Swiss chef serves up cheese feast at Gourmet fair

Denis Martin, one of Europe’s biggest names in the evolution of international culinary trends, will head to the UAE capital next month to make a guest appearance at Gourmet Abu Dhabi – the 16-day extravaganza with a Michelin-star-studded cast.

The two-Michelin-starred chef, a regular food commentator on Swiss TV and a representative of the Central European Culinary School, will host a special cheese dinner at the five-star, Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi on February 21.

“This is a chef who has been listed as among the best in the world in terms of the latest international culinary trends," said Noura Al Dhaheri from Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.

"His hallmark is creativity using exceptional raw materials to serve up what he calls 'playful food'. He is a master of the avant-garde.”

Martin will also conduct a free-to-attend culinary masterclass at the Armed Forces Officers Club & Hotel on February 22, and create the second course at the event’s awards dinner, where the Abu Dhabi Gourmet Stars Awards will be presented to the elite of the UAE capital’s hospitality scene, at the Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi on February 23.

Martin, who runs his own restaurant in a converted chateau in the small Swiss town of Vevey, says he likes his dishes to be “graced with a sense of humour.”

His first Abu Dhabi date is aimed at full-blooded ‘Turopiles’ – cheese lovers, and he sees it as of something as a challenge.

“It is a task set for me to deliver a cheese evening with a distinctly modern twist,” he said, "so I am creating a cheese fondue called Vision 2012, and a menu of modern dishes using Swiss, Italian and French cheeses.”

Tickets for Chef Denis Martin’s Cheese speciality dinner can be bought online at www.gourmetabudhabi.ae priced AED750. Reservations for the masterclass are also available on the website.