Report:
The Culinary Innovators Awards Show 2019

May 10, 2019

The Culinary Innovators Awards

For the fourth year in a row, Gault&Millau organised The Gault&Millau Culinary Innovators Awards. With the project Culinary Innovators, Gault&Millau brings together chefs, suppliers, government and other stakeholders and creates a powerful network around innovation and culinary development.
 
The Culinary Innovators awards reward most innovating companies, persons and other stakeholders within the industry within eight categories. The awards are presented during a unique culinary evening, which has been indicated as one of the leading culinary event in Belgium.

Click here for all 2019 event pictures (pictures by Pieter D'Hoop)

Click here for the full 2019 menu (pictures by Apic Base)

Special Theme 2019: “The Sea”

The special theme for 2019 was “The Sea”. More than 550 guests were overwhelmed with tasty bites, innovative dishes and inspiring drinks, created by more than 15 top chefs, bartenders and event partners. All together, they surprised the guests with an innovative culinary show from the highest level.

“The Greenhouse Experience”

The first “Culinary wave” of the evening was “The Greenhouse Experience”. Our guests walked the green path of innovation and started the experience with some appetizers from the JRE chefs. First, they had a trout tartlet that was served on an apple. After this, they received a little dish with haddock and beurre noisette. To finish the appetizers, the guests received a sushi cornet of nori. During the walk through the greenhouse, they also tasted an exotic refreshment from TAO and a Picon des Dunes cocktail with spices by Verstegen and Hierbas De Las Dunas.

“The Beach Experience”

The second wave was “The Beach Experience”. Here, in a greenhouse filled with modern art, guests encountered all kinds of delights made by top chefs and great bartenders. Our guests started with a glass of Taittinger Champagne, powered by VASCO. The second stop was the Hierbas de las Dunas food truck with a surprising cocktail from Hierbas De Las Dunas and a Zeeland oyster from Prins and Dingemanse – both created by Syrco Bakker from Pure C. After this, our tasted some crispy bites at “The Squeezer” from The NorthSeaChefs and HVD.
Next in line was a dish with asparagus, kingfish and a grey shrimp salad, made by Ken Verschueren from Tinèlle and powered by Metro. Last appetisers at our beach could be tasted at the Fish a’ gogo fish boat: kibbeling with fresh tartare and squid on the plancha. Two dishes that were powered by De Jager. Drinks at the beach were served by Schweppes, Badoit and Bordeaux Wines.

“The Lord of the Rings”

The third wave was “The Lord of the Rings”. During their walk to the next experience, our guests received a spray of Vodka Grey Goose with a ‘Ringed Pommes Moscovite’. R&D Food Revolution made this unique appetizer with the high-quality caviar from Imperial Heritage Caviar.

“The Table Experience”

The fourth wave was “The Table Experience”. Our received two dishes dishes at the table, made by two of Belgium’s greatest chefs. The first dish was from Christophe Hardiquest from Bon-Bon. He made us a Cheesecake with Beersel Cheese, Langoustine Tartare, Sea Buckthorn Sorbet and a grapefruit vinaigrette. This delicious dish was powered by Lobster Fish.
The second dish was from Yves Mattagne from Sea Grill. Together with Imperial Heritage Caviar, he presented us Maki of Oysters, white asparagus and caviar. This delicacy was powered by Prins and Dingemanse and DeuS Brut de Flandres beer. Additionally, Vins de Bordeaux paired some excellent wines with the dishes served by these great chefs.

The 2019 Awards Show

During this culinary experience, we went to the peak of the evening and the fifth wave: the Awards Show.  More than 100 innovative companies, people and organisations applied as candidates to win an award in one of the nine categories.
 
The winners of the different categories were:
 

  • Education award: Horeca Vorming Vlaanderen
  • Event award: ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2019
    Institution award (2 winners):
    • Icare4-Food
    • HiFoodTec
  • Marketing award: Chocolate Nation
  • Product award: The Squeezer by HVD
  • Restaurant Philosophy: Willem Hiele
  • Sustainability award: Foodsavers
  • Digital award: Too Good To Go
  • Entrepreneur of the Year: Serge Litvine
“The Terrace Experience”

The sixth wave was “The Terrace Experience”. This was the outdoor area of the Culinary Innovators Awards Show. Some of the best chefs and partners served us amazing drinks and great food, with a lot of show cooking. The first chef from our Terrace Experience was Willem Hiele. He smoked “the Fish of the Day” on the open fire and served it with leeks. The next chefs were the NorthSeaChefs. They served a delicious Ceviche of North Sea fish to our guests. The JRE chefs presented Cod with vegetable charcoal and Zeeland mussels in a Thai broth. Seppe Dezeure from Zappaz made a dish together with Pascal Van Couteren from Het Land aan de Overkant. They served our guests crab, sea urchin, white asparagus and green herbs. This dish was powered by Davigel. The last dish was made by The Butcher’s Store by De Laet & Van Haver. They served Dry Aged Tomahawk with Flemish Duroc from Zeeland, sea salt and sea weed. Beer lovers were spoilt at the Terrace, with St-Hubertus beer and Carlsberg beer.

“The Cheese and Dessert Experience”

The seventh wave was “The Cheese and Dessert Experience”. At this location, our guests had the opportunity to discover some sweet and salty tastes to complete their culinary evening. For the Cheese Experience, Van Tricht served organic goat cheese Aurelie from Karditsel with crispy nori and a syrup of Kriek beer. For the Dessert Experience, Karen Torosyan from Bozar, together with Neuhaus and Nespresso, created a bitter chocolate pie with a touch of Nespresso, paired with a Neuhaus Origin Chocolate. Coffee was served by our main partner Nespresso. Guests shared their #Nespressomoments around quality coffee and discovered theExclusive Selection coffees Kenya Milima and Nepal Lamjung.

“The Party to Innovation”

The final wave was “The Party to Innovation”. We closed the evening with a bang. Our guests enjoyed the after party with our premium drinks selection from Bacardi and Schweppes. The cocktail shakers from Schweppes and Bar Burbure served some fine cocktails with special flavours. All those drinks were paired with the foxy beats of Dorine Fox.
 
Culinary Innovators Awards 2019 – What a blast!

Click here for all event pictures (pictures by Pieter D'Hoop)

Click here for the full menu (pictures by Apic Base)

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Project & Event Partners

   

Project & Event Partners

     

Project & Event Partners

   

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