Event Les Amis d’Escoffier Society Annual Gathering in Asia Pacific
Venue Hyatt on the Bund Shanghai
Group size 450
Date March 19




The brief
Les Amis d’Escoffier Society is an annual gathering of hoteliers, chefs, restaurant owners, wine connoisseurs and gourmet food lovers.

The event honours Auguste Escoffier, the ‘Chef of Kings and the King of Chefs’ who was born in France in 1846. He worked for several famous hotels of the day and made a major contribution in upgrading the profession of culinary arts.

The Asia Pacific Society chose Hyatt on the Bund in Shanghai to deliver its annual event for 2010.

Challenges
Planning the menu for a la minute (immediate) delivery for 450 people – from appetisers to dessert – was the big challenge. “Serving 450 people is normal, but no one in my team had experience in serving such a big group with this special menu concept before,” says executive chef Peter Zhou.

The main challenge of the event was the live cooking show, which featured 50 chefs performing a live-cooking demonstration in the ballroom. Teamwork and training were the main focus, especially with such a knowledgeable and high-profile audience.

Zhou says: “We did a lot of training before the event to ensure every chef had the proper skills and technique. I didn’t want the young chefs to get nervous with so many chefs, industry people and high-profile guests there. I told my chefs there will be a lot of pressure on your reputation because people can see who you are and how you can cook.”

The equipment for the gourmet table and cooking show was also specially bought for the event, however it only arrived a week before the event so the staff wasn’t familiar with it.

Execution
The evening’s theme was ‘Good Food, Wonderful Life’ – a play on the Expo 2010 theme of Better City, Better Life. Eight long tables were set in the middle of the ballroom, with 42 people at each table, surrounded by three live-cooking counters. The ballroom was covered in black velvet, the tables with black linen and flowers.

There was also a live charity auction, which raised US$44,000 for civilian education in China’s Anhui province.

There was 70 service staff on hand and they all went into the ballroom at same time for each course. The appetiser was delivered on a trolley with a large silver tray, holding five different dishes. Dry ice was used to add impact. “People had no idea what was coming and it only took six minutes to serve everyone,” says Zhou.

The main course saw 50 chefs conduct the live-cooking demonstration of 50 hot dishes. The dessert layout featured nine concepts, all with individual lights and served on glass plates and bowls – no silverware or China.

Comment
“Hyatt on the Bund did a great job this year, they have a strong team to support an event like this,” says Elizabeth Yuen, secretary general of Les Amis d'Escoffier Society – Asia Pacific. “We have also had previous good experiences with other Hyatts. Their F&B is well known. “The live cooking show is a good example of this. Usually we do a sit-down dinner or else a gourmet counter, but I had full faith in Peter Zhou’s team.”