World Gourmet Festival announces chef roster for 26th year in Bangkok

The World Gourmet Festival will return to the Anantara Siam Bangkok for its 26^th edition this autumn, bringing together chefs from Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa under the theme A World of Flavours. The festival, one of Thailand’s longest-running culinary events, is co-curated by Barcelona-based agency Bon Vivant and will feature collaborative dinners, solo tasting menus, afternoon teas and brunch events across a six-day programme. Organisers have so far confirmed ten international chefs, with further names – including Thai chefs – expected to be announced closer to the opening.

Among those taking part is French chef Julien Royer, co-owner of Odette in Singapore, which holds three Michelin stars. Royer, whose approach is described as “essential cuisine”, works with seasonal produce and modern French technique. He is joined by Josiah Citrin, the chef behind Citrin, which holds one Michelin star, and the two-starred Mélisse, both in Santa Monica, California. Citrin has worked in the industry for three decades and combines French technique with Californian ingredients.

Colombian chef Álvaro Clavijo will travel from Bogotá, where his restaurant El Chato was ranked first on the Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Australian chef Dave Pynt returns to the festival after appearing last year; his Singapore restaurant Burnt Ends, which holds a Michelin star, specialises in open-flame cooking.

Georgiana Viou, culinary director of L’Ami in Benin, is also on the bill. A self-taught cook, Viou was the first African woman to be awarded a Michelin star, and her cooking draws on both Beninese and Mediterranean traditions. From Vietnam, Thanh Vuong Vo of the Michelin-starred CoCo Dining in Ho Chi Minh City will present dishes based on ancestral preservation techniques from his native coastal town of Phan Thiết, where he worked as a fisherman before entering the kitchen.

Two chefs from Anantara’s own properties are appearing. Paul Gamauf, who heads the Michelin-starred Edvard in Vienna, returns with a menu built around foraged ingredients and house-made ferments, while Heros De Agostinis of Ineo in Rome – also Michelin-starred – will present cooking influenced by his Abruzzese and Eritrean heritage. De Agostinis has worked alongside Heinz Beck and Joël Robuchon during his 30-year career.

The pastry side of the programme is represented by Eunjung Cho of Honeybee in Seoul, known for her bear-shaped cakes, which gained attention on social media. Shanghai-based Zee Yunze Zheng of Fabula completes the announced line-up. Zheng previously worked at Le Bernardin and Taian Table and combines East China Sea and Cantonese influences with European technique.

The host venue, Anantara Siam Bangkok, has 335 rooms and suites and sits in central Bangkok, with access to the private golf course at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club. The Michelin Guide has said of the property: “Often the grandest and most luxurious hotels lack a little something in the personality department, but that’s not the case with the Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel.”

Food Desk

The 26^th World Gourmet Festival takes place from 29^th September until 4^th October 2026 in Bangkok. For further information or to book tickets, visit the festival’s website here.