The upcoming music fest is to be accompanied by a Bhutanese banquet of sorts

Festival: To complement the upcoming music festival, the Bhutan International Food Festival (BIFF), will take place at the clock tower square in Thimphu from February 19 to 22 this year.

The food fest, an event running as part of the first annual Bhutan International Festival (BhIF), and organised by the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Bhutan (HRAB), will see a gamut of local dishes for Bhutanese crowds, as well as fusion dishes created by renowned chefs.

HRAB’s chairman Thinley Palden Dorji said the food festival was organised to render a platform for Bhutanese cuisine to be highlighted, showcased and developed into a cuisine that could be at par with other international cuisines.

Around 20 participants, comprising high-end hotels to fast food restaurants, mostly based in Thimphu, and international chefs, will open food stalls at the Clock Tower Square during the four-day food festival.

The food festival, meanwhile, will also be joined by the star chef team Daniel Mattern and Roxana Jullapat of Cooks County, the famous restaurant in Los Angeles.  The couple is renowned and frequently featured for their works in food magazines and blogs globally.

The chef couple will also present their interpretation of what Bhutanese foods could look like during the food festival, and conduct master class workshops for interested local chefs and cooks in Thimphu.

The food festival, according to HRAB, is a part of HRAB’s undertaking to celebrate the 35th birth anniversary of His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, and the 60th birth anniversary of the Fourth Druk Gyalpo.

HRAB is a federation of hotels and restaurants from across the country.  Members range from restaurants to small family-owned properties to major convention hotels.  It is a non-profit, apolitical, mutual benefit organisation formed in September 2007 by a group of enthusiastic hoteliers.

By Younten Tshedup