By Aubrey Buckingham (Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2007-10-15 10:34

There are some things in life more important than paying the bills. While it is perfectly acceptable for some to slog through the nine-to-five day-in, day-out just to bring in the bacon simply in the hope of buying a brand spanking new car with all the bells and whistles, many consider such an approach to our brief sojourn on planet Earth to frankly be a bit of a waste.

While there is no denying one should make hay while the sun shines, it would also be wise to take time to smell the roses.

It would also be criminal not to mention at this juncture that one of the key elements to an enjoyable existence is to avoid cliches like the plague). Taking pleasure from the finer things can help make life that little bit more worth living, while a healthy dose of passion for one's daily duties mean each day is started bright and cheery. Combine the two and the effect's electric.

Lauren Schenk is a perfect example of a bon vivant clearly enamored with the path he has chosen.

The Frenchman is bar manger at the Hilton Maldives Resort and Spa, and has developed the concept of pairing cheese and wine on the tropical island.

While the two agricultural products have gone hand in hand since someone discovered (quite by accident it is claimed) that grape and dairy undergo some spectacular transformations once fermented, it has often been hard to find a balance between the strange bedfellows.

Schenk, on the other hand, has been able to find a compromise through his years of working with the two.

Beginning his career studying the production of wine, the Alsace native later found employment with a cheese master to provide wine service at his restaurant. "I didn't even eat cheese then," said the 28-year-old. " All I knew was supermarket stuff; now I don't even touch it."

The beauty of Schenk's bar at the Indian Ocean resort is that the premise is just so unlikely in a setting where people scurry about barefoot.

All his cheese is imported, and only unpasteurized from farmers. "Mass produced doesn't mean that it's not good, it's more a matter of personality," he explained.

There is plenty of quality cheese available this week at the Hilton Shanghai, as Schenk is doing a stint at the Huashan Road property through Thursday.

Not only is there a corner erected for the enjoyment of cheese and wine, the aficionado is also at hand with the classic cheese trolley featuring such delights as a goat's cheese that is one of 42 protected by Appellation d'Origine Controlee, an AOC brie and about 28 more lovely options.

The Frenchman will also be training local staff at the hotel in cheese while here. According to Schenk, having such a service is to add value to their guests, just as world-famous, expensive wines are stocked in the rare event they are called for.

Hilton Shanghai
Address: 250 Huashan Rd
Tel: 021-62480000