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Celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck is back in Bahrain for some dinner dates and to feed his passion for Formula One.
As well as cooking up special dishes at his named restaurants at a five-star hotel in the kingdom, he will be checking out the track action at Sakhir.
“Of course I will be going to the race in Bahrain!” he told GulfWeekly. “I’ve travelled the world to go to many grand prix events – from Monaco to Singapore, Canada to Indianapolis.
“I love F1, it’s one of my favourite sports but I also love Bahrain because the people are friendly and always make me feel welcome. I will be bringing my family along with me so we can all enjoy the great things Bahrain has to offer.”
Wolfgang, 67, met his wife, Ethiopian-born designer Gelila Assefa, in a restaurant, and they have two school-age sons, Oliver and Alexander. He also has two elder children, Cameron and Byron.
“As a kid my dream was to become a race car driver, like so many others,” he said. “But my family was poor so I figured cooking would be a great second option, that way I knew we could always eat well!”
During his visit to the kingdom last year he spoke of his tough upbringing. At the age of 14 he lost his first job in a hotel kitchen after being blamed for not buying and peeling enough potatoes for the weekend rush by an angry chef. Frightened and with too much pride to return home to an abusive father, he stood for hours contemplating whether to jump off a bridge into the river below and end his misery.
Fortunately for food-lovers across the globe he plucked up enough courage to walk back to the hotel in the historic town of Villach on the southern border of Austria and secure a job helping in the kitchen at a smaller sister property. And, as the saying goes, persistent Puck never looked back. He moved from Europe to the US and very quickly garnered the attention of the Hollywood elite as chef and eventually part-owner of Ma Maison in West Hollywood.
Wolfgang went on to create his flagship restaurant, Spago, and with signature dishes like pizza topped with smoked salmon and caviar, Michelin-starred Puck became a sensation, and Spago, Italian slang for spaghetti, a world-famous culinary destination.
He went on to open many award-winning restaurants, building a hospitality industry empire.
Four Seasons extended its long-standing relationship with him with the opening of two signature restaurants and a lounge at its Bahrain Bay property and is planning weekend parties. He said: “I can’t wait to visit the local farmers and cheese-makers, and use their products to create new dishes back in our kitchens.”
He is also hoping the motor sport action at Bahrain International Circuit will be just as tasty as a result of the new found competitiveness between Mercedes and Ferrari.
One of Wolfgang’s all-time favourite drivers is Niki Lauda, a regular visitor to the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in recent years as a media commentator. The Austrian former three-time F1 World Drivers’ Champion, winning in 1975, 1977 and 1984, is currently the only driver to have been champion for both Ferrari and McLaren, the sport’s two most successful constructors.
“I have always loved Niki Lauda,” he said. “The late Jochen Rindt and Ayrton Senna were also among my favourites. Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel are my top two currently competing.”
