Ever wondered what the Queen of England eats for breakfast? What the King of Morocco serves at state dinners or whether Canada’s Prime Minister prefers tea or coffee? The select few who could possibly have answers to these questions can be found at the Club des Chefs des Chefs (Chefs of the heads of state) currently hosted at the Nile Hilton.
The club has 40 members all who have at one point been chefs for world leaders and bluebloods since 1977. However, only 17 of these world renowned culinary geniuses made it to Cairo.
“Today our club is surely the most exclusive gastronomic club in the world. These ladies and gentlemen are cooking for the most important people on the planet. They are the guardians of their national cuisines, said Gilles Bragard, founder of the club and president of clothing company Bragard Uniforms.
Jean-Pierre Mainardi, manager of the Nile Hilton, added to Bragard’s praise, saying, “The Presidents of their states may have some differences politically, but food unites them around the table. This is very important in the world today.
In each of their countries, they are the guardians of the culinary tradition, Bragard says to introduce them, though he later acknowledges the Queen of Denmark s chef is Japanese. At the reception, India s Chef Madhu Sudan Gupta gives tips on healthy eating, while Canada s Oliver Bartsch explains how the human metabolism deals with a regular supply of food. Only the best will do for this group of chefs, so they will take in Cairo’s finest attractions during their five-day trip. Feasting at the Nile Hilton and the Mena House Oberoi Gardens, exploring the Pyramids and the Wadi Foods olive groves, no luxury will be spared. Established by Brugard in France in 1977, Club Chef des Chefs members now hail from all over the world: France, England, the US, Thailand, Denmark, Monaco, and many other countries. Anne Britt Lokken, chef to the King of Norway, was appointed the sixth president of the Club in 2005. They came to Egypt at the invitation of the Egyptian Holding Company for Tourism and Cinema, which aims to promote Egypt as an international tourist destination. “I hope that these people will go back and tell stories of the places they have visited, said Suzy Naga, representing the company at Club des Chef des Chef’s press conference at the Nile Hilton.
The club has only four female members, chefs to the US president, the king of Norway, the prime minister of Ireland and the prime minister of Finland, and two Arabs, chefs to the kings of Morocco and Bahrain.
One member of the club already knows Cairo well, and showcases Egyptian cuisine around the world. Heinrich Lauber, chef in charge of official receptions for Switzerland, was the chef of the Nile Hilton from 1976-79. “I had a beautiful time in Egypt, Lauber said. “Whenever I have the possibility to cook what I learned in Egypt, I do it.
