SHANGHAI, Nov. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- France is a charming and romantic country, delivering an authentic and unforgettable experience to visitors with its breathtaking vistas and delicious cuisine. Located on Maoming Road, Shanghai, Jin Jiang International Hotels' flagship heritage property, Jin Jiang Hotel will host the French Gourmet Festival from November 15 to December 14, 2015. This will be the first culinary collaboration between Jin Jiang International Hotels Group and France's Louvre Hotels Group, following the Chinese hotel group's acquisition of the French peer earlier this year. At the invitation of Louvre Hotels Group, Michelin-starred chef Philippe Renard will take part in the festival where he will showcase his extraordinary skills in cooking by using the most traditional French culinary techniques, highlighting the natural flavor of the ingredients and providing an authentic French gourmet experience for Chinese guests.
Philippe Renard, born in 1959 and now serving as a consultant to Louvre Hotels Group as well an ambassador for The French Gourmet, began his career as an apprentice when he was 14 and learned from a few prestigious masters, including Jacques Lameloise, Bernard Loiseau and Roland Durand. He has previously worked at Café de la Paix at the Hotel de Paris, Sofitel Hotel Versailles and Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg before he joined Lutetia Hotel as an executive chef. Lutetia Hotel, a well-known hotel along the left bank of the Seine in Paris, has maintained its reputation as a Michelin-starred restaurant and been selected by gourmet magazine Paris as a star-rated hotel.
From 1987 to 2002, Philippe moved beyond his role as a Michelin-starred chef to take on the challenge of being an ambassador for The French Gourmet. He co-founded the Antonin Carême award, an award that has become a critically important honor in the world of modern gastronomy, and is the chair of the judging panel for the award. Furthermore, he is the deputy chairman of MaÎtres Cuisiniers de France, where he has devoted himself to spreading French culinary culture with his exquisite creations, personally encouraging young chefs to pursue their dreams.
As part of his Chinese tour, Philippe will give food aficionados an opportunity to sample his unique and exquisite French cuisine, including French baguettes, appetizers, cold dishes, seafood, meat dishes and desserts, all of which are the chef's specialties and showcase the simple and yet delicate qualities of French cuisine.
One of Philippe's natural and simple items, his Creamy Pumpkin Soup, using pumpkin as the main ingredient, complemented by Chinese chestnut, smoked salmon, olive oil and Espelette pepper and simmered for 30 minutes, is a basic yet sumptuous soup.
Lemon Thyme Erquy Scallop, another classic French dish, combines spicy bubble juice, chanterelle and green onions with almond-yolk cake. Other specialties include toasted flank steak with lemongrass, Bretagne majid, Landes duck liver, Roquefort with Comice pear mixed with red and black raspberries in addition to other main courses and desserts. Which dishes will be presented at this French Gourmet Festival? Keep an eye out for it!
In February of this year, Jin Jiang International Group acquired Groupe du Louvre outright. Paris-based Louvre Hotels Group was established in 1976 and since 2005 has been owned by Starwood Capital Group. As the second largest hotel group in Europe, it now operates over 1,100 hotels in more than 40 countries worldwide. The acquisition laid the foundation on which Jin Jiang International Group plans to build a presence in Europe while also offering Jin Jiang and Louvre the opportunity to leverage each other's resources for further expansion and to share branding, territory and customers in global markets.
