Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills is the second Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura to clinch a Michelin star following the success of the first one that opened in Florence, Italy. Promoting modern Italian cuisine while embracing local Californian ingredients, Gucci Osteria is led by the young Italian chef Mattia Agazzi, under the guidance of chef Massimo Bottura of three-star Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy and Karime Lopez, chef of the first Gucci Osteria in Florence. Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura are a series of three contemporary restaurants that share the same values and principles under one Gucci Osteria umbrella. The restaurants are located in Florence, Tokyo and L.A. The Florence restaurant clinched a Michelin star earlier this year under the helm of chef Karime Lopez. Commenting on the award Mattia said, “This is a reward for the whole Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills team. It has been a very challenging time for the global hospitality industry, and we were forced to close … [Read more...]
Chefs United: A big event at Bon Bon in Brussels
Christophe Hardiquest and his Brussels restaurant Bon Bon is not new to big and ambitious events. A few years ago, he welcomed some of the World’s best chefs for a GELINAZ! Brussels Headquarters event that played over four shifts. Now, on the occasion of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards taking place in Antwerp in October, he has invited a number of chefs for a one night dinner called Chefs United. Together, the chefs will create a 10 course menu that is expected to create an electric atmosphere. The event takes place on Wednesday 6 October. On the evening Christophe will cook a 10 course dinner together with chefs Himanshu Saini, Maksut Askar, Manu Buffara, Norbert Niederkofler, Selassie Atadika, Riccardo Camanini, Brussels chocolatier Pierre Marcolini, Ana Ros and Paolo Griffa. Bookings will open tomorrow at 11am from the website. This is not the first time that Ana Ros cooks at Bon Bon. She had already been present for a series of events that Christophe Hardiquest … [Read more...]
Chef Dabiz Muñoz wins the Top100, followed by Björn Frantzen and Andoni Luis Aduriz
Chef Dabiz Muñoz of DiverXo in Madrid won The Best Chef Top100 Award during a live awards gala that took place in Amsterdam. Chef Björn Frantzén of Frantzén in Stockholm repeated his second place and also took the award for The Best Chef voted by Chefs. To round up the top three, Andoni Luis Aduriz of Mugaritz in San Sebastián made a huge jump from his previous 45th position on last year's list, to clinch the third spot. “Getting the number one in the Best Chef Awards is the biggest joy. An incredible pride and responsibility. For me, The Best Chef Award is one of the most prestigious publications in the world today, and an award like this is a dream come true. It recognizes many years of creativity, dedication, passion and hard work. The last years in the Xo world have been very intense and brutal, but my team and I are clear that this is only the beginning, and the best is yet to come. There are no limits in sight," said Dabiz Muñoz from restaurant DiverXo in Madrid, Spain, the … [Read more...]
When wine and food are in perfect symbiosis
Jonathan K. Berntsen is not just a chef but also a sommelier. Hit by the terrible year his Michelin-starred restaurant CLOU had to close but he has now returned with The Samuel, a restaurant located in an old historical villa from 1891 north of Copenhagen in Hellerup. What makes Jonathan special is that for him food and wine are in symbiosis and hence they need to be precisely equally weighted. These means that he often selects the wines before creating the dishes. This devotion to pairing has been acknowledged with numerous awards such as winning the Copa Jerez 2013 and again at the Copa Jerez 2019; the most prestigious international competition in food and wine pairing. His passion for wine is so big, that he actually uses it as a starting point for almost every dish he creates for The Samuel. Like the ‘Squid Pollock’, a dish born out of the notes from a very special Oloroso Sherry from Sacrastía AB from Antonio Barbadillo – a type of wine that isn’t traditionally consumed … [Read more...]
Hélène Darroze at Villa La Coste opens as part of new partnership near Aix-en-Provence
This is a special year for Hélène Darroze. Fresh from the recently awarded three stars in the Michelin guide for her London restaurant Hélène Darroze at The Connaught" and two stars for "Marsan par Hélène Darroze" in Paris she has now announced a partnership to take over the entire food and beverage operations of Villa La Coste, a grand luxury hotel in Provence, France. She will be serving a cuisine in her image, imbued with emotion, sincerity and authenticity. Nestled at the heart of the Château La Coste Estate near Aix-en-Provence, the Villa La Coste is a modern-day luxury palace celebrating authentic and exclusive refinement, in total harmony with the artistic life of the surrounding estate. Seduced by the opulence and diversity of the vegetables and fruit from this French region, Hélène has chosen to make them the key focus of the menus she has created for the fine dining restaurant Hélène Darroze at Villa La Coste. From appetisers to end-of-meal delicacies, they lead the … [Read more...]
Nick Bril and Sergio Herman part ways: Bril takes full ownership of The Jane Antwerp
ANTWERP: After partnering up for seven years at The Jane Antwerp, Sergio Herman and Nick Bril have decided to part ways. Nick Bril will take over 100 per cent of the restaurant's operational rights after the Dutch duo successfully creating one of the most stunning restaurants in the world. In 2013, the two chefs decided to start work on designing the restaurant concept for their project, their first venture outside the Netherlands set in the stunning military chapel of the so-called Groen Kwartier in Antwerp. The two met when Nick Bril started working in the former three Michelin star restaurant Oud Sluis at the age of 19. "The early days of The Jane have challenged and pushed me tremendously as a chef but also as a person. It has been a great ride. That's why I am even more driven to develop all aspects of The Jane Antwerp even further. Next to our rooftop gardens, the collaboration with August and our new project in the Maldives, that will be the main challenge I'll be focusing … [Read more...]
Alex Dilling to cook in Malta for 100 days
VALLETTA: ION The Harbour has announced that Alex Dilling, the executive chef of the former highly acclaimed two Michelin star restaurant The Greenhouse, in Mayfair, London will begin a 100 day residency at the restaurant in Malta. From 18 June, Alex Dilling will bring a new level of culinary skills to both Malta and ION - The Harbour. Bookings will open on 4 June. "After a challenging year, I am very excited to step back into the kitchen in a completely new environment, and more importantly in a new terroir," Dilling said. "Meeting the fishermen and seeing their excitement with what they have to offer is a huge inspiration to me," he added. During his residency at ION - The Harbour, Alex will make the most of local seasonal and artisanal ingreidents that are bursting with Mediterranean flavours at this time of year. Apart from that he will present a few of his famous signature dishes including the hunter chicken with fois gras and black truffle. But he will spruce some … [Read more...]
Two new restaurants awarded with a Michelin star in Malta
MALTA: Two restaurants have been awarded with a Michelin star in Malta bringing the total number of Michelin starred restaurants on the island to 5. Chef Andrew Borg and his team clinched one star for the newly opened ION - The Harbour in Valletta. On the other hand, chef Tyron Mizzi and his team at Bahia in the small village of Lija in the centre of the island is the other new entry. These restaurants join the existing one star restaurants that retained their star for the second consecutive year. These are De Mondion, Noni and Under Grain. Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guides said the last year has created enormous challenges for the hospitality industry around the world. "Our hearts go out to all those facing difficulties in these trying times. Our inspectors, like the restaurants themselves, have had to adapt, but we were very pleased that they were able to spend time on the islands and find two new Michelin stars and five new Michelin 'Plates' to … [Read more...]
2017 vintage of first Grand Cru from Himalayas released
Ao Yun, the first Grand cru from the Himalayas has released its 2017 vintage on 22 March. Ao Yun was born from a dream that began in 2008 to create a unique, world class fine wine in China. It is the first wine of its kind and brings a new region - Yunnan to the world winemaking map. The 2017 vintage boasts a concentrated yet fresh and velvety blend that symbolizes the wine that is made in a challenging climate. "Despite the challenging climate, the vintage is a reflection of the work we carry out in the vineyard and in our winemaking," said Maxence Dulou. "We managed to harvest powerful but ripe grapes and transformed them into a concentrated but fresh and velvety wine." The winery said that this was the most challenging vintage since the first in 2013. It started with a dry and warm winter which was followed by a cool spring that delayed growth in the vines. The summer was cool and too wet but in autumn a crucial window opened with a month of higher than average temperatures. … [Read more...]
Italian winery Venturini Baldini recruit winemaker Riccardo Cotarella in first ever Lambrusco project
Venturini Baldini, premium Italian sparkling wine producer based in Emilia-Romagna, has announced that Riccardo Cotarella has officially joined its winemaking team as Consulting Winemaker. Riccardo Cotarella will take on the role previously held by Carlo Ferrini who has acted as Venturini Baldini’s Consulting Winemaker for the last five years. Bringing decades of wine experience and expertise in Italian winemaking, Cotarella and his team led by Pier Paolo Chiasso will work alongside the longstanding team at Venturini Baldini to produce the winery’s 100% organic Lambrusco wines. Further, Venturini Baldini is the first winery specializing in Lambrusco that Cotarella will work on as winemaker. Over the past five years, the estate that is based on a 321-acre property in the food valley of Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy has been elevated to new heights through the ownership of Julia and Giuseppe Prestia. As Lambrusco has enjoyed a recent revitalization, Venturini Baldini has … [Read more...]