Forty “César Ritz” Colleges Switzerland alumni from the Malaysian Chapter gathered in Kuala Lumpur in January for a reunion dinner. Many of the alumni were joined by their spouses and partners at the Penang Village Restaurant run by alumnus Connie Su (1987) and husband Tony. Area manager, Viwan Opanukij, sent us this report.

Connie, Tony and their staff made sure the evening was a memorable one. Swiss flags and balloons decorated the room and each table was beautifully laid with fabulous attention to detail. A delicious, special eight course menu was created with each dish beautifully presented and bursting with flavor. Some alumni even entered into friendly though strong-willed debates over which dish was the best. The judges are still out as they were all so good.

Many alumni came to meet old friends and make new ones. Suoei Yeap, for example, came all the way from Penang so she could meet up with her batch mates not seen since student days in Switzerland. And, of course, there was the ritual networking with business cards and contact details being exchanged. On a sadder note, we missed our old friend Ramzdan Bell who tragically passed away in December and so we made sure we raised our glasses to his memory. Gone but not forgotten.

Some alumni have remained in the hospitality industry while others have ventured wider afield by opening nightclubs and entertainment venues. Some have also branched into consultancy, opened businesses, gone into publishing, financial planning, real estate and even hypnotherapy!

Of course, a reunion would not be complete without hearing a “César Ritz” love story. Mohamed Suhaimi Hamidin met his wife June Lim when they were students at Lax in 1985. They recently came back to Switzerland for a visit to reminisce about their romantic days as students.

Special thanks for all the hard work organising the reunion to Karen Kok, Vincent Oh and wife Elaine, Boon, and, of course, a big hand to Connie and Tony. Great teamwork guys!