Tag: culinary tradition

10 Food Festivals Worth Travelling to Find

Posted on by Alia Akkam

Of course you always seek out a seat at the best bars and restaurants when you travel. But for a deeper dive into the culinary scene of your chosen destination, align your trip with a food festival. From a multi-stage music fest showcasing the best of a city’s eats to gatherings focused on a particular regional dish, the stops on our smorgasbord tour abound with local cuisine and culture.


Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival

The Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival attracts culinary talent from around the globe.

Photography courtesy Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival

Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival

As if Florida isn’t seductive enough in winter, the Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival adds yet another excuse to head South in December. This lauded culinary event attracts powerhouse chefs like Daniel Boulud, Mike Lata and the Sunshine State’s own Michelle Bernstein to a number of local venues, including festival home base
Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach. Beyond the capstone Grand Tasting, buoyed by book signings and the sounds of a DJ, there are multi-course wine-paired dinners revolving around themes such as sustainable seafood and modern Southern cuisine.

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Big Apple BBQ

Every June for the past 16 years, 16 top pitmasters from California to New York have taken over Madison Square Park for a two-day-long backyard barbecue right in the middle of Manhattan. Meat and smoke are the main ingredients for the Big Apple BBQ, which will be relocating elsewhere on the island in 2019 (no word yet). The venue may be changing, but greats such as Sam Jones, Rodney Scott and John Stage will no doubt still be prodding the fire. Move from tent to tent sampling Eastern Carolina pulled pork sandwiches, St. Louis–style ribs, Texas brisket and jalapeño-tinged sausage. Serious foodies who want to talk shop with their BBQ heroes know to swing by Thursday night when the mouthwatering aroma of hot coals and slow-roasting swine starts to fill the air. Can’t muster the motivation to move after the feast? Both
Four Seasons Hotel New York and Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown are just a cab ride away.

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Tokyo Ramen Show

For 11 days in October/early November, the many flavours and styles of Japan’s most buzzworthy noodle soup come together at the Tokyo Ramen Show in Komazawa Olympic Park. The steaming comfort food comes not just from Tokyo purveyors, but from ramen makers in Hokkaido, Kagoshima and everywhere in between. Make Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi your home base, and stay awhile: 18 vendors ladle soup for the first six days and an entirely new cast takes over for the final five. Ramen is known for its wildly varied flavours and ingredients, which differ from city to city, town to town. You can taste for yourself a kaleidoscope of regional variations like miso-based broth with horsehair crab and dashi with dried bonito flakes and sea kelp. And don’t miss the mash-ups – ramen shops collaborating with one another to create completely new dishes only available here.

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Outside Lands

Gone are the days of sad and soggy music festival fare. Melon salad, Malaysian lamb curry, samosas and stir-fried veggie glass noodles are among the menu choices when 70 or so of San Francisco’s best restaurants set up al fresco kitchens at the Outside Lands music festival in August. About a dozen food trucks are on hand, as well as, in true California fashion, a Cypress Grove pop-up slinging artisan cheese plates. Oh, and there’s music too: If you like your meals paired with the stylings of Florence & The Machine, The Weekend, Beck and Bon Iver, this fest’s for you. Rest and recover at the centrally located Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco.

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Chef Fest, Hawaii

If cosying up to an intimate group of all-star chefs in one of the most exquisite natural settings in North America is your idea of a memorable holiday, make your way to
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in October for Chef Fest. Interactive cooking classes with such experts as Hugh Acheson, Brooke Williamson and Andy Ricker at the Resort’s outdoor kitchen are the main draw, but beach cookouts, al fresco tastings with local farmers and pre-brunch paddleboarding excursions further enhance the tropical environs. Treat yourself to the cocktail showcase at the Resort’s Palm Grove Pool and toast to the most tasteful of beach getaways.

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Salon du Chocolat, Paris

Held each fall at the Porte de Versailles expo centre about 15 minutes from
Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, Salon du Chocolat is one of several such shows around the world – but this one’s in Paris, a city famous for its sophisticated confections. The truffles and ganache here are enough to exhilarate any chocophile, but the centrepiece is the Salon’s unusual fashion show: Designers and chocolatiers collaborate on haute-couture outfits embellished with or delicately spun from chocolate.

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Prague Food Festival

Chances are a visit to Prague will lead to its majestic castle, a ninth-century marvel that is home to St Vitus Cathedral and the Renaissance-era Royal Garden. Here, just across the Vltava River from Four Seasons Hotel Prague, the Prague Food Festival unfolds each May. Don’t pass up a chance to consume the best dishes from Czech chefs – steak tartare and lamb ragout with bread dumplings, or perhaps sushi or empanadas – with the added zest of a fairy-tale dining spot.

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Taste of Sydney

Taste of Sydney pairs delicious bites with an al fresco setting.

Photography courtesy Taste of Sydney

Taste of Sydney

For four days in early March the all-encompassing Taste of Sydney festival takes over Sydney’s verdant Centennial Parklands, minutes from Four Seasons Hotel Sydney. Wine tastings and demos in butchery and baking add an interactive element, and an artisan marketplace of locally made ingredients and wares means you can savour the festival long after it’s over. More than 60 dishes from notable Sydney chefs like Mark Best and Nelly Robinson are the main attraction. Sample barbecued octopus, shrimp toast okonomiyaki and lamb skewers, then retreat to a glamping tent with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from the Adelaide Hills.

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Desserts at Dubai Food Festival

A chef prepares miniature desserts at the Dubai Food Festival.

Photography courtesy Dubai Food Festival

Dubai Food Festival

The Dubai Food Festival in February and March reflects the city’s rich diversity, attracting chefs like Jun Tanaka, Nikita Gandhi and Tim Read. Throughout the celebration, at various locations near Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and Four Seasons Hotel Dubai International Financial Centre, local restaurants roll out limited-edition menus sure to evoke extreme Instagram envy. Sit down in one of their dramatic dining rooms, or head to a food truck or al fresco pop-up at the festival’s Etisalat Beach Canteen. Learn a little something at a chef master class, tour an urban farm and nosh at a street food bazaar – all part of this robust 17-day event.

Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach

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Ubud Food Festival

From tofu to turmeric, the Ubud Food Festival – sister event to the Ubud Writers & Readers and Bali Emerging Voices festivals – puts Indonesia’s vast culinary landscape front and centre each April. Start by reading the story of the woman who adopted Bali as her home and launched this annual festival, located minutes from Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan. Then master macarons with Bali’s Prince of Pastry, Rafi Papazian; make the healing herbal drink jamu; cook with clay pots and wood-fired stoves in a traditional paon (Balinese kitchen); and breathe deeply at a fiery sambal cook-off. Beyond the kitchen, consider the intro course on Indonesian language and culture, led by an instructor from the Cinta Bahasa Indonesian Language School.

Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan

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27 New Ways to Eat (and Drink) Local

Posted on by Rebecca Troyer

Natives of Buenos Aires will tell you that you haven’t fully experienced Argentina until you’ve enjoyed an authentic asado-style meal – a revered weekend dining ritual where families and friends grill meats, tables are filled with salads and appetizers, and local red wines flow freely. You haven’t tasted Indonesia, locals say, until you’ve sampled babi guling, aka roast suckling pig, from the beach in Bali. And in Florence, it’s an unwritten rule that la passeggiata (a traditional evening stroll) is incomplete without a scoop of creamy gelato.

The fastest and most enjoyable way for travellers to immerse themselves in the culture of any corner of the world is to dive into the culinary scene – order traditional dishes, explore food markets and local farms, and speak to chefs and home cooks about their favourite recipes.

Taste of Place, a new series of fine dining experiences from Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, is designed so guests can do exactly that. Its goal is to bring travellers and locals who have an appetite for exploration together with the flavours and cultures of places like Cairo, Koh Samui and Lanai.

During these epicurean adventures, you’ll visit markets and farms to sample and gather fresh ingredients commonly used in local cuisine. Many experiences include cooking classes alongside expert chefs, where you’ll learn how the traditions and customs of a region are reflected in the preparation and seasoning of its food. And each Taste of Place offering includes one or more chef-prepared meals, served in an unforgettable setting.

Scroll through the gallery above to get a taste of specific food tourism offerings around the globe.

Taste of Place joins an already extensive portfolio of Four Seasons culinary innovations, including the recently launched “Culinary Discoveries” itinerary on board the Four Seasons Private Jet. This new itinerary, developed in partnership with René Redzepi and the Noma team, is a once-in-a-lifetime cross-continental culinary journey through the finest kitchens, freshest markets and most exquisite dining experiences in the world. Learn more about how you can see Europe and Asia through the eyes of a Michelin-starred chef here.

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Bali at Jimbaran Bay

7 Secret Off-Menu Dishes to Order Now

Posted on by Katie Chang

From a flavourful soup in Bahrain to an expertly aged rum cocktail in Koh Samui, chefs at Four Seasons hotels and resorts around the world are known for creating secret menu items with their own personal flair. For a truly exclusive dining experience, guests in the know should order one of these by-request-only dishes or drinks during their next evening out.

Elevated comfort food in St. Louis


Dia's cheese bread

Warm and comforting Dia’s Cheese Bread is inspired by Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis Chef Gerard Craft’s beloved childhood nanny.

Much of the inspiration for the menu at Cinder House at Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis comes from Chef Gerard Craft’s love of South American cuisine – his beloved childhood nanny, Dia, introduced him to its flavours. Today, many of the wood-fired dishes at the restaurant are an ode to Dia. “As an adult, I now recognize how much care she put into everything that she made,” Craft says. “Dia had the ability to evoke a sense of comfort from simple, fresh ingredients, and that’s something I hope always translates on the Cinder House menu.”

One of Dia’s most comforting dishes is only available by request: Dia’s Cheese Bread, or Pao De Queijo, was on Cinder House’s opening menu but now is a secret favourite among Cinder House regulars. The warm, pillowy pieces of fresh bread are best served with prosciutto and lardo or as the perfect accompaniment to a warm meal after a long day.

Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis

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Seafood Ramen in Bahrain


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For a twist on the traditional Asian dish, this Seafood Ramen combines local Bahraini prawns, black sea bass and clams alongside more traditional garnishes like a shoyu egg, fresh scallions and sesame.

It took 18 months for up-and-coming Bahraini Chef Lulwa Sowaileh at Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay to perfect her ramen noodles, experimenting with different textures and techniques until she was satisfied with the result. A change from the traditional dim sum and authentic robata-style grilled items she normally creates at re Asian Cuisine, a Wolfgang Puck restaurant, the dish is served with dashi broth – made by slow-cooking fish bones, shitake mushrooms, bonito flakes and kombu and seasoned with tamari and sea salt – fresh prawns, black sea bass and clams, and garnished with a shoyu egg, crispy shallots, lime, cilantro, fresh scallions and sesame.

Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay

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Vegan choices in Scottsdale


A green dish in Scottsdale

Chef Mel Mecinas’ vegan dishes, such as this asparagus risotto, add playful and healthy alternatives to the menu at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North.

Chef Mel Mecinas’ off-menu, six-course vegan tasting at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North was originally prepared to accommodate a vegan guest, but it has become so popular that it’s no longer just vegans asking for it. Driven by which fruits, vegetables and grains are in season, Mecinas is constantly creating new dishes that are healthful, deeply satisfying and playful, too.

His pappardelle, for example, is topped with a silky sauce made of tofu instead of cream or cheese, while his tartare swaps out beef with toothsome, hearty tomatoes, which give a similar meaty effect. If you’d like to try one of his creations, like asparagus risotto, or are wondering what new vegan dish he’s concocted, all you have to do is ask.

Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North

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Traditional delights in Egypt


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Chef Emad Ebeid of Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza enjoys preparing labour-intensive folk dishes for guests, such as koshari.

Zitouni at Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza specializes in Egyptian cuisine, but there are two traditional dishes that aren’t on the menu because they’re so labour-intensive. For guests who prefer more rural recipes, however, Chef Emad Ebeid doesn’t mind crafting his koshari, a hearty blend of lentils, rice and macaroni topped with a spicy tomato sauce and fried onions, or his rich oxtail stew.

“These are very ethnic folk dishes, mostly served in areas that are difficult to commute to by our guests, and also require special culinary preparations,” Ebeid says. “The challenge is producing a folk dish without compromising Four Seasons culinary perfection.”

Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza

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Exclusive caviar in Beverly Hills


Caviar tin

The mother-of-pearl dish bearing delicious and decadent Kaluga and Osetra caviar is made exclusively for Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel.

Photography courtesy of Stocksy

To cater to the sophisticated palates of locals and visiting guests alike, Chef Samir Roonwal of Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel makes sure certain ingredients are always on hand, available to those who know to ask. Kaluga and Osetra caviar, for example, arrives in a dazzling mother-of-pearl set made exclusively for the Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel. In addition, there are fresh truffles (white or black, depending on the season), which diners can request be added as an indulgent finish to anything from pasta to popcorn.

Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel

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Aged rum in Koh Samui


Tropical cocktails with mini umbrellas

The Aged Zombie at CocoRum includes a potent mix of three rums that have been aged for 60 days.

Tiki drinks are already enjoying a comeback, but at Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui the trend is being pushed even further with barrel aging, which lends cocktails unusual depth and complexity. Available only by request, the Aged Zombie at CoCoRum bar is a potent mix of three rums that have been aged for 60 days in an American oak barrel.

“It sounds a bit complicated,” says head bartender Samart Khethong, “but the result is this wonderfully smooth cocktail.” If you’re a vodka fan and want to continue imbibing under the radar, order an avocado martini and watch what happens.

Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui

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Upside-down pancakes in Lanai


Pastry on a white plate

Made with brown sugar and fresh local pineapple, the upside-down pineapple pancake is a favourite of regular guests at Four Seasons Resort Lanai.

Though it was a breakfast staple at ONE FORTY years ago, the upside-down pineapple pancake has since been removed from the menu at Four Seasons Resort Lanai. But guests with a taste for its sweet flavour and fresh pineapple can ask for a special order. To make each cake, a ring of the local fruit is mixed with pancake batter, brown sugar and clarified butter, then baked for 10 minutes before the whole thing is inverted onto a plate. The result is fluffy, not too sweet and distinctively Hawaiian.

Four Seasons Resort Lanai

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Hideaway in Abu Dhabi


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With a design that’s inspired by Al Capone’s prison cell and his infamous 1928 Cadillac, the Hideaway private dinning room at Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island is only accessible by an unmarked passageway.

An off-menu item is one thing, but Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island is taking dining secrecy to a whole new level with a hidden speakeasy that you have to find before you can even get the menu.

The newly launched Hideaway, a secret extension of Butcher & Still, can be reached only by knowing an insider at the property and locating the unmarked passageway. When you do secure access, you and 17 of your closest friends will be rewarded with your own private venue, with plenty of decadent eats, spirited cocktails and cigars on hand. The room’s retro design is inspired by Al Capone’s prison cell and his infamous 1928 bulletproof Cadillac.

Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island

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City at night

The Art of Zarandeado: A Mexican Tradition

Posted on by Alexandra Sheehan

For Chef Tonatiuh Cuevas, it was a simple family dinner on the beach in Nayarit, Mexico, that ignited his desire not only to cook, but to create true culinary experiences. “One of my most vivid memories is when I tasted for the first time the zarandeado fish under a palapa on the sandy beach,” he says. “The smell of the burning wood and the freshness of the sea bass got stuck in my heart.”

At ZANAYA, the newest restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City, Cuevas crafts authentic Mexican Pacific cuisine to share such memories with locals and guests from all over the world.


The menu’s star dish


Zanaya Tecuala Shrimps

Indulge in fresh seafood at ZANAYA with such delicacies as Tecuala Shrimps, which are cooked with butter and Cora chilli.

From ceviche to aguachile, each plate is prepared fresh with a “rod to fork” approach, showcasing quality ingredients from the Nayarit coast. Though all the dishes encapsulate authentic flavours of the region, the restaurant’s signature item is one that every visitor must try: Pescado Zarandeado, the dish that started it all.

“The fish is brought in fresh from San Blas, and it’s prepared over a [wood-fired brick oven], marinating slowly as it absorbs a wonderful wood flavour,” says ZANAYA General Manager José Adames.


Zanaya Zarandeado Fish

ZANAYA’s signature dish, Pescado Zarandeado, is marinated in a dried chile paste or lemon and beer.

A 500-year-old method for grilling fish, zarandeado originated in Nayarit, a Mexican state on the western coast with a reputation for rich, diverse cuisine. For a zarandeado dish, the fish is often split in half from head to tail before it’s grilled over hot coals in a wood-fired oven.

“The Zarandeado-style sea bass is our signature dish. I don’t think there is any other dish that could better represent ZANAYA Restaurant.” – Chef Tonatiuh Cuevas

Cuevas explains how he and others brought this traditional style of cooking to life at ZANAYA: “In order to maintain the authenticity, we built a traditional fire pit area that replicates the wooden oven cooking technique of the zarandeado’s original cooking style,” he says. “The method seems very straightforward – however, there are many details that need to be considered in order for them to work harmoniously.”

Bringing Nayarit heritage to Mexico City

Cuevas has a passion for cooking, and he’s on a mission to create food that embodies Mexican heritage and makes a memorable experience for anyone who tastes it. “That is what it is all about in this kitchen: to create authentic moments where the food is the star,” he says.

We want to deliver a true local experience to our guests that will be taken back with them to their countries of origin, and will translate into a great feeling towards Mexico. – Chef Tonatiuh Cuevas

In the plans for ZANAYA, the emphasis was on bringing tradition, culture and authenticity to the forefront – while taking a special place among the diverse dining options in Mexico City.

“From the places where we buy our products, the decoration, our inspiration, our cooking processes, our cooks and chefs – everything and everybody makes ZANAYA unique,” Cuevas says proudly. “The fact that we bring the ingredients and techniques to the city from an area that guarantees a high-quality product while honouring tradition is paramount to us.”


Zanaya Grilling Fish

At ZANAYA, fish is grilled over hot coals in a traditional wood oven, giving the dish a fresh, smoked flavour, while retaining the recipe’s 500-year-old cooking tradition.

General Manager José Adames wanted to bring that kind of energy and authenticity to the kitchen at the new restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City, and having Cuevas on staff was key.

Cuevas is able to tell the story about his food from its origin and transmit that love to his team and to our clients. – José Adames, General Manager

“[Cuevas] is from the Nayarit region originally,” he says. “He had a passion about food when I spoke to him. He understood the importance of local ingredients and the origin of the dishes he has created today for ZANAYA.”

Asked to describe in a single word what Mexican cuisine means to him, Cuevas demonstrates his vision for marrying food and heritage. “Culture,” he says. “Because it’s the sum of all the factors that define a cuisine: its local products, its geography, its heritage.”

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