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Described as a chic gift, the Lady Chefs box contains 18 pralines and comes with its own matching gift bag |
BELGIUM. In a major launch at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes next month, Belgian chocolatier Neuhaus will introduce a gift product harnessing the skills of nine internationally renowned female chefs.
Described as chic and elegant, the new Lady Chefs gift box contains 18 pralines with innovative flavours from around the world. The chefs – including one with three Michelin stars – have each created a praline for Neuhaus.
The Lady Chefs box will be available from September 2010 and special launches are planned at major airports this Fall.
The product has been created as a gift for employees or business partners. Design details include the fashionable quilting effect on the high-quality pink and brown gift box; a brown ribbon tied elegantly round the product; and a matching pink and brown gift bag.
Said Neuhaus International Sales Director Philip Geeraert: “Lady Chefs is another unique gift that will help drive growth in the premium segment”¦ It is so very different from anything that is offered and will delight the most demanding connoisseurs; it’s a real experience.”
The Moodie Report was present at the launch earlier this month in Brussels, where Neuhaus displayed its meticulous attention to detail in every aspect of the event. The guests sat down to a gastronomic feast based on recipes created by some of the nine Lady Chefs who had developed the new product.
Pink roses, matching the colour of the gift packaging, adorned the dining-room at the Square Meeting Place, which offered a spectacular 360-degree view of the Belgian capital city. Among the VIP guests were famous TV chef Dirk de Prins and several of the Lady Chefs themselves.
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Neuhaus Chief Executive Officer Jos Linkens addresses guests at the launch event in Brussels earlier this month |
Nine chefs create exclusive pralines
Neuhaus selected all nine chefs based on their talent and influence in the gastronomic world, and every chef drew inspiration from her roots, experience and favourite ingredients.
Hélène Darroze (France and UK): Darroze is the chef at two renowned Michelin-starred restaurants: Hélène Darroze in Paris and The Connaught in London. She created an intense dark ganache with a hint of piment d’Espelette and raspberry.
Trish Deseine (UK): Deseine is a successful Irish author of gastronomic books, which have been translated in many languages and sold worldwide. She created a gianduja praline with shortbread and ganache with caramel and fleur de sel, covered with a layer of dark chocolate.
Patricia Desmedt (Belgium): Desmedt grew up in her mother’s restaurant “˜t Oud Konijntje in Waregem and eventually took it over, adding a personal touch which gave her one star. This Belgian chef created a ganache with Jalapeno pepper and a nougatine gianduja, covered with dark chocolate.
Sofie Dumont (Belgium): Dumont is the chef of restaurant Les Eleveurs in Halle and became Lady Chef of the Year in 2009. This young chef created a ganache with marzipan, with a hint of olive oil and little pieces of cocoa beans, covered with dark chocolate.
Annie Féolde (Italy and Japan): Féolde is a three-star chef. She and her husband manage two restaurants: Enoteca Pinchiorri in Italy and Japan. Féolde created a praline with nuts and orange ganache with cinnamon and coriander, covered with milk chocolate.
Léa Linster (Luxembourg): Linster, a passionate defender of gastronomic culture and the fine art of dining, discovers the world by using different aromas and flavours. She made a praline with almonds and orange peel on a nougatine of almonds, covered with milk chocolate.
Arabelle Meirlaen (Belgium): Meirlaen is the chef of restaurant Li Cwerneu in Huy. Her talent was rewarded with one star and many other awards. She developed a ganache with Sancho pepper and a crunchy gianduja, covered with milk chocolate.
Thomasina Miers (UK): Miers became famous thanks to her BBC television programme “Masterchef”. She draws her inspiration from Mexico, writes a lot of cooking books, appears on TV on a regular basis and leads two Wahaca restaurants. She developed a praliné with nougat and dark ganache with chili, covered with dark chocolate.
Fina Puigdevall (Spain): Puigdevall has been awarded with two stars and is chef of Les Cols. She is famous for her intimate recepies. Her ganache with walnuts and herbs is covered with dark chocolate.
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Neuhaus International Sales Director Philip Geeraert speaks to The Moodie Report Brands Editor Mary Jane Pittilla |
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Guests sat down to a gastronomic feast based on recipes created by some of the nine Lady Chefs |
About Neuhaus
Neuhaus was founded in 1857, when pharmacist Jean Neuhaus opened a shop in Brussels with his brother-in-law in Galerie de la Reine. In the cellars below his premises he started to make bonbons, which gradually became a leading chocolate and patisserie business. In 1912, his grandson became the first to launch a chocolate-coated bonbon, which he named the “praline”. But it was not until after World War One that the praline gift box – the ballotin – was introduced. Having grown over the years, the Neuhaus Group has today become an independent manufacturer of chocolate pralines, chocolate and quality biscuits. The company enjoys a world-wide reputation, operating mainly in the high-class praline market under the Neuhaus brand name. Neuhaus is a supplier by appointment to the Court of Belgium.
