Raffles Hotel’s Thirteen Annual Raffles Hotel Wine, Food and Arts Experience (WFAE), that took place from 30 January to 3 February 2008, was a rousing success.  The commentaries of guests were positive and favourable with many events fully committed a few months before the start of WFAE. 

Especially this year, an inaugural Charity Auction Dinner was held for the benefit of the Children’s Cancer Foundation on the opening night of WFAE.  The cream of Singapore’s society and generous philanthropists enjoyed an exquisite five-course wine dinner by the Michelin-star chefs and eminent vintners and raised S$120,920 for the Foundation. 

The week-long gastronomic spectacle culminated with Brunch With The Stars, a highly anticipated tradition at each annual WFAE where each chef presents an egg dish.  Guests in attendance were delighted with the bright airy milieu of the lobby and lunched well into the afternoon.   

Throughout the week, food connoisseurs and enthusiasts interacted candidly with Michelin Star-studded chefs, internationally renowned vintners and leading personalities in the food and wine scene at the lunches, dinners, culinary demonstrations and wine tastings.  The artistry of Hella Nohl, a talented painter who uses wine as her unique chosen medium, added raptures of colours and whimsical charm that complemented the parade of gastronomy events.  Her works-of-art received much interest and were auctioned at the Charity Dinner.

The gastronomy and wine maestros who delighted patrons were seven Michelin-star and restaurateur extraordinaire Thomas Keller, three Michelin-star chefs Santi Santamaria and Alain Passard, two Michelin-star chef Nicolas Le Bec and Raffles Grill Chef de Cuisine Jean-Charles Dubois with eminent wineries – Château Latour, Château Ausone and Château Cos d’Estournel from Bordeaux; Domaine Jacques Prieur from Burgundy; Domaine Paul Jaboulet-Ainé from Rhône Valley; Marchesi de Frescobaldi from Tuscany; Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin and Ruinart from Reims; and Pfau Schnapps from Klagenfurt.

The amiable and vivacious world-renowned wine expert, Stephen Brook from UK, moderated the events throughout the week, while virtuoso performer Jimmy McKissic laced all the events with his lively and expressive performances on the ivories.

Since 1991 when Raffles Hotel reopened its doors after extensive refurbishment, it has been committed to bringing the finest chefs and vintners from around the world to participate in gastronomic events throughout the year. The highlight of its calendar is the Annual Raffles Hotel Wine & Food Experience, which sees the gathering of internationally acclaimed chefs, vintners and special guests from around the world, all at one event!

Please visit our website at www.rhwfae.com for more information and to view the past Experiences.

Raffles Hotel features 103 elegantly appointed suites, 18 distinctive restaurants and bars, the world-class RafflesAmrita Spa, Raffles Hotel Arcade housing the best in regional specialities and international brand names, including THOS SB Raffles – an incubator shop offering lifestyle concepts and products as well as a purveyor of fine food and wines, the Raffles Hotel Museum, the Jubilee Hall theatre playhouse, the Raffles Culinary Academy and extensive lush gardens and courtyards. 

To access high resolution, print-friendly photographs of Raffles Hotel, please visit our Private Digital Library: http://www.leonardo.com/raffles/

About Raffles Hotels & Resorts

Raffles is a collection of luxury hotels and resorts worldwide, each distinguished by its luxury, elegance and residential charm.  Each hotel is a landmark in its respective city, positioned at the top of its local market and rated among the very best in the world.

Raffles’ relentless pursuit of service excellence has earned for its hotels and resorts a legion of international accolades, including Condé Nast World’s Best Places to Stay and Travel & Leisure World’s Best Awards.  Its flagship Raffles Hotel Singapore was named Best Hotel in Asia by readers of Ultratravel magazine by The Daily Telegraph and Best Luxury Hotel 2007 by Travel Trade Gazette Asia.  Raffles Hotels & Resorts is consistently ranked among the world’s top 10 hotel brands in the annual Condé Nast Traveler Business Travel Awards. 

It recently opened Raffles Dubai, a spectacular pyramidal structure which is a magnificent addition to the city’s skyline. Located within Wafi, and only 15 minutes from the international airport, Raffles Dubai is ideally placed in the heart of Dubai.

Raffles Hotels & Resorts is owned by Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, a leading global hotel company with over 80 hotels in 25 countries worldwide under the Raffles, Fairmont and Swissôtel brands.  The company also owns Fairmont and Raffles branded Residences, Estates and luxury private residence club properties.

For more information, please visit www.raffles.com

Raffles Hotels & Resorts’ award-winning collection of legendary hotels includes: 

1.        Raffles Hotel, Singapore

2.        Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia

3.        Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

4.        Raffles Beijing Hotel, People’s Republic of China

5.        Raffles L’Ermitage Beverly Hills, United States

6.        Raffles Resort Canouan Island, The Grenadines

7.        Raffles Dubai, United Arab Emirates

8.        Le Royal Monceau, Paris, France

9.        Raffles Resort Konottaa, Maldives (2008)

10.     Raffles Tianjin Hotel, People’s Republic of China (2009)

11.     Raffles Phang Nga, Thailand (2009)

12.     Raffles Marrakech, Morocco (2009)

13.     Raffles St Lucia, West Indies (2010)

14.     Raffles Resort Taimana Tahaa, French Polynesia (2010)

15.     Raffles Macao, Cotai Strip (2010)

16.     Raffles Tortola, British Virgin Islands (2010)

17.     Raffles Manila, Philippines (2010)

18.     Raffles Amartha, Jimbaran, Bali (2010)

19.     Raffles Da Nang, Vietnam (2011)

20.     Raffles Praslin, Seychelles (2011)