Okura’s benefit evening for Japan yields € 202,062

This amount will go in full to the HOLLAND HELPS JAPAN FOUNDATION, which will use the donations to aid the hundreds of thousands of victims of the earthquake in Japan.

AMSTERDAM, Friday, April 8, 2011 - The culinary benefit evening organized by Hotel Okura on Friday has yielded €202,062, far exceeding the expected amount of € 100,000. Especially for the occasion, Okura’s chefs worked together to prepare a four-course dinner for more than 480 attendants. In the course of the evening, a raffle and an auction were also held. The highlight of the auction was a culinary trip for two people to Franschoek, South Africa, which was sold for more than €16,000. The proceeds of the evening will go in full to the Holland Helps Japan Foundation of the Red Cross, and will be used for building temporary shelter as well as supplying medical and psycho-social aid, water, food and blankets to the hundreds of thousands of evacuees that are still staying at reception centres.

The originally Japanese Hotel Okura Amsterdam, which has some 120 Japanese employees, managed to organize this week within two and a half weeks. Acting General Manager Emmy Stoel points out: “Organising this evening was an initiative of both our Japanese and our Dutch employees. They wanted to show their sympathy through this event and assist where possible.” Marcel van Aelst, President & General Manager of Hotel Okura Amsterdam, expressed his gratitude from Tokyo by means of a video message displayed on a large screen. His Excellency the Ambassador of Japan, Mr T. Koezuka, said in his speech that he was overwhelmed by the compassion of and help offered by the Dutch people.

All seats were sold within five days, the 480 guests filling the hotel’s Grand Ballroom to capacity. Guests of honour during the evening were the Japanese Ambassador Mr Koezuka, the Mayor of Amsterdam E. E. van der Laan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Professor U. Rosenthal and former NOC/NSF President Erica Terpstra, as well as the mayors of Almere, Amstelveen and Haarlemmermeer and Mr Breederveld, Secretary General of the Dutch Red Cross.

Various artists performed. Liszt Piano Competition winner Martyn van den Hoek and his Japanese wife Tomiko held a miniature concert, after which Het Nationale Ballet performed a pas de deux. Roos Jonker and her band provided jazzy grooves and singer Alma Nieto brought the evening to a musical finish. The acts were presented by actress and model Anouska Wink.

The auction was led by Christie’s auctioneer Sophie Bremers, who auctioned a total of 18 items under the watchful eye of Cora Hagendijk (M.J. Meijer Notarissen), including an evening gown by Paul Schulten, a necklace and diamond donated by Gassan Diamonds and a culinary trip to South Africa. A raffle was also held, featuring prizes varying from luxury stays at various Amsterdam top hotels or a bottle of Johnnie Walker King George V to a cruise on a luxury saloon boat.

The Dutch Ikebana Association provided the flower arrangements, which were made in cooperation with the wives of Okura’s Japanese employees. Further decoration consisted of 10,000 hand-folded cranes, which are regarded in Japan as bringers of luck and which symbolize long life.

The four-course dinner was partially prepared by Okura’s chefs in the Grand Ballroom itself, right before the eyes of hundreds of guests. The starter, by Japanese star chef Masanori Tomikawa, was followed by an intermediate course by Onno Kokmeijer, chef of star restaurant Ciel Bleu. Ronald Oud, chef of the Main Kitchen, was responsible for the main course, after which dessert was presented by chef Marc van der Tang of the new Serre Restaurant and pastry chef Iiro Heinila. All the ingredients used, including the sake and the wines, were donated free of charge by Okura’s suppliers.

Emmy Stoel is extremely pleased with the proceeds: “It’s wonderful that this grand event, which was organised within a mere two and half weeks, has been so successful.” Donations are still welcome and can be deposited in a special account, number 53.65.99.793 in the name of ‘Stichting Nederland helpt Japan’.

Coming Wednesday, April 13, the next event in support of Japan will be organized at the Amsterdam Arena, the highlight being a soccer contest between Ajax and the Japanese team of Shimizu S-Pulse.

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For additional information and/or visual materials relating to Hotel Okura Amsterdam, please contact:
Tamara Tong Sang / Marketing & Communications Manager
T: 020 - 67 87 487 
E: tongsang@okura.nl
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