An ultra-exclusive meeting of the private chefs of the world’s leaders, dubbed the “G20 of gastronomy”, has taken place in Washington DC under the presidency of Christian Garcia, the private chef to Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Between 29th October and 2nd November, the members of the Club des Chefs des Chefs headed to Washington DC for their annual meeting.
The Club was founded in 1977 by Gilles Bragard and has been touted as the most exclusive club in the world as each and every member holds the prestigious position of being a personal chef to a world leader. This strict criteria has earned the Club the moniker of the “G20 of gastronomy”.
Monaco’s Christian Garcia, the private chef to Prince Albert II, is the current head of this top-notch group, and it was thanks to his role as President that he was able to recruit the Ambassadors of Monaco, France and Italy to help host this year’s meeting of the Club.
MONACO IN DC
Maguy Maccario-Doyle, Monaco’s Ambassador to the US and Canada, opened up her address book and started planning, calling in the Ambassadors of France and Italy to the US to organise receptions in their respective residences as part of the event.
Thus, guests of this select culinary club were treated to the most delicious foods from all three nations, with products from Monaco, such as the orange liqueur and citrus gin of the Distillerie de Monaco, taking centre stage.
WORTHWHILE PURSUITS
Whilst in the US capital, the chefs split their time between club obligations and charitable activities.
Members spent their first day at DC Central Kitchen, a non-profit organisation dedicated to fighting hunger and poverty through job training. Many of the jobs involve providing meals to local school canteens. The Club’s members chipped in, helping make a portion of the 10,000 total meals that are distributed daily by the association.
They were then invited to the White House, where they enjoyed lunch with America’s First Lady, Jill Biden. The meal, prepared by US President Joe Biden’s executive chef, Cristeta Comerford, was a delightful seafood affair using “traditional flavours of the Chesapeake Bay”.
From the White House, they then stopped in at the Pentagon, the iconic five-sided building in Virginia that houses the US Department of Defense and is known as being the world’s second largest office space, encompassing a massive 600,000m2 of floor space.
The Club then turned the hospitality around, offering a lunch to the ambassadors of their respective nations. The chefs involved in the preparation of the dishes included the head chefs of the Élysée Palace, Buckingham Palace, the White House and the Intercontinental Hotel Willard, a partner of the club.
The meeting ended with a reception organised by Stanislas Vilgrain, the owner of Cuisine Solution, an international premium food company that pioneered the sous-vide movement.
Ambassador Maccario-Doyle was presented with a classic grand chef’s jacket from Gilles Bragard’s workshop, as well as an honorary diploma in recognition of her part in promoting culinary diplomacy.
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Photo source: Maguy Maccario-Doyle, Facebook