By LAWRENCE TAN
It’s the time of the year again for the
World Gourmet Summit (WGS) Awards of Excellence, honoring the best of
Singapore’s food and beverage (F&B) individuals and establishments.
Now into its ninth year, this year’s Awards
see 11 new categories added, regional categories, bringing the total number of
awards up for grabs to 25. And for the first time, the industry-only event will
be open for voting by members of the public to determine the winners of 15 award
categories.
Co-organizers Singapore Tourism Board and
Peter Knipp Holdings Pte Ltd revealed the finalists for WGS 2009 to a group of
media and industry professionals at the exclusive Penthouse function room of
the Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant in UOB Plaza.
In the Singapore categories, Garibaldi
Group of Restaurants scored the most number of nominations with seven,
including a regional nomination for the Group's CEO Roberto Galetti as Restaurateur
of the Year.
The Les Amis Group, Hua Ting, and Swissôtel The
Stamford also earned nominations in several categories. For the full list of
award categories and finalists of the WGS 2009, please refer to the website: www.wgsawards.com
Winners will be announced at a lavish reception
at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel on 25 April.
Of course, the awards is but one of the
highlights of the plethora of activities that have been lined up for this
month-long gastronomic and wine extravaganza that is the World Gourmet Summit
2009, held from 19 April – 2 May.
A trio of three-Michelin-starred chefs –
Heinz Beck, Régis Marcon and Klaus Erfort – will be cooking up a storm at Les
Saveurs, The St Regis Singapore and Jaan at Swissôtel The Stamford.
Meanwhile, at
the Hotel InterContinental Singapore, embark on a culinary expedition with Discovery
Travel & Living’s Surreal Gourmet and Glutton for Punishment
host Bob Blumer, or taste the ‘Sweet Life’ with Dolce Vita host David Rocco.
Other culinary maestros who will be
showcasing their signature masterpieces include Arnaud Guerpillon, Alfonso
Castellano, Atul Kochhar, Claudio Sadler, David Muñoz, Dan Hunter,
Herve Boutin, Laurent Pillard, Masayasu Yonemura, Oriol Balaguer, Oliver Oddos,
Sergi Arola and Wylie Dufrense, including a couple of master mixologists Eben
Freeman and Linden Pride.
To catch your favorite celebrity
masterchefs and mixologists in action, refer to the website: www.worldgourmetsummit.com for
more information on event dates and venues.
World Gourmet Summit