Saturday 19 May 2012

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Cooking Class | Be a “chef” in a day

21 May 2011 turned out to be an extraordinary, fun-filled day for attendees of Wine and Dine magazine’s first cooking class series for this year. But it was the presence of renowned Chef William Ang from Hotel Re! that drew the crowds. And it was no surprise that all 30 pax priced at $50 (Wine & Dine subscribers) and $60 (non-subscribers) per person, were snapped up very quickly. By 1.30pm, guests arrived to mingle and network, and were served gourmet Martello coffee and light snacks.

Held at the cooking studio of the spacious 36,000-square-foot ToTT (Tools of The Trade) store located at 896 Dunearn Road, Sime Darby Building, it was the perfect environment to get the participants excited as ToTT stocks a wide range of products and equipment to inspire anyone to cook, bake and host. This state-of-the-art, fully-equipped hands-on studio offers 12 individual induction stoves and all the essential kitchen utensils one needs to use.

Chef William Ang’s gregarious, cheery nature made the whole cooking class much more enjoyable, too. Actually as the executive chef of Hotel Re! and President of the Society of Professional Chefs in Singapore, he needs no introduction. He is also the chef who remains one of the very few chefs to have cooked for His Excellency, President Mr S.R. Nathan, and was also one of the organisers for record-breaking culinary events like the World’s Longest Popiah in 2004! Chef Ang is also reputed for completing numerous prolific, record-breaking culinary feats, namely, creating the Singapore Crab 101 Buffet, Singapore’s Tallest and Biggest Ice Kachang, Singapore’s Longest Satay and World’s Longest Popiah. He was also the judge for several cooking competitions and was guest chef for TV programme, Golden Age. Therefore, with over 38 years of culinary experience under his belt, chef Ang was like a ‘walking and talking cooking book’ who offered plentiful tips and sage advice in creating the seven dishes he presented.

The ingredients were sponsored by Canadian High Commission and they included Canadian pork that is tender and delicious; Canadian Salmon renowned for its salubrious properties and 100 per cent safe to consume as it validated through the world’s most rigorous fish inspection and control systems. In fact, even the canned, smoked or frozen Salmon varieties offer the same exacting standards of quality that makes it one of Canada’s proudest exports. The flesh is revered by many stellar chefs from all around the world.

With all the elements in place – master chef, state-of-the-art cooking studio and premium ingredients – it was inarguably the perfect Saturday for a cooking class. With seven dishes to learn, the event started at 2pm promptly to keep to the schedule The seven dishes presented were:

1) Tapas
2) British Columbia Pacific Oster Oscar
3) Atlantic Lobster, Mango Sherry Vinegar Reduction
4) Vegetable Maki
5) Canadian Seafood Treasure Soup
6) Pan-fried Wild Sockeye Salmon in Abalone Conpoy
7) Barley-fed Alberta Ribeye with Marmite Sauce and Maple Syrup with Medley of Vegetables

The class was very relaxed and informal and participants were able to ask questions at any point in time. The patient chef offered step-by-step instructions and ensured that participants were doing the right thing. At the end of every dish, the participants could taste their creations and offered feedback about the dish. Naturally, the taste of the premium ingredients became a talking point. The salmon tasted sublime and delicious and the Canadian pork provided great texture and unctuousness. Of course, chef Ang’s amiable persona helped to engage participants, too.

At the end of the cooking class, participants felt satisfied from gaining so much insight into the dishes they created. They also had a chance to participate in a lucky draw, and the winner went home with one WMF cookware set and one WMF cutlery set worth $299 each. At the end of the day, everyone went home sated and happy thanks to the sponsored goodie bags worth $100 each, and had asked about the next cooking class!
It was indeed a Saturday afternoon well spent for these lucky individuals!
For more information on future Wine & Dine cooking classes please contact
brigitte.persson@lexicon.com.sg or call 6393 9505.

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