Ahead of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony in February, chefs and food lovers gathered at a special brunch organised by Official Water Sponsor S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna. Held at Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok’s Sala Rim Naam restaurant, the barbecue brunch welcomed the region’s top chefs including 2017 Lifetime Achievement Awardee Umberto Bombana. Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok created an sumptuous spread featuring a majestic barbecue teepee; this was followed by a fashion show inspired by the charming characters of S.Pellegrino, Acqua Panna and SanPellegrino Sparkling Fruit Beverages. S.Pellegrino’s international relations manager Clément Vachon and Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants academy chair for SEA-North, Mason Florence, spoke about the current edition of S.Pellegrino Young Chef, a global culinary competition in search for the next best young chef. Kirk Westaway, chef de cuisine of Jaan and 2015 Southeast Asia finalist, also shared how the competition propelled his career.