We are currently in the middle of a culinary revolution. Guests at top end restaurants want to feel relaxed, dress casually and enjoy their lunch or dinner without fuss like in the old days. They are also more willing to experiment, to try new things and eat more. This was the main theme of a panel discussion at Chef Sache on the changes that are currently taking place in the restaurant world. Two Michelin star chef Tim Raue from the Berlin restaurant with the same name, explained how attitudes in restaurants have changed completely over the years. "In the 1990s, people used to go to a Michelin star restaurant to show who they were and they used to wear clothes to depict this. Things have changed completely, just look at what we are wearing today on stage. This would not have been the case a few years ago. He said that people have done away with suit and tie. Dining has become a lifestyle product and they don't need to show off when they go out. Dining out means pleasure and … [Read more...]
Brussels welcomes San
San, the new restaurant of two-Michelin star chef San Degeimbre, is ready to start welcoming guests from Monday 5 October. The restaurant is built around a simple concept, that of serving food in bowls. This concept has already been tried and tested for lunch at the two Michelin star restaurant L'Air du Temps in Liernu, Belgium. San's restaurant is a welcome addition to the Brussels scene and has long been awaited by foodies in the city, particularly after the announcement of its opening earlier this year. The Belgian-Korean chef is going back to his roots by serving dishes in a bowl, something which is very common in Korea. There will be no forks and knives but only spoons. 'When you are using a spoon, you are forced to pick up what's on the plate and thus mix flavours," San told Food and Wine Gazette. Indeed, the dishes served at a press dinner showcased this concept to perfection. The taste from each spoonful was different and the flavours lingered on for a long … [Read more...]
Massimo Bottura announces he is working to create university of gastronomy in Modena
Italian chef Massimo Bottura announced he is working on the opening of a university based on gastronomy in Modena. He was speaking at Chef Sache in Cologne, Germany where he gave an inspirational presentation on creativity and his creative process. "Opening a gastronomic university in my home town Modena next to Osteria Francescana is my dream and we are working on it," said the Italian chef who has become world famous for his artistic and philosophical approach to food. Speaking in Cologne, Bottura said that future chefs will need to be well-read, cultured but also ready to get their hands dirty because knowledge comes from the basics. Seen as an iconic figure among fellow chefs, Bottura has for many years been misunderstood in his home country. But this year, he has reached the pinnacle of his career. He reached the number 2 position in the World's Best 50 list and has had huge success with the charitable soup kitchen at the Refettorio Ambrosiana in Milan. And he was also in … [Read more...]
Houston, we have a problem: The Maltese are the fattest in Europe and something needs to be done about it
"Houston. We have a problem." It is not every day that my country makes it to the international headlines given it's one of the smallest countries in the world. But recently it has done so for all the wrong reasons and not for something I am proud of. According to the 2015 European health report published by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Maltese have tipped the scales as the fattest population in the European Union. 68.5 per cent of men and 59.6% of women over the age of 18 were found to be overweight by the WHO study. You might ask why this should be of any concern to Food and Wine Gazette. Alas it does because obesity is one of society's greatest problems and has implications way beyond the food world. But the problem also lies in lack of education, awareness and a certain naivety which the food industry banks on to profit from the masses. We recently read that the Maltese government had announced measures to disallow tuck shops at school from selling soft-drinks. … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #50
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...]
Redzepi’s non-profit foundation MAD partners with Yale University to create institute for chefs
News about René Redzepi seems to be coming out each week. Today comes the announcement that the non-profit foundation MAD (Danish for Food), created by Redzepi, will be partnering with Yale University to develop a new leadership institute for chefs. This comes in the wake of announcements that Noma, the award-winning restaurant run by Redzepi will close its doors in December 2016 as well as the announcement of the launch of VILD MAD, a resource for learning, tasting and exploring wild food. The programme, which will be piloted next spring at Yale, will help create and curate new discussions among leading chefs as their influence continues to develop past the walls of their restaurants. In an age when chefs have become celebrities and have helped to raise awareness on issues such as food waste, this partnership is significant because it recognises the positive influence chefs can have on issues like kitchen culture and sustainability among others. Redzepi, considered to be … [Read more...]
Au Grand Forestier: A new restaurant by the owners of a Brussels institution
The Au Vieux Saint-Martin is a Brussels institution that needs no introduction. Serving Belgian specialities since its opening in 1968, it can be found in one of Brussels most prestigious squares, the Sablon. The owners of the restaurant, Albert-Jean and his son Frédéric Niels, whose family have a long-standing tradition running restaurants, have recently opened a second restaurant, Au Grand Forestier in the south of Brussels in the commune of Watermael Boitsfort. It is one of those places which only locals or people in the know will visit. Set just next to the Forest des Soignes, you will find it hard to believe that you are only a few kilometres away from the Brussels city centre. A typical Belgian brasserie, it serves all the traditional Belgian dishes such as the steak tartare or 'Américain' with fries, or tomatoes stuffed with crayfish. This is an ideal place for tourists coming to Brussels and wanting to find a typical Belgian brasserie that is off the beaten track. … [Read more...]
Seventh edition of Chef Sache starts on Sunday
The seventh edition of Chef Sache, the avant garde Cologne culinary festival, will take place on Sunday 27 and Monday 28 September. This year's theme of the event is the culinary revolution currently taking place in the restaurant world. Some of the world's best chefs will be showcasing their ideas, while exhibitors will present their innovative products. Young chefs will also be present to show what we can expect from emerging talent. Among the chefs on stage, there will be Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana (Italy), Jock Zonfrillo of Orana (Australia), Grant Achatz of Alinea (United States), Mitsuharu Tsumura of Maido (Peru), Sven Elverfeld of Aqua (Germany), Eric Menchon of Le Moissonnier (Germany), Christain Bau of Victor's fine dining (Germany), Stefan Wiesner of Rossli (Swizterland) and Magnus Ek of Oaxen Krog (Sweden). Together, these actors are driving the revolution that is currently transforming the culinary world. Never before have traditional dining concepts … [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...]
Massimo Bottura: The day Italy beat France 2-0
When French president Francois Hollande went to Modena earlier this week he provocatively said that he had heard there was a restaurant there that could compete with the top restaurants in France and he wanted to see whether this was true. And according to Italian chef Massimo Bottura of the award winning Osteria Francescana he passed the test with flying colours. Speaking to Michela Scacchioli of La Repubblica he said Hollande had told him at the end of the evening that Italy had beaten France 2-0 this evening. "This is not cuisine, this is art." The French president went to dine at Bottura's Osteria Francescana together with Italian premier Matteo Renzi. Bottura made a name for himself, not just for his award-winning cuisine but also for a noble project to raise awareness on the issue of food waste by feeding Milan's poor, using scraps of food from the Milan Expo. The Italian chef said it was not a common feature to have a head of state eat in his restaurant in Modena. "It … [Read more...]