Promising to be one of the most creative, nature-driven and taste bud-enchanting feasts ever to be showcased in Thailand, the 2015 Bangkok Chefs Charity Gala Dinner and Auction is set to take place on Monday, June 29, at the Royal Ballroom of Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok.
The 2015 dinner has a purple theme in honour of the 60th birthday of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn who graciously presides over the event every year.
Charged with finalising the 10-course wine-pairing menu is a team of executive chefs from five-star establishments that has, for year after year, succeeded in perfecting a gourmet line-up that's not only fit for royalty, but also for the hundreds of epicureans from all walks of life.
The annual affair, presided over by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, also aims to raise funds for underprivileged schoolchildren in remote areas across the country.
The Bangkok Chefs Charity Gala Dinner and Auction, which has been going strong for seven consecutive years, was initiated in 2009 by Thailand's leading fine food supplier, Gourmet One Food Service led by sisters Nuntiya and Patcharin Hem-ung-gull, in collaboration with the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok and with support from five-star hotels.
As always, there's an altruistic wind beneath the organisers' wings in the form of the international executive chefs from participating five-star hotels and the national carrier, Thai Airways International.
This year's event, in connection with the Princess' 60th birthday, boasts an impressive collaboration of 19 executive chefs to celebrate the auspicious occasion.
Under the concept "A Journey Through the Royal Garden", the charity gala dinner will be a refined showcase of up-to-date world gastronomy, blending time-honoured cooking with modern culinary techniques.
The gala menu (see the complete wine-pairing menu plus a list of canapés on page 7) is prepared with first-rate ingredients from the world's best sources, including Rougie foie gras and Challans duck breast from France, sockeye salmon from the US, lobster from Canada, lamb from Australia and porcini mushrooms from Italy, as well as prime seasonal produces from Thailand's Royal Project.
Exclusively for the occasion, the chefs, working in pairs, have come up with distinctive culinary creations that perfectly define our love for the Princess. All dishes, arranged to provide a brilliant gastronomic sequence, will carry various shades of purple, the Princess' birthday colour, provided naturally by fruit and vegetables. The dishes will also exhibit a graceful feminine touch through aromatic herbs, delicate edible flowers and a glamorous nature-driven presentation.
To accompany the world-class menu is a selection of fine wines supported by Siam Winery, the country's leading winemaker and importer/distributor of fine wines from all over the world. The evening's oenophile portfolio will highlight New World wines — five from Australia, Chile and Spain — as well as three outstanding choices from Thailand's own Monsoon Valley.
New World wine has been favoured in high-end gala dinners recently, according to Sunthorn Lapmul, the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok's wine sommelier.
The magnanimous gastronomic affair will start at 5pm with a champagne cocktail and canapés reception in the foyer of the Royal Ballroom and is expected to welcome 370 food-loving philanthropists. The evening will be wrapped up with a series of auctions, of which the highest bidders are awarded the opportunity to choose their favourite chefs from the participating hotels to cook a gourmet meal of their choice at their residence.
Last year, the event successfully raised 14 million baht. The Bangkok Chefs Charity project has, to date, generated a total of 62.5 million baht to benefit the improvement of education and well- being of underprivileged youngsters in remote areas across Thailand. The majority of the money raised has been donated to the Sai Jai Thai Foundation and the Border Patrol Police Schools Foundation under HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn's patronage.
The rest of the funds has been used to improve buildings and facilities at schools in remote areas in the North and Northeast, as well as to provide sports equipments, scholarships and lunch meals to children in needy schools throughout the country.
The auction, which aims to raise more funds for the charity, has been an outstanding finale of the gala dinner from the start. Top bidders get to choose their favourite chefs to cook a meal at their preferred venue.
