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The children of Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital were treated to sweets prepared by the culinary masters of La Club des Chef des Chef. These are the chefs of presidents, prime ministers, and royalty from around the world and they recently visited “The Pope’s hospital” to share some sweets and smiles with the kids.
An elusive club, to be sure, chefs of La Club des Chef des Chef may only join if they are actively serving as the personal chef of a world leader. The group's name is a play on words: in French, the word “chef” can be used to mean “kitchen chef” as well as "chief" or "boss."
According to a press release, all of the 20 current members attended the event, although only seven of these top-quality chefs participated in the preparations. They conducted their work from the kitchen of the Palazzo del Quirinale, one of the presidential residences of Italy.
There, the chefs made crunchy hazelnut heart biscuits, chocolate diamonds, cookies, and Monegasque focaccia, as well as biscuits in three flavors: vanilla, lemon, and coconut.
Led by Fabrizio Boca, executive chef of the Palazzo del Quirinale, the baking team also included: Christian Garcia, president of the Club des Chefs des Chefs (Principality of Monaco), Mark Flanagan (United Kingdom), Fabrice Desvignes (France), Cristeta Comerford (USA), Franck Panier (Luxembourg), and Dominique Bugnand (Thailand).
Fabrizio Boca commented on the joy the team took in both creating the sweets and passing them out to the children of Bambino Gesù:
"We are very happy to have been here this afternoon to deliver the cookies; we hope to have also given the gift of a few smiles and a few minutes of lightheartedness.” Boca said. “Thanks to the Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital for the opportunity and hospitality. We hope that this collaboration can find other occasions in the future. Thanks also to my fellow Chefs, who offered to prepare the best recipes for this moment of shared happiness."
The chefs distributed their sweets from the Castello dei Giochi – the hospital’s outdoor play area called the “Castle of Games” – where they were able to see the kids’ reactions to tasting their sweets. It also gave them the chance to interact with the children, who had a lot of questions about their work as chefs.
Tiziano Onesti, president of Bambino Gesù, expressed his thanks to the chefs, noting how well the children responded to the event:
"Initiatives like these fill our hearts with joy because they help ‘our’ children and ‘our’ young people to brighten up their stay in hospital," Onesti commented in a press release. "I would like to thank the Club des Chefs des Chefs and the Quirinale which, with this beautiful gesture of attention towards the little patients, has reaffirmed the relationship of mutual esteem that unites the two institutions committed to the well-being of the neediest sections of the population."
