EUROPA’S Best 2013 in Antwerp: Gourmet Event Extraordinaire

[HostDave]

Numerous Michelin-starred chefs, winegrowers, chocolatiers, fromagers and pâtissiers joined together on board the world’s only 5-star-plus-cruise ship (according to Berlitz Cruise Guide 2013), in order to treat the guest to extraordinary culinary creations at this year’s EUROPA’s Best. As part of EUROPA’s cruise from Lisbon to Hamburg, more than 30 top gastronomic participants embarked the ship in Antwerp, where they converted the Lido deck into a gourmet paradise.

MS EUROPA chef Stefan Wilke welcomed the gastronomic elite on board and together they demonstrated creative and ingenious dishes at the various cooking units such as “braised cheek and ravioli of veal on a bed of vegetable strips topped with a light sauce madère, truffles, and caviar” and “pickled, white slice of halibut on fragrant rice and pineapple-mango-chutney, macadamia nuts and kaffir lime” or “marinated Arctic char with green apple, apple blossoms, clover leaf and caviar.”

Selected vineyards presented their exquisite wines to accompany the meals, and chocolatiers, patissiers and fromagers offered a selection of the most exclusive desserts and cheese specialities.

Next year, the international (German/English) gourmet cruise featuring the event “EUROPA’S Best” will take place from 10 June until 24 June 2014 (14 days) and will sail the guests from Lisbon/ Portugal to Hamburg/ Germany, calling at Bilbao/ Spain, St.-Jean-de-Luz/ France, Bordeaux/ France, Le Palais/ France, St. Helier/ Great Britain, St. Peter Port/ Great Britain, Greenwich (London)/ Great Britain and Antwerp/ Belgium, rates start at €5.680 per person, cruise-only fare.

Participants 2013:

MS EUROPA Chefs:
Stefan Wilke, MS EUROPA
Dieter Müller, Restaurant Dieter Müller

Guest Chefs:
Karlheinz Hauser, Restaurant Seven Seas, 2 Michelin stars, 3 Gault Millau toques, Germany
Heinz Otto Wehmann, Landhaus Scherrer, 1 Michelin star, 2 Gault Millau toques, Germany
Johanna Maier, Restaurant Johanna Maier & Söhne, 2 Michelin stars, 3 Gault Millau toques, Austria
André Jaeger, Restaurant Fischerzunft, 1 Michelin star, 4 Gault Millau toques, Switzerland
Steffen Mezger, Bayerischer Hof, 1 Michelin star, 3 Gault Millau toques, Germany
Olivier de Vinck, Restaurant Kommilfoo, 1 Michelin star, 2 Gault Millau toques, Belgium
Harald Wohlfahrt, Restaurant Schwarzwaldstube, 3 Michelin stars, 4 Gault Millau toques, Germany
Niko Burkhardt, Restaurant OLIVO, 1 Michelin star, Germany
Michael Hoffmann, Restaurant Margaux, 1 Michelin star, 3 Gault Milau toques, Germany

Winegrowers:
Weingut Schneider, Schlossgut Diel, Prinz von Hessen, Weingut Heger, Weingut Dönnhoff, Weingut Bründelmayer, Weingut Torres, and Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg

Additional participants:
Otto Gourmet, BOS Food, Giovanni L., Patisserie Walter, Finca Marina, Van Nahmen, Becking Kaffee, Veronique Witzigmann, Fromagier Antony, Caviar House & Prunier, and Piekfeine Brände