The German-born entrepreneur Peter Knipp is a driving force behind Gourmet Abu Dhabi 2009. The highly respected chef and businessman started Peter Knipp Holdings, a food and beverage communications company, in Singapore in 1996. Since then the enterprise has gone from strength to strength in the realms of publishing, IT and food and beverage events management. He talks about his latest task: establishing Abu Dhabi as a leading world centre for gastronomic excellence.
It's a gastronomic extravaganza that's truly multifaceted. It's not just about bringing in guest chefs; we have at least nine industry programmes. We talk about education, restaurant concepts, kitchen designs... We also have a day of chocolate feasting with six of the world's best pastry chefs. We've got all kinds of things planned for the industry, so there's going to be a forum for restaurateurs, hoteliers and hospitality professionals. Then, of course, we'll have some masterclasses that are accessible to the general public too.
We've got a tremendous amount of activities lined up for the evenings. We've got a couple of celebrities coming in - Curtis Stone and Ian Wright. These are the fun gourmet activities, where they cook onstage. And we have superstars such as Charlie Trotter and Heinz Beck doing a one-evening-only dinner. It's going to be 10 days of indulgence - then you're going to be on a diet!
It depends. It's like when a person asks you which is the best restaurant. You can never answer because food is a very emotional thing. It depends on what makes you tick. If you're a home gourmet chef, then the best events are the masterclasses. If you are a true-blue gourmand, you will be impressed by the château dinners. If you can't make up your mind, make sure you book the gala dinner - where all 13 celebrity chefs have an input. You'll have a taste of everything.
The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority is the owner of the festival, and we have been appointed to put the event together. We create the programme, select the chefs and recommend them, and do the ground work. ADTA did a little international search and they selected us. We've done it for over 13 years in other parts of the world, including Singapore, Macau, Bangkok and Shanghai. Like every festival that happens for the first time, there are a few things that have to be sorted out. There's going to be a lot of learning experiences. But this is not a one-off event. It'll be an activity that will be repeated every year. Our aim is to put Arabian hospitality, and chefs from the Middle East on to the world map.
We are going to reward the best performers in the industry. The best restaurant, best executive chef, best restaurant manager. It's about recognising talent. It's about putting the spotlight on the food and beverage profession because everybody likes to eat well and everybody likes good service - but few people truly recognise food and beverage professionals. To us, they are the stars. And it's time that we recognised the stars. They offer commitment and professionalism every day to satisfy and please customers.
First, there's a shortlist. From that there will be public voting, and then there will be an international judging panel of about eight or nine individuals who come from both within and outside of the food and beverage community. Hopefully, we'll get some great results.
I'd like to quote one individual who came to the opening bash the other day. He said: "I've waited for 15 years for this to happen. And I've rarely seen the industry work so well together - I'm so excited that finally we have this festival." I hope that people will understand that not only can they actively participate in and support this, but that they will also know how to take full advantage of the individuals we are bringing here and the events that will be available. I think it's going to be fantastic. The industry will benefit, but let's have this discussion again in three to five years when we start seeing the impact. It's going to be quite substantial.
You know, there are several, and each one for different reasons. I, for example, am extremely excited when I can attend Madrid Fusion (Monday until Jan 22) because of the forums and the high-powered chefs that are coming together. Obviously, there's the World Gourmet Summit in Singapore, which has been around for 13 years and is what some people consider to be one of the leading food festivals in the world. I've heard about the Montreal festival - I have not been there - but it has great reviews. There's one or two in the United States that are extremely well accomplished.
Oh, you know the saying: when you're at the top, it feels lonely but you eat better! For me, nothing but striving to be in the top five will do.
Gourmet Abu Dhabi, Feb 5-14, @email:www.gourmetabudhabi.ae
jbrennan@thenational.ae
