Chalerm Yoovidhya Enjoys a 30-pound Birthday Cake

It was hard to imagine how, within a limited space on the top floor of a private residence, a team of executive chefs from 11 leading hotels, 20 crew members and more than 100 containers and boxes could create the most memorable and extravagant private birthday dinner of the year.

The limited space of a make-shift professional kitchen in a private residence doesn’t make the ever-busy scene less joyful for these master chefs.

The beautiful mansion next to the tropical waters in Bang Saen, Chon Buri, was chosen as the venue for the so-called "4.2-million-baht feast", in which 30 guests were invited to tuck into a 14-course gourmet meal prepared by the country's most celebrated culinary maestros. For some people, this might sound like another lavish party among well-off folk. But for those in the circle, it was much more than meets the eye.

This one-of-a-kind meal, which took place last weekend, was an outcome of the third annual Bangkok Chefs Charity Gala Dinner and Auction, held last month at the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok.

Graced by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the event featured 21 executive chefs from Thailand's leading hotels who teamed up to cook an eight-course meal to a full house of guests with all proceeds going to the Princess' Border Patrol Police Schools project, and underprivileged children at remote schools upcountry.

To raise more funds for the charity, the evening also featured a series of live auctions for the participating chefs. The top bidders would get to pick the chefs to cook for one night at their residence.

As expected, the Yoovidhya family, who won the auction in the 2009 event with one million baht, was one of the two highest bidders this year. But their donation went far beyond expectations this time when the bidding price skyrocketed to 4.2 million baht.

"I was pleasantly surprised that we could contribute to something that somebody would want to spend so much money to have the chefs come and cook at their home," said Mark Hagenbach, the executive chef of the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok.

"That night I went home and could not sleep, only to appreciate how much people could do for the children. At the same time, I was also very proud of myself that I'd done something really good for the kids," said Jose Martin Ruiz Borja, the executive chef of the Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel.

Among a circle of family members and close friends, Chalerm Yoovidhya enjoys a 30-pound birthday cake presented to him by chef Norbert Kostner of Mandarin Oriental Bangkok.

They were among the 11 chefs chosen to cook for Chalerm Yoovidhya's birthday bash at the family's resort home in Chon Buri. The gastronomic dream team was led by Norbert Kostner, executive chef of the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok.

Also on board were executive chefs Nicolas Schneller of the Four Seasons Bangkok, Erwin Eberharter of the Dusit Thani, Philippe Gaudal of The Landmark Bangkok, Degan Septoadji Suprijadi of the Banyan Tree Bangkok, Frank Bohdan of the Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok, Paul Hoeps of Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, Michael Hogan of JW Marriott Bangkok and Leslie Stronach of the InterContinental Bangkok.

"Every chef is a professional and wants to do his best. Though we felt quite excited because the scale is much larger with 32 guests and 14 courses, we also felt content that we were a part of doing a good deed for charity," said Kostner.

The perfect evening started to take shape at 5pm _ two hours before the first guest arrived _ thanks to the meticulous work by the Mandarin Oriental hotel's banquet team. A long dining table was laid with impeccably crisp tablecloth, with stemware and cutlery in place and service staff neatly clad in their uniforms.

"The guests tonight are very important people who have been all over the world and have experienced various top-class cuisines. They aren't coming here because they are hungry, but they expect to enjoy excellent food, a great atmosphere and great company," said Kostner. "So we have to serve them a good selection of food that will continually please them throughout the meal and allow them to mingle. And since we have as many as 14 dishes, portions must be right. Our duty is to use our skill to create a memorable dinner, that's the best thing we can give back to this generous host."

Among the special ingredients used that evening were Oscietra caviar from the Caspian Sea, blue meat Dover sole from the Mediterranean, sweet prawns from New Caledonia, French foie gras from Rougie, scallops from Hokkaido and Iberico pork from Spain, to name just a few.

Cooking techniques and recipes ranged from millennia-old methods and carefully preserved family recipes of the chefs to a sophisticated fusion of Eastern and Western culinary characters.

"There's no special requirement from the host, so we cook what we think is best and what we would enjoy eating," said the Dusit Thani's Eberharter.

"We are putting in a special effort because we live and work in Thailand and we want to give back to society. They are a lot of unfortunate people in this country. I think it's our responsibility to do something, even though we are farang."

The special surprises that night included a caravan of exclusively-made birthday cakes _ more than a dozen in fact. The centrepiece, a 30-pound novelty cake by the Mandarin Oriental with a miniature replica of Chalerm and his wife, Daranee, on a F1 racing car, drew a lot of aaws and aahs from the audience.

"I was very impressed that each chef put so much effort and passion into this cause, and to making it very special," said Chalerm, the birthday host.

"Rather than saying that it's a 4-million-baht event, I'd say that this dinner is priceless for the fact that so many people are helping each other to support needy children in remote areas. And I'm so glad that this year the organisers were able to raise a lot more money. Because the more they raise, the better they can do for the children. To make a substantial project, it requires a substantial sum."

Although Chalerm said he planned to join next year's event, the big-hearted gentleman of the world-famous Red Bull enterprise also pointed out that he'd love to see other guests get the chance to have the master chefs cook at their home _ "so other people could experience the priceless moment that we are having now", he said.