This week I have come across two great stories on two of the most creative chefs in the world. One is about el Bulli and Ferran Adria. The other is about Rene Redzepi of Noma. In the first you can read about whether el Bulli can be considered as a work of art. Adria has often said that "Being the first in not what's important. What's important is conceptualising". In fact that is what happened with elBulli. The restaurant is gone but the concept remains. And it has left behind a trail which could be compared to many artistic movements. If you are interested in creativity, this is a must read. The second article from The Wall Street Journal is about Noma's Redzepi who is another chef that never stops experimenting. It is a fabulous read about a chef who was on top of the world but had a bad year in 2013. He termed last year an 'avalanche of disaster' to the extent that he was thinking of writing a book about how to deal with a bad year. He says "we work as intensely and as … [Read more...]
Interview with Mauro Colagreco (Mirazur): Finding good produce will become a luxury
Try as I might, it is difficult to remember the last person I had interviewed before Mauro Colagreco, the Argentinian two Michelin starred chef of Mirazur ranked 11th in the World's 50 Best restaurants and the first restaurant in France. It could easily have been a Prime Minister some 13 years ago on my last assignment as a journalist. It was a completely different world without social media, without blogs or smartphones, Twitter or Facebook, though already back then, my passion for food and wine was already becoming visible. It was therefore with a sense of trepidation that I asked Mauro to be interviewed. After all, who was I to ask one of the World's best chefs to sit down and be interviewed for www.foodandwinegazette.com. He gladly accepted without much fanfare. "Let's do it now," he said without giving me any time to prepare myself. True, I had done my homework earlier with the intention of interviewing him, but still, I was offering to carry out the interview in French … [Read more...]
Apic – a great way to discover and share food photos
A permanent feature at two food events I visited recently was a photographic device which allows chefs to take photos with the touch of a button and creates archives of dishes. The Apic Base, considerably facilitated my work at these events. It allowed me to concentrate on the chef's presentation knowing that I could later download and use the photos from www.apicbase.com The co-founders behind Apic Base were present at Chefs Revolution in Zwolle and Chef Sache in Cologne and I got to speak to them about this very interesting and innovative invention which could revolutionise the way we look at food photography in the future. With the advent of social media and foodies who chronicle their lunches or dinners on sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest to give a few examples, Apic is an interesting device which ensures photos are consistent and simple to store. The two inventors of the machine are Julien Burlat, a Michelin star chef (of Dome fame) who owns two … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #8
While it might seem obvious that the average passenger on a cruise ship gains weight, it was indeed surprising to find out that the actual gain on average is nearly 1 kilo a day. Can you even start to imagine what this means? This week, I have found some very interesting articles which I hope you enjoy. Some are long reads so particularly good for a lazy weekend read. There is a very interesting article about champagne in The Guardian. The author argues that for many years no one cared about how champagne tasted. He argues that when it comes to celebrating a joyous occasion, many will opt for a champagne rather than any other sparkling wine just because it is a champagne. But he says that champagnes are becoming more complex and therefore the glass to be used should be revisited. While for a normal champagne a flute would be best, if a sparkling wine or champagne has complexity and depth it would be better to use a normal wine glass to let the aromas express themselves … [Read more...]
Eneko Atxa (Azurmendi) – My restaurant, my home
Eneko Atxa’s restaurant Azurmendi perched on a hillside just outside Bilbao is one of the most talked about restaurants in the world at the moment. Ranked 26th in the World’s 50 Best restaurants, it is also the winner of the sustainability award and has 3 Michelin Stars. This Spanish chef is making a name for himself for many reasons. His inventive cuisine is among the most innovative in the world but he is also extremely conscious of the environment. At Chef Sache, in Cologne, Germany, Atxa spoke about what makes his restaurant different. He started off by showing different photos of the 'complex which includes the restaurant, his house, a wine cellar, a hall which serves as a venue for large events, a garden and a small bistro. “The restaurant is designed to pay industrial homage to the old steel industry of Bilbao," Atxa says. The complex has been built in a way which integrates with the surrounding environment. But it also follows the basic principles of sustainability. It … [Read more...]
Coming soon on Food and Wine Gazette
Food and Wine Gazette was in Cologne for Chef Sache 2014 last week. Over the coming days we will bring you detailed posts on the presentations made by each of the chefs taking part at this very popular annual event. These include presentations by some of the world's best chefs among them Mauro Colagreco, Eneko Atxa, Joachim Wissler, Quique Dacosta, Kobe Desramaults, Andree Kothe, Jonnie Boer and Virgilio Martinez. We will also publish a number of interviews with some of the protagonists at Chef Sache including Mauro Colagreco, Kobe Desramaults, Eneko Atxa, Quique Da Costa, Tim Raue and Jonnie and Therese Boer and Joachim Wissler. We spoke to the chefs about their sources of inspiration, what the next food trends will be, how they go about creating new dishes, their philosophy and the importance they attach to food guides among others. We still have to publish three great stories from Chefs Revolution in Zwolle. These include the presentation of the current number one chef … [Read more...]
Chef Sache finale – a feast of creativity and food inspiration
The finale of Chef Sache on Monday 27 October was as inspiring as the first day with a line up of six brilliant chefs who presented not only their story but also prepared some of the dishes currently being served in their restaurants. Chef Sache was organised by for the sixth consecutive year by German publisher Port Culinaire. The spectacular line up of chefs yesterday included Joachim Wissler from Vendome, Andree Kothe from Restaurant Essigbrätlein in Nürnberg, Spanish Eneko Atxa of Azurmendi and Quique Da Costa, Jonnie Boer from Delibrije and Virgilio Martinez of Peruvian restaurant Central in Lima. Wissler kickstarted the day with a brilliant presentation and a showcase of some of the dishes are being prepared at Vendome, near Cologne. The German chef spoke about the thought process of the restaurant and the story behind the dishes. "All my dishes need to have a soul. They need to have a story apart from perfect preparation and perfect produce." He spoke about the creative … [Read more...]
Chef Sache – a great first day
The first day of Chef Sache 2014 in Cologne, Germany, was a huge success with some great live cooking presentations by some of the world's best chefs including Kobe Desramaults, Christian Humbs, Tim Raue, Mauro Colagreco among others, as well as a very interesting discussion about what is networking. Desramaults, the Belgian chef behind the In de Wulf restaurant is considered to be today's Marco Pierre White with his inventive cuisine and respect for ingredients. Focusing on the most humble ingredients such as a potato and celeriac, he does his best to bring out the best in even the most humble of ingredients. Questioned about where he finds inspiration he says that he does not find inspiration in books though these are important because they inform him. "To be inspired you need to think and cook like a child, you need to play around with food," he said. He also spoke about the fact that people are waking up to food scandals in supermarkets. "This is a really important issue. We need … [Read more...]
Chef Sache taking place this Sunday and Monday
Food and Wine Gazette will be at Chef Sache on Sunday and on Monday. On the programme on 26 October is a discussion about networking. This is followed by presentations by Belgian Kobe Desramaults of the world famous In de Wulf, Christian Humbs who is considered to be one of the world best Patissiers in the world and Mauro Colagreco, a chef of Argentinian origin with a two Michelin star restaurant in France. Colagreco has the highest ranked French restaurant in the The World's Best 50 restaurants. The event is organised by Port Culinare and Fleet Events. Monday's programme includes many other chefs including Eneko Atxa, Jonnie Boer, Quique Dacosta, Virgilio Martinez, Andree Kothe and Joachim Wissler. For instant information follow us on Twitter (@fwgaz). We will report in more detail on www.foodandwinegazette.com tomorrow evening and also subsequently in more detail on what is taking place at this event. … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #7
This weekend is great for those who love food and wine events. Choices have to be made as to what you can follow though we find Twitter great to get a taste of what is going on in the main events which we find interesting. Just this weekend there is Megavino in Brussels, Chef Sache in Cologne, Salone del Gusto e Terra Madre in Torino all tackle different aspects of the food and wine scene. Yesterday we wrote about the panel discussion that took place between Jamie Oliver, Alice Waters and the founder of the Slow Movement Carlo Petrini. So it is appropriate that we start this weekly roundup with a link to a transcript of a Ted speech given by Jamie Oliver on "Teach every Child about Food". It is really an interesting read and one which makes you reflect on what has gone wrong in the food world. On the same theme, you might want to check out some fast food facts which may make you reflect about how our children are being 'brainwashed' into craving for fast food. It is indeed … [Read more...]