Our events are a chance for our teams to get together, sometimes also with our partners and clients, to introduce or showcase our incredible brands and products to both existing and potential clients. Here is the latest in events from around the world.
On June 21st, the MICHELIN Guide made its long-awaited debut in Dubai! And we are very proud to report that Classic Fine Foods UAE was the official partner of this special and memorable occasion. It was a great opportunity for the local teams to showcase their top brands and products to passionate chefs, foodies, journalists, restaurant owners and more. With this new partnership, Classic Fine Foods UAE strengthened its position as THE fine dining supplier in UAE. Out of the 69 nominees, nine 1-Michelin-Star, two 2-Michelin-Star, and fourteen Bib Gourmand restaurants received the prestigious awards that place them on the map of exceptional gastronomy. For all in attendance, it was a fantastic & certainly unforgettable event.
After almost three years without the opportunity to travel or the possibility for suppliers to meet customers, this past September, Classic Fine Foods Hong Kong received one of their flagship brands: La Prudencia. Felipe Benito, La Prudencia’s owner and representative travelled from Spain and accompanied the Food Service Team on a marathon of long-awaited visits much appreciated by their customers. Felipe had a busy schedule!
The Optimist, an authentically generous northern Spanish restaurant, was selected to organise a demo cutting session with Executive Chef Victor and the group’s Operation Manager, Director of Operations and Culinary Director.
The main topics covered were: how to slice, the most profitable way to cut ham, and how to keep ham at its best. Another day took Felipe to The Hong Kong Club for an Aperitivo Time, with a hand-slicing exhibition in front of happy customers. Two more visits were to follow. It was perfect timing for a visit to the Kerry Hotel for the Buffet Café opening night of a 2-month Spanish special. Taking centre stage was a ham carving station, where Felipe was able to initiate curious customers on tasting and learning the differences in taste, colour, and texture between Serrano, Iberico de Campo and Iberico Bellota. At the Rosewood Hotel, Felipe gave a full presentation on ham with a special menu at the hotel’s Bayfare Social restaurant. This restaurant is a recent gastronomic concept created by Rosewood Hong Kong and inspired by Europe’s vibrant and bustling plazas, and it was the perfect setting for Felipe to show off his talent!
All in all, it was a fantastic visit. Besides the culinary experience, it was also a great way to reconnect with the Sales Teams and their customers. Felipe’s expertise and know-how were very much appreciated by all Chefs and it was an opportunity for them to hone their skills and enjoy Felipe’s ham-cutting demonstration.
The launch party of Da Lat Deli’s cold meat products took place on August 26th with Ho Chi Minh’s P’ti Saigon restaurant offering the best setting. The Da Lat Deli cold meat brand is cured and processed locally using products imported from France. It is led by Alsatian Master Butcher Daniel Hampele, who breathes life into cold meat products in the traditional Alsatian way. Each product has different layers of flavours and a mouth-watering taste. The brand provides a variety of cold cuts, namely: sausages, salami, chorizo, ham, bacon, pâtés and smoked pork. A festive atmosphere, a fabulous buffet of exquisite food, and delighted guests made the event a great success.
To introduce their two new partners in style, Classic Fine Foods UK threw a Swiss feast at the London alpine-inspired restaurant Hauge on June 8th.
Villars has been a specialist chocolatier since 1901, producing the pure Swiss chocolate that has given them their prestige in the industry. HUG is the producer of premium biscuits and tart cases and Classic Fine Foods UK now offer sweet and savoury tartlets for pastry and cuisine in different flavours and sizes, providing easy hospitality solutions to cater to their customer needs.
Representatives from Villars and HUG made the trip from Switzerland and joined the Classic Fine Foods UK team to participate in the festivities. The fantastically fun event featured an appetizing sweet and savoury buffet, live music, enthusiastic guests, and a happy Classic Fine Foods UK team, in a beautiful place.
To celebrate Valrhona’s 100th anniversary, Classic Fine Foods Indonesia organized two cocktail parties: the first took place in Bali on September 8th and the second in Jakarta on the 15th. It was an honour to be the first country in South East Asia to open Valrhona’s celebrations.
Along with Valrhona’s South East Asia team and representatives from Tain l’Ermitage, Classic Fine Foods invited their very best and most loyal Valrhona customers: restaurants’ General Managers & Owners, Executive Chefs, and the most talented Pastry Chefs.
This was the first premium and exclusive event since 2019. Around 70 people gathered together, from the Bali KSS cocoa cooperative (producers of the Cuvee Sakanti Bali beans), to the Bali Culinary pastry school, from Valrhona’s corporate communication, sales and marketing teams, to customers, and of course the Kempinski culinary team.
The event in Bali was hosted by Kempinski Bali on the 8th of September. The venue was very unique as Cyril Kongo welcomed guests in his atelier, located on the 17th floor of Kempinski Bali. Cyril Kongo is an urban, graffiti street artist who collaborates with prestigious brands such as Hermès, Pierre Hermé, and Daum. He worked with the Kempinski Bali pastry team for the chocolate show pieces. Fun fact: Kempinski Bali’s General Manager, Vincent Guironnet, is a great cousin of Albéric Guironnet, the founder of Valrhona in 1922! The recipes were developed by the latest guest Chefs at Kempinski Bali: MOF Philippe Urraca, Damien Piscioneri, and Gaëtan Fiard, and by the Kempinski Bali pastry team: Mohammad Rizqi and Muhammad Iqbal. Sophie, Classic Fine Foods Indonesia’s Sales Manager said: “It was so good to reconnect after two difficult years. Welcoming our talented pastry chefs, the Valrhona team, and working with Kempinski’s culinary team reminded me how unique Classic Fine Foods is: it’s all about passion, talent and taste!”
On September 7th, Classic Fine Foods UK honoured the huge milestone of their long-term partner, Valrhona. The event was hosted at the stunning Guildhall London, where the country’s best Pastry Chefs and friends from the industry were invited to enjoy the celebration. The night was full of surprises including the reveal of the Pastry Team UK candidates: Denis Drame, Pastry Chef, TheTasteLab London; Chef Martin Chiffers, International Executive Pastry Chef Consultant; Michael Kwan Ho Lam, Executive Pastry Chef at the Dorchester London; and Nicolas Houchet, Pastry Chef.
One of the most special moments during the evening was the opening of a second chamber where a hidden surprise was unveiled: Valrhona’s 100-year history portrayed in chocolate! An extraordinary buffet was made by the UK Pastry Team, marking some of the key milestones from the last 100 years of Valrhona, weaving together the history and iconic products with key points from Patisserie and Gastronomy over time. The guests were delighted with the mouthwatering delights including Choco-passion by Belle Epoque, Dulcey Blond Croutibilles, Ipashan Macaron, Guanaja-Tonka Carre, Palet Or, Encore at the Opera, Rinetter Lait and Paris-Toky choux.
Sam Smallman, Classic Fine Foods UK’s Chocolate Specialist & Pastry Category Manager, said: “Classic Fine Foods UK has enjoyed a close partnership with Valrhona for over a decade, so we were thrilled to be given the opportunity to collaborate for the 100th anniversary.”
It was an absolutely stunning event, in an equally stunning venue, filled with happy hosts and guests, live music, dancing, and of course, lots of chocolate!
