GALA LAUNCH: The Festival Kicks Off in Grand Style!
A fantastic occasion attended by a who’s who of KL society
THE ROYALE CHULAN KUALA LUMPUR
A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
What a night Thursday October 1 turned out to be, as the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival kicked off in some style. Held at the Royale Chulan Hotel, the Gala Launch was a star-studded evening, with a 2,000 VIP guest list headed by the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur, YBhg Dato’ Ahmad Fuad Ismail, and Dr. Junaida Lee Abdullah, Deputy Secretary General of Tourism Malaysia, representing the Minister of Tourism.
STAR-STUDDED CELEBRATION
Celebs rocked the party throughout the evening, with famous attendees including rock star Ella; entertainer Maple Asaro; and diva extraordinaire Anita Sarawak. As the assembled media could attest to – there was a veritable who’s who of KL society there all night.
SETTING THE MOOD
With the lights dimmed low, the hotel atrium sparkled under spinning disco balls, tied to the room’s rafters high above. Celebrities mixed with royalty, VIPs with Ambassadors, as the invited guests awaited the opening speech by Festival Organising YBhg Chairman Dato’ Steve Day. International attendees had flown in especially from countries worldwide, including the United States, Canada, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, India, China and Dubai.
READY TO LAUNCH
Dato’ Steve then took to the stage, where he officially launched the MIGF. Then, together with the Mayor and Dr. Junaida, he strode over to the other side of the atrium where the trio cut through an enormous chef’s hat to enter the hotel’s dazzling ballroom.
LATIN BEATS
Inside they were met by a Latin band, with all 24 Master Chefs of the Festival keeping the samba beat with pots and pans, and spoons acting as improvised maracas. The Chef’s assistants formed a guard of honour as guests streamed into the room – before descending ravenously upon the 24 restaurant stations around them.
FOOD STATIONS
The incredibly-designed stations were a sight to behold, resembling imaginative settings that included an imperial Chinese palace, a jungle resort, a Middle Eastern souk, and traditional Malay dwelling. On hand to spice up proceedings were also exotic dancers, clowns, and musicians. People crowded around the food, keen to try everything. As Dr. Junaida Lee Abdullah remarked, “This is such a wonderful way to promote our food and to show the fine-dining side of Malaysia.”
THE MAYOR (AND HIS WIFE)
The Mayor commented on the general feeling about the evening, “The Gala Launch was wonderful. I am so glad that there is an event like this to promote Malaysia. I am amazed and delighted to see such a huge and diverse crowd here tonight.”
The Mayor’s wife, YBhg Datin Norkhayati Hashim, said: “I had a fantastic time. I tried almost everything and everything was fabulous. I [also] see many ambassadors and foreigners, which is great to promote the food in Malaysia.”
PARTY ON!
The Gala Launch party went on long into the night, as Malaysia’s best chefs continued to serve up delicious food, the music kept playing, and dancing girls kept on catching the eye. Indeed, once the food eventually ran out, the chefs themselves joined in the party, taking to the dance floor and leading partiers in a performance of the Macarena, and then taking them around the room in a conga line!
BACK WITH A BANG
MIGF, which promises gourmet enthusiasts from across the world the chance to experience unique Malaysian and global cuisine, is back with a bang.
THE FESTIVAL FOOD
Throughout the night, hungry invitees snacked on superb samples of the Master Chefs' special Festival Menus. With such tasty morsels on offer, it was no surprise there was practically nothing left by the end of the night. Don't worry if you missed out though, the full menus are on offer throughout October. Click HERE to peruse them all.
THE INTERVIEW
After the proceedings had kicked off, our talented MC Joey G walked through the crowd interviewing the bold and the beautiful. See what KLs glitterati had to say here!
It is a HIT on New Straits Times!
The New Straits Times has profiled the 1 October Gala Launch on its website, including delicious looking food shots and footage of the press conference featuring Organising Chairman Dato’ Steve Day. Check it out!
STAY TUNED
The Gala Launch is just the start of the amazing month to come. On Friday, October 23 it’s Style Rocks! Party at Neo; then it’s time for the much-anticipated MIGF Grand Finale Dinner and Chefs’ Charity Auction on Monday 2 November at the Grand Dorsett Subang Hotel. All the party pics will be available to view on www.migf.com, but in the meantime, there’s a whole lot of good eating to be had! Check out all the Festival Menus here.
