World Chefs Congress

New Congress, Old Gold

Chef Alan DMello went to the World Chefs Congress as a culinary delegate. Of new flavours, a torch passed and a loud and proud Indian bunch, here is his first-person report from Singapore.

The smiles were there, there was energy in the air, the World Chefs Congress was back, this time in Singapore in the first truly post-Covid event. The previous biennial meeting in Abu Dhabi in 2022 was at the tail end of the pandemic. This time with that baggage missing, this interesting collective of professionals had an infectious buoyancy and verve. Everyone was just happy to be there. Or was it just me?

For India, this Singapore Congress (19-22 October) was especially significant. Our very own Chef Manjit Gill, long a leader on the global stage, was a candidate for the top job, president of World Chefs. ‘Team Manjit’ caps and jackets were everywhere, the Indian contingent and its supporters strong and vociferous in their cheers. I was a happy contributor to the din. More on this later.

Old Ties

The first Congress was in 1928, in Paris. This was my first Congress. I have been attempting to attend since 2016 (Greece) but something always came up, including the pandemic. As first experiences go, this one was nice especially for the people who came. A large portion of the 500-odd attendees had their white chef coats match their hair, au naturel.