Dear AEHT Members
well as the accommodation provided, were greatly
In the words of Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the
United States, Christmas is not a day nor a season, but
a state of mind. This spirit of sharing, of conviviality, of
harmonious contact with family and community - all of
this was again in evidence at Christmas in Europe,
celebrated this year from December 2nd-8th in Ponta
Delgada on the island of San Miguel, the largest in the
Azores archipelago. Torrential rain and winds of up to
100 kms/hour had not dissuaded the mythical figures of
Christmas from making their way there from the four
corners of Europe.
Christmas in Europe 2010 in the
Azores – the land of
anticyclones (or the weather-
forecast’s ‘areas of high
pressure’’!)
Long live Christmas in Europe 2010!
16 schools from 11 of the countries where the AEHT is
present took part in this 19th Christmas in Europe: since
the start, the three pillars of the event have been: a stand
presenting the Christmas specialities of each country, a
European buffet with the Christmas fare of each country,
and finally a cultural programme in which each delegation
presents an aspect of its skills, again in relation to the
traditions of Christmas. This year the backdrop for this
splendid event was Ponta Delgada, administrative capital
of the autonomous Portuguese region of the Azores, and
its hotel and tourism school.
Coming after Poznan in 2009 and before Rhodes in 2011,
this Christmas in Europe celebration was once again a
resounding success, thanks undoubtedly to the dynamism
of the Ponta Delgada hotel and tourism school, of its
director Filipe Rocha and of the teams fielded by the
school. The Amphitheatro and the Pavilhao do Mar, as
Diekirch, December 2010
appreciated by everyone, since it was possible to travel
from one place to another on foot with no difficulty at all.
The following schools attended the event: Znojmo (Czech
Republic), Bonneville (France), Reggio Emilia (Italy),
Maribor (Slovenia), Lund (Sweden), Diekirch
(Luxembourg), Senigallia (Italy), Semmering (Austria),
Ponta Delgada (Portugal), Azorean Tasting (Portugal),
Zagreb (Croatia), Rhodes (Greece), Riga (Latvia), Orebro
(Sweden), Bled (Slovenia), Algarve-Lamego (Portugal).
The opening ceremony took place on the afternoon of
December 3rd, presided over by Lina Mendès, Regional
Secretary for Education and Training, who was
accompanied by many local personalities as well as by
AEHT President Klaus Enengl and by Christiane Keller,
founder and inventor of Christmas in Europe. A prelude to
the ceremony was provided by a rendering of the
European anthem from the children’s choir of the
Regional Music Conservatory.
Klaus Enengl accompanied by Lina Mass was celebrated in the Church of
Mendès and Filipe Rocha San Pedro
As usual the exhibition, set out on 16 stands, was richly
laid out to illustrate certain aspects of Christmas
celebrations that are traditional in the different countries.
And of course these included specialities of Christmas fare
which were always much appreciated by the public who
attended in large numbers, especially on Sunday after the
inaugural parade in the old town which had followed
Mass celebrated in the nearby church of San Pedro. We
should also mention that on the previous day around 200
young children from the town’s primary schools visited the
exhibition; and that there was excellent media coverage of
the event through television, radio and press reports.
The European buffet – deserving five stars according to
one participant – once again excelled itself thanks to the
contributions of each delegation, which had made it a
point of honour to offer to the many visitors a range of
flavours that many of them had not encountered before.
Guests of honour at this evening celebration included
Rodrigo Oliveira, Regional Secretary for European
Affairs, and Luisa Schanderl representing the Vice-
President of SATA, the airline based in Ponta Delgada
1 N°4/2010
and one of the event’s sponsors. Louis Robert, an AEHT
Vice-President and former President, had also travelled
from Luxembourg for this occasion. Filipe Rocha had also
invited to this European feast around 30 young people
from various charity organisations, in order to emphasise
the spirit of sharing which characterises Christmastide.
The European buffet - a cornucopia of culinary surprises
The cultural part of the event, held in front of a large
audience in addition to the other participants, also lived
up to its promises: there was a succession of sketches,
singing and dancing, with the usual last-minute
improvisations, laughter and thunderous applause. It all
took place in an informal atmosphere, just for the pleasure
of showing yet again the diversity of European customs
relating to Christmastide.
And finally Filipe Rocha and his team had also organised
a tour of the island, enabling all the participants to gain an
impression of its natural riches – such as the lakes, the
geysers, the gastronomy - ah the delights of this dish
cooked directly in the heat of a ‘caldeira à Furnace’ – and
the tea plantation. » ! The crowning glory of the event was
the gala evening, superbly organised by the teachers and
students of the Ponta Delgada school, with the traditional
highly solemn handing over of the European flag from
Ponta-Delgada to the team from Rhodes headed by Loizos
N. Soroniatis, president of the General Secretariat for
Tourism which will host the 20th Christmas in Europe in
Rhodes in early December 2011.
The AEHT flag
is handed from
the Ponta
Delgada team
to the team from
Rhodes
Diekirch, December 2010
Villeroy & Boch
Culinary World Cup – a
fascinating trip
around the culinary
world in five days
Jules Verne would have been fascinated by what took
place on November 20th-24th 2010 at the Expogast
international culinary arts exhibition which has been
running since 1972. It would certainly have made him
want to write a sequel to his novel, which might have
born the title ‘Around the Culinary World in Five
Days'. He would have had his character Phileas Fogg,
the English gentleman, accompanied by his French
valet Jean Passepartout, wander around among the
crowd of 44,500 visitors and 170 journalists who had
come here from 35 countries to take part in an
unparalleled gastronomic adventure. After moving
around among the stands of the 150 exhibitors set out
in an area of 20,000 square metres, Verne’s two
characters would have discovered the exhibition’s
leading event, the Villeroy & Boch Culinary World
Cup, which has been running since 1986, and is held
every four years. Imagine their reaction as they saw
that this 11th World Cup hosted around 2,400 chefs and
pastry-cooks from 53 countries in the four corners of
the world. For five days they would have watched the
various teams locked in fierce culinary combat, in
various categories: national teams, military teams,
junior teams as well as teams from community catering.
◄ The stand of the German national
team – a real feast for the eyes
2 N°4/2010
 The judging panel was made up of 55 members, all of them
approved by the committee of WACS - World Association of
Chefs Societies; all of them are highly experienced and
have taken part in numerous international competitions. In
order to judge the chefs and the countries in the various
categories, the judging panel was sub-divided into eleven
teams of five, and worked every day from five in the
morning to eleven at night. Evaluation included the
different stages in the preparation of the hot dishes, as well
hygiene, food-handling and working methods. When the
judging panel went to the restaurant, they chose at random
five dishes out of the 105 which had been prepared.

Verne’s characters would have been less astonished by

progress achieved in the field of transport, than by what
has been achieved in gastronomy. They could have noted
the excellence of the six national teams – namely those of
Canada, Germany, Singapore, Switzerland, Sweden and
the United States - who all won gold medals in the two
contests on offer: cold dishes for the exhibition stands, and
menus of hot dishes served in the gastronomic restaurant.
The refined dishes on display had been prepared the
previous day by the teams in their hotels or in the Diekirch
hotel school. Phileas and Passepartout would probably
have gone on a detour to Diekirch to watch the Canadian
and Mexican National Teams as well as the Swiss Military
Team, all of whom were training there. They could have The fans are in attendance – in this A little folklore and public
case to support the Swedish national relations – so when is Canada
observed that the teams spent a night without sleep, military team, which went on to win going to join the AEHT?
working in the kitchen, before setting off to set up their first place in their category
stands when the exhibition hall doors opened at seven in
the morning; that the dishes on show were covered with a By eleven in the morning the exhibition was open to the
thick layer of gelatine to ensure that they kept well; that at general public, who could thus wonder at the dishes which
09.30 the members of the judging panel filed into the looked more like ‘haute couture’ than ‘ready to eat’; they
exhibition hall to proceed with the evaluation. They could were photographed from all angles by the opposing teams
then have watched ten or so people studying the dishes as well as by foody visitors. Phileas Fogg would have
while a member of the judging panel gave them detailed much admired the organisers’ efforts, by arranging
explanations of the strengths and weaknesses of their contests between the world’s many cooking styles, to
work. This highly instructive session was intended to help contribute to the exchange, the innovation, the
the competitors to perfect their performance, and it would development, the launch and the spread of new ideas and
be very interesting to organise such sessions as part of the trends, and to encourage and inspire young chefs.
AEHT Annual Conference.

Rezsö Breitenbach - fourth place winner in -The Norwegian national junior

the ‘best lone chef’ contest - poses with team (above) busy preparing
Detailed explanations and advice given by a member of the judging panel Attila Gonda, chef at the Hotel Silver in their menu of hot dishes. Here
Hajdúszoboszló (H) their salmon au gratin.

Diekirch, December 2010 3 N°4/2010

For the hot dish contests, the teams started
preparations at midday, and the menus for 105 people
had to be ready to be served by 18.00 in the
gastronomic restaurant. Phileas would have been able
to reserve his seat by internet. Perhaps he would have
allowed himself to be photographed with one of the
teams which around 14.00 met up around the glass
column located in front of their kitchen cubicle, where a
sample of the dishes to be prepared for the restaurant 2nd place for the Swedish National 3rd place for the United States
were presented to the visitors. Team National Team

With its two gold medals Sweden entered the best

military team, beating Switzerland and Germany. We
should mention that several teams in the same category
could win the same medal according to the number of
marks obtained.
Winners among the national military teams

Students from the ‘Alexis Heck’ hotel school , including Joy

Simon (middle), who took part in the Lisbon conference,
staff the reception desk and serve the meals in the
gastronomic restaurant.

He would have congratulated the national team from

Singapore which, just like Phileas himself, won their bet
by gaining the title of ‘World Champion 2010’ with a
total score of 566,238 points, more than any of the 26
teams in the competition, thus winning a superb 27kg The Swedish
Switzerland in 2nd place Military Team Germany in 3rd place
bronze sculpture. The Singapore team had already won savour their
the ‘Lion Trophy 2010’ in April, and was ahead of victory
Sweden – the 2002 winner – and the United States. We
should mention that the team which wins this trophy The Germain Gretsch cup, which is awarded to the best
currently enjoys great fame in their own country. of the ten national junior teams which competed this
year, was won by Switzerland, which beat Norway and
Winners among the national teams Portugal to first place. Members of these teams must
not be over 25 at the time of the competition.
Winners among the National Junior Teams

The national team from

Singapore gave a high-
class performance, from
the exhibition stand
through to the
gastronomic restaurant
The Swiss National Junior Team – placed first in their category – show
their joy at their success

Diekirch, December 2010 4 N°4/2010

 Norway in 2nd place Portugal in 3rd place
For the first time in the history of the competition,
community catering teams competed for the Villeroy &
Boch Culinary World Cup; initially most of them took
part just to have fun with their mates, but later they
entered into the spirit of the contest and fought tooth
and nail to win the Community Catering Award. The
Compass Culinary Team Switzerland (gold medal) beat
the Agö Team (silver medal) and the Luxembourg Civil
Defence Team (bronze medal). Among the members of
the Luxembourg team Phileas would have had the
chance to congratulate Kim De Dood, a former student
of the Luxembourg hotel school, who had already taken
part in a culinary arts competition at the AEHT’s
Dubrovnik Annual Conference. Clearly Kim seems to
be getting a taste for international competitions.
Winners of the ‘Community Catering Award’
3rd place for the 1st place goes to the Swiss 2nd place for the Agö
Luxembourg Civil Compass Culinary Team Team from Austria
Defence Team
We had the opportunity to talk to Gilbert Welter about
his impressions. Gilbert is the chef-manager of the
Melusina Restaurant and a member of Euro-toques
who, as a member of the X-treme Art Cooking team,
has worked, among others, with Joël Schaeffer, a
Luxembourg contestant in the Bocuse d’Or in 2005:
‘Because of a cancellation the Vatel Club contacted our
group, X-treme Art Cooking, asking us to take part in
Expogast to compete in the ‘community catering’
category, an area which is completely outside our usal
daily work.
And indeed, not everyone is capable of drawing up, in
record time, 105 menus at a cost price of €5.00 per
menu.
Diekirch, December 2010
The ‘ X-treme Art Cooking’ team
produced the best dishes in their
category
All our members are chefs and restaurateurs and our
objective is to arrange exchanges. Participating in this
event represented for us the opportunity of working
together, and above all of improvising together, on a
project outside our usual activities. It turned out to be
an amazing experience because there was a great team
spirit despite the stressful conditions and the lack of
preparation’.
Winners of the ‘Junior Show-cooking’ contest
2nd place was The Danish team, winners 3rd place went to the
awarded to the team of the Junior Show-Cooking ENAIP Vocational
from Limassol, contest Training Centre in
Cyprus Tione di Trento (I)
The Villeroy & Boch Culinary World Cup for the 44
regional teams was won by Aargauer Kochgilde
(Switzerland), the cup for individual competitors was
won by Jung Sang Kyun from South Korea (best pastry
cook) and by Karoly Varga from Hungary (best chef).
The South Korean Jung Sang Kyun from Károly Varga – best
the Lotte Hotel was awarded the trophy chef in the individual
for the best pastry cook in the individual contest among around
contest a hundred contestants
Whereas in the preceding categories (A, B and C) the
emphasis was on nutritional and economic factors, in
the D category, ‘international artistic cuisine contest –
5 N°4/2010
exhibition pieces’ the important factors were In order to qualify, these exhibition pieces had to be
presentation and artistic impact. This category is made exclusively from edible ingredients, with the
subdivided into two sections: exception of the internal support components. It is
- Category D/1 included the decorations and certainly a very difficult task to evaluate these
exhibition pieces of ‘cold cuisine’ such as sculptures creations, and the judges used a number of criteria to
in margarine, ice and salt, decorative garnishes help them in their work:
made of fruit and vegetables, etc. - Degree of difficulty in the execution (personal
- Category D/2 or confectionery included various skill, time invested and originality);
ornaments in sugar, nougat, gum Arabic and/or - Mastering the materials and execution
chocolate, sculptures in chocolate, paintings in (professional working technique);
cocoa, sugar paste and marzipan sculptures, and - Artistic impact (overall effect in terms of ethical
decorative cakes. and aesthetic principles);
If you would like to see for yourselves one of the - Publicity impact (original development and
amazing pieces which gained full marks in this implementation of personal ideas using culinary
category, go to: products).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-pLqYC6nrc&feature=related. For each of the above criteria the competitor could be
The sculpture in question represents dancers and awarded a maximum of 25 marks, 100 marks in total.
musicians and was produced by the Republic of China 100 marks entitled the participant to a gold medal with
(Taiwan). distinction, 99-90 marks led to a gold medal, 89-80
meant a silver medal, 79-70 a bronze medal, and 69-60
the award of a certificate. Across the whole of the
‘Culinary World Cup 2010’ thousands of medals and
certificates were presented.
It certainly isn’t a piece of cake to put on a competition
of this scale, and if it had not been for the contributions
of people willing to roll up their sleeves and pitch in, it
would certainly not have taken place. The members of
the Vatel Club Luxembourg’s organising committee as
Sedat Yaman's chair Queen Mary of Native American flutes,
well as members of Luxexpo and Brain & More really
in sugar paste Romania – bust in dream catchers and pulled out all the stops, and today they can be proud of
chocolate peace pipes their achievements. They have managed to get together
a broad-based judging panel of 55 members with
These creations are international standing. Several of them, like Ilan
to pastry what Robert, have been taking part for the last 20 years in
‘haute couture' is
to ‘ready to wear’ this competition.
Armand
Steinmetz –
President of the
Vatel Club
Pietà in margarine St George and the Luxembourg, thanks
dragon made from Ilan Robert (left) for
vegetable margarine his dedication in
being part of the
international
judging panel
(right)

Morning in the ‘The Queen' made Marzipan sculpture by

savannah – sugar from sugar paste Oktay Özgün – Turkish
sculpture and rock-candy National Team

Diekirch, December 2010 6 N°4/2010

Great success of the first
youth parliament in Bad Ischl

At the 2009 General Assembly Dubrovnik, the
Executive Board of our association decided to
introduce a new event entirely dedicated to the students
of our member schools. In October 2010 this event, the
first AEHT Youth Parliament, took place in Bad Ischl,
Austria, and it was a great success.
Day 2 started with a panel discussion led by three
Austrian tourism experts, Ronald Felder, CEO of the
Salzkammergut Tourism Marketing company, Andreas
Murray, managing director of the Lake Traunsee
holiday region, and Roland Ballner, owner of the
Cortisen Hotel in St. Wolfgang and vice-president of
the Austrian Hotel Association (ÖHV).

Participants in the 1st AEHT Youth The organizing team

Parliament
The mayor Hannes Heide 1st parliamentary session
welcomes the participants
Thirty-three students from 15 European countries
registered for this event, a simulation of parliamentary
sessions. Unfortunately two students could not attend
because of visa restrictions and one student fell ill.
The event was organized by 5HLa, a senior class at the
Tourismusschulen Bad Ischl, their teachers and Klaus
Enengl, headmaster of the school and president of
AEHT. The organization was perfect and it was clear
from the very beginning that it was a good idea to
1st session led by 3 Austrian tourism experts,
delegate the organization to students. On arriving in R. Felder, A. Murray and R. Ballner
Austria the participants were met by fellow students of
the same age, and from this moment the atmosphere The three experts explained the situation of tourism in
was relaxed and congenial. Austria and supplied the students with statistics,
numbers and figures and they readily answered the
The participants were accommodated in international varied questions on trends and visions of the tourism
teams in the local youth hostel and meals were taken industry. In the afternoon the students visited Hallstatt,
alternately at the school and at the youth hostel. The a UNESCO world heritage site, an exceptional example
four parliamentary sessions (one three-hour session a of unique beauty and special scientific importance, and
day) took place in the council chamber of Bad Ischl had a guided tour of the largest operational Austrian
town hall in the mornings and in the afternoons the salt mine in Bad Aussee. The day ended with a superb
Austrian students organized excursions and visits for dinner at the school.
their colleagues.
The opening ceremony was very formal but cordial.
Klaus Enengl, president of the AEHT, welcomed all the
participants and stressed the importance of our
Association. Hannes Heide, the mayor of Bad Ischl,
emphasized the significance of tourism in Austria, in
Bad Ischl and in Europe and officially opened the youth
parliament. Then all the participants introduced
themselves briefly and expressed their expectations.
After a short lunch break the group visited the Bad
Ischl School and then resumed their session. A
president, Nick Marlier from Belgium, and a vice-
president, Ingela Grupe from Germany, were elected Hallstatt – a UNESCO world heritage site

and the topics for the next meetings were selected.

Diekirch, December 2010 7 N°4/2010

 2nd parliamentary session 3e parliamentary session

The focus of the third parliamentary session was on

multifaceted national education patterns, national and
individual employment problems, personal visions and
worries. It was an extremely lively discussion led by the
two presidents and gave everybody an interesting
Press Conference
insight into the different national conditions and
circumstances. The first AEHT Youth Parliament ended with a
traditional meal on Bad Ischl’s local mountain. The
In the afternoon the Austrian students guided the
students were taken to the Katrin alpine pasture at
international guests through Bad Ischl including a tour
1415 meters and were offered a fantastic panoramic
of the Imperial Villa, the summer residence of Emperor
view of the Salzkammergut mountains. Half of the
Franz-Joseph, and a visit at the Konditorei Zauner, a
participants even dared to climb the highest peak of the
world-renowned pastry shop and café in Bad Ischl.
mountain range.

Those who have already tasted Zaunerstollen know that Zauner has a well-
deserved world-wide reputation

On Saturday, the last of the parliamentary sessions

resulted in a press conference, the founding of a
Facebook group named Youth Parliament and very
positive feedback for the organizing team and the
AEHT. The members of the first AEHT Youth
Parliament were enthusiastic about this event and
encouraged the president to hold the parliament every Some fearless climbers pose for a photo 1400 meters above sea level

year. They also expressed their willingness to
cooperate with the next organizers.
Many thanks to the organizing team of 5HLa, their
teachers, the sponsors of this event Salzkammergut
Touristik Bad Ischl and VOÖS, the society of Upper
Austrian school sponsors, and the members of the
AEHT executive board for supporting the idea of
organizing the first AEHT Youth Parliament.

Presentation of the attendance certificates

Diekirch, December 2010 8 N°4/2010

 Both at the bar and at dinner at the school, a good atmosphere reigned
everywhere

The debates, as he said, will be something he'll

remember with pride, since this was a chance to speak
in front of a multi-national auditorium and confirm his
In a mountain hut English language knowledge. As a good skier, David
was delighted by the wonderful scenery of majestic
Some feedback: mountain tops. Also, once again thank you for
organizing his transfer from the train station in
György Resz, Giorgio Perlasca Secondary School, Salzburg and making this entire event a positive
Budapest, Hungary beginning. I hope that in the years to come, too, there
will be such great opportunities for our students to take
‘I’m writing on behalf of Mrs Csilla Dévényi, the part in AEHT events’.
Principal of Giorgio Perlasca Secondary School, to
express our sincere appreciation and grateful thanks Carolina Trigo and Pedro Conde, Hotel and Tourism
for your superb kindness and hospitality during our school of Porto, Portugal
student’s stay at the AEHT Youth Parliament in Bad
‘First of all, we would like to congratulate the AEHT,
Ischl.
its president Mr Klaus Enengl, and our colleagues from
Our student Márk Szűcs thoroughly enjoyed every the Hotel and Tourism School of Bad Ischl for the
aspect of the visit and was very impressed with your excellent organization of the "1st AEHT Youth
school as well as the topicality of the issues raised Parliament".
during the sessions of parliament. Márk found it
It was a great opportunity to meet young people from
stimulating to share the common themes the students
different cultures and, most importantly, their
experience in their schools and was fired up with ideas
perspectives, expectations and problems of their
on his personal professional development. We are also
countries in the Tourism and Hospitality area.
grateful for the opportunities for exploring the tourist
and cultural references of Austria with special
emphasis on the Bad Ischl region.
All in all, we firmly believe that the events of the AEHT
Youth Parliament will provide the participating
students with opportunities for expanding their
horizons, learning new methods of work and opening
up new professional perspectives’.

Vedrana Brajković, School of Tourism, Catering and

Trade, Pula, Croatia
’Just a few words to thank you for the great hospitality
and organization of this year's AEHT Youth
Parliament.
My student David is truly impressed by all that he saw Above Bad Ischl
and experienced, especially the hospitality of school
students who prepared and served your fine delicacies. The organizers struck a perfect balance between
cultural and leisure activities. We had the possibility to
check on the spot the magnificent use of natural
resources without destroying nature. Among several
visits, we would point out the Salt Mines of Altaussee.

Diekirch, December 2010 9 N°4/2010

Now, we realize how little we take advantage of our
fantastic tourist potential and how much more we could
do to benefit from the immense wealth it represents’.
The Altaussee salt mines
Elizabete Andersone, Riga Food Producers
Vocational School, Riga, Latvia
‘It was a great pleasure for me for the first time to be
abroad so far and so long from my house and to meet
so many nice, different, young people. It was wonderful
possibility of exchange of experience, getting new
friends, seeing picturesque landscape and mountains. I
liked Bad Ischl Tourism school premises, the delicious
food and the creative sessions which gave me deeper
insight into tourism in Europe. Thank you very much
for your hospitality’.
A visit to the Bad Ischl school – making the famous
‘Kaiserschmarren’
Participants:
Elizabete Andersone – Latvia, Simona Margitová,
Oliver Wallach – Slovakia, Simona Slut’ákovà, Pavel
Vesely, Ladislav Loy, Jaroslav Kula – Czech Republic,
Patricia Celinder – Denmark, Eleriin Mänd, Douglas
Pelin – Estonia, Julia Zöllner, Ingela Grupe –
Germany, Enikö Pákozdi, Mark Szücs – Hungary, Mark
Kelly, Stephen Featherstone – Ireland, Carolina Trigo,
Pedro Conde – Portugal, Isabell Schopper – Austria,
Steven Maes, Laura Somers, Abigail Polley, Nick
Marlier – Belgium, Paola Grubica, David Pletikos,
Paola Sirotic – Croatia, Sandra Vitasovic – Finland,
Isaac Osei Bimpong, Gaia Tramonti – Italy, Dany
Östreicher – Luxembourg.
Diekirch, December 2010
Group photograph taken in front of the Imperial Villa in Bad Ischl
THIS AND THAT
News from AEHT members
1. News from our prize-winners and our partners
We have introduced this section for two main reasons:
firstly, to publish the reflexions of former competition
winners about the importance of the AEHT experience
in their personal and professional development and in
the careers which may have opened up for them as a
result of their winning performances at the Annual
Conference; and secondly, to publish interviews with
our partners. And more generally, to contribute to the
pleasure of being an AEHT member.
- Florian Malfent, a restaurant owner in
Feldkirchen, gives us his views
Florian Malfent, a 27 year old graduate of the
‘Tourismusschulen Bad Leonfelden’ in Austria, lives in
Feldkirchen, a pretty village about 25 kms from Linz,
where he has been running his own restaurant "Wirt in
Pesenbach" since July 2005. During his five year
school career in Bad Leonfelden, he got the chance to
work for several well known and very professional
hotels and restaurants such as ‘The Hotel Faust
Schlössel (Feldkirchen/Upper Austria)’, the ‘Restaurant
Schloss Aigen (Salzburg/Austria)’ and the ‘Hotel
Bayerischer Hof (Munich/Germany)’. After completing
his A-Levels in Bad Leonfelden in 2002 and after his
military service, he worked in London for the 5* Goring
hotel, which he considers to be for sure the most
exciting working experience in his life.
After his return to Austria, he had the opportunity to
take over the "Wirt in Pesenbach" restaurant.
10 N°4/2010
1. a) In 2000 you won the wine service competition Due to my extremely tight timetable, I
at the Annual Conference in Berlin, Germany. unfortunately did not get the chance to participate
How did you prepare for this competition? Do you in other competitions since my graduation from the
still have contact with other participants? Tourism School in Bad Leonfelden.
It certainly was a special experience for me to
compete against international participants in an 4. What made you open your own restaurant ‘Wirt in
international and lively city like Berlin. To win the Pesenbach’ in Feldkirchen/Donau? What were
wine competition was absolutely great. As I can the objectives and what are the results so far?
remember I worked together with my former Could you describe your company to us? What
service teacher Mr. Angermair who trained me in are your future projects?
the necessary skills and knowledge, and my
language teacher Mrs. Büsser to perfect my
presentation in English. Unfortunately, I lost all
contact with participants due to my long and
intense working hours over the last 5 years since
opening my restaurant.

The Bad Leonfelden delegation at the AEHT Annual Conference

in Berlin in 2000

The two main arguments for changing my lifestyle

and opening my own restaurant were time &
money. Opening your own restaurant is in my
opinion the only way of making the necessary sense
of the long working hours, which are a reality in
Winner of the first prize for wine service at the AEHT Annual our line of work, in order to stay motivated and to
Conference in Berlin in 2000 get the output you expect.
b) Did winning this competition affect your
professional and private life as well as your
personality?
It was a great success for me and as far as I can
remember also for the HLT Bad Leonfelden. My
performance had been reported in most of the
newspapers of my home area and I had the
impression that people took my knowledge of
hospitality, service and especially wine seriously -
even if I was only 17.
2. What do you think about the AEHT and the
Annual Conference experience today? Did you
experience the European spirit at the Annual Florian Malfent at his"Wirt in Pesenbach" restaurant
Conference in Berlin?
As I said before, to experience such an 5. What are the professional and personal qualities
intercultural event like this competition gives you required to succeed in your profession? In your
the chance to get the spirit you need in our view, what are the most important qualities
real business. required to be a waiter/waitress and a restaurant
owner? What recommendations would you offer
3. Have you won other medals at international to aspiring waiters/waitresses and a restaurant
competitions? If so, why was it important for you owner? What advice would you give to hospitality
to participate in all those competitions? and tourism students about their future careers?

Diekirch, December 2010 11 N°4/2010

 For me the most important requirement in our
business consists of treating staff members
and customers as you would like to be treated
yourself. From my own experience, I can conclude
that if you combine a high respect for your
customers with a good quality product, you'll be
busy serving guests.
To these key qualities you still will have to add a
certain stamina, social knowledge, etc.
Whatever you are planning in your career, you
should carry out a longer working experience in an
intercultural and cosmopolitan city like London or
New York.
- Interview with Armand Steinmetz, President of
the Vatel Club Luxembourg
The origins of the Vatel Club Luxembourg and
therefore also the origins of Expogast date back to the
creation in 1931 of the Cooperation of Professional
Chefs of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which in
1935 and 1938 organised the first gastronomy
exhibitions in the capital. The body was dissolved
during the Second World War, but the chefs then got
together with the waiters to form the Ganymed
association. A few years later the chefs again founded
their own association which in 1958 adopted its
definitive title of ‘Vatel Club of the Grand Duchy of
Luxembourg’. Thanks to the efforts of one of the
founder members, Germain Gretsch, this association
quickly made a name for itself, gave a considerable
boost to gastronomy in Luxembourg, and in 1972
finally launched the first Expogast (with the title of
‘First Exhibition of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts and
Confectionary’ which was changed to Expogast only in
1974), as well as the First World Culinary Arts
Championship in 1986.
Armand Steinmetz has been President of the Vatel Club
Luxembourg since 2003. After completing his studies at
the Alexis Heck Hotel School in Diekirch, over the next
three years he undertook his ‘tour of Switzerland’,
where he carried out numerous practical placements in
world-famous hotels, followed by a placement in
France at Roger Verge’s three-star ‘Moulin de
Mougins’ restaurant. Thus on his return to Luxembourg
he could boast a rich professional experience, and in
1973 he embarked on his career as a lecturer in
technical subjects, a post from which he retired this
year. Since 1980 he has been the owner of the
Restaurant Steinmetz in Bech (Luxembourg) famous for
its exceptional traditional cuisine.
Diekirch, December 2010
Armand Steinmetz addressing the audience at the
prize-giving ceremony
1) You are currently the President of the Vatel Club
Luxembourg.
For the benefit of those who may not know their
French history, François Vatel was a
confectioner and caterer of Swiss origin who
then became a French household steward and
maître d'hôtel, in turn to Nicolas Fouquet, Louis
XIV’s superintendant of finances then to Prince
Louis II of Bourbon-Condé (also called ‘le
Grand Condé’). He had a remarkable talent for
organising feasts and grandiose banquets at the
château of Vaux-le-Vicomte then at the château
of Chantilly during the reign of Louis XIV; he is
best known to posterity for having committed
suicide during a reception given by le Grand
Condé (one of the leaders of the revolt against
the power of the monarchy known as the
‘Fronde des princes’ or the Princes’ Revolt) held
to re-ingratiate himself with King Louis XIV –
because the delivery of the day’s catch of fish
was late in arriving! Thus by adopting the name
Vatel, your Association is giving out a message
of both genius and tragedy. Please would you
explain to us the objectives of this club, who was
the instigator of its foundation, and how it has
evolved over time.
The Vatel Club has a number of objectives:
- Firstly it fosters the development and promotion
of good cuisine and of Luxembourg culinary
specialities;
- It promotes innovative cuisine and attempts to
ensure the quality of dishes produced;
- It encourages young chefs to remain in the
profession by various means, for example by
organising Annual Culinary Arts contest or the
François Vatel Cup, etc;
12 N°4/2010
 - The Club participates in other competitions
abroad and organises updating courses for
chefs and pastry-cooks;
- It encourages a close relationship between its
professional members and those who are
interested in gastronomy;
- At least once a year it makes a point of
organising a gathering of gourmets to offer
them culinary specialities from Luxembourg
and from around the world.
From left to right: Johny Wirtz, Arthur Sauber, Aloyse Jacoby and
Armand Steinmetz have made an enormous contribution to the success
of the‘Culinary World Cup 2010’
2) In what year did you join the Vatel Club
Luxembourg and when did you become its
President? What was the attraction of this post
that made you to stand for election?
I’ve been a member of the Vatel Club since 1974
and its President since 2003. My main ambitions
were to ensure that the club continued its work,
and to provide it with new initiatives. Another
important objective for me was to reenergise our
collaboration with young people, to stimulate their
interest and to encourage them to join our club.
3) Since 1972 the Vatel Club Luxembourg has been
organising the Chefs’ World Cup, every four
years, together with the WACS. Who instigated
this competition and for what reasons? How do
you explain the ever-growing success of this
event?
The ‘Culinary World Cup’ was created thanks to
the innovative spirit of Germain Gretsch, who for
many years was the mentor, secretary and
president of our association. Germain was a great
visionary and thanks to him the competition
quickly evolved from being a gastronomic
exhibition in the ‘Grande Région’ (Luxembourg,
Wallonia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Sarre, Lorraine)
to become a transnational competition, and then
rapidly acquired a European and even a
worldwide reach. This evolution is due to the fact
that the competition has attracted a lot of
Diekirch, December 2010
international interest and has been highly
successful.
4) Hosting 2,400 chefs and pastry cooks is no mean
feat. How does the organisation work? Who
provides the ingredients for the dishes on display
and for the menus of hot dishes? Where do they
prepare the dishes and the sculptures for the
exhibition?
The event involves an enormous amount of
organisation, including:
- Finding accommodation for the teams in hotels,
preferably hotels which are prepared to make
available their facilities such as the kitchen,
fridges, deep-freezers, etc;
- Finding 65 professionals to make up the
judging panel, and arranging accommodation
and transport for them. We have to arrange a
shuttle service to operate from 04.30 in the
morning to 22.00 at night;
- Handling the applications and the registrations
of the national and regional teams and of the
individual exhibitors from 53 countries across
the world;
- Drawing up plans for all the installations that
are needed: seven kitchen layouts for the
national team contests; two for the kitchens to
be used by the military teams; two for the
community catering contest; then the
demonstration kitchens, the chef’s corner, the
930-seat gourmet restaurant, and the 400-seat
restaurant for community catering. Among
other things we have to deal with equipping
these various premises;
- Contacting and looking after the sponsors and
the media, and installing a bistro for the VIPs;
- Organising and selecting the wines and other
drinks;
- Planning the various receptions, the opening
show followed by a cocktail party, the daily
ceremony for the presentation of medals and
certificates, and the closing ceremony followed
by a stand-up buffet.
- Managing 80 volunteer workers;
- Supervising the stowing of equipment and the
various check-lists etc.
As for the ingredients, some of them are imported,
but most are bought from suppliers in
Luxembourg.
Though it varies according to the national origin
of the team or exhibitor, the sculptures are partly
prepared in the country of origin, while other
sculptures are entirely made in Luxembourg.
For the hot food competitions in the Restaurant of
the Nations, the candidates produced the 105
menus entirely on the premises between 12.00 and
13 N°4/2010
 18.00, by which time everything had to be ready to
serve. The cold buffets and the menus of cold
dishes at the exhibition were prepared either
partly or entirely in Luxembourg.
During Expogast 2010, thousands of certificates and medals pass through
Armand Steinmetz’s hands
5) What are the main evaluation criteria for the two
exercises carried out by the teams? What was the
particular strength of the Singapore national
team, which was world champion in 2010? As
for the masterpieces exhibited by the master
confectioners, what were the evaluation criteria,
and why do you think that the young
confectioner Sang Kyun Jeaong from South
Korea stood out from the others?
The allocation of marks was made easier by the
use of marking sheets; the main criteria set out on
the sheets were: composition, proportions,
presentation, dietary balance, variety of
ingredients and colours, general appearance, etc.
To win the ‘Culinary World Cup’, a competitor
has to win one of the two first places in the cold
and hot food categories. As I was not a member of
the judging panel, I’m afraid I can’t tell you
exactly in what respect the Singapore team and
Sang Kyun Jeaong from South Korea stood out
from the rest.
6) Have you ever taken part in this contest as a
competitor? If so, what do you most remember
about it?
I’ve competed several times: in 1974, in 1978, in
1982 when we won silver and gold medals. In
1976 I competed in the IKA in Frankfurt as a
member of the national team, which won the gold
medal.
In 1986, 1990 and 1994 I was a member of the
judging panel with the task of judging the cold
dish contest.
Diekirch, December 2010
In 1998 and 2002, I took on the role of President
of the judging panel with the task of judging the
hot dish contest.
Participating in a competition like this requires an
enormous investment in time. First of all you have
to draw up a programme, then engage in training,
put the finishing touches, then exhibit the product.
I felt great personal and professional satisfaction
from acquiring new techniques and ideas for
preparation and presentation, as well as through
meeting friends from other countries and making
new professional contacts from all over the world.
Taking part in events like this is the equivalent for
all of us of real updating courses in gastronomy.
7) Personally I think it’s a shame that this
magnificent event, so instructive for young
people, should have taken place without the
involvement of member schools of the
Association of European Hotel and Tourism
Schools. Do you think that at the next Expogast
it might be possible to collaborate more closely
with the AEHT, either by setting up a seminar
for teachers and/or students on the fringes of
Expogast, or by introducing a competition for
aspiring chefs and confectioners who are still
training?
In the future the Vatel Club, working with the WACS,
will be reorganising the competitions and the
exhibition programme so that it includes activities
with international reach for young people, and
particularly for young students in hotel schools, to
ensure that they are more and better integrated into
the individual and team contests. Let us keep in
touch to see through this idea – though of course it
will have to be approved first of all by the Ministry
of Education.
8) And finally, please could you let us have some
career guidance for aspiring chefs and
confectioners in our hotel schools?
In order to be successful, aspiring chefs need to be
creative and flexible, to like their work (even the
irregular parts of it), to appreciate the creative
aspects of it, to enjoy excellent health, to like
international contacts; and to improve themselves
by working for several different businesses after
their training and while they are still young, and to
undertake their professional 'Tour de France' or
even their 'Tour of the World'.
14 N°4/2010
 One of Armand Steinmetz’s main objectives is to ensure that young people
stay in this demanding profession.
Above, the Luxembourg national team which competed at Expogast 2010

May 2011 bring prosperity to all our young graduates,

and may it bring them success in their chosen Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
profession. May they go to work each day with joy in
their hearts, and achieve great things.
We wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy
Nadine SCHINTGEN
New Year! Wherever your fancy takes you in 2011 you
AEHT General Secretary
will be welcomed everwhere with open arms by your
AEHT Friends. Therein lies, still and always, the real
strength of the AEHT.

Text : N. Schintgen in close cooperation

with J. Laengy, K. Enengl, F.
Malfent, M. Sotak, A. Steinmetz and
G. Welter

Photos: N. Schintgen, J. Laengy, ©ts-

badischl, F. Malfent, A. Steinmetz,
G. Welter and the organisers of
Eurocup 2010

English translation : J. Rees Smith

French transation : N. Schintgen

Our professional partners :

Diekirch, December 2010 15 N°4/2010