Heaven on Earth Tours to Cambodia

AUSTRADE - TASTES OF AUSTRALASIA

The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade), in conjunction with their Cambodian in-market representative DFDL Mekong, is organising a promotion of Australian food and beverage in the rapidly expanding Cambodian market. The promotional events happily coincide with the visit to Cambodia of a team of award winning Australian chefs. The chefs from Canberra based School of Hospitality Management are the winners of the Lifestyle Food Channel Australian Regional Culinary Competition.

The promotions will be held in the prestigious Raffles Le Royal hotel in Phnom Penh in the week of 22nd September 2008. Firstly, there will be a trade event for the ever growing number of restaurants and hotels in Cambodia. Food and beverage staff from these outlets will be able to sample a wide range of food and wine from all Australian regions.

All product will be supplied by the existing importers of Australian food and wine based in Phnom Penh who will be on hand to speak with chefs and restaurateurs. The visiting Australian chefs will carry out cooking demonstrations of the Australian produce during the promotion, and visitors will be exposed to the best way to prepare and serve Australian products.

This will be followed by a gourmet dinner in the Raffles fine dining restaurant which will feature high end wine and food from Australia.  The menu will be devised by the leader of the Australian group well know West Australian chef Don Hancey and the dinner prepared by the visiting award winning chefs in conjunction with Raffles kitchen.

The dinner will be attended by leading members of the Phnom Penh community, members of the diplomatic corps and foreign business representatives. During the dinner Stuart Walsh, Dean of the School of Hospitality Management will present on developments in Australian gastronomy.

Other awards went to Team Greater Melbourne for Best Entree and Best Main, with Best Dessert being awarded to ACT Northern Districts. Best Food and Wine Matching was won by Gunyah Kitchen Posse (NSW).

The Cambodian economy continues to undergo rapid growth and large oil and gas reserves have recently been discovered. Tourism continues to boom and the opening of new hotels and restaurants continues apace.