3 chefs, 4 Michelin stars, only at Shangri-La Hotel, Chiang Mai -

By Sponsored | Thu 18 Jul 2019

Lovers of food can’t but have noticed that over the past couple of years Shangri-La Hotel Chiang Mai has been inviting some of the world’s most acclaimed chefs to its kitchens, creating one-of-a-kind dining events, the likes Chiang Mai has never seen before.

The hotel is dedicated to bringing the best of the culinary world to Chiang Mai’s diners. Over the past two years, a parade of chefs with multiple Michelin stars under their belts have helmed restaurant events every few months in the Dhala Pool Garden dining room by the hotel’s swimming pool, pairing fine dishes with fine wines selected by Chiang Mai’s only working sommelier, Pakpoom ‘Ton’ Towatcharakun, who is resident sommelier at Shangri-La. In fact, since the beginning of this year alone, three Michelin starred chefs have feasted diners with fine Italian fare.

Over the coming months, three chefs, each with Michelin stars under their belts will be heading over to our city to create food events which shouldn’t be missed. Billed as ‘4 Michelin Stars at Shangri-La Chiang Mai’, one Italian, one French (at Dhala Pool Garden, 21-25 July) and one Chinese chef (at China Kitchen, 25-29 September) will be arriving from now until September.

We kick off with Chef Anthony Genovese of two-Michelin Star restaurant Il Pagliaccio in the heart of Rome whose kitchen will be open right here in Chiang Mai between 24th – 28th this July. In a story similar to many visiting chefs so far, Chef Genovese has been working in the kitchen since the tender age of 14 and was formally trained in France’s famous Ecole Hoteliere de Nice. He spent his career working in some of the most celebrated kitchens in Europe and Tokyo, while his extensive travels in Thailand, Malaysia and Japan – Chiang Mai included – has inspired his cooking and fuelled his passion. He credits his extensive travels around Europe and Asia with his discovery of another side of himself and his culinary style. Whilst passion for cooking had always been ingrained within him, it was an understanding of oriental cuisine that Genovese developed during these travels which allowed him to define his unique culinary identity.

“My cuisine is very personal,” said Chef Genovese. “It is an Italian cuisine that uses French techniques while incorporating sensations and elements of Asian cuisine. It is about creating joy, curiosity and nostalgia through the dishes, as well as pleasing guests with delicious food.”

Il Pagliaccio means ‘The Clown’, a name which refers to the mastery of different emotions and the circus of characters he aims to provoke. This is celebrated in one of his signature dishes called ‘The Journey’ which is a dish of smoked amberjack roulade with burrata emulsion and citrus. “This dish in particular has evolved over the years which signifies the way I have transformed Il Pagliaccio in going back to my roots and the idea of a circus of flavours.”

‘The Journey’ will feature in this Chiang Mai event, though with local ingredients such as lychee added to the mix. Other intriguing dishes to look forward to include the distinctly Asian-sounding amuse bouche, ‘Long Xiao Bao Sturgeon, Fig, Fig Oil’, and the exotically named ‘Bresse Chicken, Vov, Black Curry and Snails’.

Chef Genovese is a personal friend of Shangri-La’s Executive Chef, Chef Paolo Pelosi and looks forward to working with him in the kitchen, sourcing local products to bring a taste of Il Pagliaccio, “through dishes, ingredients and myself, to a big hotel like the Shangri-La and to a Chiang Mai that will have grown up since my last visit,” which was in the ‘90s.

Indulge in this unique culinary journey through mouth-watering 4-course and 6-course menus with an option of selected wine pairing. And make sure you check in for updates on the two upcoming Michelin stared chefs who will be arriving to run the Shangri-La kitchen for a few very special meals through to September.