Bangkok--28 Feb--Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket
The Rougie Foie Gras Dinner taking place on February 28th at Mare Italian restaurant in the Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket is a showcase for one of the world’s leading brands of this premium French delicacy.
The Rougie family founded the business in 1875, and Alain Rougie, who travels the world as a foie gras ambassador, represents the fourth generation.
A graduate of the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne and of the Ecole de la Conserve, Alain says that fresh foie gras is a very sensitive product and should ideally be consumed within one week after its removal from the duck or goose. Rougie has however developed a process of flash-freezing, blocking the enzymes’ work of destroying the texture and enabling chefs to have the best consistency all year long.
Foie gras is not just a part of French cuisine, says Alain. In Japan it is cooked in teppanyaki, in Vietnam it is served in pho, and in Korea it can be enjoyed with kimchi. In 2007, Rougie’s foie gras ice cream was awarded the prize for innovation at the SIRHA/Bocuse D’Or Fair in Lyo!
Helping prepare the Rougie Foie Gras Dinner is Paulin Rio, Rougie Asia Culinary Advisor, who hails from Meaux in France and who worked for two leading Michelin-starred restaurants in his home country before heading for Asia.
As a culinary advisor for Rougie, Paulin’s duties include client visits, restaurant staff training on foie gras, recipe development, event organisation and much more.
Heading up the kitchens at Mare is Sandro Aguilera, Executive Sous Chef at Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket. A native of Barcelona, and widely travelled, Sandro served an internship in Spain’s world famous Michelin three-star restaurant El Bulli before going on to cook in many other well-known restaurants in his home country.
Sandro’s constant desire to learn and improve aroused his interest in Thai cuisine and prompted him to take several courses in Escuela de Hosteleria Suan Dusit Rajabhat University of Bangkok, which convinced him that there was great potential in the fusion of East and West. Before coming to Phuket he was already well-known amongst diners in Bangkok, having been Chef de Cuisine at Fifty Five in the Centara Grand at CentralWorld for more than two years.