Media Contact:
Jan Smyth
Marketing Manager
845-451-1457
j_smyth@culinary.edu
St. Helena, CA – The trend to Asian tastes and techniques has been growing
exponentially in the U.S. for years. It never came together with such
enthusiasm and promise as it did at the 17th Worlds of Flavor® International
Conference and Festival, held last week on the Greystone
campus of The Culinary Institute of America in the Napa Valley in front of
an audience of more than 700 culinary, foodservice, and hospitality professionals.
“The vastly varied cuisines of Asia are deeply rooted in
traditions that have evolved over millennia,” said Greg Drescher, vice president of strategic initiatives and
industry leadership at the CIA. “Today, American chefs are embracing and
experimenting with what once was considered exotic. These foods and flavors are
poised to continue their ascendance and become ever-bigger players in our
national dining scene, whether it is in small independent restaurants,
high-volume operations, food trucks, or university cafés.” That fact became
evident when reviewing the list of participants and the foodservice outlets
they represent: Fairmont and Grand Hyatt hotels, Harvard University and Indiana
University dining services, Red Lobster and TGI Fridays, Vail Resort and The Cliff
House, independent restaurants from across the country, Wegmans and—from London—Marks and Spencer.
Highlights of this year’s conference included:
- A fascinating and fact-filled historical perspective keynote
on the rise of Asian cuisines and global perceptions of those cuisines, brought
to today and a look at the change in status experienced by Asian restaurants in
the U.S. presented by Ken Albala (University of the
Pacific)
- Paul Qui, of qui in Austin, TX, preparation of a rich and
spicy Filipino Pork Blood Stew, which he demoed while talking about cooking
with points of references in a deeply rooted culture, expressed in innovative
fashion
- The Grilled Duck Salad prepared by Dylan Jones and Bo Sangvisava
of Bo.Ian in
Bangkok—one of the seven restaurants represented at the conference
from S. Pelligrino’s “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” list—that featured
Thai Salted Pickled Cabbage
- An in-depth discussion—with culinary demos—of the diversity
and traditions of Asian noodles with Jehangir Mehta
(India), William Wongso (Indonesia), and Ivan Orkin (USA)
- The appreciative gasps from the audience when Will Goldfarb
(Room4Dessert, Bali) shared the secrets of his meringue during the final
session
Videos from the conference’s live webcast are available on the Worlds of Flavor website. If you did not
attend, you can still view all of the above sessions...and more.
Plans for the 2016 program were also announced. Next April,
the food world will gather again to hear the trends and tastes related to the
theme, On Fire: Culture | Passion | Invention in Europe and the Americas.
Additional information will be available this summer on www.worldsofflavor.com.
For 17 years, Worlds of Flavor has been considered by the
industry to be America’s most influential professional forum on world cuisines,
food cultures, and flavor trends. It is the flagship event on the CIA’s
Industry Leadership calendar, which includes a dozen national conferences,
retreats, and industry leadership initiatives each year that address issues and
trends related to flavor development and world cultures, health and wellness,
foodservice menu research, sustainability, and collaborations between agriculture
and restaurant kitchens. This and other conferences are made possible partly
through the contributions of many sponsors and supporters, including this
year’s Grand Presenting Sponsor, Suntory; Platinum Sponsors Chobani,
CJ Foods, Kikkoman, and Unilever; Premium Gold Sponsors Avocados from Mexico,
Maine Lobster, Paramount Farms, and Woodstone Corp;
and more than a dozen other food manufactures and foodservice suppliers.
Photo Captions and Hi-res Images:
Photo 1 (top photo): Chris Jaeckle, chef and partner at Uma Temakeria and All’onda in New York City, offers samples of his
Mackerel Crudo at the Marketplace tasting during
Worlds of Flavor. (Photo credit: Kristen Loken/CIA)
View hi-res image >
Photo 2: One of
the favorite dishes offered at Worlds of Flavor was this beautiful
crab-onion ring-sour cream appetizer prepared by Ryan Clift of
the Tippling Club in Singapore. (Photo
credit: Kristen Loken/CIA)
View hi-res image >
Photo 3: Zaiyu Hasegawa, who has two Michelin stars for his
restaurant Jimbocho Den in Tokyo, demonstrates one of
his signature recipes, Foie Gras Monaka,
at the 2015 Worlds of Flavor conference. (Photo
credit: Kristen Loken/CIA)
View hi-res image >
Photo 4: Born in
the Philippines and trained in classic French and Japanese cuisine, Paul Qui of
qui in Austin, TX, takes a modernist approach towards food, combining
traditional dishes he learned from his grandmother with Texas flair. (Photo credit: Kristen Loken/CIA)
View hi-res image >
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier
culinary college. Dedicated to driving leadership development for the
foodservice and hospitality industry, the independent, not-for-profit CIA
offers associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts;
bachelor’s degree majors in management, culinary science, and applied food
studies; and executive education through its Food Business School. Its
conferences and consulting services have made the CIA the think tank of the
food industry in the areas of health & wellness, sustainability, world
cuisines & cultures, and professional excellence & innovation. The
college also offers certificate programs and courses for professionals and
enthusiasts. Its worldwide network of 48,000 alumni includes leaders in every
area of foodservice and hospitality. The CIA has campuses in New York, California,
Texas, and Singapore.
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