<The World Gourmet Summit has a desi Flavour, says Rashmi Uday Singh
 
This tiny island nation, which has no natural resources of its own, is all set to dominate Asia, as its Food capital ,in more ways than one. You name it, they`ve got it. Awards for culinary and hospitality excellence, vintner dinners, wine master-classes, Masterchef safaris, Asia`s largest and most International Food and Hospitality event, FHA 2002. I attend all and delightfully applaud, cheer the winner of the Lifetime achievement award, M P Puri of Raffles, trip out on Hemant Oberoi`s food, interact with Asad Shiraz of the Singapore Tourism board and wine and dine with Mumbai`s top restaurateurs at this meticulously organised foodie-dream-come-true.
 
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Peter Knipp have not only organised this mammoth month long event but also invited twelve international starred chefs to participate. What a delight it is to eat their food, learn at their master classes and party with them. Be it Sergie Arola from Madrid of Marcus Sameulson from New York or Phillippe Legendre from Paris or Hemant Oberoi from Mumbai.
 
And Hemant, as they address him, wows us all with his ganne ka sorbet to Chicken Anarkali. He cooks at the elegant Pan Pacific Hotel and the sales of Rang Mahal double, teaches at the Masterclasses and cooks for the grand finale dinner. At the glitzy finale, the superb dishes of the twelve masterchef`s dishes do a never-ending waltz with premier wines. This evening dovetails into the previous Le Cordon Bleu dinner, where the most outstanding creations of Patrick Martin thrill. It`s the same at the memorable Masterchef safari, where Chef David Senia from Osaka`s Salmon Parfait is not just a work of art but also of science.
 
Rahul and Malini Akerkar are equally delighted with the creativity of the chefs. They find that the FHA 2002, Being conducted in the gargantuan Expo is equally useful. "Especially the forum on service excellence," Malini points out, "it endorses what we`ve felt at indigo, that passion for excellence has to be transmitted to the staff."
 
Sanjiv Chona and Joy Kapur of Bombay Blue have also been to this show before and find that it is also a great place to source crockery, cutlery, equipment and more. Vicky Singh of Rain is delighted with it too. It`s not just Indians, people from the industry and consumers are here, from all over the world. As MPS Puri points out, "Singapore is the Food capital, from a commercial, educational and even consumer`s viewpoint."
 
Gujarat born Asad Shiraz of the STB has actually been sending invites to the established Indian restaurateurs to set up establishment in Singapore and so is delighted to meet some of them when I coordinate this photo shoot. I have to do a deft job of coordination because each one of them is busy with their schedules. They arrive on time, are delighted to meet and then move on. I am still in Singapore, slurping on noodles like the Japs, eating with my hands like the Malay, lunching with my limo driver hanging with the chefs at the great new restaurants. In short, I`m getting stuffed like a dimsum!