Six distinguished chefs, seven courses, one dinner
On May 10, a team of six celebrity chefs will gather at Hilton Beijing Wangfujing to prepare a seven-course dinner, for one night only.
General Manager Nils-Arne Schroeder says the chefs will bring different flavors, tastes and cooking styles from around the world to Beijing.
Among the chefs will be Michel Roth, executive chef of the Ritz Paris and L'Espadon Restaurant, who was awarded two Michelin stars in 2009. Roth, who has never been to China before, will prepare lamb in fresh herb crust, courgette cannelloni and Mediterranean artichokes.
The French chef describes his cooking style as being deeply rooted in the soil where authentic flavors come from and he strives to give a contemporary approach to his restaurants' great classics.
"All year round, I make it a point of honor to work with seasonal products, in a cycle of renewal that inspires a cuisine constantly in harmony with the changing flavors of the season," says the chef in an e-mail response to China Daily.
German chef Michael Hoffmann is with one-Michelin star restaurant Margaux in Berlin, which emphasizes the use of herbs and vegetables from its own garden, and presents classic French cuisine infused with avant-garde touches. In Beijing, he will cook a fish dish in combination with grilled fruit and herbs.
It will be the German chef's first visit to China and he is curious about what Chinese food is really like.
Another German chef Karlheinz Hauser, received a Michelin star in 2001 at restaurant Lorenz Adlon in Berlin's Hotel Adlon Kempinski, where he worked as executive chef and food and beverage director. He will make a trilogy of lobster, white asparagus and heirloom tomato. The chef says that his favorite ingredients are artichokes, porcini and caviar.
American Eric Hara, executive chef of the Oak Room, a New York icon, at The Plaza Hotel, New York, will be making a marinated Scottish langoustine, sea urchin, cauliflower in a squid olive puree. He describes his cooking style as creative American.
French chef Claire Heitzler, who has recently been appointed pastry chef at the Ritz in Paris, will present a bitter-sweet Manjari chocolate crisp with fresh raspberries. She says she likes to work with fresh and light products.
Andrea Tranchero, executive chef of Ristorante Armani, in Ginza, Tokyo, Japan, and Hilton Beijing Wangfujing's executive chef Yu Xiang Gu, will also be cooking at the dinner.
China Daily
(China Daily 05/08/2010 page12)
