Blanc gathers culinary elite for American food festival

Raymond Blanc wants British chefs and industry professionals to contribute to the future of food by attending the free open debates being held at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons during his American Food Revolution festival next week.

The debates take place in the mornings from Friday 16 April to Wednesday 21 April on subjects including the viability of gastronomic restaurants, what the future holds for farming, and who will create tomorrow's food.

In addition to the leading US chefs brought in to cook during the festival (Caterer, 18 March, page 38), Blanc has invited French and British culinary heavyweights to take part in the debates. Among the speakers to be discussing the political and economical issues surrounding gastronomy, to be held on Friday 16 April, will be Jacques Pourcel, chef-patron of three-Michelin-starred Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier, Sir Terence Conran, Wylie Dufresne, chef-proprietor of WD-50 in New York and celebrated US food writer Jeffrey Steingarten.

On Saturday 17 April, Michelin Guide director Derek Brown and culinary legend Pierre Troisgros will be discussing with our own stars Heston Blumenthal, chef-proprietor of the Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, and Michael Caines, chef-proprietor of Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Devon, whether gastronomy should reinvent itself. Heading up the US camp will be chefs Charlie Palmer of Aureole in Las Vegas and Patrick O'Connell of the Inn at Little Washington with Dr Tim Ryan from the Culinary Institute of America and Nina Zagat of the Zagat Guides.

Later in the week-long festival, Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray of London's River Caf‚ will be among the panellists discussing the future of agriculture, while three- and two-starred French chefs Michel Bras and Olivier Roellinger will look at the role of food processors and retailers within their debates. Three-starred L'Esperance chef-patron Marc Meneau will join food nutritionist Amanda Ursell and cookery writer Delia Smith on the final day of the festival to discuss the impact of fast food on our culture.

Entry to the debates is free. They start at 9.30am for coffee and run from 10am to 1pm. Each debate is scheduled to last for one hour and will be followed by 20 minutes for questions.

For further information on the festival's programme, or to make a reservation for lunch or dinner, contact Nina Colls on 01844 278881 or by e-mail on americanfoodrevolution@blanc.co.uk or visit www.manoir.com.