SUGAR Beach, a Viceroy Resort last night partnered with Christian Garcia, Chef to HSH Prince Albert of Monaco and a member of the Club des Chefs des Chefs of State, to host a gala dinner to raise much-needed funds for the Bouton Combined School.
The school, which is located in an underprivileged community near the town of Soufriere, is facing financial challenges and has been unable adequately accommodate its complement of close to 100 students.
Proceeds from the gala dinner held at Sugar Beach’s Great Room restaurant, will go towards building a resource centre at the school designed to house a library, classroom and computer lab. The cost of building the centre has been estimated at around US$30,000.
The six course dinner devised by Chef Garcia and Sugar Beach Executive Chef Jacques Chretien, l featured the freshest local produce from organic farmers on the island, prime cuts of meats donated by St Lucian company Crown Foods, and gourmet delicacies such as langoustine and sea scallops from Faye Gastronomies in France.
Each of the six courses was paired with fine wines, including a donated selection from Rhone Valley vintners Jean Luc Colombo wines and Alsace wines from BottetFreres.
“We are delighted that Chef Christian Garcia is partnering with us for such a prestigious charity event and to donate his valuable time to this project.
“The prospect of tasting dishes prepared by the chef to His Serene Highness Prince Albert is truly exciting especially with the knowledge that each mouthful is helping to raise the funds needed to build a vital resource centre for the Bouton Combined School,” said Sugar Beach General Manager, Andre Boersma.
Chef Garcia began his career at the Monte-Carlo Beach and Hotel Hermitage before joining the Hotel de Paris from 1982 to 1987. In April that same year he had the opportunity to work for HSH The Prince Rainier III and the royal family of Monaco.
What should have been a temporary position became a full time job and in 2003, HSH Prince Albert appointed Chef Garcia as Chef of the Prince’s Palace of Monaco.
Other special guests included Gill Bragard, the owner of Bragard Company—the maker of the world’s best chefs’ uniforms, and the founder of Club Chefs des Chefs of State, and Dominique Faye, owner of Faye Gastronomies.
Guests at the dinner not only enjoyed a sumptuous menu fit for gourmands, but also had the opportunity to bid on auction items including stays at Viceroy Resorts, a Chef’s jacket from HSH Prince Albert of Monaco, and cases of Grand Cru wine.