在餐桌上演绎经典

《大酒店》与法国弓箭Chef & Sommelier品牌的三位代表人物面对面

New Classics on Dinner Tables

Grand Hotels Meets Chef & Sommelier Trio, ARC International Group 

Interview: Cherry Li  Chinese Version: Clara  English Version: Tony  Photos: Looki

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记得小时候的夏天，每次大人回家的时候，总是会带回一个不锈钢的大杯子，里面装满了夹杂着浓重上海气息的盐汽水，对很多人来说，那是夏天的礼物。那个时候的我们从不在意手中的汽水到底是放在杯子里还是玻璃小碗。那么多年后的今天，我们却开始用挑剔的眼光来看待那些形状各异、做工精细的盘子、杯子，仔细分析其中的区别。不是我们变得小资，而是生活的本身变得越来越精致。

在初夏时节，《大酒店》来到了香港，在享受购物天堂给人带来感官刺激的同时，我们也不忘对精致生活一如既往的chef & Sommelier进行一番探究。Chef & Sommelier 是弓箭国际的注册品牌，百分之百为餐饮及业界专业人士度身定做，这源于弓箭国际对红酒和餐饮业的热诚。这是一个专业的、享有声望的品牌, 法语的品牌名称把美食传统和烹饪技艺融合在一起。富有想象力的餐具与创新的酒杯系列的结合, 正如主厨和侍酒师的强强联手，将高标准的技术革新发挥到极致。

此次笔者来到香港应邀参加了国际葡萄酒及烈酒展览会，弓箭国际已经连续四年作为国际葡萄酒及烈酒展览会的官方合作伙伴。在到达香港后的第二天，Chef & Sommelier的三位代表人物就坐在了《大酒店》的镜头前：全球餐饮服务部/拉丁美洲/酒类产品/首席执行官，Oliver B. Hasler先生，企业烹饪顾问，Alban Rousseau先生，品酒顾问，Sébastien Depis先生。他们是专业的、创意的代表，能够为酒店、餐厅提供全套的、各种风格的，无论是用餐、品酒，还是桌面装饰。可以说这是一支十分强大的团队，他们一起努力工作，创造全新的产品。“我们一直都在各自不同的领域里为Chef & Sommelier这一品牌努力工作着，试图能够为酒店、专业人士、厨师创造出最好的产品，我们希望产品能够准确地传递专业的、实用的、多选择性但并没有太多革新的理念。对于市场而言，我们的产品能够使餐厅呈现不同的特点，并且彰显餐桌的特色。”Oliver B. Hasler先生向我们介绍道，并且反复强调品牌的名称不能缩写，因为这是对于所有为这个品牌付出辛勤劳动的人们的尊重。

如今的人们去酒店用餐的机会越来越多，对他们而言，也许点菜还算容易，但是如何选择与之搭配的葡萄酒就有一定的难度，但很多酒店的侍酒师并不会给他们直接的建议，这是许多人在用餐时碰到的最大的障碍。对此，身为专业侍酒师的Sébastien Depis先生说道：“葡萄酒是一种充满感情的饮料，味道非常复杂，但拥有葡萄酒知识背景的人并不是很多，因此我觉得为客人提供专业的建议是一项十分必要、也是相当基本的工作。Sébastien Depis是在一次班级去波尔多地区的旅行中，开始对葡萄酒深深着迷的，并自此一发不可收拾。

“我们的工作就是向人们提供我们的产品，并通过杯子的本身来使葡萄酒散发更多更好的醇香，充分体验品酒的美妙。对中国而言,葡萄酒文化始终是个舶来品。人们通常在酒店的餐厅喝酒，如果我们能够为酒店提供合适的功能性的酒杯，更能传播葡萄酒文化，使他们在家里也能品尝葡萄酒。因此，对中国市场而言，在酒店或餐厅里普及葡萄酒的文化十分重要。”Oliver B. Hasler补充道，“酒杯里的酒不一样，就会对盘中的菜肴品尝产生不同的影响，因此我们有责任告诉人们正确的搭配方式。曾经有过这方面的讨论，在选择的过程中,到底是以菜肴作为基础还是以葡萄酒作为基准？其实你可以先选择想吃的菜肴然后斟酒师会向你推荐合适的葡萄酒，或者你先选择想要的葡萄酒然后厨师会根据酒来为你推荐菜肴，这两种方法都很实用。”

事实上，不仅菜肴与葡萄酒的搭配很重要，即使是酒杯与葡萄酒的搭配也同样有许多讲究。这一点，可能出乎很多人的意料之外。Sébastien Depis解释说：“选择葡萄酒很重要，但是选择用哪种酒杯来诠释这种酒同样是不可忽视的细节。葡萄酒就像是一个非常复杂的世界，在它的周遭有很多其它的元素需要注意，任何元素的稍加改变都会对葡萄酒的味道产生很大影响。”于是，我们明白了葡萄酒的酒杯并不是普通的盛器，它是专门为葡萄酒而设计的酒杯，不同的葡萄酒应该搭配不同的酒杯。这是精致生活不可或缺的一部分。不仅如此，在法国弓箭的产品目录里不仅仅有经典的各式酒杯，人们还会发现他们为创意烹饪度身打造的餐具，根据不同人的需求，变换成不同尺寸和容量的新型餐具。永不过时的造型混合了流畅和圆滑，打造一个和谐的，恰如其分的烹饪理念。

厨师Alban Rousseau非常年轻，但却经验丰富，有过和许多世界著名的厨师共事的经历。他是一个少言寡语的人，不喜欢过多地谈论自己，但是对于烹调和自己的专业，却有着相当的热情。从Chef & Sommelier创立之初，他就参与到整个团队的工作中，包括产品的设计、理念的确立。“我们需要对产品和市场十分熟悉，了解客人真正需要的是什么。”他说道，“在厨房里的工作是我最主要的工作，但有的时候，我也会走到幕前向专业人士提供些建议。”

由此可见，Chef & Sommelier是一个相当重视与客户沟通的品牌，并通过这种途径来诠释自己日臻完美。Oliver B. Hasler 也认为：“如果我们想要成为品牌的坚强后盾的话，那就必须要知道专业厨师以及侍酒师的建议，告诉我们他们需要的是什么，还有他们对产品的看法。我们始终倾听消费者的回馈，交流是最重要的。Chef & Sommelier不仅强调产品的外形美观，更看重它的实用性。”

高端的酒店一直是Chef & Sommelier的重要客户，随着酒店业在中国的蓬勃发展，与各酒店开展密切合作也理所当然地被列入了公司的进程表。“相信与酒店的合作会使得我们公司的地位更上一层楼，并且能更好的促进产品的创新,使产品更快地走向市场。我常常去中国，那是一个飞速发展的市场。中国有许多地方对我们来说都是重要的市场，广州、北京、上海等等。就上海而言，不仅国际品牌的酒店越来越多，国内品牌的酒店也很多，我们正在找寻与他们合作的契机。”Oliver B. Hasler显得信心十足。

不论是餐桌文化还是葡萄酒，它们如今都已成为一种时尚，一种生活态度。高品质的生活就从那一个个精美的玻璃杯和盘子开始，然后蔓延到其他的角落。我们不再纠结于回不到的过去，而是在葡萄酒与美食的绝妙搭配中找寻属于自己的精致。于是，我们沉浸在Chef & Sommelier的美仑美奂中。

I can still remember, when I was a little girl, my parents often brought home a huge stainless steel mug filled to the brim with cool soda water. It was the present of summer, to many of us living in Shanghai at that time, and we didn’t care whether the soda water was in a mug or a glass bowl. Years later, however, we started to look at those finely crafted containers of various shapes and sizes with a critical eye for the minutest differences, not because that we are going petit bourgeois, but that life itself is getting more and more sophisticated, day by day.

It was early summer when we arrived at Hong Kong, and we barely got lost in the vibrant “paradise of shopping”. But we didn’t forget the goal of the trip that was to explore Chef & Sommelier, a registered trademark under the ARC International Group and a new brand for the exclusive use of experts in the catering and wine trade. The birth of Chef & Sommelier is inspired by ARC’s longstanding enthusiasm for wine and the culinary industry. Gastronomic heritage and cooking expertise are united in the ostensibly French label, which offers lines of dinnerware and drinkware that reflect creativity, innovation and technical perfection. Each line caters to the talents of chefs and sommeliers, as these two professions go hand in hand.

Our writer was invited to attend the VINEXPO Asia-Pacific 2008 held in Hong Kong, of which the ARC International serves as the official partner for the fourth consecutive year.  It was the second day after our arrival that we met with the three leading figures that well represent the brand: Oliver B. Hasler (CEO Food Service Latin America & Oenology), Alban Rousseau (Culinary Corporate Consultant/Conseiller Culinaire), and Sébastien Depis (Wine Tasting Consultant/Conseiller Oenologique). The trio is a strong team capable of providing a full range of service of various styles—dinner, wine tasting, table decoration—to restaurants and hotels. They have joined hands to develop innovative products. “We’ve been working hard in our respective fields for the benefit of Chef & Sommelier, striving to manufacture the finest products for hotels, restaurants and connoisseurs, that is, wine and cooking professionals and enthusiasts. Each line is expected to deliver a message to users that our products are professional, practical, diversified but not too much on the cutting edge. With our dinnerware and drinkware, your restaurant will look unique and different, and your dinner tables are no longer the same,” stated Oliver B. Hasler, who suggested emphatically, again and again, that we do not use the brand’s shortened name so as to show respect to people behind Chef & Sommelier and their efforts.

People nowadays have more chances to dine at hotels. However, wine turns out to be a major obstacle. They find ordering food much easier than picking out a matching wine from a long list of options, while the waiting staff usually refrains from giving direct suggestions. Sébastien Depis, a wine advisor and sommelier, observed, “Wine has feelings. Its taste is very complicated. I think it necessary to provide professional advices to our guests, since very few of them are knowledgeable in wines. Wine service is a basic service.” His interest in the world of wine was sparked during a class trip to the Bordelais region, France. Later he decided to pursue this career path.

“Chef & Sommelier invites you to rediscover all sensual delights of wines through our new glass sizes and new designs. Wine and its culture are something introduced to China from the western world. We supply good glasses to hotels and restaurants so that they can contribute to the spread of wine culture in China, to the extent that local customers will enjoy wine even at home instead of merely in a hotel/restaurant, which they are more likely to do at this stage. In China, hotels and restaurants should play a key role in popularizing wine culture.”

Oliver B. Hasler added, “The wine in your glass will have a distinct impact on the food you are eating; different wines, different effects. That is why we should have the responsibility to tell the diners which wine is best to pair which food. There was once a discussion about which is the basis, food or wine. I’d tell you both make sense, as a matter of fact. Once you’ve ordered the food, the sommelier will recommend a matching wine. Or, in the other case, the chef will cook the food that goes perfect with your favored wine.” It surprises many people that not only the teaming of food and wine is important, but that there are clear guidelines for wine and matching glass, to which Sébastien Depis furnished an explanation. “Your choice of wine is important, but your choice of glass is not to be overlooked, as well. Wine is as sophisticated and complex as our world, in which there are many details that need attention. A small change in any detail can produce a material difference in the taste of wine.” His words brought us to the realization that wine glass, different from other types of containers, are designed for tasting wines, and that different wine should be paired with different glass. Wine and glass are an indispensable part of sophisticated lifestyle. In addition to wine glasses in classic designs, contemporary dinnerware for creative eclectic cuisine is also included in Chef & Sommelier’s catalogue, available in various sizes and volumes per customer requirements. The sleek and timeless designs contribute to the focus on harmony and appropriateness in making and serving food and wine.

Given his young age, Alban Rousseau is quite experienced, having worked with the greatest chefs around the world. Obviously not a talkative type, he doesn’t like to say too much about himself. Driven by a huge passion for food, cooking and his profession, this talented young man joined Chef & Sommelier in its earliest days, contributing to product design and conceptualization. “We need to fully understand our products, market, and customer demand,” Alban pointed out. “My job is primarily done in the kitchen, but that doesn’t mean I never walk out from behind the scene and give professional ideas to our customers. I do, sometimes.”

We can easily draw a conclusion from the above that Chef & Sommelier places heavy emphasis on its communication with customers, through which the brand can approach perfection. This view is shared by Oliver B. Hasler, “We need to talk to chefs and sommeliers for their ideas about our products, to know what they really want. We also pay attention to customer feedbacks. Communication is always very important. Only in this way can we provide strong support to our brand and products. Chef & Sommelier focuses not only on beautiful design, but also on practical uses.”

High-end hotels are part of Chef & Sommelier’s clientele. With the flourishing of China’s hotel industry, it’s just natural for the company to seek cooperation with luxury hotels in China. “I believe we are going to scale new heights in business by working with these hotels, to come up with more innovations and launch products onto the market more quickly. I visit China quite often, and am impressed by the booming market there, in which cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou are of particular importance. In Shanghai alone, not only is the number of international branded hotels rising continually, but local brands are also opening properties one after another. We’re now looking for collaboration opportunities with these Chinese branded hotels,” said Oliver, his face glowing with confidence.

Both wine and table culture nowadays are factors that contribute to defining a fashionable lifestyle. Fill your daily life with high quality stuffs, from a delicate glass or plate to everything else. Stop wrestling with the irretrievable past, and start your quality life with carefully paired food and wine. Indulge yourself in the magnificent world of Chef & Sommelier, from now on.