Small Wonders at “Tapearte”
The success, or not, of an event comes down to creating the perfect cocktail of ingredients, the right venue, an attractive ambience, an interesting mix of guests, a good reason for getting everyone together, an appropriate day of the week, perfect timing, etcetera, etcetera… When the myriad elements  do come together in just the right way, at just the right time, a certain alchemy takes place that is pure magic, and everyone present is drawn into a moment in time that becomes immortalized forever as “something special”.
The Who’s Who of Andalusian Chefs
Just such an event was “cooked up” recently at the Kempinski Hotel Bahia, Estepona.   Famed for its fine cuisine, in 2011 the hotel is determined to surprise and delight its clientele – both residential and otherwise – with a series of adventurous culinary exploits, the first of which was Tapearte.  A gastronomic experience, par excellence, Tapearte was no ordinary tapas evening… With the help of Fernando Rueda from the Academia Gastronómica de Málaga, and the hotel’s popular chef, Jordi Bataller, the Kempinski gathered together not one or two, but twenty of the region’s most celebrated chefs to create a special tapas dish each, in celebration of Andalucia’s world renowned culinary tradition, that of tapeando, when many small, tasty dishes are savoured one after the other, with diners often moving from one establishment to the next to sample a variety of specialities.
On this occasion, the establishments came to the guests… How convenient was that! And so it was that the well-heeled, 5-star guests were treated to a three hour feast of small, but perfectly formed morsels, lovingly prepared in one kitchen by twenty of Andalucia’s finest chefs, including some with coveted Michelin stars under their sizeable belts….  With chefs from as far away as Cordoba, Nerja, Antequera and Malaga, it was monumental achievement enough to gather so many culinary talents in one place, but pure genius to get them working harmoniously together in one kitchen!

Top Twenty Tapas Tasting
First off the starting block was Alvaro Arbeloa from Restaurante Ta-Kumi in Marbella, with a sliver of Smoked Tuna on a Coca of Vegetables and with Germinated Salad. This was a fairly conservative start to the evening, with the tapas getting progressively creative as the night went on. Among the most memorable tidbits were the Oyster Soup with Fennel and Lemon, from Fernando Gonzalo of Restaurante Manducare in Malaga, the Terrina de Foie on Spiced Bread with Cane Honey, lovingly prepared by Amador Fernández of Restaurante Amador in Malaga, the Egg Yolk with Herring Caviar, by Kisko Garcia of Restaurante Choco in Cordoba and the Cream of Ronda Black pudding with Quail Egg by Mauricio Giovanni of Restaurante Messina in Marbella.  Outstanding for its finesse, was the Viña AB soup with Prawns, stylishly served in a glass, by Javier Hernández of Restaurante Limonar in Malaga.
The dishes were too numerous to mention, but all were memorable, and fulfilled the brief of reinventing the tapas tradition while highlighting some of Andalusia’s favourite, and oft forgotten ingredients. The chefs showed exceptional originality in their presentation, and the event was a true homage to the world of the 21st century tapa… as a mini gastronomic delight and not just something to graze on with a beer – on the subject of which, the event was sponsored by Selecta, the star beer of Málaga’s favourite cerveza factory, San Miguel, which was given the seal of approval by all who sampled a glass.

Sweet Sensations
The evening was rounded off with the charms of the only two female chefs in the line-up, and they were chosen to conjure up something “sweet”. Cati Shiff, the daughter of the legendary Belgian chef Paul Shiff of Restaurante La Hacienda in Marbella delighted the guests with a creation of Caramelized Pear with Rosemary and a brush stroke of chocolate, while Charo Carmona, of Restaurante Coso San Francisco in Antequera, made a melt-in-the-mouth pastry cone filled with the most divine cream of chestnuts… bringing the whole culinary experience to a sublimely sweet conclusion.
The good news is that the Kempinski Hotel Bahia, Estepona will be offering guests the Tapearte experience in the summer months, adding another dimension to the already rich culinary diversity on offer.

marbellas blog feb 10. 2011

The murmurings that Güey restaurant is one of the new hot spots in Marbella were confirmed very nicely during the recent Women in Business monthly lunch, held at a different sassy Marbella eaterie every month.  With some 40 women in attendance, there were plenty of them cooing and sighing about the divine pumpkin soup with tiger prawns, the sublime lime marinated chicken and the simply irresistable freshly-baked individual apple tarts with a hint of vanilla and coffee…
But who should grace the restaurant with his presence that very same afternoon? None other than super chef, Dani García… Yes, the very same Dani García, whose name is written in the firmament of acclaimed international wonder chefs that are changing the face of fine cuisine as we speak… Yes, the Michelin-starred malagueño sauntered into Güey for a casual Friday afternoon lunch, accompanied by two of his team and Susana, a representative of Möet et Chandon – and I’ll get onto that subject in a while…
Güey can report that Dani and his table ordered some of the best appetizers on the menu – Gambas Pil Pil with Tequila, the Acapulcan Ceviche and a Caesar’s Salad. On the recommendation of Roberto in the kitchen, Dani followed up with a main of Royal Fillet Steak, while the rest of the table settled on the Bacalao with Asparagus Sauce and Fine Herbs…one of the dishes of the day. A delicious Rodaballo, or Turbot, and a Tampiqueña meat dish… just a small selection of the innovative international dishes on offer. The wine they accompanied lunch with was a Trascampanas Sauvignon Blanc from the Rueda denominación de origen… No doubt this one will be flying out of Güey’s glass roofed, wine cellar… Dani and his party left, sated and offering their compliments to the chef – what better accolade for Güey’s talented Swedish chef Dennis than praise from one of Europe’s leading figures in the world of food…!
So back to the WIBs, this was the first networking lunch of 2011, and spirits were high as some of the members showcased their business news. Among them was the alluring Anna Rosati from Mundo Fitness, who reminded us that on Thursday 10th, all guests attending their cocktail party will receive a card entitling them to 40 per cent discount on their fabulously flattering fitness clothing. Caroline Bowley also prompted the ladies to support her “baby” the Festival Internacional de Arte Marbella – coming up in June. It’s a common rant that there is no cultural life in Marbella, so let’s see if the festival can rally some serious support both on the corporate side, and with Friends of the Festival.
Also attending the WIBs for the first time was Marina Arts, whose husband Dr. Paul Arts is one of Marbella’s most respected dentists. Marina was chatting to guests about stopsnoring, the treatment Paul is pioneering here on the Coast – a simple oral device worn at night to prevent snoring.  She couldn’t give out her business cards fast enough as women eager to hear the last of their husbands snores and finally get a good night’s sleep snapped them up like there was no mañana…  Also debuting at the WIBs lunch was the multi-talented Ana Fischel, children’s author and illustrator whose Twelve Quests series is attracting much attention far and wide with a series of quirky competitions and workshops.
WIBspain has been in operation for 8 years, and has established itself as one of the Coast’s leading networking groups. With monthly lunches to look forward to, and a series of useful networking tools offered to members, it is a good stepping stone for women in business. And with lunches like this to look forward to on a monthly basis, what are you waiting for.. get signed up now.
Back to Güey – pronounced “Way” if you were struggling… there will be a Women’s Day coming up in March – so watch our calendar for details, but on any day of the week you will find many of Marbella’s movers and shakers dining  in the stylish restaurant or sipping on cocktails in the Sky Bar. At a recent dinner I joined Marian Roman, manager of Nikki Beach, top DJ Mario Zarate and Güey’s host with the most, Johnnie B. Gomez, they were entertaining the head of Bentley, Mexico – and at the next table, Jose Carlos de Salamanca, the king of cars in Marbella, who provocatively parked a couple of his beautiful Bentleys at the door…

Now as we enter the second decade of the new millennium we are faced with an even more bewildering and time wasting phenomenon – social networking sites. Here we have it, the greatest tool for sharing the trivia and minutiae of life known to mankind, and it is, apparently the answer to all our prayers…Yes, modern day soothsayers would have us believe that if only we can become masters of messaging on Facebook, Twitter, Tuenti and You Tube, then we have the very universe at our fingertips… and that all of this unlimited exposure will inevitably convert us into squillionaires by simply gliding our digits proficiently over our keyboards.

Far be it for me to undermine the potential of reaching out to a global audience of literally billions of internet users – it is a mindboggling, modern-day miracle, and “socialnomics” as this new science is known, is worthy of study.  But as I discovered last week at a seminar on Social Media organized by CCG Spain, along with the British Chamber of Commerce and CIT Marbella at the Melia Don Pepe Hotel Marbella, social media should be used with extreme caution… “Find out what aspects work best for your business and spend no more than an hour a day on it” warned Nicola Elrich, social networking consultant, and one of the experts drafted into the session, along with the author of Beyond Blogging, Mike Cliffe-Jones. The event explored the virtues and pitfalls of 4 of the main social networking tools: blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.  So do you face off the competition on Facebook, or twitter away about your life on Twitter hoping to reel in a faithful following…? To be continued..

A month has passed since Mrs. Michelle Obama left the luxurious Villa Padierna Hotel Marbella to fly off to Mallorca to meet King Juan Carlos and other members of the Spanish Royal family.

Four little days the First Lady stayed on the Costa del Sol, but the impact of her visit is infinite. Like a modern day Midas, Mrs. Obama has turned to gold everything her gracious presence touched, from the cobbled streets and quaint shops of Marbella, to the magnificent Alhambra to the splendour of her luxurious hotel and the drama and intrigue of Ronda’s historic sites, just by being there, America’s First Lady, arguably the most powerful woman in the world, has given the Costa del Sol a new lustre, a bright shiny new glow of approval from the highest quarters….

We watched Fernando Alonso sail past a fuming Felipe Massa on the Hockenheim circuit in Germany following team orders to let him past. The spoiled young Spaniard should remember what it’s like to fight for a win – what a joke for the Sport of F1. Following their controversial one-two result at the German Grand Prix, Ferrari have been fined US$100,000 by the FIA after race stewards deemed they had breached sporting regulations. The case has also been referred to the World Motor Sport Council.

Massa out classed Alonso – he should be given the victory and US$100,000 dollars to Ferrari is like buying a beer for the head of the FIA – If that’s the only fine they get, they will do it next week as well. It’s exactly what gives F1 a bad name and make fans look for another sport to support. Rubbish (and before you come back about Hamilton, I would say the same if the McLaren had team asked Jensen to let Hamiton pass) – it’s just not right, Formula 1 should be about RACING -  one driver against another.

There is quite a fuss going on in Marbella about the future of the western “Marbella” arch which is now half demolished as building work and controversy goes on all around it. Facebook groups, interviews in El País, and people getting hot under the collar about whether the arch should be reinstated once the road works to build the San Pedro underpass are finally completed… “It’s a symbol of corruption” some say … about the rather ordinary, or even non-descript arch erected by erstwhile Mayor, Jesus Gil y Gil whose corrupt council was shamefully removed from office back in 2007 under the Operacion Malaya – which made Marbella the subject of an intense media circus for several months.

There is no denying that for this reason many a Marbella resident will gladly see the back of the arch – which incidentally is being deconstructed piece by piece – owing to internal corrosion – how appropriate – it’s rotten to the core, say the detractors, and it is the perfect excuse to get rid of the monument, whether for reasons of public safety or simply to remove vestiges of the GIL party reign which left the municipality some 500 million euros in debt. Marbella may be overwhelming in its quality of life – it’s official by the way, Marbella is the town which offers the best quality of life in the whole of Andalucia….based on per capita income, green space per inhabitant, etcetera, etcetera, but in terms of iconic urban monuments, Marbella is seriously underwhelming, and the only candidate to represent us on the world stage seems to be the very arch in question. Comparable to the Hollywood letters in the California mountain range, our Marbella arch at least tells visitors at a glance where they are…

If you ask me what I think, it’s quite simple; of course I mind the arch coming down as it is going to leave a gaping hole in the landscape of our marbellas.com live weather cam image… Then it will become just another view of a golf course flanked by La Concha mountain – boring… I also have a rather fond memory of driving a white Porsche Cabrio through the very arch some years ago when filmed by Sky TV for the satirical documentary on Spain, Bloody Foreigners… Love it, or hate it, It is hard to picture TV footage on Marbella without the controversial arch. But politically speaking, the decision is a no brainer. Luckily Marbella town council can keep everyone happy as there happen to be two arches…. the half-demolished western arch, and another twin on the east side. So there you have it, the solution is simple; take one down and leave the other one standing… LC