Among the new faces participating in the 2016 Bangkok Chefs Charity Gala Dinner and Auction, InterContinental Bangkok's executive chef Koenraad Inghelram was keen on creating a crab dish due to his preference for cooking and eating seafood since he hails from Belgium's coastal city of Oostende.
His counterpart at the Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok, the British Andrew Brown did a lobster dish last year, and the progression to cooking crab marks his fourth participation in the prestigious event.
The two easy-going chefs have fine-tuned the third course as blue crab, citrus salad, pineapple, coconut and candied cashew nut. The cold dish will be paired with Luis Felipe Edwards Marea Valle de Leyda Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Leyda Valley, Chile.
"Each year, the menu presents dishes featuring a similar key ingredient. It's a challenge to come up with something new," said Brown. "The biggest change is in the number of new chefs. But it's a good thing as they bring new ideas and dynamics to the eighth edition of the gala dinner."
The executive chef has been based in Australia and Southeast Asia for 12 years -- the last five years at the Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok.
InterContinental Bangkok's executive chef Koenraad Inghelram and Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok's executive chef Andrew Brown.
"Simplicity is the right way to do it," Brown said of his culinary philosophy. "The crabmeat already has a delicate flavour. So you don't need to do too much so as not to overpower it."
Since March, Inghelram has brought his 30 years of experience -- from working in Michelin-starred restaurants, the QE2 ocean liner, and leading hotels -- to the InterContinental Bangkok.
"Over the years, my cooking style has developed from Flemish and French to English and Australian, and now perhaps with a touch of Thai," said the Belgian chef, whose Thai father-in-law introduced him to local fruits such as santol.
"With crab, you can be very creative in making a dish. At first, we made the third course a very Thai dish featuring a santol salad," said Inghelram. "Then we adjusted it to be more Western with a citrus salad, still very refreshing in complementing the crabmeat."
The newcomer to the event looks forward to working with Brown and the other top-notch chefs in the kitchen at the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok on July 18.
"There will be a bit of pressure but lots of fun. At the end of the day, as a bunch of chefs, we support each other for a good cause," he said. "I have two sons and they have everything. But the kids in need don't have anything, and it's our aspiration to put big smiles on their faces."
The 2016 Bangkok Chefs Charity Gala Dinner & Auction will take place in the Royal Ballroom of the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok on Monday, July 18. The event will be presided over by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.
The evening will start at 5pm with a grand Champagne cocktail-and-canapés reception in the foyer of the Royal Ballroom.
Tickets are 12,500 baht net per seat (for a table of 10). Call Rachanee (F&B Dept), Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok on 02-659-0302, or call Gourmet One on 02-403-3388 ext 508 or 085-152-6857.
