SOUTH AFRICA: CAPE TOWN: INTERNATIONAL GOURMET FESTIVAL

Описание: (18 May 1996) Mandarin/Eng/Nat

Too many cooks spoil the broth? Not at South Africa's first ever international gourmet festival!

Four of the world's top chefs brought their recipes and aprons to South Africa to raise money for charity, train new chefs and find time to enjoy a bit of tourism.

As a special treat, the four men also plan to cook together for the first time for a special banquet held to raise money for a children's hospital.

World renowned chef Raymond Blanc is in South Africa for the country's first ever international gourmet festival.

Blanc, who has published several cookery books, left behind his restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons outside London, a venue frequently patronised by the rich and famous.

The self-taught chef, who has a chain of patisseries and restaurants, agreed to come to South Africa after festival organisers persuaded them at a similar event in St Moritz.

He's not alone though - among the many chefs joining him are Peter Knipp, head chef at the famous Raffles hotel in Singapore, Franz Wagner from the Albania Hotel in St Moritz in Switzerland and Jean Christoff Novelli of the Four Seasons Hotel in Park Lane, London.

The four famous chefs will cross spoons and spatulas on Saturday, when they will prepare a five-course meal for 300 people at the festival's Finale Banquet in Cape Town.

It promises to be an extra-ordinary culinary sensation - it's the first time the four chefs have cooked together!

Proceeds of the banquet will help buy equipment for the Red Cross children's hospital.

The chefs have expressed their delight at being able to work together.

Blanc welcomed the chance to mingle with his colleagues and explained the four of them could be of great assistance to the local chefs.

He added South Africa needed well-trained chefs to properly cater for tourists.

SOUNDBITE:
And food is a very important link with tourism because tourists are sophisticated and they have a standard and for that they want that quality, that welcome they will have it but they want the quality, they want all the trappings as well.
SUPER CAPTION: Raymond Blanc

The four chefs spent most of the week cooking in four of Cape Town's most exclusive hotels.

But they did not spend all their time behind the stove - they found time to play tourists as well.

The four of them - and their assistants - visited Robben Island Maximum Security Prison where President Nelson Mandela was held for 18 of the 27 years he spent in prison.

They visited Mandela's former cell and toured the lime quarry where the ANC leader and other prisoners were made to dig for hours a day.

Later, the group clowned around on Camps Bay Beach - across the road from the hotel where the banquet will be held.

SOUNDBITE:
German born, living in Asia, presenting with this crew an Asian style of cooking.. bringing it into South Africa and.. it's absolutely fantastic. We just crossed another bridge. We just opened up another world.
SUPER CAPTION: Peter Knipp, Head Chef Raffles Hotel, Singapore

SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin)
My name is Chuang. I am from Singapore. I take care of three restaurants. I am here to set up a food street. Hope you will like my food. Thanks.
SUPER CAPTION: Chuang, Chef to Peter Knipp at Raffles Hotel in Singapore

SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin)
I'm Raymond. I am here to get some experience of how to make a living overseas.
SUPER CAPTION: Raymond Tan Yiap Kiy, Raffles Chef

The chefs not only cooked in the hotels but also trained young, local chefs and choose candidates to train in their respective countries.






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