Media Contact: Fred Tibbitts, Jr.
fredbev@fredtibbitts.com
17 June 2011
The Fourth Annual Fred Tibbitts &
Associates
“A Summer Evening in Bangkok with Very
Special Friends”
Plaza Athénée Bangkok, A Royal Méridien
Hotel
Thursday 16 June 2011
Bangkok, Thailand.-The Fourth Annual Fred Tibbitts &
Associates “A Summer Evening in Bangkok with Very Special Friends” proved to be
another memorable event for the seventy-three guests, who included ceo’s,
presidents, regional vice
presidents, general managers, hotel managers, directors of food & beverage and
executive chefs, industry VIP’s, the press and valued sponsors.
The reception was hosted by Pernod Ricard China, Diageo
Moet Hennessy, FIJI Water and Stoelzle glassware.
Phillips Foods Asia provided their finest crab meat for many of Executive
Chef Martin Faist’s marvelous canapés and hors d’ouvres.
All guests were formally announced with style by Volkert Geertsen,
Director of Sales + Marketing, Plaza Athénée Bangkok, A Royal Méridien Hotel;
and gonged with distinction by Khun Nicknipha Santibuth, Banquet Associate,
Plaza Athénée Bangkok, A Royal Méridien Hotel.
The four-course gala dinner brought Fred Tibbitts to the
podium, who welcomed the guests and asked that they consider “Service as the
Highest Calling”. Tibbitts explained
that the primary purposes of the FTA dinners are to recognize hospitality
excellence, provide scholarships in the names of those whom are honored and to
make charitable contributions to benefit those less fortunate.
Tibbitts promptly called for the evening’s nine “Loyalty Toasts” with
Champagne Moet & Chandon Imperial by some of the dinner personalities, including
Choo Leng Goh, General Manager, Plaza Athénée Bangkok, A Royal Méridien Hotel;
Teddy Pharksuwan, Reserve Manager, Diageo Moet Hennessy Thailand; Cynthia
Griffin, Commercial Counselor, Foreign Commercial Service, U.S. Embassy,
Bangkok; Ben Hopkins, Senior Editor, Traversing The Orient; Stuart Lloyd, Vice
President – Marketing, Media Transmedia (Thailand) Ltd.; Elena Broms, Corporate
Director of Food & Beverage, Dusit International; Charles Jack, General Manager,
The Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok; Ramesh Khendry, General Manager, Bangkok
Hotel Lotus Sukhumvit; and Kevin Murphy, CEO & Managing Partner, Asiawide
Hospitality Solutions.
After the guests enjoyed their elegant First Course of
Phillips Sea Crab Timbale with Avocado and Tomato Grainy Mustard-Mayonnaise and
Micro Herbs paired with four delightful white wines from New Zealand, the South
of France and Australia, Tibbitts announced a donation of $500.00 USD from a
portion of the dinner proceeds to the Elephant Hospital at the National Elephant
Conservation Center in Lamphang, which was gratefully accepted on behalf of the
National Conservation Center by Brian Sinclair-Thompson, President, Skal
International Thailand.
Tibbitts returned to the podium after the Main Course of
Touredos Rossini Beef Tenderloin with Foie Gras and Sauce Perigueux and three
great red wines from Argentina, Chile and Australia to announce the Recipients
of the 2011 FTA Hospitality Awards for Excellence, which will be presented at
the 2011 FTA Fall Awards Dinners at the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Sha Tin on 11
October and the Vanderbilt Suites in The MetLife Building at New York City on 15
November.
The Recipient of the 2011 FTA Hospitality Award for
Excellence as an Operator-North America was announced as being Brian Abel, Vice
President, Food & Beverage, North America, Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
The recognition was accepted on behalf of Abel by Wayne Buckingham,
Regional Vice President, Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
The Recipient of the 2011 FTA Hospitality Award for
Excellence as an Operator-Asia Pacific was announced as being Andreas Stalder,
Senior Vice President, Product & Brand Development, Hyatt International-Asia
Pacific. The recognition was
accepted on behalf of Stalder by Philippe Frey, Executive Assistant Manager-Food
& Beverage, Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok.
The Recipient of the 2011 FTA Hospitality Award for
Lifetime Excellence was announced as being Eric Long, General Manager, The
Waldorf=Astoria. The recognition was
accepted by on behalf of Long by Vincent Mercurio, General Manager, Conrad
Bangkok.
The Recipient of the 2011 FTA Hospitality Award for
Excellence as an IT Innovator was announced as being MICROS Systems, Inc.
Stefan Piringer, President, Micros-Fidelio Asia Pacific accepted the
recognition.
The Recipient of the 2011 FTA Hospitality Award for
Excellence as a Humanitarian was announced as being Robert Thurman, President,
Tibet House US & Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies,
Columbia University. The recognition
was accepted by Fred Tibbitts, Jr., President & CEO, Fred Tibbitts & Associates,
Inc., a long time friend and admirer of Dr. Thurman.
The Cheese Course followed a selection of French Cheeses:
Reblochon “Petit Coeur des Alpes”, Comte and Ste. Maure de Touraine, accompanied
by two premium wines from the South of France and Chile.
As with the dinner wines from the first two courses, the wines for the
Cheese Course were as well paired and ordered by Harriet Lembeck, CWE at New
York City.
Following the Dessert Course of a Ronnefeldt Tea Pearls and
Petit Sweet Bites, Tibbitts asked Choo Leng Goh to return to the podium to
“Summon the Brigade”. Goh’s summons
was answered by a resplendent parade of the kitchen seniors who prepared the
dinner, led by Executive Chef Martin Faist, followed by Executive Sous Chef
Suthasaya Sa-ngasap as well as the service staff led by Assistant Banquet
Manager, Poonsak Chodpeeratat, followed by Director of Banquet Songkarn
Panaothaisong and the rest of their service team.
Executive Assistant Manager Giuseppe Fornillo and Food + Beverage
Manager, Robert Wittebrood, who both attended the dinner, then joined Goh and
the Brigade on stage. Goh and her
team of 35 associates then posed on stage for several group pictures to
commemorate the occasion.
Fred Tibbitts & Associates is the leading global wine, spirits and
foodservice products and services consulting agency for National Account chain
hotels and restaurants with offices at Bangkok, Thailand and Menands, New York,
the United States._______________________________________
Download high-resolutions versions of the photos below by
downloading the full set here:
11bangkoksummer_mediapics.zip
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