The final preparations for the Westin Wine, Food & Art Festival are underway, and two top chefs from Atlanta’s Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts are on the island working with Westin’s executive chef Matt Boland preparing for the grand finale event being held this Saturday, June 9th.
The “Capture the Champagne Sparkle” event pairs Moët &Chandon and Dom Pérignon champagnes with a five course dinner prepared by Le Cordon Bleu chefs Guy Anderson and Jeff Mekolites, along with the Westin culinary team.
The exquisite menu is (Amuse Bouche)Lotus Root Chip with Sweet Pickled Radish, Crème Fraiche and Beluga Caviar; (First Course)Wood Roasted Shrimp, Seared Scallop with a Seafood Consommé and Saffron Aioli; (Second Course)Trio of Soups
Truffled Cream of Celery, Spring Greens, Watermelon Gazpacho; (Third Course)
Lobster, Mango and Chili Salad with Compressed Vanilla Scented Melon; (Fourth Course)“Surf and Turf” of Braised Beef Short Rib with Soft Mascarpone Polenta and Veal Reduction, Seared Tuna Loin with Avocado, Pickled Daikon and Soy; (Fifth Course-Dessert) Tropical Fruit Pyramid of Coco, Passion Fruit ,Blackberry , and Petit four.
The cost of the diner is $140, and tickets can be purchased through Westin’s concierge desk. Other events to look forward to include the Best Chef Competition on Thursday, June 7th with a limited-seating dinner in the resort’s Pago Pago restaurant that will feature teams of local chefs from some of Aruba’s top restaurants and resorts competing in various categories judged by both a panel of experts as well as guests attending the event. All courses throughout the evening will be paired with specially selected wines. Tickets for this event are $85 per person, and on Friday evening, June 8th, a Wine & Food Tasting & Art Exhibition, hosted by Westin Executive Chef Matt Boland, is offered in an open-house setting, allowing guests to mingle and browse local works of art curated by Jan van Straaten from the resort’s Starwood Gallery. Local wine purveyors will be on hand, sharing some 60 different wine selections from around the world paired with tastings of the student’s dishes. This general admission event, held from 7pm to 11pm, is reasonably priced at just $35 per person and tickets can be purchased at the door that evening.
