On 1 June, one of Belgium’s most talented chefs Kobe Desramaults returns to cook after a sabbatical following the closure of his Gent restaurant Chambre Séparée. He will be cooking at Stazione Vucciria in Finale di Pollina. That will be temporary until he and his new business partners Franco Virgo and Stefania Milano, restaurant entrepreneurs in Sicily that are slowly putting the Italian island on the food map look for a new place in the Madonie mountains also in Sicily. The news that Kobe Desramaults would be settling in Sicily does not come as a surprise. In the past months, anyone following the Belgian chef on social media and particularly Instagram could see that he was spending more and more time in Italy and more particularly Sicily and he was particularly fascinated about the produce on the Sicilian island in particular the fish market of Catania. At Stazione Vucciria, a stone throw away from the sea, Kobe will present his distinct Nordic cuisine using Sicilian products. … [Read more...]
Eneko Atxa of Azurmendi opens Eneko Basque in Brussels
BRUSSELS: Eneko Atxa, chef of 3 Michelin star restaurant Azurmendi and Eneko, a chain of restuarants that serves traditional Basque food in Spain as well as internationally has opened a new restaurant in the Belgian capital, Brussels. Eneko Basque in Brussels brings Eneko's cuisine to Belgium. The Spanish chef's cuisine is a perfect trilogy of flavour, texture and aesthetics and is rooted in traditional Basque cooking. The flavour of home-cooked dishes are presented in innovative textures and techniques through various dishes. Eneko Atxa who was born in 1977 has five Michelin stars in total among them the flagship Azurmendi with a focus on innovation and sustainability. His passion and sensitivity, his cultural roots, his connection with the surrounding land and its products define the gastronomy of Eneko Atxa. Apart from restaurants in Spain, Eneko also has restaurants in London, Tokyo, Lisbon and now Brussels. The range of Eneko restaurants has been growing organically … [Read more...]
Daniel Humm launches Eleven Madison Home, a plant-based subscription service
NEW YORK: Daniel Humm, the chef of Eleven Madison Park that turned plant-based last year is doubling down with a new service called Eleven Madison Home. The subscription service aims to encourage customers to eat a plant-based diet for at least one day a week because Daniel Humm that even this would have a positive impact. The pack which arrives at your home every week includes a day's worth of meals that allow subscribers the chance to enjoy discoveries from the restaurant in the comfort of their homes while learning about a world of farmers, artisans, flavours and ingredients. Daniel Humm said that turning Eleven Madison Park into a plant-based restaurant has been the most exciting time of his entire career as a chef. "It has been meaningful and expansive. We are writing an entirely new language, one that challenges us to be creative and continuously learn. It is exciting to cook and eat this way. What we first thought might be limiting has proven instead to be invigorating," … [Read more...]
Dieuveil Malonga, Koh Seng Choon, Olia Hercules and Alissa Timoshkina are Champions of Change 2022
Dieuveil Malonga, Koh Seng Choon and Olia Hercules and Alissa Tomshkina have been named Champions of Change 2022 by 50 Best. Champions of Change 2022 are heroes in the world of hospitality who are creating a positive change for their communities through their work. This award was launched last year to celebrate the industry’s unsung heroes. In 2022 the accolade is given to two individuals and one pair who are driving meaningful action and creating blueprints for a better hospitality sector. One of 2022’s winners is Dieuveil Malonga, the 30-year-old chef of restaurant Meza Malonga in Kigali, Rwanda, which he opened in 2020. Malonga’s mission is to “write a new story of gastronomy which has its roots in Africa and contribute to establish furthermore African cuisine as gourmet”. Born in Congo, he moved to Germany aged 13, then moved to Marseille. His quest to create a culinary bridge between African flavours and Western cuisine has seen him visit 38 of Africa’s 54 states. … [Read more...]
Noma in five day New York pop-up in May
Noma is heading to New York for a very rare pop-up next month. The dinners were announced by America Express and will be held between May 16 and May 20. “Noma is looking forward to travelling to New York this spring to share our cooking and craft with some of the most passionate diners in the world,” René Redzepi, chef of Noma said. “It is incredibly rare that we take noma’s kitchen on the road for a collaboration but American Express has been a longtime partner and we look forward to honouring that relationship thought this special event.” Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday 27 April on the Resy platform. This is the first time Noma returns to New York since 2018. The dinners will take place at 26 Bridge street in Dumbo, Brooklyn. René Redzepi will be present for the entire series. The restaurant will present classic noma dishes inspired by the spring season. The event location is going to be transformed to honour the minimalist contemporary aesthetic of Noma’s Copenhagen … [Read more...]
350 restaurants in 15 countries to take part in fundraiser this week
350 restaurants in 15 countries are standing together to help those in need. The collective of restaurants owned by young chefs JRE has chosen Thursday April 21 as the day they will raise funds for charities of choice with the main focus being the refugee crisis created by the war in Ukraine. In Belgium, member restaurants will pay EUR 10 for every person eating in their restaurant on 21 April. JRE Belgium said that they have chosen 12-12 as the organisation they will support. 12-12 provides children with immediate assistance and ensure they have access to food, health care and a safe living environment. The consortium 12-12 brings together seven humanitarian organisations that coordinate their fundraising efforts in Belgium during serious crisis or natural disasters in developing countries. The aim of the joint action is to raise the necessary financial resources to finance humanitarian operations in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries facing a strong influx of refugees from … [Read more...]
World’s 50 Best Restaurants list 2022 to be unveiled in London on 18 July
LONDON: 50 Best has officially announced that this year's award ceremony will take place in London on Monday 18 July at the historic Old Billingsgate market in the City of London. Marking the 20th anniversary of the awards, the return to London is happening in view of the decision taken a few weeks not to hold the award ceremony in Moscow following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The event had been hosted in London between 2003 and 2015. An exclusive events programme hosted throughout the city will culminate in the awards ceremony, taking place in Old Billingsgate, the capital’s former fish market overlooking the River Thames and Tower Bridge. William Drew, Director of Content for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, says: “We are thrilled to announce the much-anticipated date for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2022 at such an iconic and historic London venue. We can’t wait to bring the global gastronomic back together in full once again, as well as to share with … [Read more...]
First ever Streat Fest in Brussels this May
BRUSSELS: The first edition of Streat Fest is being organised in the Belgian capital between Thursday 12 May and Sunday 15 May. Inside the sheds of the iconic building Tour & Taxis, the festival brings together street food, artisans, art and music for a stimulating festival. Over 50 chefs and restaurants will propose their vision of street food. There will be renowned names like El Cuchillo, Humphrey, Sanzaru, Gramm by Kenzo Nakata, Hors-Champs by Stefan Jacobs and Chermanne by Stephane Chermanne among others. There will also be those who are already well known for their street food offering such as Monella by Italian duo Ugo and Francesco of restaurant Racines, Mo Mo, Smash, Ganesh, Bia Mara, Kong, Kitsune and Gaufres and Waffles the concept that has recipes by two star chef Yves Mattagne. It also includes the participation of La Charcuterie, Le Comptoir du Samson, Les Nourritures Terrestres, Savage, Le Bain des dames, Kitchen 151 and Cokoa. Moreover, there are a … [Read more...]
Spanish chef Paco Morales takes a bit of Andalucia to Copenhagen for one-month popup
Spanish chef Paco Morales of the highly acclaimed Noor restaurant in Cordoba will be opening a pop-up restaurant at the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen between 2 July and 28 July. Paco has been riding the crest of the wave over the past few years after opening his restaurant Noor or Light as it is translated into English. Constraining himself to exploring his city’s glorious past by limiting the scope of space and time he will be taking his ‘gastro-archeology’ to Denmark mixing dishes from his world-famous restaurant Noor with more down-to-earth versions and playful tapas from his second restaurant in Cordoba el Bar. For this pop-up, Paco will prepare a unique menu which will contain both Andalusian and Danish ingredients as well as more classic gourmet ingredients like caviar, lobster, tuna and marrow. “I have managed to put Cordoba on the gastronomic world map. Now it is my ambition to bring the beauty and ideas from my vision further out into the world. Tivoli is the … [Read more...]
Two new three Michelin star restaurants in France
COGNAC: The number of three Michelin star restaurants have risen to 31 after two new restaurants received their coveted three stars at the award ceremony in Cognac on Tuesday 22 March. Arnaud Donckele, already chef of the three Michelin star restaurant La Vague d’Or in St Tropez also clinched three stars for his restaurant Plenitude - Cheval Blanc in Paris. On the other hand, Dimitri and Marielle Droisneau also joined France’s culinary elite for their restaurant La Villa Madie in Cassis. There were six new two Michelin star restaurants and 41 one Michelin star restaurants in the new guide which today has 627 Michelin star restaurants in total, the large majority of them in the Paris region. Jerome Schilling was the first to be called on stage to receive the second star for restaurant Lalique. Duende received its first star in 2021 and a year later the team of Pierre Gagnaire has clinched a second star for their restaurant in the hotel Emperator. Greek chef Philip … [Read more...]