Bangkok to Host 4th Asian Organic Gourmet Festival 22-25 March

A four-day food, wine and wellness extravaganza is being organised by the luxurious 137 Pillars Suites & Residences on Sukhumvit Soi 39 in the heart of Bangkok, Thailand.

Scheduled to take place from 22-25 March 2018, the hotel, a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, is bringing together leading wellness consultants, a selection of top chefs and some of the finest wine producers, for four days of luxurious organic fun.

Taking place for the first time in Bangkok, the fourth Asian Organic Gourmet Festival (AOGF) will showcase the importance of buying locally sourced produce, how to prepare the food healthily without losing any flavour, and how to pair the finished cuisine with the right wine.

This year, Chef Javier Rodriguez from Santiago del Estero in Argentina, Chef Colin Chung from Hawaii and Chef Tolgar Mireli from Turkey are being flown to Bangkok especially for the event and will join Chef Anchalee Ponrungsit and the team in the kitchens at 137 Pillars Suites & Residences.

Chef Javier Rodriguez has worked in some of the world’s most celebrated 1-, 2- and even 3-star Michelin restaurants including Tetsuya’s in Australia, Noma in Denmark, Maaemo in Norway, La Gloria in Peru, Restaurant André in Singapore and Viajante in England. He believes strongly in using the highest quality seasonal produce purchased from small local producers. In October 2017 Chef Javier opened Standard 69 Tapas Bar & Restaurant in Cordoba, Argentina and already has plans to expand this new restaurant brand to Santiago and Sao Paulo in 2018.

Chef Colin Chung can’t keep away from the sea and the delicious bounty it provides! He may be from Hawaii but the celebrated chef has worked for many years in New Zealand and today lives in Fiji. Chef Colin’s cooking is all about heart and soul, and that comes out in his personal life too. His most recent book, Kana Vinaka, which means “eat well or good food” in Fiji, is not only about cuisine in the Pacific Island country it’s also a not-for-profit initiative designed to enhance the lives, farming and eating habits of those on the islands.

Chef Tolgar is one of the most successful and celebrated chefs to come out of Turkey. He has worked in some of the best restaurants around the world, including time at Michel Roux Jr.'s Le Gavroche in London, the first UK restaurant to be awarded one, two and three Michelin stars. Chef Tolgar loves cooking classical French and Italian cuisine as well as promoting the rich variety of tastes and styles that can be found in Turkish cooking.

At the Asian Organic Gourmet Festival 2018, the main highlight for the chefs, and for those guests lucky enough to have a confirmed reservation, will be the daily Gala Dinner at Nimitr on Level 27. This is where the chefs’ individual flair and creativeness will shine, as they put together a menu of the finest organic food paired with carefully scripted organic wine to create a culinary journey that will impress even the most sophisticated gourmands.

The invited chefs will also share their experience and culinary wizardry in special cooking classes scheduled to take place on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m.

Anchalee Ponrungsit, Executive Sous Chef at 137 Pillars Suites & Residences Bangkok, said, "I am absolutely thrilled that the Asian Organic Gourmet Festival is going to take place in Bangkok for the first time. To be able to work alongside the hugely talented chefs that we have invited is a great opportunity for myself and the entire 137 Pillars team. We're going to put on a culinary show the likes of which Bangkok has never seen before, I can't wait!"

It’s not all about fine dining and celebrity chefs. There are also plenty of fun activities for the whole family to enjoy throughout each day.

Running alongside the Asian Organic Gourmet Festival will be a Farmers’ Market taking place at the Jamjuree Lawn on the ground floor of the hotel between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily. The Farmers’ Market will showcase locally grown organic produce such as rice and vegetables, as well as a whole range of refreshing drinks and delicious freshly prepared food.

Saturday is Wellness Day at the Asian Organic Gourmet Festival. Roger Moore will start off the day on how everyone can find a balance in life with the 7 Pillars of Wellness and throughout the day expert wellness practitioners, such as Ron Veldhuis and Henrik Olofsson, will share their insight on how to lead a healthier and happier life through carefully choreographed presentations and demonstrations. Judith Coulson-Geissmann will also be conducting a “food as medicine nutrition” class, and will join Chef Anchalee for the Wellness Cuisine cooking class.

Auctions are a very important highlight of the Asian Organic Gourmet Festival and this year there will be both live and silent auctions taking place daily, with highly desirable and unique artwork up for grabs, as well as other high-end luxury products.

The four-day event will culminate on Sunday, 25 March 2018 with a Gala Finale Brunch Buffet that will take place at Bangkok Trading Post from 11:30 a.m. The event will be used by each of the invited chefs to showcase their talents in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

The charity that this year’s Asian Organic Gourmet Festival will support is The Beaumont Partnership Foundation which was established to help serve needy communities in Thailand and provide education to rural children free of charge. Last year in Chiang Mai, the event raised THB 236,000 which was donated to the Warm Heart Charity, and organisers are aiming to considerably improve on that already substantial amount this year.

Bjorn Richardson, General Manager of the 137 Pillars Suites & Residences, said, “The Asian Organic Gourmet Festival proved extremely popular in Chiang Mai and it’s already started to create quite a buzz here in Bangkok. With a Farmers’ Market, Cooking Classes, a Wellness Day, and of course the luxurious and indulgent daily Gala Dinners, there is something for everyone. It’s going to be an outstanding few days of fun and delicious organic food prepared by some of the very best chefs!”

Prices for the 4th Asian Organic Gourmet Festival are THB 4,200 per person per Gala Dinner, THB 1,900 per person per Cooking Class, THB 3,500 for the Wellness Day and THB 2,900 per person for the Gala Finale Brunch. Due to the popularity of the events, reservations are strongly recommended.

Accommodation

Suites start from US$450 per night while Residences begin at US$140, inclusive of daily breakfast and complimentary Wi-Fi. All rates quoted above are subject to applicable service charge and government tax. Terms and conditions apply.

Related: 4th Asian Organic Gourmet Festival to Support Underprivileged Children in Thailand and 137 Pillars Suites and Residences Bangkok - Interview with Bjorn Richardson, GM.

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