THE best chefs in the Philippines have been selected to join around 3,000 of their international peers for the fourth edition of Goût de France, the biggest dinner in the world celebrating French gastronomy.
Introduced in 2015 by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by celebrated French chef Alain Ducasse, Goût de France (translated as “Good France”) is an annual event organized by French diplomatic missions in their host countries as a tribute to the excellence of French cuisine and its capacity to innovate, and unite people around the common values of sharing and enjoyment in an environmentally friendly and healthy way.
The concept was inspired by Auguste Escoffier’s Epicurean Dinners, which aimed to serve the same menu, on the same day, in several cities for as many guests as possible.
An international committee of chefs, led by Ducasse, has selected chefs from all over the world—including the Philippines—to cook a French dinner to be served in their respective establishments on Wednesday, March 21.
The proposed menus must follow the sequence of a traditional French meal: apéritif with finger food, starter, one or two main courses, then cheese platter and dessert that are paired with French wines and spirits. Chefs are, likewise, encouraged to use local ingredients.
‘Goût’ in PHL
THE number of participating chefs in the Philippines for Goût de France continues to grow. From six in 2015, 18 culinary experts will now be preparing a special French dinner for the public on March 21, who include the following:
Michel Herbert (Le Bistro d’Agathe, Makati City); Jessie Sincioco (Chef Jessie Rockwell Club, Makati City); Katrina Kuhn-Alcantara (CDP Global Table, Makati City); David Olyver Virrey (Eiffel Kubo, Bukidnon); Victor Magasaysay (Elbert’s Steak Room, Makati City); Martin Kaspar (L’Entrecôte, Taguig City); Joshua Mara (Gourmet Bar of Novotel Manila Araneta Center, Quezon City); Kevin Endaya (Lemuria, Quezon City); Robert Lilja (Maria Luisa’s Garden Room, Makati City).
Also participating are Clément Damotte (La Mère Poulard Manila, Taguig City); Dino Ferrari (Paris Délice, Makati City); Michael Aspiras (Le Petit Soufflé, Makati City); Justin Baradas (Restaurant 101, Taguig City); Marc Aubry (Sagana Epicerie and Bistro, Taguig City); Jonathan Bouthiaux (Samira, Tagaytay City); Julien Cossé (Spiral Manila of Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, Pasay City); Pierre Cornelis (Vatel Restaurant, Manila City); and Richard Amado (La Vie Parisienne, Cebu City).
Ambassador of France to the Philippines Nicolas Galey said, “French cuisine is more than just wine and cheese—it is about the precision of techniques, the freshness of ingredients and the value of sharing a meal.”
He added, “There is so much that Filipinos can discover about [our] culinary traditions, and this is what Goût de France aims to offer: We want to make French food more accessible to [them].”
Galey will also host a special private dinner at his residence on the occasion of Goût de France on the evening of March 21. Chef Miko Calo, who trained under acclaimed French chef Joël Robuchon, has been invited to offer a special menu prepared with native Filipino ingredients.
Kate Torralba will also serenade guests with a repertoire of French and Cebuano standards.
Tourist draw-in
GOÛT de France also provides an occasion to highlight the European country as an attractive tourist destination.
Last year France made a significant comeback as a tourism draw with nearly 89 million international visitors—up 5 percent from 2016—making 2017 a record-breaking one for French tourism.
With a third of tourists arriving in France for its culinary heritage, French gastronomy has become one of the key drivers of the said country’s attractiveness and cultural outreach.
Its wealth of cuisine and inclusion of the “Gastronomic Meal of the French” in the United Nations’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010 make France a unique destination, offering a wide variety of ever-changing gastronomic experiences.
To know more about the menus to be served and to make a reservation, contact the participating Goût de France restaurants in the Philippines directly. For more information, visit www.ph.ambafrance.org or follow the Embassy of France to the Philippines on social media at www.facebook.com/FrenchEmbassyManila and www.twitter.com/FrenchEmbassyPH. Share Goût de France experiences through #GoutDeFrance and #GoodFrance.