For Immediate Release

Media Launch of the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival
Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, Wednesday 15 September 2010

YB Dato’ Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen
The Honourable Minister of Tourism
Kuala Lumpur, Wednesday 15 September

THE MALAYSIA INTERNATIONAL GOURMET FESTIVAL SOARS TO GREATER HEIGHTS

The Malaysia International Gourmet Festival 2010 (MIGF2010), the 10th successive one in the series, literally swooped down from the skies this afternoon as five helicopters, courtesy of Festival Event Partner, Eurocopter Malaysia, converged on Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) in the very heart of bustling Kuala Lumpur.

Office workers craned their necks from nearby high rise buildings while pedestrians and traffic all stopped to see what the impressive display was about. Those close enough to the action at the padang (as Dataran Merdeka is historically known) got even more of a surprise as the helicopters discharged their contents – a multiracial, multinational band of chefs clad in full white regalia! This stunning arrival heralded the spectacular Media Launch of the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival 2010.

The final helicopter of the hovering quintet to land carried Malaysia’s ever-dynamic Tourism Minister, YB Dato’ Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen, Festival Organising Chairman YBhg Dato’ Steve Day and Eurocopter CEO, Mr Pierre Nardelli. Waiting to greet them on landing were YBhg Datin Su Wai Fun, the Managing Director of Festival Organiser, AsiaReach Events, the Festival Special Advisory Committee, Festival Sponsors and Media Partners. Surrounded by cheering
chefs, the Minister took part in a gambit with a Magical Chef which saw the Festival Preview Magazine materialise out of thin air. The assembled chefs immediately fired their confetti cannons, showering the dignitaries in colour, as photographers’ flashlights from the various media organisations that were eagerly waiting for this very special moment went off.

The Malaysia International Gourmet Festival is on from 1 – 30 October with 30 of the country’s very best restaurants taking part. Each of them will be serving up special Festival menus at extra special Festival prices throughout the month of October. Foodies everywhere can make a date with Festival restaurants to enjoy these once-in-a-year signature menus at competitive prices and at the same time enjoy bulk booking discounts and room night offers amongst other exciting promotions and offers. The main sponsor for MIGF2010 is Tourism Malaysia, supported by Maxis, Canon and Naza Italia. All details can be found on the Festival website www.migf.com
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MIGF2010 - TEN YEARS OF RAISING STANDARDS

With five Eurocopter helicopters parked on Dataran Merdeka in a spectacular phalanx behind her, YB Dato’ Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen paused for a photo-opportunity with the enthusiastic Master Chefs of the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival beside a range of powerful Maseratis – the Official Cars of the Festival marketed by Naza Italia. The Minister and other VIPs, including Festival Organising Chairman Dato’ Steve Day, were then whisked off in a Maserati convoy to the nearby Restoran Warisan for the MIGF2010 Media Launch. In a warm and meaningful presentation the Minister together with Dato’ Steve presented commemorative plaques to the Festival Sponsors, Media Partners and Festival Chefs before
unveiling the “Magical Chefs!” thematic billboard for MIGF2010. Shortly after, it was time for a light hearted ‘Review of the Festival Chefs’. During the ‘inspection’ each of the 30 culinary maestros, in line with this year’s Festival theme, waved a magic wand to reveal their own signature dish especially created for the Festival.

“The cuisine I have seen on display this afternoon has been truly magical,” enthused the Minister. “It surpasses anything I’ve seen on my extensive travels overseas and just shows what 10 uninterrupted years of friendly rivalry among the Festival Restaurants and their talented Master Chefs can achieve.”
And 10 uninterrupted years is a long time by any stretch of the imagination, a point not lost on Dato’ Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen: “Congratulations to Dato’ Steve, the Festival Advisory Committee Members and all the team at Asia Reach Events for achieving this hard earned milestone and for their single-mindedness in putting Malaysia’s fine dining firmly on the world food tourism map,” she said enthusiastically.

MIGF is an integral part of the Ministry of Tourism’s three tier ‘Fabulous Food 1 Malaysia’ initiative along with The Asean Food Trail and the Street Food and Restaurant Festival. The government sees MIGF as a vital initiative for attracting high yield tourists and raising standards for Malaysia’s MICE business.

“Of course, Malaysia’s wonderful street food is famous throughout the region – but we need a reputable fine dining capability too. Just having our fabulous food is not enough on its own to meet the needs of discerning tourists, MICE delegates or well-heeled business travellers, explained Dato’ Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen. “We need to strike a good balance. In addition to preserving our local and relaxed food traditions we need to offer international cuisines too. We need world class dining ambiences, creative menus, artistic food presentations and of course world class service in every respect. And without doubt this is where MIGF comes in.”

The Minister’s latter point was also taken up by Dato’ Steve: “Although a good dinner in SS2, Kampung Baru or Gurney Drive is fantastic for family and friends, if we cannot offer our overseas visitors fine dining, then Singapore, Bangkok or Hong Kong may appear better options for high yield tourists, convention organisers and foreign investors. Many seasoned travellers judge a country on the quality and sophistication of its top restaurants. That’s why we must continue to raise the bar, and why MIGF is so important,” he said passionately.

“After 10 solid years, millions of people all over the world now know about MIGF. They know that when they come to Malaysia they can trust our high standards of cuisine and service – reassurances that are particularly important for premium tourists, business travellers and MICE delegates.”

 
MIGF2010 PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS

The30 strong restaurant line-up for MIGF2010 is as follows: From Kuala Lumpur’s top 5-star hotels – Hilton KL’s Chynna, Iketeru and Senses; Mandarin Oriental KL’s Lai Po Heen and Mandarin Grill; Shangri-La KL’s Lafite, Shang Palace and Zipangu; Renaissance KL’s Dynasty, Med@Marché-Live and Sagano; Sheraton Imperial KL’s Villa Danieli; Equatorial KL’s Chalet; Grand Millennium KL’s Zing; The Royale Chulan KL’s Bunga Emas and L’Heritage; Holiday Inn Glenmarie KL’s Fu-Rin, The Club at The Saujana KL’s The Restaurant; and the recently opened Doubletree by Hilton KL’s Makan Kitchen. The top ‘stand-alone’ restaurants from Kuala Lumpur participating are – Al-Amar, Celadon, China Treasures; Neo Tamarind , Tamarind Springs; High Tide, Nerovivo; and Vansh. Completing this year’s lineup are, The Olive from Maxims Genting, Seasonal Tastes from The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa, and The Pomelo from The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat.

FESTIVAL SPONSORS
Tourism Malaysia is the main sponsor of MIGF2010. The Festival is a pillar of the Ministry of Tourism’s Fabulous Food 1 Malaysia strategy and is seen as a vital ingredient in attracting MICE delegates and high yield tourists to the country. Other Festival Partners this year are: Canon as the ‘Official Imaging Partner’. Canon will be using the Festival to promote their line of digital cameras and their new Wedoo Photobook. Naza Italia is a Festival Sponsor for the first time with Maserati making its debut as the ‘Official Car’. Maserati’s corporate slogan is “Excellence through Passion” a statement that will surely resonate with all the Festival Master Chefs. Last but not least, Maxis, is the ‘Official Telco Partner’ and their 13 million subscribers will stand a chance to receive discounts at participating MIGF restaurants. Maxis will showcase MIGF in its FINDER301 service, Malaysia’s first location based mobile directory which offers the largest listing of verified food outlets with over 12,000 listings. Maxis customers will be able to find participating MIGF restaurants complete with reviews, ratings and recommendations using this new FINDER301 mobile directory service.

FESTIVAL MEDIA & EVENT PARTNERS

Festival Media Partners are Astro, LiteFM, Asian Food Channel, Seni Jaya, Vision Four and Vision KL who have been spreading the word locally and internationally with television and radio commercials, billboards, special magazine supplements and feature articles.

Eurocopter Malaysia is the event Partner for MIGF2010 Media Launch on 15 September 2010.

Providing spectacular locations for the Festival are Venue Sponsors, The Banjaran
Hotsprings Resort for the Gala Launch at Sunway Convention Centre on 21 September, and Sunway Lagoon for the Grand Finale event at Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach on 30 October.

FESTIVAL EVENTS

The Festival Gala Launch – Tuesday, 21 September 2010
The glittering Festival Gala Launch will take place in the Grand Ballroom, Pyramid One, of the Sunway Convention Centre on Tuesday, 21 September 2010 where all 30 restaurants will showcase selected dishes from their Festival Menus for the two thousand VIP guests to sample. The stellar guest list includes royalty, ambassadors, captains of industry and leading corporate personalities. Add to the mix showbiz entities, social movers and shakers, fashion and lifestyle pace setters, top hoteliers and restaurant owners, and you have the Grand Opening of the year. Local and international journalist and food writers are also invited.

The Festival Grand Finale – Saturday, 30 October 2010

The MIGF2010 ‘Magical Chefs’ will sign off in style with another Hollywood-style production amplified by the choice of venue: The Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach will be the place to be that night – where a splashing good time awaits all 1,300 invited guests! MIGF is an event that encourages those within the industry to work together in continuing to raise the standards of cuisine and service in our best restaurants signalling to the world that Malaysia is a fabulous fine dining destination and that all are welcome. The evening will celebrate and honour the Festival Restaurants and their Festival Master Chefs – in appreciation of their passionate commitment and esprit de corps. The local hawker fare for this occasion featuring traditional Malaysian favourites will make a fitting introduction to the next phase
of the Ministry of Tourism’s Fabulous Food 1 Malaysia programme.

FESTIVAL FRINGE EVENTS

Epicure Malaysia 2010, 17 to 19 September
The major fringe event of MIGF2010 is Epicure Malaysia 2010 – the country’s leading lifestyle Fair which takes place at the Sime Darby Convention Centre KL from 17 to 19 September. Opened by the inimitable, Chef Wan, Malaysia’s celebrated TV personality, and sponsored exclusively by Maxis, the sixth instalment of Epicure Malaysia will be even bigger and better than ever before. Over one hundred booths offer products ranging from health, beauty and wellness to home décor, kitchen and household appliances; to delectable gourmet cheeses and exotic food items; to fine wines, cigars and unique artisan beers. With over 80 original and innovative workshops to choose from, including Master Chef Cooking Classes and workshops on personal wellness, grooming, beauty enhancement, wine and cigar appreciation as well as golf, kids’ scuba workshops and property investment among others, this fair promises to inspire even the most sedentary of lifestyles! Epicure
Malaysia is very relevant not only to our individual quality of life but to the country’s economy as a whole. Billions of Ringgit is invested in Malaysia’s lifestyle sectors in such areas as tourism, property, health and wellness as well as food & beverage and the hospitality industry, with each of these sectors employing hundreds of thousands of people.

Style Rocks, Wednesday, 20 October 2010

The glamorous Style Rocks! Event takes place on 20 October at Neo Tamarind in Jalan Sultan Ismail. Organised by AsiaReach Events and presented by Dato’ Farah Khan’s Melium Group in association with the Vision Four Media Group, Style Rocks! under-scores the natural relationship that binds high fashion and fine dining together. The world’s fashion capitals – London, Paris, Madrid, New York, Tokyo are also the world’s food capitals – and KL is no exception to the rule.

MIGF Gourmet Tours Malaysia

Another aspect of MIGF2010 is the specially planned Gourmet Tours Malaysia Programme, which is fully supported by the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia. The tour packages offer good value accommodation and dining with extended stay options, which will take participants to select locations outside of Kuala Lumpur. The Gourmet Tours Malaysia package offers will be available all year round, commencing October 2010 right up until the end of September 2011. Many special Festival offers will apply throughout the period, and value added options such as health screening; cooking classes; spa and wellness; and golf are among the extras available in these appealing and attractively priced, Gourmet Tours Malaysia packages.

MAXIS FINDER301 – BENEFITS FOR MIGF

In conjunction with MIGF2010, Maxis customers will be able to find participating MIGF restaurants around them via SMS just by sending MIGF to 301. They will receive a list of MIGF restaurants near their current location. They will also be able to read reviews on these restaurants by Malaysia’s top food publishing houses and bloggers, all via their mobile phones.

T. Kugan, Maxis Vice-President and Head of Products, Devices and Innovation said, “Maxis is pleased to partner the Malaysian International Gourmet Festival 2010 and in synergizing with the most anticipated annual Food and Beverage (F&B) festival in Malaysia, we are happy to showcase FINDER301 – Malaysia’s first location-based mobile directory which offers the largest listing of verified F&B outlets here in Malaysia. As Malaysians are very passionate about food and discovering the most delicious places to eat, FINDER301 enables food reviewers, bloggers, businesses and regular food-loving Malaysians to contribute and share information about the best places to eat.”

Kugan added that while MIGF highlights the best cuisine by the top chefs in the country, FINDER301 also helps Malaysians discover the best food around them, complete with reviews, ratings and recommendations.

“To date, FINDER301 has over 12,000 listings of the most prominent F&B outlets here in Malaysia and with our partnership with the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival 2010 we aim to grow this database even further. MIGF2010 is a great platform for us to provide more content to our regular users as well as enabling us to take a further step forward with FINDER301 which aims to enrich what Malaysians can find around them” said Kugan, who added that this initiative was in line with Maxis’ vision of developing local, innovative content.

The FINDER301 service can be used on any device capable of sending an SMS. For a richer experience, Maxis customers can download the free FINDER301 app for iPhones and Android devices.

The Malaysia International Gourmet Festival – 1 to 31 October 2010
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to savour some of the world’s finest cuisine!

www.migf.com

For media related enquiries, kindly contact: Azrina A. Effendi +603 2282 8028 | +6012 330 8588 | azrina@visionkl.com