The “Bordeaux Imperial” night which kicked off Vila Vita Parc’s 3rd “Fine Wines & Food Fair” set the bar high. The week-long event once again featured international top chefs, food producers and winemakers.

However, Saturday was the night for which everyone was waiting. “Street food on steroids” is a unique concept developed by Vila Vita Parc, one which has been fine-tuned since 2013 when the first "Kitchen Party" was held.

The specialness is the interaction with what we eat and who created it. Imagine a Michelin-star chef (20 multiple Michelin star chefs in action) plating up and serving you his dish; your glass of wine poured by the winery’s owner (wines from Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Germany and Austria); the producer offering a piece of cheese or ham; a spoon of Imperial Caviar handed you by the European importer/distributor.

Food and wine stations were scattered around the resort’s newly-redeveloped Clubhouse in restaurants, on the terrace, in the kitchen where a live band was playing.

Guests - including a contingent from the Bailliage of Algarve (Kurt Gillig, General Manager of Vila Vita Parc, is Bailli Honoraire) - mingled freely in a fun, relaxed environment. Chatting with chefs and winemakers, tasting and re-tasting gourmet cuisine without ceremony, was the order of the day.

Congratulations to Vila Vita’s team and the legions of staff drafted in for the event. The service was, quite simply, superb. 350 guests were at the kitchen party with 100 staff. Waiters appeared as if by magic whisking away dishes and glasses. By the time the food stations finished serving and the after-party started, everything was spic and span.

Patrick Stuart
portugualresident.com

The “Portugal Resident” website and the “Algarve Resident” newspaper are published by MMS Publishing, a subsidiary of the Open Media Group. The Algarve Resident newspaper, published weekly since 1989, is the Algarve's leading English language newspaper.

Official photos are shown as “© Vasco Célio / Stills” - other images are courtesy of Bailli Délégué Aníbal Soares and Chargé de Missions Jean Ferran