Mindjî is the name chosen for the first European festival of gastronomy to be held at the Citadel in Namur. The event is organised by Generation W, a collective of chefs from Wallonia (the W representing the French speaking part of Belgium - Wallonia). The name mindjî, means to eat in the Wallonia. Two dozen chefs coming from around 20 different countries and regions of Europe will join chefs from Generation W and from Belgium. They will be accompanied by their artisanal suppliers and their favourite produce. Dozens of Michelin starred chefs will be taking part allowing visitors the chance to discover their cuisine through tastings, conferences and also demonstrations. The Wallonia Food Festival & Symposium will take place between 4th and 7th June in Namur and is organised by Generation W together with Culinaria Agency. Generation W is the brainchild of 10 Walloon chefs including the most representative chef of the region Sang-Hoon Degeimbre. It's aim is to promote … [Read more...]
Massimo Bottura is European Chef of the year
Italian chef Massimo Bottura has been awarded the title of European chef of the year at Madrid Fusion 2016 for his work at Refettorio Ambrosiano, the soup kitchen he created on the occasion of the Milan Expo last year. The Italian chef may be known for his avant-garde cuisine at the award winning restaurant Osteria Francescana, which is ranked second in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. But, the award was not won for his creative cooking at his restaurant, but rather for a more noble project, one which has seen him create a 'soup kitchen' to feed Milan's poor during the Milan Expo. Bottura received the award, sponsored by Silestone, during the Madrid Fusion even held earlier this week. The Italian chef used the theme of the Milan Expo 'Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life' and created, together with Caritas, a soup kitchen which served food to children and Milan's poor. He managed to raise awareness on the issue of food waste by using food that would be otherwise thrown … [Read more...]
Supermarket wines: A blind tasting 15 years later
They say a day is a long time in politics, but in the world of wine, going back 10 years could easily be the equivalent. There have been so many changes in the world of food and wine that it is interesting to sometimes take a step back and reflect on developments that have taken place. A wine club I am member of, last week organised a very intriguing tasting. It was one which was not only philosophically challenging but also aimed at eliminating any possible misconceptions or preconceptions that one could have. 13 years ago, before I was even a member of this wine club or had even moved to Brussels, the club would once a year organise a supermarket wine tasting and recommend wines that could be cellared. Before you jump to any conclusions about the club, it should be said that the tastings organised by this club are exceptional and have taken us on some great journeys around the world of wine. But in the past, in a bid to attract new members, and at a time when wine was maybe … [Read more...]
Hof Van Cleve in Belgium named best restaurant in the world by WBPStars
The website WBPstars.com has named Belgian restaurant Hof Van Cleve by chef Peter Goossens the top restaurant in the world. Hof Van Cleve was awarded 94 points with more points than Spanish restaurant El Celler de Can Roca and Le Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville in Switzerland. It is the second list to be released within the space of a week following the announcement last week about the Chef's choice for the top 100 chefs in the world which was published by Le Chef. The list joins a number of other lists that try to rank the best restaurants in the world. While this is an impossible task, the lists have some similarities and it should be up to the reader to try and make sense of these lists and judge for themselves. Three Belgian restaurants figure in the top 60 list. Apart from Hof Van Cleve, there is Hertog Jan with 90 points and L'Air du Temps with 88 points. The greatest surprise is the failure of Rene Redzepi's Noma to make the list. The list of 60 top restaurants … [Read more...]
1000 Cookbooks award Fergus Henderson for his book Nose to Tail Eating
Some of Britain's top chefs, food producers, food writers, critics, publishers and restauranteurs recently met to celebrate the no 1 cookbook of all time as voted by industry insiders. The event was organised at Quo Vadis in London, Soho to pay tribute to Fergus Henderson, whose book - Nose to Tail Eating (published by Bloomsbury) was voted as the most valued and influential cookbook ever. You can browse all the results of those who voted as well as the choice of Food and Wine Gazette on the following link. A delighted Fergus Henderson said on the occasion that he was touched to find that a book written ten years ago is still read, used and enjoyed. Henderson is an English chef who founded the famous St John restaurant on St John Street London. He is often noted for his use of offal and other unpopular cuts of meat. He is most famous for his nose to tail eating philosophy. He trained as an architect and has had no training in cooking or cooked under any other chef. 1000 Cookbooks … [Read more...]
Weekly round-up of great reads on food and wine #64
The rise of social eating networks is giving the possibility to many to monetise skills that are not widely utilised in male-dominated restaurant kitchen culture. In Italy, Gnammo is the largest of many restaurants popping up all over Italy to promote a new trend in dinner parties. Users can search through chefs' online profiles for a menu they like and then dine at the chef's own house. Read the story here. Do you want to learn some dirty secrets about the hotel industry? If you are heading to a hotel soon, you may not want to read the following because you may decide that a hotel is not for you. How much are you ready to spend on a good tomato sauce? The Guardian has tested the best tinned tomatoes you can buy. A restaurant in Italy has caused a stir by banning children below the age of 5 years for misbehaviour. But someone argues it would have made more sense to ban rude adults and iPads. We knew fish stocks were low. But it's much worse than we thought: About 164,000 … [Read more...]
Chef’s choice: Michel Bras tops list of top 100 chefs for 2016 released by Le Chef
The magazine Le Chef has released the list of top 100 chefs for 2016. French Michel Bras of restaurant Le Suquet is the top choice this year. The top 10 includes no less than 6 French chefs including Pierre Gagnaire, Alain Ducassee, Pascal Barbot, Eirc Frechon, Emmanuel Renaut. Another, Benoit Violier is French/Swiss. The magazine consulted 528 2 and 3 Michelin star chefs between October 2015 and January 2016 from around the world to come up with the list. The question they asked the chefs was "Which are the five chefs that you have to visit?" The third placed chef in the list is Seiji Yamamoto from Japan. Two Spanish chefs, Martin Berasategui and Joan Roco also feature in the top 10. However, no details of the chefs who voted in this selection was given or which was the nationality of the chefs that were voting. There is an evident French bias in the list. Belgium is represented by Peter Goossens, Sergio Herman (for the Jane) and Gert de Mangeleer. Only four women … [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...]
Colatura di Alici from Cetara – with so little you get so much
Colatura di Alici could easily be one of the most elusive ingredients that I have yet to come across. A fermented anchovy sauce produced in Campania and specifically in the village of Cetara between Salerno and Naples, it is often considered as 'liquid gold'. Try it and you will know why the term 'liquid gold' is no exaggeration. Cetera is a fishing village that is famous for its canned anchovies and tuna as well as the colatura di alici. Italian products normally travel well and can be found anywhere in the world but I was surprised to find how difficult it is to get your hands on 'colatura di alici'. You will find it hard to believe that speciality Italian shops (both in Italy and outside) do not stock it and neither do supermarkets. Even in Italy, I've found it hard to come across though I was lucky to procure a bottle in a delicatessen in Siena on a recent visit. It is said that colatura di alici derives from Garum, a fermented fish sauce that was used as a condiment … [Read more...]
Weekly round-up of great reads on food and wine #63
Your dose of inspiration this week should start with this article about Mikael Jonsson of Hedone who traded a career as a successful lawyer in Sweden with being a Michelin starred chef in London. He decided to do this when he was 44 when he says it started to grind in the back of his head that he should take his home-cooking skills and see how could he could become as a chef. And he does not believe that he will retire as a chef. "If I see there's another passion I really want to exercise, then I will probably change again. I don't understand this notion that you have one career in life and then that's it." Foodiva interviews Spanish three Michelin star chef Quique Dacosta. He is the first chef to take over Palazzo Versace's Enigma restaurant in Dubai for a three month pop-up. The restaurant will change hands every three months. Like Jonsson above, he is also a self-taught chef. On the subject of chefs, you should not miss the interview with Jason Atherton on opening 14 … [Read more...]