April/May 2014

Dear Members, Colleagues and Friends,

With Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year behind us, we now have time to breathe and look ahead. I trust that most of us were busy during these festive seasons and now it’s back to business as usual. Regardless of the season, the HKCA and our National Team have stayed active:

  • On January 6, we had the Swiss Raclette and Cheese Fondue evening, see coverage in the Feb/March issue of this newsletter. I still want to thank Urs Besmer, his team of chefs, service staff, the Pacific Club Management and Rene Holenweger, the Club’s General Manager, for an unforgettable evening. Many thanks also go to the suppliers for sponsoring the food.
  • We were hosting a Congratulations celebration for our National Team on January 7 at the HITDC in Pokfulam. The event was attended by HKSAR Chief Executive CY Leung, the VTC Board of Directors and HKCA representatives. 2013 was a milestone year for our Team, the HKCA and Hong Kong.
  • Following this celebration, we organized a big day on January 16 saying THANK YOU to our generous friends, supporters, mentors and sponsors who helped our National Team so much on their journey to success. We had a cocktail reception at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel followed by a cocktail buffet and a short ceremony handing out appreciation certificates to our 25 National Team members. They have shown strength, endurance and developed the tools to perform well on foreign soil. They competed in 10 countries and came away with the World Championship at Salon Culinaire in Switzerland. A special thank you goes to Anita and the HK Disneyland team and management for the venue and great food.
  • On March 3, a lively and exciting Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Annual Dinner took place with over 240 members and their guests attending, see photo coverage inside this issue. I’d like to sincerely thank Peter Find and his brigade for their commitment, hard work, passion, cooperation and support. As a non-profit organization, our association often has to rely on the sponsorship of various stakeholders. Without their support, the recent AGM and Annual Dinner could not have taken place.

            We’d also like to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to Elkey Kao, Assistant Director of Catering and Events, Karina Wan, Catering Sales Manager, the Ritz Carlton culinary team as well as their banquet team for the excellent support ensuring smooth operations during the event. A very special thanks goes to Chef Suter for arranging the entertainment, i.e. bag pipers to start the dinner and a young piano player from the Hong Kong Young Chefs Club. Altogether, it was a wonderful representation of Hong Kong’s rich and diversified culture!

I personally appreciate Anita’s and Inge’s commitment and professionalism. You did a fantastic job, very well done!

  • It’s also encouraging to see how hard our National Team has been working to get ready for the competitions during FHA in Singapore. They are well prepared. Sum and Calvin did an excellent job rehearsing and bringing our team up to speed. I encourage all HKCA members to give our team their blessing and support. I hope they will return with a few victories.
  • Almost forgot to mention that at the AGM, I was reelected to serve as your President for another year. I want to thank all of you for your trust and support! Most of the Committee Members have remained but we have added a few new ones, see the Committee roster and photo below.

            We expect that this year will be full of activities. We hope we can see you at one of these events! Also, please feel free to give us your suggestions of how we can better serve you.

I wish all of you a good start in the first quarter of 2014 and all the best for the rest of the year!

Mak Kam Kui
President
Hong Kong Chefs Association