Gone are the days when chefs barely peeked their heads out from behind the kitchen pass. The evolution of chefs from behind-the-scenes artists to international culinary celebrities is transforming the way we experience food. Whether they are serving food personally to your table or donning microphones to share their ethos with the masses, we are eating it up. Their world has become ours, and we are hungry for it, and now it has become an intrinsic part of their profession.
With the notoriety comes the travel—a requirement to present their food on the international stage. Recently, over 100 chefs from over 40 countries descended on Udine, in Northern Italy, for a phenomenal amalgamation—the XXIV edition of Ein Prosit. Amidst the gaiety of clinking glasses and rekindling acquaintances, I spoke with some of these recognized chefs to find out about their experiences and what it means for them to travel and cook in other parts of the world.
When asked to cook at Quintonil restaurant in Mexico City, Leo and Ana Ros prepared all they could in advance at Hisa Franko in Slovenia. On arrival to Mexico, the luggage was delayed and eventually confiscated. With familiar ingredients often key to a chef’s arsenal, how does one find Slovenian ingredients in Brazil? “We didn’t,” says Ana. “We enjoyed getting creative; we looked at the planned dish from another angle using local ingredients. If it didn’t work, we made a new dish, and the meal ended up being a beautiful thing.”
On a trip to Georgia, Maurizio Zillo of Gagini in Palermo was booked to cook with Alex Atela of D.O.M restaurant, Sao Paolo and hit a roadblock. “The ovens didn’t work, so dishes for two hundred people needed to be cooked in the pans. We did our best with what was at hand,” says Maurizio. The too many cooks analogy exists for a reason, so how do they go apart sharing a tight space. Many chefs told me there’s no room for egos at dinners like these; they need to be left behind. “We got along really well,” says Maurizio, “and you know one might think Brazilian cuisine is distant from Sicilian, but Sicily’s climate is changing, even becoming more tropical.” Their objective aligned and the meal they delivered was a triumph.
Chef Sang Long of restaurant Central, Lima tells me, “yes, we have lost ingredients in travel too, so now we generally only pack signature ingredients and hope for the best.” But when it’s happened, it’s forced us to adapt, and it’s been fun.” He adds “Sometimes chefs come up with new combinations as a result of this, but it takes a certain breed of chefs to benefit from this kind of situation.”
I can understand Long’s point here; Mise en place (everything in it’s place) is critical to a successful service, yet it’s part of the chef DNA to fix! As expected, many are up for the challenge, but in all conversations, the consensus shared is – it is best to play it safe.
Georgian chef Takuna Gachechiladze of Cafe Littera in Tbilisi attended the Churrascada festival and found that Brazilian walnuts were too dissimilar to those of her homeland. She had a choice to make Georgia’s traditional Bahzi sauce with Brazilian walnuts and risk it being sub par or use their exceptional pecans. “While it felt strange, I chose the latter and it tasted amazing, one of the best bahzis I’ve made,” she told me.
The more I talk with the chefs, it becomes apparent that adversity triggers creativity, something they love, but there are also benefits from the amalgamation of foreign chefs cooking together. A case in point is Augustin Balbi of restaurant Ando in Hong Kong, who cooked a series of dinners with LG Han of Labyrinth. They created a collaborative dish, Bak Kuh Teh (traditional Malaysian soup) Chawanmushi. Diner’s found so much delight in it that it’s now found a place on Balbi’s menu. Augustin also shares a story of a trip to Valencia. ‘We traveled there earlier this year to cook with Argentinian Dante Fereirro. When the time came to serve dessert, we found that the ice cream had not set because the freezer malfunctioned. The solution was simple: we served dulce de leche in its place,’ a staple from Dante’s homeland.
As we approach the end of this year’s Ein Prosit, no chefs have reported any major dramas. Hold that; time to inject a touch of realism into this glamorous image of jet-setting. There’s been an airport strike and the chefs of Quique Dacosta have had to rebook three times. Oh, and Atushi Tanaka from Paris is expressing concern because his Sicilian mangoes have not arrived. But this is all inevitable, no?
We discuss these inferences at a dinner where Bruno Verjus is illuminating the room with a story about an episode bound to his hotel room after oversampling ingredients at the Oaxaca market. Journalist Marco Ince makes a valid point, “Where better to host an event like this? If any customs officer is going to turn a blind eye to a suitcase full of ingredients it’s an Italian. Aren’t we lucky the event is here?
The idea that a chef’s suitcase may become as important as their knife kit emphasises the significance of ingredients in defining a chef’s culinary identity. Could this eventuate? Perhaps, but there’s no doubt chefs will continue to jet set and turn the setbacks they experience into opportunities for innovation.
These stories display their ability to improvise with local ingredients and create beautiful meals, reflecting the essence of culinary artistry. They tell us that the willingness to experiment and adapt is a testament to the dynamic nature of modern gastronomy. Furthermore, they highlight the importance of events like Ein Prosit and the Gelinaz shuffle in fostering exchange and collaboration.
As the modern culinary landscape changes, borders blur, and the world becomes a melting pot of flavours, consider the positives of the world’s best chefs trading techniques, ingredients, and secrets at an unprecedented pace. In the end, it’s we as their diners who will continue to reap the reward.
Simon is an Australian photographer living in Stockholm, Sweden. Years working as a chef and food stylist, whilst being a keen photographer, led him to photography as a profession. London 2019, Simon was awarded 1st place at the Pink Lady Food Photography awards. Simon has authored 3 cookbooks on Nordic & Baltic cuisines with Hardie Grant publishing. Simon contributes editorial pieces to food & travel Magazines. He is a father, husband and loves spending time in the water and mountains.
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