TWO Franschhoek chefs will be part of the team representing South Africa at the St Moritz gourmet festival in Switzerland at the end of the month.
Leading the SA team will be Executive Chef at Mont Rochelle Hotel & Mountain Vineyards, Ryan Smith, assisted by Sous Chef of Mange Tout – the elegant fine-dining restaurant of Mont Rochelle Hotel - Joslin Hawker.
Due to the SA Gourmet Festival’s strong links and relationships with premium food events around the globe, South Africa will be one of only nine countries represented at this prestigious event.
The 2008 St. Moritz Gourmet Festival – themed ‘The Original’ – will celebrate its 15th anniversary, whilst the SA Gourmet Festival is now in its 12th successful year.
To mark the occasion, only the very finest chefs from around the world – including Germany’s 3 Michelin-star Chef, Dieter Müller – have been invited to join resident chefs of the deluxe and first-class hotels of St. Moritz in six days dedicated to celebrating gastronomy.
Director and founder of the SA Gourmet Festival, Christine Cashmore, works closely with the Honorary President of the St Moritz Gourmet Festival, Reto Mathis, since its inception. Reto is a regular participant at the Cape Gourmet Festival.
In May 2007 Cashmore and Mathis agreed to position South Africa as an annual feature at the St Moritz Gourmet Festival and to further leverage the awareness of these premium Festivals’ association.
Cashmore was aware of Smith’s exceptional talent and his experience as chef to many famous personalities around the world, so during Mathis’s visit, she arranged that he stay at Franschhoek’s Mont Rochelle Hotel & Mountain Vineyards and Cashmore’s opinion was reconfirmed.
Mathis further honoured the South African team, by offering them the prestigious five-star Badrutt’s Palace as their host hotel, giving South Africa as a destination, pride of place. Enthuses Smith: “It is a huge honour to be chosen to participate in the St. Moritz Gourmet Festival and to represent the African Continent. I’m probably the youngest and least known of all the participating guest chefs but I’ll be cooking with, and learning from, the chefs whose books I buy!”
With more than 4000 of the world’s most discerning food enthusiasts arriving for the festival, both Smith and Hawker certainly have their work cut out for them.
Getting festivities off to a good start at the Opening Party on 28 January will be the legendary ‘Grand Gourmet Cocktail’ where Smith’s canapé - a flavour-sensation of Exotic Scallop, Sweet Potato, Passion Fruit and Vanilla – is set to get the culinary thumbs-up.
For the ‘Gourmet Diners Dégustation,’ which will be served each night at the Badrutts Palace Hotel, Smith has designed two outstanding set menus - a six- or seven-course option.
Held at the Badrutts Palace Hotel, this celebrated event sees guests armed with an apron and cutlery sampling directly from the chefs’ sizzling pans!
Rounding up proceedings in the most spectacular style is the ‘Grand Gourmet Finale’. Situated in a VIP Tent on the frozen lake of St. Moritz, this finale will see Smith together with other famous guest chefs preparing one dish that showcases their personal style. It’s an evening dedicated to the sublime!
For Sous Chef and long-time employee of Mont Rochelle & Mountain Vineyards, Joslin Hawker, his imminent trip to the St. Moritz Gourmet Festival is a dream come true.
“It is going to be an amazing learning experience for me to work alongside chefs renowned around the world!”
Having previously worked at the Lake Pleasant Hotel, Rhebokskloof Restaurant, and the Grand Roche Hotel, where a trip to Austria together with Executive Chef Frank Zlomke afforded him an inside look into the kitchens of top-class establishments, Hawker is a star on the rise!
