Chefs Elucidate Theme of 43rd ASEAN Summit Gala Dinner
President Jokowi inspects readiness of dishes for 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta. (Source: Screenshot)
On the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Summit meeting series, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is slated to host a gala dinner at Hutan Kota in Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) sports complex, Jakarta on Wednesday (09/06), bringing together leaders of ASEAN member states, partner states, and international organizations.
Arnold Poernomo, a celebrity chef preparing dishes for the state guests, revealed that the gala dinner adopted the theme of ‘Nusantara in the Forest.’
“We already have a theme to find inspirations, ‘Nusantara in the Forest’. As for the inspiration for each dish, it is up to each team to provide the menu,” he said in a video posted on the YouTube channel of the Presidential Secretariat.
Arnold pointed out that for the gala dinner, he collaborates with several other chefs to serve Indonesian cuisine to the guests.
“We were requested to provide luxurious, elegant, delicious, and tasty dishes, as well as to put young chefs such as our friends here, except some of the old ones like me, in the spotlight at this international Summit by serving Indonesian cuisine,” he said.
Similarly, Degan Septoadji, another chef involved in the dinner, explained that the chefs will serve Indonesian cuisine with authentic flavors packaged in classy dishes.
“We want to present Indonesian cuisine and Indonesian cuisine in this era can be presented in a modern way. The flavors will remain authentic, but the presentation and cooking technique must follow the international standards,” he said while expressing hope that the gala dinner can promote Indonesian cuisine to global leaders.
“I hope that Indonesian cuisine can be accepted well by other state leaders. I hope the guests attending the ASEAN Summit can see that Indonesian cuisine can compete globally. It is about time that our food is known worldwide,” he remarked. (DK/UN) (DH/MMB)
