It’s a little known fact that once a year, for four weeks in Spring, there is one place where the world’s top gourmands gather. And this year, at the 20th World Gourmet Summit in Singapore, the best palates on the planet will be celebrating Scottish seafood, the official seafood provider to the festival, which runs from Monday 28 March to Sunday 24 April.
World-class and Michelin-starred chefs from top restaurants will fly to Singapore to show off their skills, and experiment with cutting edge culinary ideas. Dedicated foodies will take the opportunity to sample the best cooking in the world; and influential buyers from the Asian market will gather to judge produce from all over the world – making decisions on what will appear on diner’s’ plates according to what they taste during their visit.
The Scottish contingent is set to impress the Asian market with the best fresh seafood handpicked to excite the discerning audience, dominated by Michelin-starred chefs (see notes). Scottish cod, salmon, scallops and langoustines are taking centre stage in a bid to encourage these influential chefs to get behind Scottish seafood – which serves as a massive boost for the industry.
Natalie Bell, Trade Marketing Manager for EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Asia) at Seafood Scotland, said “Where the top chefs go, other restaurants, and eventually consumers, follow. Scotland has some of the best seafood in the world, due to our clean air and crystal clear waters, and the World Gourmet Summit is about getting it in front of, and in the mouths of, some of the most influential chefs and buyers in Asia. These four weeks in Singapore can dictate the future of a product in the market, and our presence there is key to the Scottish industry’s growth.”
As well as supplying a number of individual chefs, Scottish Seafood will take pride of place at the WGS Opening Ceremony and Awards, which, to mark its 20th year, will be the biggest and most extravagant yet. Then, in mid-April, Scotland takes centre stage with a Highland Park Whisky and Seafood Dinner, at which celebrated chef Glenn Bowman will prepare the Scottish seafood for an audience of 100 influential guests. The Scottish catch has a final outing at the WGS ‘Sunset Celebration’ a cocktail event that brings together all the WGS key partners.
Peter Knipp of A La Carte Productions, creator of the World Gourmet Summit, said: “The World Gourmet Summit would just simply not be the same without Scottish seafood being included in our events. Over the past couple of years, the chefs we work with have consistently told us it's some of the best seafood they have ever worked with and as a result, we're seeing more Scottish salmon, cod, scallops and langoustines on some of Asia's finest menus.
“I'm confident that this year's event will continue to raise the profile of Scotland and the quality of its produce amongst what are some of the most influential people across Asia's thriving food and drink sector.”
