Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/3771/-1/140/
|
Diners Enjoy Famed French Chef Dinner At CuisinArt
|
Renowned top French Chef, Paul Bocuse, proud winner of the Three Stars Michelin award for forty-two consecutive years, remained virtually out of sight as invited guests enjoyed one of his tasty menus on Sunday evening, July 23, at CuisinArt Resort and Spa in Anguilla.
|
|
L-R: Mr. Rizzuto, celebrated Chef, Paul Bocuse and Mr. Zaharia
|
Just before the serving of dinner, owner of the up-market hotel, Leandro P. Rizzuto, presented a plaque to Mr. Bocuse whom he described as his brother in France and said “even though we don’t speak the same language, we speak from the heart and from day one we have been communicating well together.”
The plaque was in honour of the visiting chef’s visit. Mr. Rizzuto commended him for “being the only chef in the world to win the Michelin Three Star forty-two years in a row.” He said, “It was a special event for Mr. Bocuse not only to be at CuisinArt Resort and Spa but to be in Anguilla and to help promote the island as being the food festival of the world.” He reported that when chefs in St. Martin heard about him they all came to Anguilla for the event. Mr. Rizzuto joined General Manager, Stephane Zaharia, in welcoming the guests who included newly-appointed Governor, Andrew George, Deputy Governor, Stanley Reid, and Acting Chief Minister and Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Victor Banks.
|
|
One of the guests tables
|
Mr Rizzuto spoke of his interest in helping young Anguillians to have an opportunity “to learn the hospitality business at Johnson & Wales University. “I think it is a great opportunity for young children of the island to learn about hospitality, to grow in this business and become great chefs themselves and perhaps some day to share the honours with Mr. Bocuse,” he stated. “It is putting something back in humanity and to me it is a great joy to share that with the local people.”
The menu for the special dinner included roasted goat cheese and potato tower, aronmatic herbs, ‘provencale’ tapenade, roasted fillet of Atlantic Cod, basil, olive oil and fresh organic tomatoes, fillet of beef with scared foie gras and summer truffle sauce, a selection of French cheeses and chocolate tuile along with appropriate wine selections.
|
|
Another of the guests tables
|
Speaking later to The Anguillian, Mr. Zaharia, CuisinArt’s General Manager, said that Mr. Bocuse who is basically the ambassador of CuisinArt’s appliances in Europe, was brought to Anguilla to promote the cuisine and to spend some time with local staff giving them some experience of high-end culinary.
“Because he is the ambassador, it is also an opportunity to showcase the resort to other people,” Mr. Zaharia went on. “We had a lot of people from St. Martin the day before to experience the resort and also because of Mr. Bocuse’s name, they wanted to taste his cuisine. The Michelin award is a very distinguished way of rating a chef world wide…In France it is basically the top [recognition] that any chef can get. Mr. Bocuse is celebrating his 42nd year of having a Three Star Michelin award. It is a fantastic accomplishment that no other chef in the world has had before. Having him here to cook dinner for us is absolutely an honour.”
|
|
Honourable Victor Banks and Mrs. Banks at right
|
Mr. Rizzuto commented: “Having Paul Bocuse as the world’s number one chef visiting Anguilla, and specifically to be with us at CuisinArt, is a tremendous honour on our part. I think it makes a statement as to the culinary ability of the hotel as well as that of the island. This separates Anguilla from all the other islands in the area. Culinary is such an important factor to people coming here, apart from the great beaches, the weather etc. To have a culinary experience here is quite an interesting role.”
Mr. Banks had this to say: “Anguilla has the capacity to attract a number of top-notch professionals in whatever fields of endeavour they are involved. When you have the quality of hotels we have here and the kind of investors who have the network and the connections across the globe, it is inevitable that we will get from time to time excellent professionals in their fields.
“Mr. Bocuse has been a professional in his field for forty-two years and has won the Michelin award consecutively over that period. This is no mean feat and obviously we in Anguilla are proud of the exposure that has come to our local culinary staff as a result of this visit and the impact it will have on Anguilla as a destination attracting quality chefs to the island.
“I believe that Mr. Rizzuto has been very instrumental in doing this. In addition, he also has a concern for the development of young people in the fields of culinary arts and hospitality. He has been very instrumental in linking us with Johnson & Wales University for educational opportunities for Anguillians through association with this hotel. He also has a training programme within his own facility which has improved the quality of staff and I think it is exceptional. We thank Mr. Rizzuto for what he has been doing – his interest in Anguilla and his support for the island’s development.”