JJ IN DA HOUSE: US Independence Day Gala Dinner 2016 @ Equatorial Hotel Penang

Monday, July 18, 2016

US Independence Day Gala Dinner 2016 @ Equatorial Hotel Penang

In conjunction with America's 240th Independence Day, American Malaysia Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) is collaborating with its organising committee – First Solar, Jabil, Hotel Equatorial Penang, Celestica, Tech Dome Penang, and Venessa Diamonds and had a gala dinner at the Hotel Equatorial Penang on 1st July 2016.

This gala dinner was a charity event that aimed to raise funds to support the community and to strengthen the bilateral relationship between Malaysia and the United States. The event was held at the Grand Ballroom of Hotel Equatorial Penang and hosted His Excellency Joseph Y.Yun, the U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia, The Honourable Penang Chief Minister Mr Lim Guan Eng and 400 distinguished guests.

"Special thanks to Hotel Equatorial Penang for having us that evening."

There were many booths set up at the foyer of Grand Ballroom selling all the art & craft stuff by local and international schools and aimed to raise funds for the charity bodies.

We all should always respect the dress code for events and wear what we are suppose to.
Ling Tze and I took quite some time to decide what to wear prior to the event.

We all look fabulous that evening, all properly dressed and smart looking.
From left: Ken, CK, me, Gibson & Ling Tze.

There were a few activities arranged at the foyer before the event starts. All the guests were entertained by photobooth and served with canape and some boost.

One of the main sponsors for the event, China Southern Airlines.
They also sponsored one of the biggest raffle draw prizes, which is a round trip to America.

Guest all gathered at the foyer for networking and activities before the event starts.

Don't miss a chance to capture some good shots, since I hardly dress like this for events.

The venue was lovely with elegant set up for the gala dinner. Grand Ballroom of Hotel Equatorial Penang can host up to 1000 of peoples depending on set up, the venue was perfect for private events.

Programme of the night includes some highlights like toasting ceremony, food & video presentation, live bands, glamorous fashion show, live auction and raffle draw.
We all tried our luck but too bad we didn't manage to bring anything home, but we were happy as we also contributed a part to the charity.

The tickets were selling at RM3,000(per table) or RM300(per person). The Diamond Sponsors of the event were First Solar and Finisar while the Gold Sponsors are CTC, Intel, Ideal Property, IDT, Jabil NationGate Group, Plexus, and UGL. Silver Sponsors are Agilent Technologies, JW Marriott KL, The Ritz-Carlton KL, Motorola Solutions, and St.Jude Medical while other sponsors will be Venessa Diamonds, China Southern Airlines and Hotel Equatorial Penang.

Welcome speech by Master of Ceremony & Organizing Chairman, YBhg Dato S.H. Wong.

Then marched in a team of American soldiers carrying USA Flag, and then followed by a toast by our Penang Chief Minister YAB Tuan Lim Guan Eng and US Ambassador His Excellency, Mr.Joseph Yun for the good relationships all these years. Then followed by the speech of His Excellency Mr.Joseph Yun and the National Anthem of US.

Speech by CM YAB Tuan Lim Guan Eng.

Then followed by National Anthem of Malaysia, "Negaraku"

Appreciations to all the sponsors of the event.
Here are all the representatives from all the companies.

Fund collected were donated to Amcham-Machee Scholarship, the newly opened Tech Dome Penang and Dreamz Foundation.

The gala dinner entertainment started with the famous Jazz band, Jazzhats, featuring Ray Rozzells. The band is one of the most popular band in Penang.

They live up to their reputation and their performance were excellent.

We also enjoyed our 5-course dinner specially prepared by Hotel Equatorial Penang & Chef Jean-Claude Plihon. He started in the industry at the Hotel Beaurivage and continued his Chef training in Michelin stars kitchens in France. He has spent twelve years with Fairmont Hotels in various location around the world before joining the Grand DFW as Executive Chef in 2009. Chef Jean-Claude Plihon's cooking philosophy is a reflection of innovation, passion and sustainability focusing on taste above all, choosing the finest ingredients from the region’s best growers and producers.

Starter
Tiger prawns - Fennel - Citrus ginger emulsion

Soup

Corn velouté

Appetizer

Roasted beet salad - Goat cheese crema - Hazelnut crumble - Cherry vinaigrette

Mango sorbet - very interesting and refreshing.
Perfect to kickstart your tastebud and get you ready for your main.

Main
Roasted Chicken - Seabass - Chanterelle - Asparagus - Romesco

Dessert
Fromage Blanc cheesecake - Apricot - Pistachio - Honey ice cream
The cheesecake was one of the lightest and softest cheesecake I've ever tasted before. It was perfect to my liking and blended well with the ice cream on the plate as well as nuts and berry that gave this course a little crunch.

Other entertainments of the night are fashion show by Jo Chuah Collection as well as some masterpieces by Venessa Diamonds. All the dresses were lovely and the jewelleries were glamorous.

One of the highlight of the event was the live auction where there were a few valuable pieces put out for auctions. One of the items that attracted me the most would be this unique and lovely art painting - Golden Tianmen donated by Dato S.H. Wong(Chairman of the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce). Other items were Yellow Citrine & Blue Topas Pendant by Venessa Diamonds, Double-Strand Pearl Necklace by Venessa Diamonds, Hudson Baby Bourbon Whisky, Stalls in Penang watercolor painting by artist Lee Eng Beng.

Then we also participated in the Raffles Draw, though we didn't win anything but we enjoyed the excitement to be part of the game.

The event ended with another performance by Jazzhats and all the guests were invited to dance with the music. It was a lovely evening and great event held at the Hotel Equatorial Penang.