GALWAY: JP McMahon, the chef of Michelin starred restaurant Aniar as well as founder of Food on the Edge has announced he will host an eight-week cookery course for kids aged between 8 and 16 starting 10 April. The course will teach children some crowd-pleasing and family friendly food such as lasagna, pancakes, bread and even roast chicken. The classes will be held virtually via Zoom each Saturday morning from 11am to 1pm. Budding young chefs can pre-book to attend the full course that is priced at EUR 250 or choose to attend individual classes for EUR 35 per session with ingredients list and required tools shared in advance. Students have the option either to cook together with JP or else to tun into the class later and putting the learnings into practice on their own when the course has finished. With lockdown restrictions making it difficult for kids to attend their usual extra-curricular activities, JP's virtual course gives kids an entertaining, interactive and … [Read more...]
Amsterdam to host 5th edition of the Best Chef Awards in September
The city of Amsterdam will host the 5th The Best Chef Awards that will take place on September 13, 14 and 15. Under the slogan ‘Back to Live. Back to Reality’, the awards will take place after the virtual 2020 edition and the events in Warsaw in 2017, Milan in 2018 and Barcelona in 2019. “Last year didn’t stop us. We actually worked harder to adapt and provide chefs and restaurants all over the world with a platform to stay connected and share information with each other and with the public. Our big hope for this year is for our community to be able to meet in person again”, Joanna Slusarczyk, one of the creators of The Best Chef Awards said. This year’s event includes Food Meets Science, Area Talks and a few new activities which end with the grand Awards Gala that continue to honour the many talented chefs that create the best food experiences around the world. The format for the year is being changed. Starting from 25 February and for 100 days, the Best Chef will announce … [Read more...]
2 cocktails for Valentine’s Day with Royal Belgian Caviar
BRUSSELS: Glen Ramaekers, chef and a fervent mixologist of Brussels restaurant Chez Pias has created two cocktails for Valentines Day in collaboration with Belgian caviar producer Royal Belgian Caviar. Royal Belgian caviar is a company that has been producing top quality caviar for the past years serving some of the best restaurants not only in Belgium but also around the world. Over the past months, the 'black gold' company has been seen as a way of supporting the local economy. " Using or serving Belgian caviar is a way of making a declaration. You are not only supporting the local economy but you are also choosing real flavour and authenticity," said Cedric Paquet, spokesman of the Belgian company. The company has been producing caviar for the past 30 years and to date they are the only Belgian producer. "The closure of the restaurant sector during the pandemic has impacted our business but we have seen an increased interest from Belgian consumers for our products which … [Read more...]
New concept BABU opens as pop-up at L.E.S.S Eatery in Bruges
BRUGES: If you are in Bruges on a Friday or Saturday during the pandemic, you would do well to visit BABU, the new pop-up bunner created by Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens. On the t'Zand at L.E.S.S. Eatery, the duo behind the former three Michelin star restaurant Hertog Jan have been busy preparing a new concept that is set to open permanently in a city in Belgium when the lockdowns are over. Despite one hand in a cast due to a mountain biking incident a few weeks ago, you can still find Gert preparing the 'bunners' as they are called. It might be the first 'bunner' in the world to sit in a one Michelin star restaurant, at least momentarily. "We want to learn the process, get feedback, use the data to gain insights for our permanent location." Babu is inspired by the creative and restless travelling mind of Gert de Mangeleer who together with Joachim Boudens are the creative minds behind the Hertog Jan *** Restaurant Group. "We took inspiration from the steamed … [Read more...]
Everything must change – a new book by Yannick Alléno
French chef Yannick Alléno has just launched a new book in French called "Tout doit changer" or Everything must change. During the past few months, the chef of the Pavillion Ledoyen in Paris and Cheval Blanc in Courchevel among other establishments has used the time to reflect on the future of fine dining restaurants and how they need to transform themselves. The result is a book that discusses the future of fine dining and gastronomy. It looks at the importance of the well-being of staff, how to run a restaurant like a modern business and how to really address the needs of customers by starting a conversation before they arrive at the restaurant. The book is written in the form of a conversation with Erik Perey. The French chef said that everything started with his ill famous comments during a congress organised by World's 50 Best in Paris when responding to a question about women in fine dining restaurants he said that many only wanted to work at noon because in the evening … [Read more...]
Dreaming of the simple things in life
It is a sunny though brisk morning. A perfect day for a lunch by the sea. If you had to ask me what would you like to eat right now at a restaurant, I wouldn’t really ask for much. The thing I miss most at the moment is a perfectly cooked spaghetti with fresh sea urchins. The last time I ate them, it was in Rimini last September but that is a distant memory. Maybe a mixed platter of grilled fish and seafood as a main course. I’m not really asking for much. I’m looking more for comfort food, for memories of better times. You’ll settle for just that you might be asking? I certaintly would not say no to a Cacio e Pepe by Riccardo Camanini. But you get the gist. The reality is that restaurants, for the time being, look like a distant memory particularly where I live. The question I keep asking myself these days is how was it possible to do so much before the pandemic came and forced us all, or at least, many of us home? And what’s going to happen when this never ending marathon of a … [Read more...]
Vicky Lau is first Asian chef to clinch two Michelin stars for her restaurant Tate
HONG KONG: Chef and restaurant owner Vicky Lau is the first ever Asian female chef to clinch two Michelin stars for her restaurant Tate, a restaurant that breaks the boundaries between French and Chinese cooking. She was awarded the two stars for her restaurant earlier this week together with L'Envol in the St Regis Hong Kong which is under the guidance of French chef Olivier Elzer. There were no new three Michelin stars when the tyre company released the guide for Hong Kong and Macau this week. With these new additions, Hong Kong is now home to 12 Two Star restaurants, while Macau has 6 venues in the Two Star category. All 7 restaurants in Hong Kong and 3 restaurants in Macau continue to retain their coveted Three Star ratings. “We are honoured to receive this milestone accolade. This has been our long-term dream and we could not be happier forthis achievement, especially during these difficult times. In the future, we look forward to joining forces with like-minded … [Read more...]
Mauro Colagreco to open hamburger chain CARNE in Singapore
SINGAPORE: Argentinian chef Mauro Colagreco, whose restaurant Mirazur is ranked 1 in the world according to the World’s 50 Best is launching CARNE, an innovative hamburger bar in Singapore next month. This is CARNE's first international opening. CARNE was born five years ago when Mauro set out to show the world that a hamburger chain could operate respecting the pillars of sustainable gastronomy with the highest quality. From that moment, he has been working with his team day by day to offer the best product changing the paradigm of mass food production. The first CARNE was opened in Mauro’s hometown of La Plata in Buenos Aires in 2016. Other openings across Argentina followed. In 2019, CARNE became the first hamburger chain the world to become a certified B corporation, a triple impact certification (social, environmental and economy) for businesses committed to doing better in the world. Colagreco’s premise is that the best dishes are made with simple, noble, high-quality … [Read more...]
Clare Smyth and Helene Darroze clinch three Michelin stars for their London restaurants
LONDON: Clare Smyth and Helene Darroze have both clinched three Michelin stars for their restaurants Core and Helene Darroze at the Connaught in London. Clare Smyth thanked the Michelin guide for recognising the hard work during such a tough time and thanked the team for all their dedication and hard work. “We couldn’t have done it without our amazing farmers, suppliers, our guests and everyone who has been on the journey,” with us said the chef who has been winning accolades after accolades for her London restaurant Core. On the other hand, this will be a January to remember for French chef Helene Darroze. After clinching two Michelin stars for her restaurant Marsan in Paris, she did one better going for three at her Helen Darroze Restaurant at the Connaught in London. “I cannot find the words to describe my emotions and happiness. I cannot find the words to say how proud I am of my team. Guys we did it. We did it,” she said. The Michelin Guide announced the new Michelin … [Read more...]
Food on the Edge founder launches ebook Cooking After COVID
Food on the Edge founder Jp McMahon, a chef, restauranteur and author has launched a new book Lessons from lockdown: Cooking after COVID. In the foreword, JP says that the year 2020 struck many of us as unprecedented. For some it was expected. “Pandemics happen. But for most of us, we believed they would not happen in our time, that they were a thing of the past. Whatever we thought about our contemporary way of life, the way in which we go about our daily lives, how we work, has utterly changed,” the Irish chef of Aniar Restaurant in Galway wrote. He created the book after cancelling the annual gathering in Galway in October 2020. Food on the Edge had become one of the top events in the field of gastronomy with the Irish chef inviting many top names in the world of food. Instead, he has invited many of his friends to write a message in this ebook that is available to people who are subscribed to the Food on the Edge newsletter. The list of contributors is huge and includes … [Read more...]