For 12 immensely successful years, Culinary Team Alberta’s An Evening with the Masters has been an annual sold-out event. “The leadership provided by each year’s organizing committee has been outstanding. We are grateful for the dozen amazing events that generated support for the evenings and our activities,” says Team Business Manager and Shaw Conference Centre Executive Chef Simon Smotkowicz. “For that reason, we listened to the advice of several long-time committee members who talked of doing something new.”
As every chef knows: No matter how good the menu, sometimes you need to make a change. La Soirée Gastronomique 2006 is the launch of that rejuvenating change for Team Alberta’s major annual fundraiser.
Appropriately, the first La Soirée Gastronomique will be one of the first major social events in the new Shaw Conference Centre Hall D, opening at the end of March. Impressive 24-foot-tall glass windows, offering a spectacular 270° view of the majestic North Saskatchewan River valley, create the backdrop for a room transformed into the Left Bank along the Seine in Paris.
Spend an evening in the City of Lights — surrounded by art and music, sidewalk cafés, magasins and the marché. New to the festivities is the Prix D’Or Celebrity Cooking Competition in the Cirque du Gourmet. All the high drama of an “Iron Chef” contest — surprise ingredients, skill-challenging dishes, play-by-play commentary, in-the-moment interviews with celebrity competitors. Then finally — judging and crowning of the King and Queen of the Cirque du Gourmet.
“The signature feature of our annual event — a gourmet menu prepared by Team Alberta chefs — remains the same,” says Team Manager and Program Head of NAIT’s School of Hospitality Vinod Varshney. “The Team always looks forward to creating new and exciting dishes, and we’re doubling the pleasure for guests this year with two different five-course dinners paired with fine wines.” Continuing a popular tradition, guests will be able to watch the chefs in action.
Come be part of Edmonton’s most exciting new gourmet dining experience. La Soirée Gastronomique only happens once a year — this year, on April 7th.