Wives of envoys hone their kitchen skills

Class act: Wives of ambassadors attended the cookery class at Porcini Restaurant of Ritz-Carlton Hotel and took lessons from the top chefs. The culinary team was led by Executive Chef Gael Cruchet, the only ‘Maitre Cuisinier de France’ in Qatar.

Top chefs of Ritz-Carlton Hotel share their culinary secrets with ambassadors’ wives at a cookery show in Doha. By Umer Nangiana

Good cooks zealously guard their culinary secrets. Who would want to reveal them and that too for free? Well, chefs at Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Doha did just that. They shared their secrets of popular recipes with wives of ambassadors in a cookery show recently.

Now these ladies know why one dish is tastier than the other the next time they come across a crab risotto, bouillabaisse or a tiramisu (a dessert). Moreover, with the recipes in hand, they can cook these dishes in the comfort of their homes.

“Learning from professional chefs is always interesting,” says Chhaya Arora, wife of Indian ambassador. Wives of ambassadors from 21 embassies attended the class at Porcini Restaurant and took lessons from the hotel’s top chefs. The culinary brigade was led by Executive Chef Gael Cruchet, the only ‘Maitre Cuisinier de France’ in the state of Qatar. Others included Porcini Chef Daniele Vacca, La Mer Chef Ivo Benidio and Pastry Chef Khaled Rashawn.

The chefs demonstrated cooking skills and techniques in over two-hour long class. Those who were new to the recipes learnt how to prepare them while those already familiar with risotto and tiramisu, for instance, upgraded their skills.

“To see how the chefs cook is a lesson in itself. For example, I was fascinated when the chef showed us how he cooks vegetables. He only cooks it for 15 seconds in hot water and then plonks the vegetables in ice water so they do not continue cooking anymore,” said Alejadra Hopton, wife of UK ambassador.

This way, the vegetables are not overcooked. We tend to overcook vegetables a lot in the UK so it is a very good technique I will take home with me, she added.

Hopton said it was a great experience at Ritz-Carlton and that it’s been a long time she had taken cooking lessons from Prue Leiths in London.

 “Now we know the secrets. So when we are at a restaurant next time, we know how they make it,” said Saia Bardibay, wife of ambassador of Kazakhstan. “Risotto we know how to make but some secrets like how much rice should be used and such details were good to learn,” she added.

The Indian ambassador’s wife also said she knew how to prepare tiramisu or risotto. “For me, the new thing was the French dish and it was really interesting,” added Arora. 

“The authentic recipe is what is important. And as we know this is an Italian restaurant at a good hotel so the recipe that they taught us here is original,” said the Kazakhstan ambassador’s wife.  “Thank you very much Ritz- Carlton, it was amazing,” added Bardibay.

The idea to launch such an initiative is to introduce one country to another through its culinary arts, and The Ritz-Carlton, Doha is proud to be the first hotel to introduce such an event, said the hotel’s statement.

“With a show kitchen and a wonderful ambience, Porcini was the perfect choice to introduce the Italian cuisine with a set menu followed by lunch, and a certificate to honour their participation,” it added.

Chef Daniele Vacca said cooking was all about love for food and the job itself. “It becomes very easy if you love your job. I love my job. Cooking comes from the heart. It does not come from google or youtube. We are very proud to be working for Ritz-Carlton where we do our best,” he told Community.

He said the women were given lessons on cooking king crab, the French dish bouillabaisse besides the dessert. Crab risotto with the lemon aroma is very popular around the world, he added.

“The fish item was a little bit complicated but I think he explained it very well and I will definitely have a go,” said the UK ambassador’s wife.

“All the chefs showed us what they were capable of doing. It was a four-course meal including desserts. They explained to us all the details step by step, answered all questions, it was very professional,” said the Kazakhstan ambassador’s wife. 

The women who participated in the class included Aisha Ahmad, wife of ambassador of Nigeria, Yasmine Dhraief, wife of ambassador of Tunisia, Tahmina Tisha Masud, wife of ambassador of Bangladesh, Samia al-Haraki, wife of ambassador of Syria, Yuxiang Zhang, wife of ambassador of China, Meike Naomi Loing, wife of ambassador of Philippines besides others.

BELOW:

Wives of ambassadors pose for a group photo with the culinary team and hotel management.