THE KING’S FEAST (II): TABLES OF ETERNITY
Welcome back to the Grand Egyptian Museum, transformed once again into a lavish King’s Feast honoring Egypt’s ancient cultural heritage; celebrating its bright culinary & creative future. For the 2nd edition of Cairo Food Week, curators Alchemy Experience unveil the next chapter in the chronicles of the King’s Feast, continuing the story where the first chapter left off, at the cusp of the afterlife. Delving into the wonders of rebirth, luminary creators Karim Mekhtigian, Mohamed Fares and Emy Hussein whisk Cairo Food Week’s guests on a wondrous journey through rebirth and into eternity - a fantastical utopian afterlife without the limitations of earthly living.
Written by Reem Khamis
“Our vision for Cairo Food Week has always been to shine a light on Egyptian cuisine and nurture a sense of collaboration across the industry.”
- Hoda El-Sherif, Founder Cairo Food Week.
In a true embodiment of the Cairo Food Week spirit, the King’s Feast: Tables of Eternity brings together the city’s leading creators and producers to imagine a futuristic afterlife where the limits are boundless, the bliss is eternal and the creativity flows endlessly. Effectively, what would the future look like if we reached for our wildest dreams.
This year, the journey begins at a familiar sight, the grand staircase of the Grand Egyptian Museum. Flower Bar sets the scene for this epic journey; guiding guests through ‘heavenly fields’ of Papyrus, surrounded by the historical monuments depicting our storied history, to the threshold of the afterlife and further down to the Temple Gardens where the lush fields give way to delicate ponds of floating lotus and gardens of florals, where history blends into the future.
“Food is about community, and with the sense of community we’ve felt this weekend, we can see that Cairo, and Cairo Food Week, are going to be the epicenter of gastronomy in the world.”
- Virgilio Martinez, Chef Patron of Central, Peru
The revelry truly begins once our hosts have welcomed guests to the King’s Feast, and to the opening night of the 2nd edition of Cairo Food Week. Notable speakers include this year’s guest of honor, Chef Virgilio Martinez of Central in Peru (World’s No.1 Restaurant 2023, World’s 50 Best Restaurants Award) followed by Cairo Food Week co-founders, Hoda El-Sherif & Sherif Tamim, and finally Alchemy Experience co-founders Karim Mekhtigian, Mohamed Fares & Emy Hussein. With their final words, the feast is revealed beyond the mirrored surfaces creating an illusion of infinity, magnifying the space and with it the feelings of the night’s grandeur. ZanadTV’s mesmerizing visuals complete the sensory immersion into this imagined garden of Eden. Centered within this fantasy is the sprawling spread of edible delicacies, once again curated by The Smokery and Chef Erwan Laurenceau, set atop the surface of the iconic 20 meter-long stone table expertly chiseled by industry mavens Marmonil.
In similar fashion, the menu interlaces references to Egyptian culinary traditions with modern gastronomic influences, delighting our palettes with creations like tomato jelly and basil flatbread, foie gras with crispy rice, tilapia goulash and breaded oxtail; a fusion of past and present in every bite. Tying it all together, Chef Erwan takes center stage to celebrate one more legacy - The Smokery’s unparalleled legacy of premium locally produced smoked salmon, with displays of salmon freshly carved and flame torched to create the torched salmon pomegranate, and a selection of sushi rolls.
On nights like these, history is being written. Not just a history of Egypt or Cairo Food Week, but a global history of uniting cultures through food as a universal language.
- Sherif Tamim, Co-founder Cairo Food Week
Hummingbird’s bespoke cocktails tantalize with their seamless blend of the familiar and the unexpected, keeping guests guessing at the flavors on the tips of their tongues. In continuing tradition, the cocktail menu features ancient ingredients given new form like the grain and malted barley spirits infused throughout, or the clarified saccharum (sugarcane) and elderberry in the ‘Officinarum’. Other ingredients take guests by surprise both at their unorthodox application and in their innovative preparations. Elements like fermented agave and Peat smoke lend earthiness to the cocktails, while gomme, a sweetening syrup derived from the gum arabic, an ingredient more commonly used in desserts as a binding agent, provide a deeper grounded sweetness than traditional simple syrup.
A story is only as powerful as its reach, which is why this year patrons of the art LMD, and the Cairo Design District, come on board to help tell the story to a wider audience of creatives and craftsmen across the design industry. Conveying the journey of the King’s Feast through visual and written storytelling to intrigue the enthusiasts, encourage the achievers, inspire the visionaries and excite every creator to believe in more, for themselves, for the industry and for Egypt on a global scale.
Beyond celebrating the launch of Cairo Food Week each year, The King’s Feast is a celebration of the creative industry as a whole, touching on all aspects of design through the meticulous execution of even the finest details. From the major undertaking of transforming the Grand Egyptian Museum into a fantastical realm through spatial design and art installations. To the intricate details of the now iconic 20-meter decadent feasting table including the historical relevance of every morsel. To the tailored outfits created to enable the service staff to blend in to the historical aesthetic of the venue, continuing the illusion of being transported out of present time into a magnificent historic realm. The King’s Feast continues to be a celebration rooted in the past, looking towards a bright and inclusive future that brings the entire creative industry to the same table.
