When Japan meets India
Last week we had a very unusual but very exciting wedding program for 2 days.
A mixed wedding with Japan and India!!
The whole conference center was changed into a Japanese scenery with temples,lampions,big drums,Sakura(cherry blossoms)and off course many more what make you remember of Japan.
First day was very exciting as there would be a double cake cutting ceremony which was done by sheikh Mohammed and the chairman,plus the groom and the bride.
Also was the first day only for the family,Royal guests and close friends.Which reached the number of 1200!
It was a great success with lots of elegance,luxury and no limit on money spending.
Second day was a bit different as this day was for all the staff from the universities and hospitals which were owned by the chairman (father of the groom)
Wedding cake was also an unusual flavor which was Greentea with Vanilla.
outside of the cake we layered with chocolate sheets which were printed with cacoabutter in the same design as the invitation card.
I hope you enjoy.
Sebastiaan
My last New Year’s Eve Gala Diner in Dubai Monster Posting
First of all i wish everybody a spectacular,gastronomic and healthy 2010,may all your wishes come true!!!
Again a event to remember!!NYE Gala diner on the beach for 1800pax,wow what a blast!!
Amazingly decorated and setup in the colors white,violet and black,and as you can see in the pics it looked amazing!
For the pastry we needed to setup 4 buffets,on both head sides of the tent 2.
It was again lots of organizing, logistic planning and of course every 5 minutes on the line with suppliers to check if our ingredients will come on time,hhaha!
Once the buffets were setup everybody could finally breath and also enjoy from a magical NYE to follow!
(In the header is written:”my last”,this because i will be moving on…..!!will keep you posted).
Stunning bread displays by our resort executive baker: Chef Michael Muhry (Austria)
Seafood display on ice carved cylinders!
Always a “runner and a stunner” the live ice cream station.
Giant ice cream station,carved in ice cylinders
Firework show was absolutely amazing,it felt like an hour in a fairytail,even in the backdrop we saw the fireworks from Atlantis as well,amazing!!!
And offcourse the band,which made 1800 people left their table and swing the night away on the dance floor!!
After heading back up to the kitchens for the final debrief of the year we had a small sneak peak at Aterlier party which was going in our Multi Purpose Venue.Wow,2000 people having a absolute blast!!
A final peak at the skies and 2010 is officially started,my last New Years Eve event in Dubai came to a end!!
Sebastiaan Hoogewerf
Twilight is amazing!!
Having a lazy day off and watching the beautiful twilight from the balcony here in Dubai!!
Master Pastry Chef Gianluca Fusto “Creations & Consultence”
My friend,inspiration, and definitive the best pastry chef i ever had the chance to work along side with,master pastry chef Gianluca Fusto.
I met chef Gianluca 2 years ago when he was Executive pastry chef Mediterian area for Valrhona.
He really over whelmed me with new techniques, flavor combinations and a absolute unique style which is extremely clean and elegant.
I really enjoyed so much working with chef Gianluca Fusto,and i still benefit from the chance i had to work along side with him.
Now a days chef Gianluca started his own consultancy company which provide technical assistance for pastry all over the world and in many different forms,such as restaurant,hotel, pastry shops ,chocolaterie etc.
As you can see in the photos below and above it’s a absolute joy see his creations!!
Best regards Sebastiaan
For more information about Gianluca Fusto Consultancy:
Gianluca Fusto
Pasticceria d’autore
+39 389 6916364
More @ mOre Cafe Dubai Mall
After discovering More Cafe in Dubai,i really became a regular guest on my off days.
Such honest,fresh no-nonsense comfort food in a perfect surrounding and atmosphere!
Easily can spend here hours and hours,just perfect food and excellent for a perfect chillout.
Very famous is their; “build your own burger” which comes on a etaigiere with all the condiments for the burger.
Also this time i tried their Dutch Potato salad,which is potato,apple,gurkens,parsley and mayonaise,mmm,i taste my home!!!
Unique presentations of food and beverage and i love the style of the interieur!
MoreCafe(s) is absolutely recommended by PastryNetwork!!!!
Best regards Sebastiaan
“Some hotel in the desert”
Many times i visit this great top notch hotel nearby Emirates Mall.
A beautiful entree with golden horses waiting for you while you drive up the lane of the hotel.
Spectaculaire fountain in front of the lobby and a beautifull view over the water wadi’s and DAM villa’s.
Absolute recommended for a stunning night out or a overnight stay.
Enjoy and regards Seabstiaan
(Reason for not mentioning any names has to do with recently clash with policies from a company i work for. )
Sugar Artist Stephane Klein
Absolutely stunning artwork made with sugar!
Hope you enjoy like i did!
Best regards Sebastiaan
Sony Alpha 350 DSLR
As many people asked me which equipment i used,here it is:
Sony Alpha 350,with 18-70mm lens,3.5/5.6F and 14.2 MP.
Best regards Sebastiaan
Marina Walk @ Dubai Marina & JBR
Since long time decided to go again to Dubai Marina to check out its progress.
Wow,and progressed it was,what a beautiful area,so peaceful and so many restaurants with terras to have the perfect chill out on your off day!
Each terras was full as also the weather was fantastic,a nice breeze and perfect temperature.
Had some lunch in the Butcher Shop and had a great afternoon just chilling like back home in Europe!
For sure i will return in this paradise under construction!
Best regards Sebastiaan
Candied Flowers from Flor&Flor
Visiting a pastry chef seminar in Grand Hyatt last week,which was organised by EMF,who is the distributor for Barry Callebaut Chocolate,PCB Creations,Flor&Flor,Capfruit,Stephan food processors and many more in Dubai.
Demonstrations were given by:
Emmanuel Ryon (World Champion Pastry,Best Ice Cream Worker of France)
Philippe Bertrand (Best Chocolate Worker of France)
Philippe Marand ( Technical Advisor Cacoa Barry)
Very interesting new creations and on the end a presentation of Chocolate Showpiece.
After that we could have a look what the suppliers brought as new assortiment!
PCB Creations showed some kickass new decorations possibilities,for example marshmallow sheets which you can buy with personnel logo’s or trendy print.
And new crunchy decoration niblets in gold,zilver,ruby etc.
Then i had a look at Flor&Flor and as you can see in the picture above they provide some cool stuff!!
Edible,candied roses,jasmine,lavender,whole roses etc.
And even they developed candied flower segments which are resistents against moisture,so suitable in cremes,ice creams,mouses etc.
Here in Dubai i didnt see them yet,but back home we used them alredy for years,so hopefully soon you will find some creations with this new “ingredient/garnish”
Best regards Sebastiaan
F1 @ Yas Marina Circuit Abu Dhabi
Lucky to get a ticket for the first F1 in Abu Dhabi’s brand new Yas Marina Circuit!!
Also it was the last race of the season and the champion was already decided,but still 80 million eyes on the first ever race in Abu Dhabi!
Once arrived you hear every single person saying”wow”!!
And i must say it is something really unique if you see this complex with your own eyes.
A huge track with a yacht harbor in the middle and off course the Yas Hotel what opens the 5th of November.
The track looked amazing and proved to be very very fast with a lot of overtaking possibilities.
Also there was a special light system as it was world first day into twilight race.
In the morning and afternoon it was the Porsche cup what was doing trials and time-lapse,and the 3d final testlaps for the F1.
At 5pm,everything was ready for a ear-destroying,rubber burning spectacular qualifying race.
Hamilton grabbed the pole and the 2 RedBull cars got 2nd and 3d.
For sure a must see next year if you are a car/race lover as the track is something you have to see once in a life time!
Hope you enjoy my pics below,
Regards S
Pastry in Europe ’09,”a must have!”
When i recently found out the making of this annual pastry magazine,i could not wait to lay my hands on of them.
Because when i just started in the pastry,i was lucky enough to be featured in Patisserie&Desserts part 2,which is a sweet version of Culinaire Saisonnier magazine,which mostly features,Netherlands,Belgium and France.
Now a days that magazines became a collectors items which get sold for almost 10 times the original price!(Luckey i have part 1-8 safely at home,haha.)
Now years later a special edition came on the market;Pastry in Europe,which features the most best pastissiers/chocolatiers/glaciers/bakers/confectioners etc. from whole Europe!
Which is very cool,as there is no other magazine on the market which is all about pastry as Pastry in Europe.
It shows new techniques,new presentations,plated desserts,traditional breads and cakes,licorice(as this we consume with tons in the Netherlands!)
A absolute must have as a pastrylover,pastry chef or just pastry enthusiast!!
Check quickly the link to Pastry In Europe to get yourself also a copy of this kickass Magazine.And make already a reservation for your Pastry in Europe 2010,which is coming soon!
http://www.pastryineurope.com/index/pastry_in_europe/
Pleasure reading and enjoy some snaps below!
p.s. Thanks a lot Joost for sending me the magazine,i loved reading it,keep up the amazing work!!
Regards S.
Balloon Galore!!!
Sometimes we get crazy requests,and this is one of them.The day before yesterday we were asked to provide the guest with a sorbet served in a iced balloon!
Nice idea for ala carte or vip guest upto 100 max.But this time we have to provide it for 11oo guests!!!
And all this with 3 days notice,great!!
After getting plans together,where to store so many trolleys and in which freezers?!!
To fill the balloon is one thing,but to time the exact thickness of the outer shell of the ice is an other!
4/5 hours in the freezer and a half hour in the blastfreezer was the trick we found out.
After take the frozen balloon cut the latex and lay it side ways on the stove,to burn a nice flat opening to remove the excess water,and put it a few seconds on the base to provide a stable side to stand.
When the service is ready for pickup,take out of freezer,place on a napkin and fill the ice with crushed ice and place your small dish with sorbet.
For an extra wow effect you could add dry ice and make hot before service pickup.
See below the fun we had with prepping the ice.
Regards S.
Restaurant
With the family having over in Dubai,we decided to have a look in Pierchic Restaurant.A Restaurant with many awards and when we received “the Pierchic experience” we knew also why they got many awards!
Excellent service,excellent ambience,and outstanding food!
Chef Chris Graham rocks behind the stove here at Pierchic and if there was any Michelin guide here in Dubai,i am sure they would be proud owners of a star or two.
With 9 courses,a lot of wine and a stunning dining experience richer we heading back to Al Qasr.
Wauw, truly an amazing experience and if you come one time to Dubai,you should try it!
Panasonic Lumix DMC LX3
Finally got the chance to play with a new toy named:Panasonic DMC-LX3.
Wauw,what a kickass performance in such a little case!
It’s very convenient to find such a performer in small size,cause its way more easy and confortable now to make action shots at work.
Shots of the Panasonic i took with my Sony Alpha A 350.
P.s the shots of Ramadan Kareem are the first trial shots with the Lumix.
Cheers CW from Sugarhead for advise for te Lumix!
Best regards S,
Ramadan Kareem
Every year with Ramadan,we provide a huge tent on the beach for a luxurious fast breaking experience.
Different sizes boots are offered with fluffy pillows and poofs.
Also there fully equipt with lcd tv,ps3 and there are board games available for the ultimate chill to break the fast named “Iftar”.
The capacity of our beach tent is about 665 people and is then also on great demand in the weekend where they make a double rotation on the capacity,meaning 900/1200 pax a la carte!
Still the best way for me to relaxe is with a nice Anise tea and a “double apple/mint shisha”!
Ramadan Kareem and wish you allready a nice “Eid al Iftar”
Best regards Sebastiaan
Chef Ajas and Chef Resly prepping dates for breaking the fast
Chef Manesh in action with manequish dough
Chef Watalapam preparing Umali,which get baked on order
Fresh Arabic bread baked on order
Sun under,spots on,Iftar time!
Master Of Creativity in Patisserie;Christophe Michalak
My absolute rolemodel and inspirator must be Christophe Michalak.who works as Executive Pastrychef in Plaza Athenee in Paris.
After i came in contact with his pastry,through the masterclass in Valrhona,i became really interested in his particular style of pastry.
His inspiration comes mostly from the fashion industrie,with some influences from mother nature.
Brilliant creativity and so clean and neat!
I hope you enjoy the below pictures,i know i will!
Best regards S.
My Thailand Experience
Just returned back from Bangkok and Phuket and cannot wait to share my pictures with you. Its to much info to write it here all in my blog, but see below the pictures and they will speak for them self. The following places we went and enjoyed to the max.Thailand is a must visit destination in your life and if i have the chance i will return there for sure. Try to find your self a not to touristic area and you will find heaven on earth! Pictures below are from: afternoontea @Peninsula Bangkok, Moonbar&Vertigo @Banyantree Bangkok, Promtep Cape Phuket,Simon Cabaret show,Laempsing beach Phuket,Banglastreet Phuket,and many more.Best regards Sebastiaan
Trip to Beijing
When i recently was invited for a job interview and cookoff in Beijing,i couldnt wait to have a look there,as i always wanted to work in Asia.
When i arrived there it still looked great and like my expectations.
After being introduced to the pastrykitchen and staff where i supposed to do my pastry presentation,i got allready my first doubts about working in China.
First of all there was no single staff who could speak a little english,and i mean no english at all!!
Then when i asked to see my requested ingredients,i found out that the half was missing and the other half from cheap local produce was,great start!!
Luckelly i brought a suitcase full of own equipment and that was a very smart idea after i saw what they worked with there.
After a sigarette and a strong coffee,i had my mind cleared and went fullspeed for mice en place as i couldnt loose any time,as i had to improvise on my planned dishes a lot!
After working 1,5 half day under these poor curcomstances it was time for my presentation en they clearly were amazed as i got a 5 min long applause!
Eventhough they were so happy with my presenation/tasting for me the idea to work there was allready shattered on the first day.
The experience sounds negative but,it was for myself a really good one,as i could see what i’m made off when i work under such time stress and poor circumstances.
I was pleased with my product what i after a lot of improvising had produced and thats all what counts for me,cause your product is something what people remember for a long time.
I was so happy to find out how good i have it here in Dubai and couldnt wait for coming back “home”!
At least i grabbed the chanche and i found it out myself how it was,so that later on i will never regret or doubt my choises.
Next stop Thailand!
Cant wait for Bangkok and Phuket,
posting will follow soon!
Best regards S.
Illy Coffee @ Dubai Mall
Finally i found a descent cup of coffee in Dubai.
“Illy” opened a small little coffee shop in Dubai Mall recently.
It must be the best coffee i found since im here 3years in Dubai!
In Dubai you find lots of coffee shops,but for me the coffee isn’t that great!
Even they have big names,like Starbucks,Costa,Second Cup etc.
No this was a absolute treat of proper coffee in Dubai!
Gianluca Fusto with Valrhona @ Gulffood ’08
I finally took some time to transfer the pics from my other laptop!
Thought you might enjoy to see what we made in ’08 with Gianluca Fusto and Valrhona on the Gulffood.
This was my first meet with Gianluca and it was direct a good “click”.
I learned a lot of amazing things from him and cannot wait to work with him together soon again!
Cheers S.
Dutch Pastry Team “House of Talent”
As Holland is not a famous country for desserts, its ammount of talent is rising each day.
Each year they hold a Dutch pastry Award competition,and if you win this competition you wil get offered a “aspirant membership” of the Dutch Pastry Team.
Every year young talent across whole Netherlands and even Belgium are competing for this price.
For the competition you will have to make a open pastryshow piece with a dessert cake.
Every year they will give you a subject what you need to incorporate in your Showpiece and cake.
Below some foto’s from a member of the Dutch Pastry Team,
Enjoy,
Cheers S.
Pastry-Network 