Lyon, France. The restaurant has retained its three-Michelin-star status for 50 consecutive years. Their dinner is priced at $500+ a head.

To celebrate SG50, some Singapore chefs based overseas are returning for the summit.

They include pastry chef Cherish Finden, the executive pastry chef at The Langham in London, who is presenting a hands-on workshop at cooking studio ToTT on April 17.

Another Singapore-born chef who will be cooking at the summit is Penang-based Maurice Toh, who heads the kitchen at Cheong Fatt Tze Restaurant, located in the Unesco Heritage building in George Town, Penang.

He will be showcasing his skills at the Sunset Celebration at Tamarind Hill on April 19. This cocktail party features tipples and bites from the summit's gourmet and beverage partners and costs $98+ a person.

Mr Peter A. Knipp, chief executive of Peter Knipp Holdings, says: "For the year of SG50, we also celebrate our star chefs who have established themselves internationally in their own right.

"Gastronomy In Motion is all about the ever- changing nature of food - how it is prepared and presented, and about ground-breaking techniques used to design and create unique dishes."

At a press conference yesterday, the finalists of the summit's Awards of Excellence were announced. The winners will be revealed on April 14 at One Farrer Hotel & Spa, at the WGS opening reception.

Notable finalists include Burnt Ends (for San Pellegrino New Restaurant of the Year), which recently debuted on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2015 list, and chef Ivan Brehm of Bacchanalia (for KitchenAid Chef of the Year).

Finalists for the Meat & Livestock Australia Rising Chef of the Year award include Bjorn Shen of Artichoke, and Bryan Chia and Petrina Loh of Morsels.

The awards - organised by A La Carte Productions, a division of food consultancy Peter Knipp Holdings, and supported by the Singapore Tourism Board - also recognise those in the hospitality industry, as well as stellar restaurants in the region.

euniceq@sph.com.sg

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