Benoît Nihant is one of only a few chocolatiers worldwide who starts his chocolate making process from the beans he procures in different plantations worldwide. Known as bean to bar production, this Belgian chocolatier, who has his workshop in Awans, close to the Belgian city of Liege, has been producing his own chocolate from the beans he procures for the past six years. It was not an easy journey because he had to start from scratch not only to find the raw material but also the machines he uses in his workshop. Finding the right quality of beans can be a challenge particularly since farmers are used to dealing with large corporations though he acknowledges that it has now become easier. A mechanical engineer by education, he decided to follow his passion and quit his corporate job together with his wife just before they turned 30. Together, they set up Benoît Nihant and today they are reaping the rewards of their work by being recognised as one of the elite chocolatiers in the … [Read more...]
Mitsuharu Tsumara: ‘Nikkei is a blend, a perfect blend of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine’
Peruvian chef Mitsuharu Tsumara is the face of Nikkei cuisine in Peru today. Nikkei is a word that describe both Japanese emigrants and their descendants. But in Peru, it is considered to be the blend of Peruvian and Japanese cuisines invented by the migrants who arrived in Peru many years back. Nikkei cuisine, like Peruvian cuisine today, is very much in vogue everywhere in the world even though it started off as food that was cooked in homes of Japanese migrants many years ago. Tsumara, also known as Micha, is today the heir of a legacy that has been built over the years and is slowly becoming mainstream not only in Peru but also outside. He is the chef of the highly acclaimed Nikkei restaurant Maido in Lima. Micha owes a lot of his success to his father. He guided him towards turning his passion for food into 'studying about it'. When Micha wanted to open a restaurant that would serve sushi in Peru, his father asked him a simple question: “How are you going to prepare … [Read more...]
Brussels craft brewery converts discarded bread into beer to combat food waste
Babylone is the name of a beer created by Brussels Beer Project that is brewed with bread that would otherwise be thrown away. The innovative craft brewery in Brussels, which produces around 20 beers each year, is the brain child of Sébastien Morvan and Olivier de Brauwere. They have created the first beer of its kind using unsold bread that would otherwise go to waste. The beer takes us "back to the future" as the brewery says and is the perfect example of how to move from words to action when it comes to tackling the issue of food waste. Now, after interest from Jamie Oliver who featured the beer on his programme on Channel 4, the recipe of the Brussels based micro-brewery is also being made in London. The two co-founders of the Brussels craft brewery were recently invited to London for the launch of Toast Ale, a beer that is based on Babylone's recipe. The beer in London is brewed by Hackney Brewery and Tristram Stuart. The latter, a food waste activist, is the project … [Read more...]
Q&A with Maarten Van Steen (Villa Bardon)
Maarten Van Steen, chef of restaurant Villa Bardon in Sluizeken, Gent serves Maltese-style cuisine in his restaurant. It couldn't be different given his wife Anna comes from Malta and he spent two years cooking on the Mediterranean island where he learned all about Maltese food and Mediterranean culture. Maarten is constantly experimenting making liquors like limoncello and even Maltese sausages. But as he told us in an interview, he would also love to get the mother dough from a Maltese baker which would enable him to make Maltese bread at his restaurant. (If you are reading this and happen to know a baker in Malta who can help Maarten get mother dough please let us know). Here is our question and answer session with Maarten. What do you miss most about Malta when it comes to food? The freshness of the fish is something that I really miss. In Malta, you get fish so fresh it goes from the sea to your plate. It is not something that can be done here even if we have the North … [Read more...]
The Belgian chef giving a Maltese twist to his restaurant in Gent
A Maltese restaurant outside Maltese shores is not a common sight. And there is a reason. The island is small and few Maltese chefs have ventured out of Malta to cook Maltese-style cuisine in their own restaurants. Many Maltese chefs have gone abroad to train but most return to work on the island. It is even more unusual when that cuisine is replicated by a Belgian chef but there is a reason for this. Since 2011, Maarten Van Steen and Anna Vella Bardon have been serving Mediterranean style food with a Maltese twist at their restaurant Villa Bardon in Sluizeken, Gent. "It was always our dream to open a restaurant and Gent was a great location. As a chef I studied in the Flemish city of Bruges and was classically trained. Then I went to Malta for two years, (my wife Anna is from Malta) and it was here that I got to know Maltese food and Mediterranean culture," he tells Food and Wine Gazette. He loved the freshness of the fish and the purity of the flavours. "There are things … [Read more...]
Q&A with Syrco Bakker: ‘Forget about the things you cannot control’
Syrco Bakker is the chef of Pure C and one of the rising stars in the Netherlands. He has had stints with Gordon Ramsay, Jonnie Boer and Sergio Herman at Oud Sluis before being entrusted to head the kitchen at Pure C in 2010. Herman described Syrco as a chef with an inexhaustible amount of creativity. "He is extremely talented and just as passionate as me," Sergio says about Syrco. You can read our full interview with Syrco here. In this quick question and answer with Syrco you will learn a bit more about this very talented Dutch chef. What have you learned from Jonnie Boer, Gordon Ramsay and Sergio Herman? From Jonnie Boer, I learned to work with great local ingredients. He was one of the first chefs to go directly to farmers. I also learnt how important it is to have a very good family atmosphere in a restaurant. This has become extremely important nowadays. It is something that I really appreciate when I look back and it is no wonder that he and Therese have retained a … [Read more...]
Syrco Bakker: ‘Working step by step to create a unique experience at Pure C’
Few people would imagine that Cadzand in the North Sea would be the place for a highly successful restaurant. Until a few years, it was a beautiful but rarely visited part of Zeeland. Situated in the Netherlands, just a few kilometres away from Belgium, the location may be idyllic but it is not only out of the way but barely known until Sergio Herman decided to open Pure C there. Pure C opened in 2010, nearly six years ago and overlooks Cadzand’s beautiful beach. Since then, it has made a name for itself among foodies. After all, this is the creation of former three Michelin star chef Sergio Herman. He entrusted the kitchen to Syrco Bakker, a young chef who had worked with him at his three Michelin star restaurant Oud Sluis which the talented Dutch chef closed in December 2013. “From Sergio I learned the drive, the attention to detail and constantly striving for quality. I worked at Oud Sluis for three years and it was amazing how he was developing and changing things so … [Read more...]
Food is fashionable at the moment, it will be over in three years time – Luciano Monosilio
Luciano Monosilio, chef of Pipero al Rex in Rome is known for his creative and sometimes surprising cuisine. He is also known for his spaghetti carbonara which is considered to be one of the best if not the best you can get in Rome. When he visited Belgium in July for Flemish Food Bash he prepared his signature dish which he serves at his Michelin star restaurant. I asked him why a Michelin starred chef would serve such a dish. He replied that "It is the only traditional dish that I have on the menu and in time, it has become famous to the extent that many now say that it is the best carbonara you can find in Rome." I am slightly disappointed as he has finished serving it and I have not tasted it. And I become even more disappointed when the chef of Ristorante All'Oro Riccardo Di Giancinto also from Rome, tells me the best dish he has ever eaten was Monosilio's carbonara. Alas, I will have to wait for my next trip to Rome. Pipero al Rex is a special restaurant in Rome named … [Read more...]
Sven Elverfeld: Food education should start with young children
Sven Elverfeld is a chef with a conscience. His restaurant Aqua in Wolfsburg may be one of the best in the world (it has three Michelin stars since 2009) and is currently 33rd in the World's 50 Best Restaurant list) but he is thinking not only about the current refugee crisis but also how to raise awareness about proper eating among children. When I sat to talk to him at Chef Sache in Cologne a few days ago he started talking about the current refugee crisis and how he recently organised a charity dinner at Aqua with the Wolfsburg football team to raise money for refugees. So even though I am interested in his creative process (which we discuss later) my first question is about the current crisis. I asked him why he felt the need to do something and he said: "At the moment, I have the possibility to do it. If you are known in your community then it is easier to do something like this. It is not all about glamour. This is a problem and it does not scare me but makes me sad. When you … [Read more...]
Q&A with Peter Goossens: “We need to find a system to eliminate food waste also in supermarkets”
Peter Goossens, chef of Hof Van Cleve is the most internationally recognised Belgian chef having been in the 50 World's Best restaurants for many years. He has held three Michelin stars since 2005 and has received 19.5 out of 20 in the Gault Millau guide since 2004. After our long interview with him, here is the second part in a question and answer format. Who are the rising stars of Belgium? There are many great chefs in Belgium. Just at Hof Van Cleve we have trained so many chefs. We recently tried to compile a list and counted over 200 chefs that have worked at the restaurant. My sous chef Marteen Bouckaert will be opening a restaurant at the beginning of next year. Then there is Michael Vrijmoed and Tim Boury just to mention a few names. Over 70 chefs who worked at Hof Van Cleve are cooking in their own kitchens (at different levels). What's your view of guides and lists of best restaurants? Lists are very important because they help you to become internationally known. … [Read more...]