Tour Marks Latest Edition of American Express and the Asian Food Channel’s Celebrity Chefs Event Series

Singapore, 25 January 2011 – American Express and the Asian Food Channel (AFC) are pleased to present the fourth instalment of their jointly-organised Celebrity Chefs Event Series. Chef Martin Yan from Martin Yan’s China showing on AFC, will be returning to the fine shores of Singapore to host Martin Yan's "8 Treasures of China" Tour on 2 and 3 March.

Martin Yan’s "8 Treasures of China" Tour marks the fourth instalment of the Celebrity Chefs Event Series. Held over two days in Singapore, Chef Yan will be demystifying the art of Chinese cooking through a series of cooking demonstrations and ticketed dinners for members of the public, with separate sessions organised exclusively for American Express Cardmembers. Event participants can look forward to a light-hearted culinary experience filled with Chef Yan’s characteristic warmth, witty sense of humour and lively energy that has captured the attention and hearts of millions of fans around the world. Besides watching Chef Yan in action at the AFC Studio, participants will get to catch one of the most promising chefs from The St. Regis Singapore, Chef William Tan, as he rounds up the cooking demonstration by showcasing a collaborative recipe with Chef Yan.

Fondly known for coining the phrase “If Yan can cook, so can you!” Chef Yan is also recognised internationally as an accomplished Master Chef, food consultant and prolific author. In his bookMartin Yan's China, Chef Yan takes a fascinating trek through the sights, sounds and tastes of China, and explores the four schools of Chinese cuisine: the Mongol-inspired flavours of the North, the Cantonese seafood of the South, the fiery Szechuan meals of the West and the delicious Shanghainese specialties of the East.

First introduced in May 2010, the Celebrity Chefs Event Series has seen popular AFC chefs get up close and personal with their fans, cooking aficionados and gourmands. The first event kicked off with French culinary expert Laura Calder’s first visit to Singapore. Laura is the star of the popular show, French Food at Home, on AFC. In August, Robert Rainford, host of Licence to Grill on AFC, turned up the heat as he served a sumptuous array of barbecue delights. In November, pastry and culinary expert, Anna Olson, prepared her famous sweet treats at live baking demonstrations held at the AFC Studio, and delighted guests with her culinary expertise at ticketed dinners. All events were sold out affairs.

Maria Brown, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Asian Food Channel, said, "It has been an incredible journey working with American Express over the past months. Together we have brought world-renowned chefs like Laura Calder, Robert Rainford and Anna Olson to take the Celebrity Chefs Events Series to even greater heights. These prolific chefs have shared their years of experience and knowledge in the culinary arts with their fans, and the amazing response we received from all the events so far is testament to AFC’s commitment to providing unique culinary experiences to our viewers and American Express Cardmembers alike. This time, we are excited to have Martin Yan come in as our fourth celebrity chef. Chef Yan is a household name to many of us here in Asia, and we are glad to bring such a familiar face closer to his fans."

Simon Kahn, Singapore Country Manager, American Express, said, "American Express is committed to catering to our customers' aspirations, interests and lifestyles. The Celebrity Chefs Event Series is a great way for us to delight our Cardmembers with an interest in fine dining. Our Cardmembers have loved the exclusive experiences presented in the last three Celebrity Chefs Events, and we are confident that the latest edition with Chef Martin Yan will prove to be yet another success." In all Celebrity Chefs Events, American Express proprietary Cardmembers enjoy exclusive benefits including priority booking access and preferential rates.

Dining, especially premium dining, is a permanent highlight for American Express Cardmembers. Besides receiving the Feed at Raffles benefit and year-long dining privileges that the Selects programmes offers at more than 340 dining outlets island-wide with their Card, they also get to enjoy premium dining experiences specially organised for them. Recent events included a special eight-course Spanish degustation dinner with three Michelin-starred Chef Santi Santamaria and a private dinner with cricket legends Sir Ian Botham and Allan Lamb. In March 2011, American Express is partnering with Dining City again to provide exclusive pre-booking privileges for Restaurant Week.

This edition of the Celebrity Chefs Event Series cooking demonstrations will be held at the AFC Studio in Orchard Central, while the dinners will be hosted at The St. Regis Singapore’s award-winning signature restaurant, Yan Ting. The AFC Studio is a lifestyle concept store that boasts a fully-equipped kitchen and café with retail offerings of AFC merchandise, culinary books and kitchen products. Amidst an elegant contemporary setting, dinner participants will stand to experience the fine dining ambience and hallmark personalised service at Yan Ting.

American Express and Asian Food Channel present Martin Yan’s "8 Treasures of China" Tourfrom 2 to 3 March 2011. Registration for the public cooking demonstration and dinner will start on Wednesday, 16 February 2011. More information on Martin Yan’s "8 Treasures of China" Tour is available at the AFC Studio website, www.theafcstudio.com.

Enclosed: Annex A – Schedule of events for Martin Yan’s “8 Treasures of China” Tour.

About Asian Food Channel

The channel leads the ratings in its territories, regularly achieving the #1 lifestyle channel in terms of popularity and loyalty. It has achieved a broad following from young teenage food lovers and empty nesters to trendy urban females and aspiring male chefs. Its online presence supports the channel with programme information, recipes, content and an e-commerce store. As such AFC regularly executes 360 degree advertising and marketing campaigns and solutions for leading FMCG, Financial and Travel brands.

AFC broadcasts on:
• StarHub Channel 435 (Singapore)
• Astro Channel 703 (Malaysia)
• First Media Digital 1 Channel 76 (Indonesia)
• Prime Indovision Channel 22 (Indonesia)
• now TV Channel 527 (Hong Kong)
• Skycable Channel 22 (Philippines)
• LiveTV Channel 6 (Thailand)
• Telkom Vision Channel 33 (Indonesia)

Please visit www.asianfoodchannel.com for more information

About AFC Studio
The AFC Studio is the Asian Food Channel’s (AFC) first retail store situated in the heart of Singapore. A culinary haven for all gourmands, foodies and homemakers, the AFC Studio offers a wide range of original AFC merchandise, trendy cookware and an extensive cookbook library.

A highlight of the AFC Studio is its café section which serves delectable desserts, pastries and beverages made fresh daily by AFC’s very own in-house chef and culinary team.

In addition, the AFC Studio is also equipped with a state-of-the-art kitchen, making it the perfect venue to host parties and corporate functions that involve a fun and educational cooking experience. Since its opening in 2009, the AFC Studio has housed many AFC celebrity chefs, and a number of other culinary talents from around the world.

Besides offering both hands-on cooking classes and demonstrations, the AFC Studio also serves as a studio for the filming of original AFC productions, and is a must-see for many fans of the channel.

To find out more about the AFC Studio, cooking workshops or view an updated class schedule, please visitwww.theafcstudio.com.

About American Express
American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success.

Learn more at www.americanexpress.com and connect with us onwww.facebook.com/americanexpress, www.twitter.com/americanexpress andwww.youtube.com/americanexpress.

About The St. Regis Singapore
The St. Regis Singapore takes its place among the world’s finest hotels. Positioned at the top of the market, offering timeless elegance and peerless service synonymous with the St. Regis name, it is the first St. Regis hotel to open in South East Asia and also the first new internationally branded luxury hotel to open in Singapore in 11 years.

Since its grand opening in April 2008, The St. Regis Singapore has earned prestigious accolades and named one of the best new hotels by renowned publications, including Condé Nast Traveller Hot List 2008, Travel + Leisure IT list 2008, Robb Report Best of the Best List 2008, and Elite Traveller’s 101 Top Suites in the World.

For more information on The St. Regis Singapore, please visit www.stregissingapore.com

For more information, please contact:
For the Asian Food Channel

Kimberly Mah
Account Manager, Fulford PR
Tel: +65 6324 2504
Email: kmah@fulfordpr.com 

Jannah Ismaeil
Account Executive, Fulford PR
Tel: +65 6324 5302
Email: jismaeil@fulfordpr.com 

For American Express

Loh Wei Ling
Head, Public Affairs & Communications, ASEAN
American Express International Inc.
Tel: +65 6317 6391
Email: weiling.loh@aexp.com

[1] Excludes American Express Corporate Cards and American Express Cards issued by DBS or UOB. Other terms and conditions apply. [2] Card benefits vary with different American Express Cards.

Annex A: Schedule of events for Martin Yan’s “8 Treasures of China” Tour

American Express Cardmembers’ Exclusive: 

American Express Cardmembers enjoy 20% off the total price when they use their 
American Express Cards* to book a cooking demo and dinner bundle.
Wednesday, 2 March 2011

Cooking demonstration with food sampling
Time: 12.30pm – 2.30pm 
Venue: AFC Studio, 181 Orchard Road #07-02 Orchard Central, Singapore 238896
Price: S$88 ++ service charge and GST 

Dishes featured: 
Siu Mai with Spicy Tomato Sauce 
Yin Yang Vegetable Pocket 
Spring Rolls with Spicy Avocado Dip

Sit-down dinner with short cooking demonstration 
Time: 7:00pm - 10:30pm
Venue: Yan Ting, The St. Regis Singapore
29 Tanglin Road, Singapore 247911
Price: S$175.00 ++ service charge and GST 

Dinner Menu:

Appetiser
Dragon and Lion Head Meatballs with steamed Shanghai Baby Bok Choy

Soup
Sizzling Rice with Braised Prawns

Main Course
Wok-Braised Lobster Tails 
Crystal Minced Spicy Chicken
Shrimp Tulips
Noodles with Three Sauces 
Flambéed Shangri-La Beef

Dessert
Eight Treasure Rice Pudding

*Applies only to American Express® Cards issued in Singapore by American Express International, Inc. (excluding corporate cards and co-branded cards).

Thursday, 3 March 2011
Cooking demonstration with food sampling
Time: 12.30pm – 2.30pm
Venue: AFC Studio, 181 Orchard Road #07-02 Orchard Central, Singapore 238896
Price: S$88 ++ service charge and GST

Dishes featured: 
Siu Mai with Spicy Tomato Sauce 
Yin Yang Vegetable Pocket 
Spring Rolls with Spicy Avocado Dip

Sit-down dinner with short cooking demonstration
Time: 7:00pm - 10:30pm
Venue: Yan Ting, The St. Regis Singapore
29 Tanglin Road, Singapore 247911
Price: S$175 ++ service charge and GST