Singapore, 21 March 2006 - Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Peter Knipp Holdings (PKH), the co-organisers of The World Gourmet Summit, are delighted to announce the finalists of the World Gourmet Summit Awards of Excellence (AOE) 2006.
(Please see appendix for listing of Awards and its finalists)
Inspired by the Michelin in France and the James Beard Foundation in the United States, the Awards of Excellence pays tribute to individuals and organisations that have made significant contributions to the food and beverage (F&B) industry through their service excellence, creativity and commitment to providing world-class dining experiences. The Awards also serve to encourage more players to break new ground and help entrench Singapore as a gourmet capital.
For the sixth year running, World Gourmet Summit will be presenting the Awards of Excellence (AOE), where 14 local and three regional culinary professionals will be recognised for their talents and expertise. In addition, three scholarships will be awarded to young aspiring F&B professionals. The results for the 17 awards and three scholarships will be announced on 22 April 2006 at the World Gourmet Summit Awards of Excellence Luncheon at Sheraton Towers Singapore.
A new award, Bar of the Year, will be presented to recognise outstanding establishments that not only infuse creativity and fun, but also contribute to the growing vibrancy of Singapore’s nightlife.
The Awards of Excellence also incorporates three scholarship programmes. They are academy at-sunrice and Johnson & Wales University Culinary Scholarship, Cacao Barry Patisserie Scholarship and Bodegas Torres Wine Scholarship. These scholarships act as a platform to groom and nurture budding and aspiring talents with the potential to excel in the food and beverage sector.
Dr Chan Tat Hon, Assistant Chief Executive (Leisure), Singapore Tourism Board, said: “Fine dining is a key draw for well-heeled and discerning visitors when they travel. Singapore, as a lifestyle destination, aims to be the city of choice for such premium tourists, offering a diverse range of quality leisure alternatives including gourmet dining, luxury fashion shopping, as well as world-class arts performances. The World Gourmet Summit is an annual signature event that distinguishes and positions Singapore as the premier city for exquisite gastronomic experiences and its Awards of Excellence will continue to inspire industry professionals to greater culinary heights.”
Mr Peter Knipp, the managing director of Peter Knipp Holdings, said: “It is our utmost pleasure and delight to be able to discover and help these raw talents who would one day be the movers and shakers of the F&B industry. It is the courage and efforts to pursue dreams that create legends and establish history.”
Past Awards of Excellence (AOE) winners include the who’s who in the culinary fraternity. Sam Leong, Director of Kitchens for the Tung Lok Group of Restaurants, was a three-time AOE Asian Ethnic Chef of the Year award recipient. He was also accorded the Executive Chef of the Year, presented by Tabasco as well as the S.Pellegrino Chef of the Year in 2005. In the same year, Sam Leong became the ninth member and the only Singaporean to be inducted into Singapore Airlines’ International Culinary Panel. He said: “The Summit has been attracting some of the world's greatest chefs and I am very honoured to be recognised alongside these masters. The awards I have received at the World Gourmet Summit are truly priceless.”
Chef Emmanuel Stroobant, who was awarded Chef of the Year in 2002 and whose highly-acclaimed restaurant, Saint Pierre, received Best New Restaurant the same year, believes that the recognition provided by the World Gourmet Summit Awards of Excellence served as a veritable launch pad that has aided the restaurant in establishing a global clientele over the past few years. He said: “It was an unbelievable moment, garnering the awards back in 2002. I was the new kid on the block and Saint Pierre, our baby, had just made its entrance into Singapore’s gourmet scene. Today, apart from the strong support of our local diners, on our clientele list is foreign visitors who never give the restaurant a miss whenever they are in town. Often enough, they have reservations made in advance via the internet or by their hotel.”
Lifetime Achievement Award winner for the World Gourmet Summit Awards of Excellence 2005, Andrew Tjioe, noted that the annual Summit contributes toward positioning Singapore as a lifestyle destination, offering quality leisure alternatives. “The World Gourmet Summit has been instrumental toward putting Singapore on the world culinary map and making the city one of the world's culinary capitals to be reckoned with. For the Tung Lok Group to be associated with this event and to have been awarded several titles over the years definitely increases the international stature of a home-grown brand,” said the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Tung Lok Group of Restaurants.
For further information on the Awards of Excellence and the World Gourmet Summit, please visit www.wgsawards.com or www.worldgourmetsummit.com respectively.
BACKGROUND
World Gourmet Summit is jointly organised by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Peter Knipp Holdings (PKH). World Gourmet Summit is an exclusive platform that showcases the vibrancy of Singapore’s epicurean culture and lifestyle. A world-class event that has won many international accolades such as Gold awards by the US-based International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA), World Gourmet Summit highlights the concept of gastro-tourism and positions Singapore as a premier gourmet capital of Asia. Featuring a strong line-up of internationally acclaimed food experts, as well as an array of culinary classes, wine tasting sessions and gourmet dinners, World Gourmet Summit offers well-heeled premium visitors and discerning gourmet enthusiasts the opportunity to indulge in exquisite wining and dining experiences.
For more information on the visiting chefs, winemakers and activities, as well as to access high resolution, print-friendly photographs of the visiting World Gourmet Summit Masterchefs, Winemakers, Celebrity Personalities and event pictures, please visit www.worldgourmetsummit.com or contact us as below.
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