AND THE
WINNER IS…
TEXT BY MICK SHIPPEN PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICK SHIPPEN & HOUMPHANH PHAHONGCHANH
A
highlight of the recent Sustainable Tourism Solutions Expo 2018 in Luang Prabang was the ‘Chefs’ Competition’. Held at the beautiful Luang Prabang View Hotel, the event saw five talented Lao and Western chefs go head-to-head in front of an audience of exhibitors and the town’s community and business leaders. Each chef was given advance notice of a selection of locally sourced ingredients, plus three optional mystery items revealed when the competition started, namely honey, bee larvae and ricotta cheese from the Luang Prabang Buffalo Dairy. At the end of the 45-minute cook-off, judges marked dishes on presentation, creativity, and taste. Bonus points were given for use of the mystery ingredients. The winner, who scored high in every category, was Chef Peter Van de Velde, owner and chef at Café del Mundo in Luang Prabang. The experienced chef wowed judges with two delicious dishes: grilled tofu Parmigiana with ricotta, tomato-ginger salsa and grilled vegetables, and Mekong fish steak with lemongrass, vegetables julienne, orange sauce and cilantro oil. Originally from Belgium, where he had his own restaurant for more than a decade, Peter has been in Lao PDR for 15 years. Prior to setting out his chef’s knives in Luang Prabang, he worked for three years as a private chef on a yacht cruising the Mediterranean. It’s a period of his life that he looks back on with fond memories, and one that afforded him the freedom to hone his creative skills and personal style. In Luang Prabang, Peter opened the popular Café del Mundo. Influenced by casual bistro-style dining, he offers an enticing and eclectic menu of international dishes, along with weekly changing special menus, and a handful of Lao favourites. Peter is passionate about fresh, locally sourced
MORE INFO Café del Mundo 27 Ounheuan Road, Luang Prabang open daily from 7.15 am – 9.30 pm for breakfast, lunch and dinner Tel: 071 212 148 facebook.com/ CafeDM
ingredients, and makes his own stocks, sauces, dressings, bread, jams, and yoghurt. He also offers vegetarian and vegan options, and doesn’t use MSG. His dedication and attention to detail is reflected in vibrant dishes such as avocado salad with cucumber, tomato, and feta cheese served with homemade wholewheat panini, flavourful chicken Parmigiana with grilled vegetables, and Tex Mex meets Luang Prabang burritos with Mekong riverweed, fried tofu, tomato salsa, crispy vegetables and cheese! Peter also serves up comfort food classics guaranteed to keep the cool season chill at bay, such as coq au vin and beef Bourguignon with rosemary and king oyster mushrooms served with fries.
