据《华尔街日报》25日报道，来自全球各地的22名国家元首“御用”顶级厨师，于8月18-25日期间齐聚香港，参加一年一度的“御厨聚会”，分享为官员政要们掌勺的故事及经验教训。这些大厨全是“世界御厨协会”的会员。该协会由法国设计师吉勒·布拉加德于1977年成立，其成员曾为数十位总统和王室服务。协会口号是：“政治引人分歧，美食使人团结。”

        据悉，参加此次聚会的御厨当中包括为北京人民大会堂、美国总统奥巴马、英女王伊丽莎白二世及法国总统萨尔科齐服务的厨师。来自世界各地的御厨们都认为他们面临的最大挑战是在相对较短的时间内为各国元首提供满意的优质服务。

    The “Club des Chefs des Chefs” is a small crew consisting of 30 executive chefs who cook for a head of state. Formed in 1977 by French uniform designer Gilles Bragard, the group serves dozens of presidents and royalty. It operates under the motto “politics divides men, but a good meal unites them.”

    The club held this year’s annual gathering from August 18 to 25 in Hong Kong, the meeting’s first time in Asia. More than 20 club members met to discuss the demands of preparing state dinners and complying with the sometimes whimsical tastes of their bosses. 

    It was a first-time visit in Hong Kong for many of the chefs, including Cristeta Comerford (chef to U.S. President Barack Obama), Mark Flannagan (chef to Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain), and surprisingly, Guo Laizhu and Jin Lizeng (head chefs for the Great Hall of the People).

    The chefs shared war stories and lessons learned -- the hard way -- of serving officials and VIPs before sitting down to a meal of abalone at Hong Kong’s famed Ah Yat Seafood Restaurant.

1、Leaders’ preferences

    The consensus was that world leaders are increasingly valuing good health when it comes to diet. “President Hu [Jintao] and Premier Wen [Jiabao] both prefer a light diet and choose low-fat seafood and vegetables over meat,” said Ji Genfa, one of four Chinese chefs from Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.

    Mr. Obama and his family are also healthy eaters, according to Ms. Comerford, the only female chef at the event. She said tomatoes that she grows in the garden at the White House are among Mr. Obama’s favorite ingredients.

    Even French president Nicolas Sarkozy loves light food, according to Bernard Vaussion, who has now served four French presidents. “The former presidents adored traditional French cuisine with lots of plates on the table while Mr. Sarkozy prefers white meat and eats more fish,” he said.

    When asked to be specific about what each leader chooses for their favorite meal, the chefs were coy, joking that such information was a culinary state secret.

2、Chinese efficiency

    While most head-of-state chefs serve hundreds at three-hour-long state dinners, Mr. Guo and Mr. Jin said that they and their staff of 200 can serve a sit-down dinner for 6,000 people within an hour. “For cocktails or buffet, we can do 10,000 in one hour,” boasted Mr. Jin.     

    Though other chefs said that catering to persnickety VIPs can be stressful, that did not seem to ruffle the Chinese chefs. “If we avoid serving sea cucumber, which Westerners tend to hate, then it usually turns out okay,” said Mr. Guo. “We have no problems with the rest.”  

3、Short and sweet

    With all the work required to run a country, there is little time left for meals. Mr. Sarkozy reportedly prefers his meals served within a precise 50 minutes. Meals for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are so prompt that “you could set your clock by it,” said Mr. Flannagan, who has been cooking for the British royal family for 30 years.

4、Secret favorites

    Though it is one of the most popular questions asked of any head of state, prudent chefs avoid giving the answer. When word got out that Jacques Chirac liked tete de veau (calf’s head), the former French president had to endure eating the dish almost everywhere he went. “It was not even a favorite dish for him,” recalled Bernard Vaussion, who currently cooks for Mr. Sarkozy and has served as chef to five French presidents in the past 37 years. “After a while, you can imagine how sick he must’ve been of it. It was a lesson learned.”

▲Michelle Obama with her chef              ▲Cristeta Comerford