Las Vegas Sands

Celebrity chefs Daniel Boulud, Nancy Silverton, Justin Quek and Tetsuya Wakuda joined forces to kick off the new year with a new event: Epicurean Market, the inaugural 3-day food and wine appreciation event held at Marina Bay Sands from 25 to 27 January 2013. Over 30 masterclasses and workshops were offered, giving people the opportunity to learn directly from these very celebrity chefs how to make a number of signature dishes.

Celebrity Chefs present at the opening ceremony of Epicurean Market

There were also masterclasses and workshops conducted by the pastry chefs from SweetSpot, CUT, db Bistro Moderne and Au Chocolat for avid bakers. I had the opportunity to attend the ‘Brioche-Loaves, Doughnuts and Sticky Buns’ workshop presented by Executive Pastry Chef Jen Shen from CUT. From it I not only learnt how difficult it is to make brioche (it takes 2-3 days for the dough to rest),  I also learnt how Jen’s Team measures the weight of each brioche bun used for the restaurant’s mini Kobe sliders to ensure that they are the perfect size.

Chef Jen Shen’s affable personality kept the participants engaged

The workshop was held in the auditorium that was able to hold 100 pax, and seats were on a first-come-first-served basis

In addition to the masterclasses and workshops, there were also enough food and wine tasting opportunities to keep you happy and feeling satisfied. The small tasting plates were perfect because, well, where else do you get the chance to have CUT’s mini Kobe sliders; Guy Savoy’s artichoke and black truffle soup, layered brioche with mushrooms and truffles; and Sky on 57’s miso cod all in one sitting? Needless to say, it was all delicious.

Signature dishes were available for consumers to purchase and sample at the Celebrity Chef area

The Celebrity Chef area was bustling with activity

The event was rounded out with a beer garden, fine spirit appreciation and market place. All in all, it was 12,500 square metres of gourmet goodness across three event halls in our Sands Expo and Convention Centre. I heard that this will become an annual event, so there’s something for all foodies to look forward to next year!