Opening reception sees the launch of Wine and Gourmet Asia 2008

Yesterday was the launch of Wine and Gourmet Asia 2008 at the Venetian Macao with the first introductions of visiting masterchefs Jean-Michel Loran, Vitor Sobral, Sam Leong and Paco Torreblanca, followed by champagne popping and a buffet of culinary delights by hosting establishments.

With a flurry of activity set over the next three days, the hosting establishments of Wynn Macau, Crown Macau, MGM Grand Macau and the Venetian Macao have thrown open their restaurant doors to entice visitors and residents alike to sample the cuisine on offer.

Wynn Macau's hosting chef Peter Find helped kick off the cooking demonstrations at the expo where abut 50 spectators saw him whip up a three-course meal that focussed on seafood, choosing simple recipes that included scallops, shrimp and salmon.

With this year being his second invitation to demonstrate his skills, Peter pointed out that he knew the setup and was therefore a little more comfortable with the environment.

"When I planned the demonstration I knew what I had to do and had one hour to create three dishes, taking it to a professional level."For Peter, the choice of dishes chosen, namely salad  of seared scallops, potato, carrot and coriander soup with shrimps and salon fillet with crabmeat, cucumber, tomato and dill, all had items that were locally available.

 "It's about the freshness of the product," he added. In choosing fish and seafood, Peter noted that the time taken to prepare such meals was far less than that of meat, allowing for quick, complete meals within the time allotted.

"You know you have three courses so it's about 20 minutes each course. You know it can't be too complicated but you want to give a good experience," he said. The dishes were quite continental but he added that  ingredients such as ginger in the salad and coriander in the soup gave that particular Asian flavour.

Asked about the difficulty in putting together a recipe, Peter admitted much of it comes down to experience, of which he has about 28 years.

 "Of course some people have more talent and a better pallet, but it's over a period of time. You need the basic foundation, but constantly have to try and try to see what goes well."

One of the first things home cooks have trouble with is wondering why their dishes sometimes turn out poor representations of the recipe in the book.

Asking Peter this question, he said it was usually because cooks tend to "make the mistake of adding their items too early, and then all the flavour is gone. For example, with the soup, the fresh coriander and dill are the last things to go in."

For Peter the repeat invitation to demonstrate at the expo gave him the opportunity to be an ambassador for Wynn Macau, adding "it's a reflection so you always have to keep this in mind. People expect the quality, that little bit of difference."

As for the Wine and Gourmet Asia concept, Peter pointed out that "it's still very new so it helps Macau to be more international and let people know we have all this available."

 And with an increase in their loyal customer base from last year's inclusion, Peter added that Wynn would continue to support the event.

Chef Paco Torreblanca

"We're very honoured to have Chef Paco here in Macau," said Peter, adding that Asians were noted for their fondness of desserts and chocolate, with Paco being considered a legend in that domain, specifically as the best Spanish confectioner.

Since the inception of his first patisserie in Alicante, Spain in 1978, Paco's business grew from those initial five employees to a now astonishing 120 people. His achievements over the years have culminated in Paco being the official supplier for the royal family as well as creating the desserts for Iberia Airline's business and first classes passengers. Most notably perhaps, is his creation of a wedding cake for Crown Prince Felipe of Spain ?catering to 1,800 people and consisting of a layering of milk and dark chocolates, olive oil brioche, almonds and fruit, with at least 600 sugared rose petals included.

Asked about the work that went into that particular creation, Paco noted that it took 50 people over four days to make. Equally impressive were his chocolate designed clothing for models at a runaway show at The Chivas Studio in Madrid for the exclusive club's opening.

Add to that being an ambassador for chocolate producer Barry Callebaut Iberica and you can imagine the level that Paco is now at in his field.

With professional credentials ranging from Best Master Artisan Pastry Chef in Spain and Europe, Best Dessert of the Year, Best Pastry Book of the World, Gold and Silver medals and writer of half a dozen cookbooks, one would imagine Paco to anything but down to earth. Yet his one piece of advice to anyone wanting to follow in his footsteps is to have "the head in the stars but the feet on the ground."

As for lessons learned during his extensive time in the business, Paco admitted the most difficult was realising that he could not do it alone.

"If you want to improve and grow you have to start in a team," he said, adding that he had gone it alone for the first two years before realising his mistake.

Of course the usual questions are answered, including favourite dessert (Alto el Sol chocolate mousse, with the chocolate having 65 percent cocoa) and his most interesting ingredient used being chocolate or vanilla.

Yet what is bound to become an interesting topic of conversation in Asia is the idea of chocolate in appetisers, not simply for dessert.

This means bonbons that infuse flavours of goats cheese, Chinese spices, curry, olive oil or parmesan.

"That trend [in Asia] will take time because Europe is far from here," Paco said, adding that Japan though was already creating something similar. With his initial foray into this alternative five years ago, Paco noted that his sales have increased ten-fold since then.

For now, Paco is focussing on creating desserts that are both healthy and delicious, with less calories, less sugar and lighter."This will be the big trend during the next ten years, as well as smaller portions." In order to achieve this, Paco admitted that meant adapting earlier recipes and creating new ones, where it's not possible to do it easily as it takes time.

"It's why you need to work in a team," he said, adding his thanks to Wynn Macau for providing him with the opportunity to showcase his desserts here.

"I chose Wynn because I thought it was the best place in Macau to launch my desserts," he said.Paco will be assisted by Wynn's Executive Pastry Chef, Luc Thierry Capus who is responsible for the full range of pastries available at  the resort's eateries.

 A French native, Luc spent six years with Laduree Paris under chef Philippe Andrieu where he deepened his knowledge, advancing through most pastry stations from the position of Commis to Pastry Sous-Chef. 

As for Paco, with the highest accolades and notable achievements under his apron, his future plans involve opening a "very small shop with two or three people to create made-to-order cakes for customers. I'd only use what was in season and everything would be natural, including the oven. No plastic!"A big table, coffee, with a slice of cake and complete openness."

The Wine and Gourmet Asia 2008 expo will run until Friday and brings together over 150 exhibitors from 17 countries, while hosting establishments in Macau will provide culinary experiences until November 15.

The three-day event will showcase various products of wine and gourmet foods, hotel and foodservice equipment, supplies and services. Other activities, such as wine tasting and industry forum will also be held during the fair period.

To show the industry's new development, the Hospitality Trends Forum will also be held today, which will serve as a platform for exchange of ideas among the experts, addressing the latest trends and key issues for hotel and restaurant owners, developers and designers.