Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn graciously presided over the recent Bangkok Chefs Charity Gala Dinner & Auction, organised by Nuntiya and Patcharin Hame-ung-gull of Gourmet One, in cooperation with the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok and 21 executive chefs from five-star hotels and Thai Airways International. Photos courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
In a high-spirited evening on July 18, the 2016 Bangkok Chefs Charity Gala Dinner and Auction, one of Thailand’s most illustrious dining affairs, prosperously wrapped up with an impressive 23 million baht raised for charity.
It’s the highest amount the benevolent event has ever raised in a night since its inception seven years ago.
The fundraising project was initiated in 2009 by Gourmet One, Thailand’s leading fine food supplier, in collaboration with the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, together with a number of executive chefs from five-star hotels and Thai Airways International.
The eighth edition of the gala feast, graciously presided over by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, took place in the Royal Ballroom of the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok.
The event was attended by 350 discerning epicures and altruistic guests, who came to support the good cause via a 10-course, wine-pairing dinner.
This year, the culinary creations conceptualised and prepared by 21 cooking masters highlighted the flavours of top-notch ingredients from the world’s best sources as it glorified local culinary finesse, including prime-quality products from the royal-initiated agricultural development projects under the Chaipattana Foundation.
Accompanying the gourmet menu were fine wines, supported by Central Wine Cellar, Thailand’s leading importer and distributor of wines from around the world. It chose some of the best regions and winemakers in the world to match the food creations. All the selected wines boasted a 90-point or higher rating by international wine experts.
The prestigious affair started off at 5pm with a Champagne cocktail reception at the corridor of the Royal Ballroom.
Gathered by glamorously looking philanthropists, the welcoming session starred mouth-watering canapés by Roland Kaiser of the Banyan Tree Bangkok and James Norman, Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok.
The distinctive array of bite-sized treats included Indian-inspired fresh rice paper rolls with salmon, fragrant herbs and spices; butter-poached langoustine on buckwheat crackers, white miso aioli and sesame nori; and carrot, kohlrabi and fresh herb wantons with salsa verde.
At 5.30pm, the dinner officially began with a lovely appetiser, Canadian lobster, white asparagus bisque, lemon crème and pistachio cranberry brioche, a great work by Mark Hagenbach of Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok and Jose Martin Ruiz Borja of Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel.
The chilled seafood was paired with Luis Felipe Edwards Marea Valle de Leyda Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Leyda Valley, Chile.
Following was slightly-smoked Hokkaido scallop, citrus sea vegetables sphere, butterfly pea flowers, dashi consommé and crispy wakame by Thitisorn Amatasin of the Sukhothai Bangkok and Gael Lardiere of Plaza Athenee Bangkok, A Royal Meridien Hotel. The dish was paired Dog Point Chardonnay 2013, Marlborough, New Zealand.
Blue crab, santol salad, pineapple, coconut and candied cashew nut by Andrew Brown of Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok and Koenraad Inghelram of InterContinental Bangkok was chosen to represent the third course. It was complemented by Luis Felipe Edwards Marea Valle de Leyda Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Leyda Valley, Chile.
The next course was green tea and fermented garlic pasta, crustacean infused tea oil emulsion and red amaranth leaves by Somchai Deeying of Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld and Pierre Andre Hauss, Thai Airways International.
The innovative pasta was matched with Les Vins de Vienne Viognier 2013, Rhone Valley, France.
The dinner splendidly moved on to the fifth course with pan-fried foie gras, blueberry macaroon, rhubarb purée and hibiscus sauce by Antony Scholtmeyer of the Okura Prestige Bangkok and Michael Hogan of Marriott Queen’s Park. Complementing the duck liver was Amiral de Beychevelle AOC Saint-Julien 2010, Bordeaux, France.
Representing the sixth course was bread-crusted Scottish salmon, vegetables fantasy and lettuce coulis by Aurelien Poirot of the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok and Kevin B. Thomson of JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok. The flawless dish was paired with Les Vins de Vienne Viognier 2013, Rhone Valley, France.
Cured duck breast, tamarind liquid croquette, fruit powder and herb salad, a creation by Nathan Chilcott of Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit and Philippe Keller of Dusit Thani Bangkok, was presented next. Matching the dish was Vincent Girardin Domaine de la Tour Du Bief AOC Moulin a Vent Clos de la Tour 2010, Burgundy, France.
Preparing the guests’ palate for the meat course that was to come was beetroot and kaffir lime sorbet, passion fruits sphere and sponge, Chaipatana camellia oil snow and candied beetroot by Pisit Jinopong, The Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai. The night’s main course, deboned Australian lamb loin in golden puff pastry, palette of seasonal vegetables and thyme-scented Madeira sauce was a glorious creation by Norbert Kostner, the Bangkok Chefs Charity founding chef, and Philippe Gaudal of the Landmark Bangkok. It was paired with Majella Shiraz 2012, Coonawarra, Australia.
Dessert has never been regarded as a second-class treat at the event. For the sweet finale to be paired with Petit Guiraud AOC Sauternes 2013, Bordeaux, France, the Valrhona manjari chocolate dome with iced lemongrass praline, mango passion fruit salsa by Gunter Angermann of the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Tower and Marc Erwin Cibrowius of Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok provided a perfect finish the dinner.
The haute cuisine was paired with some of the finest wines supported by leading wine importer and distributor, Central Wine Cellar. At the height of the evening, after a captivating performance by the participating chefs on a We Are The World sing-a-long with the junior chefs on stage, Her Royal Highness graciously demonstrated to all dining guests the preparation of som tam and pan-fried salmon with tea seed oil. The delightful royal culinary delicacies were presented to the event’s top 12 bidders.
The highest pledge was by billionaire tycoon Charoen and his wife Khunying Wanna Sirivadhanabhakdi, who topped the list with a generous donation of 15 million baht.
As the winner for the grand auction, the couple was granted an opportunity to enjoy the 21 chefs cooking a gourmet meal at their venue of choice. Equally heroic were big-hearted benefactors Vichai and Jutamas Bencharongkul, who donated 3 million baht, Johnny Kang with 2 million baht and Botan Hame-ung-gull with a 1 million baht donation.
Other generous donors included Capt Dr Vichai Tavornwattanayong at 500,000 baht, Proudpudh Liptapanlop 300,000 baht, Kanittin Puripipat 200,000 baht, Chidchanok Poomkacha 200,000 baht, Yuwarat Kamolvej 200,000 baht, Wisarut–Araya Rangsrisingpipat 200,000 baht, Apichart and ML Ploynapat Leenutapong 200,000 baht and L’Officiel Thailand 200,000 baht.
The fundraising session, conducted by celebrity emcees Surivipa Kultangwatana and Suthipong Tadpitakkul, raised a grand total of 23 million baht, resulting from the generosity of Bangkok’s prominent philanthropists.
To date, the magnanimous annual event has generated more than 100 million baht for the improvement of education and well-being of underprivileged children in remote areas across the country.
The majority of the fund has been donated to the Sai Jai Thai Foundation and the Border Patrol Police Schools under the patronage of Her Royal Highness.
The rest has been used to improve buildings and facilities at needy schools in the North and the Northeast, as well as to provide school supplies, scholarships and food for the young students.
The Princess demonstrates the deep-frying technique with tea seed oil from the royal-initiated agricultural development project under the Chaipattana Foundation.
The Princess is welcomed at the event by ‘junior chefs’.
The royal dish is awarded to top benefactors, Charoen and Khunying Wanna Sirivadhanabhakdi.
The Princess demonstrates the deep-frying technique with tea seed oil from the royal-initiated agricultural development project under the Chaipattana Foundation.
The evening celebrates generosity, refined cuisine and one-of-a-kind conviviality.
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.