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Fredi unties Luca, then puts him in Chaînes
Miss Terry
Diner
After one month as the visiting (read captive) chef at
Bruno’s Restaurant, Luca Messina was freed of his duties, but before
leaving Pattaya, Fredi Schaub had one more special event for the young
Italian - the Cha๎îne des Rôtisseurs dinner.
It would be fair to say that this young chef had done a
sterling job (or should that be ‘lira’ or even ‘euro’?) during his
month in Pattaya, but the Cha๎îne dinner was probably the biggest
challenge. This challenge was made even greater by the fact that instead
of just the restricted membership of the international gastronomic group,
bookings were also accepted for non-Cha๎îne members for the event.
This resulted in over 80 diners for the evening. A big call for any chef
under normal conditions, but under the exacting conditions applied by the
Cha๎îne des Rôtisseurs, Luca was going to need a stout heart.
 Respected
gastronomes meet at Bruno’s.
Bruno’s was certainly filled to near capacity, and
the stark contrasts between the Cha๎ne members’ dress code and
that of the more relaxed Pattaya gourmands, soon showed who was, or was
not, a member. However, almost everyone there had an appreciation for fine
wines and fine foods, so there was consensus at the tables, but as always,
since food and wine are individual tastes and flavors, there would be much
discussion after each course.
For me, the evening was certainly one of surprises, as
the young chef tried very hard to give the event some very different
items. The soup, a watercress cream, which came with a Norwegian salmon
rose was superb, and by following the MC Hugh Millar’s suggestion of
balancing the very lightly seasoned soup with the saltiness of the salmon,
you could experience the full flavor of this item. The Vidal Estate
Chardonnay 2002 was also unobtrusive enough to allow the diners full
appreciation of the soup.
The main course in a Chaî๎ne dinner has to be a
roast, and chef Luca used an Australian Angus beef tenderloin wrapped in
red chicory, accompanied by a tomato-bacon ravioli and a Balsamico sauce
(after all, Luca is Italian). I did enjoy the chicory steak, but felt the
Balsamico sauce a trifle too pungent, so used it very sparingly. This
course came with the Yalumba Shiraz from the Barossa Valley in South
Australia. As MC Hugh mentioned, this was a BIG wine, and there was much
heated discussion between the diners over the relative merits of the
rather large red!
The final dish in the eight course evening was a
Campari parfait served with orange ragout. This was an item that was
‘constructed’ using spun sugar to make a caramelized halo for the
parfait, and as the service personnel rushed hither and yon with the
amazing creation, Fredi said, “I think he’s in trouble now, spinning
the last lot!” but young Luca survived, and 80 diners received the
wonderful combination of taste and colour, accompanied by a light Pinot di
Pinot Blanc de Blancs, which did produce a very pleasant end to the
evening.
As always, the Chaî๎ne des Rôtisseurs acknowledged the work
that goes into these events, not just by the chef, but by the entire
kitchen and service staff. With the huge group that they had that evening,
they certainly earned their certificates of appreciation, and Chef Luca
Messina earned his freedom!
Father
and son, elegant by nature.
A
Chaine dinner is a special occasion to wear your finest.
A
family of Chaine members.
Bailli
Louis Noll presents Veerapong Khamsri (top) Chef Luca Messina (center) and
Nattapong Chiangsakul (bottom) with certificates of commendation to hand
out to their respective teams.
Two
lovely couples add flair and sophistication to the party.
The
Emerson-Rotary table living it up.
These
Norwegians are considered to be connoisseurs of fine dining.
Joe Louis puppet star of the
disabled women’s fundraiser
Ariyawat
Nuamsawat
Karunyawet, the Thai Disabled Development Foundation,
staged a show of traditional puppets, including the famed Joe Louis
puppet, at a charity event in the Town in Town Hotel.
Puppeteers
show how they manipulate the puppet from below.
The foundation’s secretary, Mrs Theera Khaemawat said
that Karunyawet supports the aim of developing the skills and abilities of
the disabled. It comes under the Social Welfare Department and is for
women who are disabled and who are abandoned, homeless, or inappropriately
taken care of by their families.
The Department of Social Development and Public Welfare
helps a total of 320 people. The youngest is 18 and the oldest is 89 years
old.
 Beautiful
Thai dancers perform before the puppet show.
The event was staged by the hearing impaired of the
Thai Disabled Development Foundation. Presiding over the evening was
deputy chief of Chonburi Somsak Yonokphan, who presented a plaque to the
organizers.
Of outstanding interest was the Joe Louis puppet, which
had earlier disappeared from public view for nearly 50 years. The puppet
came back again in 1985, under the care and control of Sakorn Yangkiewsod,
or Joe Louis, who will pass on knowledge and acting techniques to the next
generation and who is well known in acting circles. He has named his
theater the “Joe Louis Theater”.
 Getting
up close and personal with the puppets.
The Joe Louis puppet was developed to be able to turn
its face, and is flexible in its movement, looking and talking like a real
person.
The puppet master manipulates the figure from below, in
front of the stage, and the spectators can see him clearly. In fact, he
demonstrates the control of the puppet before the show.
Joe Louis has also adapted the puppet to be suitable for Ramayana
performances, which generally use only small puppets as a curtain raiser.
Hearing
impaired dancers from the Thai Disabled Development Foundation also put on
a wonderful show.
The
enthusiastic crowd enjoyed “meeting” the puppets.
The
puppets perform the Ramayana, which is a rare occurrence here.
AustCham Thailand visits Amari Orchid
August was a busy month for Martin Kyle,
the executive director of the Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce, known
as AustCham. Hot on the heels of the gala Business Awards night at the
Four Seasons Hotel, Bangkok, on Wednesday 10 August 2005, came the
Seaboard Sundowners networking evening held at the Amari Orchid Resort in
Pattaya.
The award for the Best Exporter went to General Motors
(Thailand) Limited, who are stationed in the Eastern Seaboard Industrial
Estate, which led to the estate being called the Detroit of Asia.
(Incidentally, the Pattaya Mail was nominated for one of the awards
and made it all the way to the semi-finals, before being bumped by one of
the larger Australian corporations.)
With the networking evening being held less than two
weeks after the gala award night, it was timely for the chamber members to
visit the General Motors plant, and then mix and mingle later that day in
the tropical gardens of the Amari Orchid Resort.
The Eastern Seaboard Sundowners is AustCham
Thailand’s business networking function for this region. It offers a
great opportunity for members and guests of the Chamber to meet, network
and exchange views in a social environment. Like all these functions, they
require sponsors and for the local evening, the companies behind the event
were the Federal-Mogul Corporation, and the Amari Orchid Resort as the
catering and venue sponsor, with GM Dominik Stamm and RM Michael Goetz on
hand to make sure everything went smoothly.
(l-r)
Sareeya Srichantrawong, recruitment consultant of Baker Tilly Thailand,
Daowadee Kaewthong, sales manager of Amari Orchid Resort and Thiti
Boonyanukhroh, general manager of TOA-Union Paint (Thailand) Co. Ltd.
(L to
R) Peter Cummins from Pattaya Mail, Chotika Boonyanukhroh, senior manager
of Geodis, and Malcolm H. Dingwall, senior corrosion engineer of J.S.
Technical Service Co., Ltd.
(L to
R) Stephen Darley, executive director of RSM Nelson Wheeler (Thailand)
Limited, Michael Goetz, executive assistant manager of Amari Orchid Resort
& Tower and Nick Chomonter, general manager of JVK International
Movers Ltd.
Nigel
J Cornick, CEO Raimon Land PLC enjoying a drink with David Bell, MD
Ra-Kahng Associates Ltd. Ltd.
(L to
R) Gary Woollacott, president of Australian - Thai Chamber of Commerce,
Rainer Roessler, Eastern Seaboard Branch of East - West Air Service Co.,
Ltd., Thomas E. Fernandez, overseas manager of East - West Air Service
Co., Ltd., and Andre Von Ah, business development manager of East - West
Air Service Co., Ltd.
Chris
Langford, CEO of Laem Chabang International Terminal Co. Ltd and Phil
Harper of Gulf Charters Thailand enjoy a quiet drink.
Edward
K Strauss, director of Grant Thornton, Julian Pratt, director of
Spheric-Trafalgar Ltd and John L Pollard, MD of Meinhardt (Thailand) Ltd.
Martin
Kyle (left), executive director of Australian - Thai Chamber of Commerce
and Bill Meale, general manager of Rohlig Representative Office in
Thailand.
Tanin
Rattanasiriwilai, exec. sales Executive International Mover (EIM) Co. Ltd,
Tanya-sorn Khiencharoen, corporate development manager of Thailand
Privilege Card Co. Ltd and Lalana Wannakul, MD Diamon Trading Company
Enjoying
warm Aussie hospitality are (l-r) Julianne Rogers, manager Thailand
Qantas-British Airways, Sean Riley, senior trade commissioner
minister-counselor (Commercial) Australian Government and Simon Moran,
vice president of Manheim Asia Pacific.
(L to
R) Pattaya Mail MD Peter Malhotra, Achita Limtrakul, vice president
communications of Raimon Land, Eddy Jailani, general manager of Mantra Bar
and Restaurant, and Dominik Stamm, general manager of Amari Orchid Resort.
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