09 Jul #46PLUSKOCHT WINS BEST IN THE WORLD IN MACAO/CHINA
I’m still so incredibly happy that I can’t hardly contain my excitement … But where to begin: In December last year we found out that our cookbook „#46pluskocht – voll lecker“ was on the shortlist of the renowned World Gourmand Cookbook Awards, which are oftentimes referred to as the „Oscars for cookbooks“. That meant that we were „winners“ in the categories „Charity Europe“ and „Photography“, which made us automatically the finalists for our country and nominated for the desired „Best in the world“ award. That alone just beamed us up on cloud nine.
We didn’t have to think long and our little 46PLUS delegation immediately booked their flights to Macao/China in total dedication and hope, where the official „World Gourmand Cookbook Awards“ ceremony would take place on July 3rd and 4th.
I believe the moment we won BEST IN THE WORLD I literally fell off my chair, and I remember my adrenaline levels were so excessively high that I even forgot my own name when introducing myself to people. 😉
The ceremony was beyond amazing, a melting pot of all nationalities. There is no comparable international cultural event in the world, except the Olympics. „The Gourmand Awards are inspired by the Olympic spirit“, according to Monsieur Édouard Cointreau, the founder of the Gourmand Awards.
Please enjoy a few impressions of the ceremony, the gala dinner and the Macao International Book Fair, and celebrate with us. I am toasting to you, guys!
SHOW KITCHEN WITH CHAKALL
We had the great pleasure of watching the popular Argentinian celebrity chef Chakall doing his magic in the show kitchen creating some specialties from the Middle East (Lebanon) and Peru. It was so much fun seeing him improvising some delicious food and listening to his quite interesting upbringing, being born in a family whose gene pool consists of Galician Swiss-German, French Basque, Italian and Argentinean heritage. Our sous-chef Juliana was totally overjoyed when she got a chance to assist him and serve the crowd with his delicious creations.
MACAO INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR
To see our book #46pluskocht voll lecker amongst all these other incredibly amazing cookbooks from all over the world made our hearts sing of joy.
THE VENETIAN MACAO 澳門威尼斯人
All the gourmand finalists got to stay in the Venetian Macao hotel where the Macao International Book Fair and the inauguration took place. The minute we entered this massive hotel (inside it has the largest casino of the world, but isn’t it also the biggest hotel in the world?), we were blown away. Not only did we get lost several times, but there is definitely more shopping here under one roof than in the whole Stuttgart, and I am not exaggerating. 😉 The hotel is themed on the romantic streets and canals of Venice, and its ceilings showcase the artworks of worldclass famous artists in the romantic era. Of course, most of the romance is lost through the thousands and thousands plus slot machines constantly flashing at you, but the gondola rides and replica of the beautiful Piazza San Marco are almost as jaw-dropping as the real thing.
OLD TOWN MACAO
After the book fair we got a chance to get away from our massive glistening mega casino, and go see the old town of Macau which was quite a unique experience, since it made us feel walking down the streets of Lisbon. Macau is a special administrative region of the people’s republic in China and was ruled by the Portuguese, hence the beautiful colorful and vibrant streets and all its Portuguese charm everywhere.
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