Here is our weekly round-up a day earlier than usual as we are heading to Chef Sache 2015 tomorrow to watch Massimo Bottura, Jock Zonfrillo and Mitsuharu Tsumara in action among others. We will bring you news on that next week so please do come back. In the meantime, here are some articles we found interesting this week. Have you ever wondered how hard it is for chefs and people in the hospitality business. They have to work long hours and also work when most people are not working, for example on weekends or evenings. A Michelin star chef in the UK, James Close, has decided to scrap the weekday lunch service in a bid to improve staff hours and encourage creativity. This follows news from Sat Bains earlier this year when he announced his Nottingham restaurant was switching to a four day week. Let's keep watch of this trend. Even Mikael Jonsson of Hedone recently announced he will be opening for just six sittings every week to improve the well-being of his staff. Times are changing … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #49
This has been the week of major announcements. We've written about the announcement by René Redzepi of Noma that he will be closing the restaurant for good in December 2016. It was also the week in which Massimo Bottura cooked dinner for French president Francois Hollande amid scepticism from the latter on whether Italians could match the class of the top French chefs. You can read all about these on previous articles on Food and Wine Gazette. Around the web, we've come across a number of interesting articles which we are sure you will enjoy. Allan Jenkins has a superb article about Enrique Olvera, Mexico's leading chef. He speaks about the difficulty to find the best corn, chillies and meat in Mexico with his ultimate aim of producing the country's finest tacos. The chef is constantly on the lookout to find the best produce available and he has a full time person finding stuff for him so that he can ge this hands on the best corn, chillies and even a fish seller. It is hard, he … [Read more...]
10 Chianti Classico producers you should know
There is no question that when it comes to Italian wines, Tuscany and Piedmont are among the favourite regions of wine connoisseurs. The wines of Tuscany like the region are special and there is a lot to write about but in this post we would like to place the spotlight on the Chianti Classico, which is a region within the Chianti region between the Tuscan cities of Florence and Siena. Most wine lovers will know a Chianti wine but few will actually be able to name producers from the Chianti region. Older consumers might also remember a squat bottle which used to be enclosed in a straw basket but this is only used by very few producers now. For many years, Chianti had a bad name and was associated with cheap Italian wine but when made by great producers this is a wine that has character and is exceptionally good value for money especially when compared to the pricier Super Tuscans, Brunello di Montalcino or the Nobile di Montepulciano. It was Baron Bettino Ricasoli who … [Read more...]
10 things we learnt from Gert De Mangeleer (Hertog Jan)
Gert De Mangeleer is the youngest ever Belgian chef to achieve 3 stars in Belgium. He is the chef and co-owner of Hertog Jan together with Joachim Boudens. A few days ago, the restaurant was listed as 53rd in the World's 50 Best Restaurants making it the highest ranked restaurant in Belgium. Earlier this year, we spent some time with Gert and Joachim at the restaurant in the outskirts of the idyllic Belgian city of Bruges in Zedelgem. Needless to say, it was an inspiring time and we have distilled the lessons learnt. 1. You can plan but learn to expect the unexpected: Both Gert and Joachim were aiming towards a third Michelin star when they decided to move from their old restaurant and in many ways, they designed the restaurant with this aim in mind. They were caught by surprise when they earned the third Michelin star in their old location but it goes to prove that success sometimes comes when you don't expect it. It also teaches you not to look for excuses but rather to lean in … [Read more...]
A perfect day in Gent, Belgium
Gent is one of our favourite Belgian cities. This Flemish city, 45 minutes away from Brussels is a must visit for any visitor to Belgium. Sometimes overshadowed by Bruges, also called the Venice of the North, it is one of the largest cities in Belgium but has kept its charm with an amazing medieval architecture that remains intact and is remarkably well preserved and restored. It also has a huge pedestrian area with a lot of interesting highlights such as the Saint Bavo Cathedral, the Belfry, the Gravensteen castle and the splendid architecture along the old Graslei harbour. We return time and time again and never get bored of this buzzing city full of surprises and hidden gems. Foodies are in for a treat in Gent with a splendid array of restaurants, cafes and concept stores. The city is also known as the a paradise for vegetarian restaurants. The city has more vegetarian restaurants than Paris or London and is sometimes called the vegetarian capital of Europe. If you are not … [Read more...]
A perfect day in Valletta (Malta)
The starting point has to be Valletta. It is the capital city of Malta, the country where I was born and lived for over 30 years. It is known by locals as il-Belt (the City in English). It is a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen and for many years, especially after World War II, it stood in neglect abandoned by a nation which is once again discovering its glory at all times of day. Unlike other capital cities around the world, Valletta is a small peninsula with a population of just under 7,000 though more and more people are returning to live in what is considered as a World Heritage City. While Valletta has always been busy during the day with tourists and locals alike who go there for various administrative reasons, the city would fall silent after sunset as offices, museums and shops closed. But the city has been transformed over recent years and is becoming a hub of activity in the evening, away from the hustle and bustle of other busier areas on the island such as Sliema/St … [Read more...]
10 things we learnt from Sang-Hoon Degeimbre (L’ Air du Temps)
This is the second post in our series on 10 things we learnt from very successful chefs. Our second is Sang-Hoon Degeimbre, a self-taught chef who is considered to be one of the most innovative chefs in Belgium. His story is an inspiring one because he cooked for the first time in his own restaurant calling it ‘the bluff of his life’. He has now been cooking there for the past 17 years, has 2 Michelin stars and it is one of a handful of restaurants in Belgium growing its own produce. He is known for his inventive combinations of uncommon ingredients and constant innovation. 1. Creativity comes from constant questioning: At this level, creativity is essential. But there is no magic formula for creativity. Not being trained as a chef means that you are constantly seeking answers to your questions. Sang-Hoon believes everyone is born creative. But what is necessary is to keep and open mind and have an interest in everything. We all want to create something but it is not always easy for … [Read more...]
10 things we learnt from Sergio Herman
Sergio Herman is not just a chef. He is one of the top creative minds to come out of the culinary world in the past years. His story could be an inspiration for many not just in the culinary world but for those who work in all creative fields. After all, today's top chefs are not only cooks, they are also artists in their own right. Driving back home after meeting him, I was thinking of the many lessons in just over an hour speaking with this incredibly successful chef. When you meet him, you realise he is buzzing with energy but also incredibly focused in his responses. With this, we are starting a new series on the lessons to learnt from these high performers. We hope that this serves as inspiration not only to chefs. 1. To reach the top you need to work hard, extremely hard. There is no short-cut for success We have heard it many times and it might sound like a cliché but you cannot be successful if you are not prepared to make sacrifices. For many years, Sergio worked … [Read more...]
10 Sicilian wine producers to look out for
I am preparing a wine tasting for a wine club I form part of in September and the theme is Sicilian wines. I have therefore been researching a bit more than usual about the wine producers of Sicily and also tasting some more wines from this Southern Italian island which produces some stunning wines. This will hopefully be a new series for Food and Wine Gazette on wine producers in different wine regions and countries of the world who are worth looking out for because they produce consistently good wine. In part, this is also inspired by a conversation I had with a reader of this blog who asked how I go about purchasing wines I would be drinking. But that is another story. There are no secrets to buying or drinking great wine. It all boils down to knowing which are the wine producers that produce consistently good wines. A good indication of the quality of the wine is the entry level wine. It might not be stunning but if it is well made it will be enjoyable and you can rest … [Read more...]