Swiss couple Anthony and Anne-Marie Merton got up-close-and-personal with Italian masterchef Marco Sacco who they’ve long admired during a trip to the annual Gourmet Abu Dhabi culinary festival this week.

Anthony and Anne-Marie who booked a holiday to Abu Dhabi to coincide with the festival, got to meet two-Michelin-starred Marco in person following his appearance at the event’s highly popular Culinary Creation Stage.

“We’ve admired Marco for some time and it was a thrill to meet him,” said Anne-Marie. “His session at the culinary creation stage was educational and highly entertaining, he’s really amusing, and getting to meet him was a bonus, he’s so friendly.”

The couple, who live in Geneva, were planning to visit Abu Dhabi after Anthony had passed through the emirate on his way to Australia on a business trip.

“When I got home I suggested to Anne-Marie that we go to Abu Dhabi on holiday because it looked interesting when I passed through. She then checked with her friend, who’s a tour operator, and discovered that the Gourmet Abu Dhabi festival was on in February – so we chose to come out when the event was on to get the most out of our trip.

“We are both very interested in food and the festival has been a great experience, particularly the fact that you can get so close to the international masterchefs and engage with them.”

For their trip to Abu Dhabi, Anthony and Anne-Marie opted for a two-centre, beach-and-desert stay, beginning at The St. Regis Saadiyat Beach Resort and moving on to the Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara.

Masterchef Marco Sacco presented culinary promotions at Gourmet Abu Dhabi in the UAE capital’s five-star Hyatt Capital Gate hotel which is housed in the Capital Gate tower – the world’s furthest leaning tower and a UAE capital landmark as well as appearing at the Culinary Creation Stage.

“It seems the Mertons and I are near neighbours back home – so it’s strange we had to all come to Abu Dhabi to actually meet – but that’s Abu Dhabi, you meet people from all over the world here and all are so welcoming,” said the international masterchef.

Gourmet Abu Dhabi, which is presented by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, runs until February 19. Dates for next year’s festival have been set at February 3rd till 18th Feb, 2015. 

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