Hendrik Dierendonck, the renowned nose to tail Belgian butcher who also owns the Carcasse restaurant next door to his butcher's shop in Saint-Idesbald, Koksijde on the Belgian coast invited his friends and guests for a four-hands dinner with the team of Brussels Korean restaurant Maru. There is a reason why Dierenonck chose the Maru team. It is one of his favourite spots in Brussels and he loves the Korean flavours which marry very well with his style and philosophy of cooking. As one would expect from a dinner at Carcasse, this was clearly a dinner for meatlovers and also not for the faint-hearted though the message was clear. At a time when sustainability is the talk of the town, we need to forget prejudices and if we are going to eat meat, then we need to ensure that nothing goes to waste. That was the philosophy and the story behind this four hands dinner. From the blood sausage which Hendrik prepared in front of guests to fried cock's combs (prepared by the Maru team), pig … [Read more...]
Roberto Flore, the insectologist chef, to cook at À La Piscine in Lyon
If you are anywhere close to Lyon next week, then you should consider heading to À La Piscine for a unique six course dinner. The guest for two evenings on 15 and 16 September is Sardinian chef Roberto Flore, who works at Nordic Food Lab in Copenhagen with world renowned chef René Redzepi of Noma fame. Roberto is probably the leading chef in the world working to understand the reasons why people eat insects and how this is considered normal in many cultures around the world. A Sardinian, he discovered the 'holy grail' in Sardegna when he was still 8 years old. It was here that he came face to face with casu marzu, a cheese that is literally translated into English as "rotten or putrid cheese". This is a traditional sheep milk cheese that contains live insect larvae (maggots). He says that the seed of his fascination with why people eat insects was planted over 25 years ago at the end of that lunch. "A friend arrived with a piece of casu marzu with maggots jumping all around. … [Read more...]
The GELINAZ! welcome dinner at Steirereck
The red carpets were out at Steirereck for the GELINAZ! welcome dinner on Wednesday 16th August. Chefs from all corners of the world and journalists had travelled here to take part in the GELINAZ! DOES UPPER AUSTRIA event that was taking place on 20th August at the Muhltahof in Neufelden. But a visit as guests of Heinz Reitbauer was also on the cards because he is the most representative Austrian chef and the one who is leading a quiet revolution in Austria that could see the country ride the wave of culinary tourism that is rising in importance each year. Think about Austria and you think about Vienna, mountains, idyllic lakes, Alpine skiing and the Sound of Music. You might know about the Wiener Schnitzel or the Sacher Torte but Austria's food remains its best kept secret. But that could soon change. Love lists or hate lists there is a reason why Heinz Reitbauer of Vienna restaurant Steirereck in Stadtpark has been quietly rising in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. His … [Read more...]
Marketing disaster for San Pellegrino as Dominique Crenn blasts their leadership on gender equality
Dominique Crenn has lashed out at San Pellegrino saying their leadership skills were disappointing and they were not inspiring. This comes after an image did the rounds on social media showing a total of 37 jurors for the San Pellegrino 2018 Young Chef competition from nine different regions without a single woman. This is not the first time that giants like San Pellegrino, Michelin or the World's 50 Best Restaurants list have been the subject of tough criticism for ignoring women in what is often called a 'boys club'. This despite the fact that the World's 50 Best Restaurants have come up with the title of female chef of the year. Dominique Crenn won the award in 2016 Pressure on this issue has been mounting over recent years with journalist Maria Canabal also setting up the Parabere Forum to raise awareness on the issue. But she was not alone. GELINAZ! silently organised an event in Upper Austria this summer which involved 12 male chefs and 11 female chefs (one female chef … [Read more...]
GELINAZ DOES UPPER AUSTRIA: how 23 chefs revisited 3 matrix dishes
23 chefs, 7 teams, 3 matrix dishes with clearly defined ingredients, 14 courses. It may sound simple but it definitely is not. Chefs are meant to collaborate, to spend time together, to learn from each other and to exchange ideas. Its a bit like summer camp but it is also stressful and tiring. That is what the GELINAZ! DOES UPPER AUSTRIA dinner was all about. It is not the first time that chefs have been asked to revisit matrix dishes. And it will definitely not be the last. So what was served in Neufelden earlier this month when 21 top chefs were hosted by father and son duo Helmut and Philip Rachinger at the idyllic Mühltalhof restaurant and hotel? The dishes may have looked simple: what's not to like about a simple fresh water dish, a goulash and venison but the end result was far from simple. The chefs were grouped in teams of three or four people and they have one dish to reinterpret. There are seven teams in all. Three teams must reinterpret the venison dish, two the fish … [Read more...]
Sang Hoon Degeimbre first chef to cook at Mary Pop-in
Mary Pop-in, a Brussels based pop-up restaurant will be inviting chefs from Michelin star restaurants to cook a six-course vegetarian dinner using food that has been saved from waste. Called Masterchef Monday, the first guest of Mary Pop-in, an initiative of Eatmosphere, will be the chef of two Michelin star restaurant L'Air du Temps, Sang Hoon Degeimbre. "We love to work with top chefs like Sang Hoon. They have no limits and do not have preconceived ideas. Their approach to food waste is different and they actually value certain products in their way of cooking. They have the authority, the creativity and the possibility to raise awareness among the general public. Sang Hoon has been using a no waste philosophy for a long time and is using all sorts of modern and also old techniques such as fermentation to follow this approach," said Steven Desair, the founder of Mary Pop-in and Eatmosphere. "He respects nature. If you would like to take part in this event, then book quickly on our … [Read more...]
Japan meets Belgium at Hertog Jan: Gert de Mangeleer to reciprocate with visit to Japan next month
Gert de Mangeleer, the chef of three Michelin star restaurant Hertog Jan in Zedelgem, Bruges on Thursday hosted three Japanese chefs for a unique four hands lunch and a six hands dinner. The event, organised with the support of Visit Flanders and Arts Flanders Japan, aimed to raise awareness of this Belgian region by introducing the chefs and a few Japanese and international media to some of Gert and Joachim Boudens favourite suppliers and fellow chefs. The three chefs that cooked at Hertog Jan together with Gert were Yusuke Takada from La Cime in Osaka cooked lunch with Gert. On the other hand, the dinner was a collaboration between Zaiyu Hasegawa of restaurant Den in Tokyo which holds 11th place in Asia’s 50 Best and 45th place in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants) and Hiroyasu Kawate, chef of Florilège, 14th in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants together with Gert. Inspired by the unique garden at Hertog Jan which supplies 95 per cent of the herbs, fruits and vegetables that are used … [Read more...]
Three top Japanese chefs to cook at Hertog Jan
Three top Japanese chefs are currently in Belgium and will cook with Gert De Mangeleer, chef of Belgium three Michelin star restaurant Hertog Jan. The three chefs are Yusuke Takada from La Cime in Osaka (a 2 Michelin star restaurant), Zaiyu Hasegawa of restaurant Den in Tokyo which holds 11th place in Asia’s 50 Best and 45th place in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants) and Hiroyasu Kawate, chef of Florilège, 14th in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. They arrived in Belgium on Monday and have been guests of Gert De Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens who have taken the chefs in tow in Bruges and its surroundings together with a few Japanese and international media. They have been introduced to a few of Gert and Joachim’s favourite suppliers and fellow chefs of both top restaurants as well as brasseries, brewers, chocolatiers from Flanders. The experience and inspiration that the chefs will have gained during this culinary trip will be put into practice on Thursday 24 August. The Japanese … [Read more...]
GELINAZ! DOES UPPER AUSTRIA: Magic happens outside the comfort zone
What makes chefs drop everything and travel across continents, sometimes with very little sleep in between, to push boundaries and challenge themselves outside the comfort of their kitchens and teams? Why do they leave their usual environment, their homes, their families and risk their reputation to participate in an event where you can always expect the unexpected? The answer is GELINAZ! It is a the collective of chefs that is co-curated by Andrea Petrini and Alexandra Swenden and which likes to promote itself as being beyond food and evil. They organise events ranging from impromptu dinners to chefs swapping restaurants for one day, retreats and also the most recent (before last Sunday’s event) being a chef shuffle at the same time as a gathering of 20 chefs called Brussels Headquarters. This was held at Christophe Hardiquest’s Bon Bon where they cooked 4 consecutive services from 12 noon to 3am. This time, they charted new territories with GELINAZ! DOES UPPER … [Read more...]
Building bridges: GELINAZ! gang jump into river to create floating bridge
The GELINAZ! gang yesterday afternoon braved the cold waters (for some at least) of the river in front of the Mühltalhof in Neufelden, Upper Austria to symbolically build a bridge across the river which shortens the distance between the restaurant of father and son duo Helmut and Philip Rachinger and the art gallery of Joachim Eckl called The Heim.Art* Station just across the river. Joachim Eckl said that the building of the bridge was not only just functional, i.e. to enable the chefs and guests to cross from one spot to the other but also symbolic as the chefs were here from all corners of the world to exchange ideas, experiences and work together in a unique setting. The Austrian artist, who likes to call himself a 'social engineer' is currently working on realising "Draw the Danube - Build a Bridge' - a project based on the collaboration of 2000 people along the whole stream of the Danube. Preparations were going ahead in full swing yesterday. The teams have started to exchange … [Read more...]