Franco Pepe is to pizza what Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo are to football. His work at Pepe in Grani has now be recognised recognised by the Best Chef Awards who awarded him with the Best Chef Pizza price at the 2021 Best Chef Awards that took place in Amsterdam earlier this week. This award highlights the key role the Italian pizzaiolo has had on the international scene. Franco Pepe is one of the most well-known and highly regarded pizzaiolos in the world. For generations, his family has been linked to the gastronomic world and to the art of making bread. But Franco reinvented himself and created a whole new approach, one that is visionary and unique, focusing on one of Italy’s most famous and iconic dishes: pizza. For the first time ever, a Pizzaiolo is being recognized for his work in the context of fine dining and haute cuisine. “Receiving this award is extremely important to me. I’m so proud that my work is being recognized internationally alongside the world’s best … [Read more...]
Why everyone rooted for Noma and Redzepi
They say life is not about reaching the destination but rather about the journey. So it must have felt ironic for René Redzepi and his team to clinch a third Michelin star that has been eluding them for the past years in what was probably been the most difficult year for the restaurant. Social media was on fire as the food world applauded a decision that for many has come way too late. Noma’s photo of the three Michelin stars had over 100,000 likes and over 4,000 comments congratulating the restaurant. Instagram stories were on fire as was my Facebook feed. Rarely has there been such accolades and genuine celebration for a chef and restaurant. The last one that comes to mind was Mauro Colagreco of Restaurant Mirazur in France. Every year, pundits awaited the announcement thinking this would be Noma and Redzepi’s year only to be left wondering what the restaurant needed to change to finally clinch the most important accolade in the world of gastronomy. Not that Redzepi and … [Read more...]
Ikoyi is restaurant to watch 2021
The World's 50 Best Restaurants announced that the winner of the American Express One to Watch Award 2021 is London's Ikoyi, co-founded by childhood friends Jeremy Chan and Iré Hassan-Odukale. The award recognises a restaurant that is considered to be a rising star on the global dining scene and aims to recognise and celebrate gastronomic excellence and innovation. The restaurant was developed after an initial conversation Chan and Hassan-Odukale had that ignited a spark around the possibilities of African-inspired food. A period of intensive research ensued and what ultimately emerged was a series of dishes with unique international flavour profiles and a desire to forge a new culinary narrative. Chef Jeremy Chan says: “We are extremely humbled by the recognition on the global stage and proud of our small, hard-working team. We are also grateful to our producers, without whom this success would not be possible.” Since opening in 2017, Ikoyi has distinguished itself for its … [Read more...]
‘Belgium for Foodies’ gourmet guide launched by Luster
Next month, Belgium will be in the spotlight as it hosts The World 50 Best Restaurants awards in the city of Antwerp. There has never been a better time to launch a guide for foodies. In Belgium for Foodies, culinary journalist and food writer Femke Vandevelde has gathered some of the best places to eat and drink in Belgium. This guide is different from many others. It encourages you to discover places that you might even think about from fantastic food shops to top restaurants and cafes as well as extraordinary locations to dine in. It features not just fine dining restaurants but also where to eat local specialities. Tony De Luc accompanies the book with his photo for the original lists. The book will be available in bookshops as from 4 October. Belgium for Foodies invites the reader to discover Belgium's extraordinary culinary scene by taking you on a trip through the country from the North Sea to the countryside and vibrant cities with rich cultural and culinary … [Read more...]
Michelin works in mysterious ways: Noma finally clinches 3 stars
COPENHAGEN: Noma, the acclaimed restaurant of René Redzepi, considered by many as one of the most influential restaurants, if not the most influential restaurant of the last decade has finally clinched 3 Michelin stars. It has been one of the most mysterious questions among food lovers as to how noma had never received 3 stars in its 18 year history. But Michelin has finally solved the conundrum by awarding noma three Michelin stars. In its note, it says René Redzepi’s urban oasis Noma has a strong connection to nature and its holistic approach sees unusual seasonal ingredients showcased in creative and complex dishes. "The seemingly impossible has happened," the restaurant said on its Facebook page. "To us, this is an achievement that solidifies Copenhagen as one of the best places in the world for restaurants right now." "We want to thank our wonderful guests for their support over the past 18 years and a huge shout of course to all our collaborators - farmers, … [Read more...]
The return of Table d’Amis and a new pizzeria
KORTRIJK: Matthieu Beudaert and Sofie Delbeke are not afraid of change. Two years after closing gastronomic restaurant Tables D'Amis and after their successful opening of Trattoria La Bicicletta they are again embarking on a new chapter in the Belgian city of Kortrijk. After having served 1366 pasta dishes with truffle, grilled 1753 entrecotes and sold 4888 arancini during the COVID-19 pandemic they have announced the closure of their highly popular Trattoria La Bicicletta. This will make way for a return to a gastronomic restaurant Table d'Amis and Pizza Sofia, a new project by Sofie Delbeke who is determined to take Neapolitan pizza to this Belgian city. "Two years ago, I decided to quit fine-dining. I had enough of it. But there are two reasons that have rekindled my passion. My weekly column in Sabato magazine (the weekend supplement of Belgian newspaper De Tijd) toether with Thijs Demeulemeester and Piet Dekersieter made me see new connections between art and … [Read more...]
Area Talks to feature discussions on the future of fine dining and sustainability among others
Amsterdam: Area Talks will feature discussions on the future of fine dining, the dark and bright sides of gastronomy, dutch gastronomy and sustainability. The talks will take place on September 14 as part of The Best Chef Awards that will take place in Amsterdam. After last year's #VIRTUAL2020 edition, chefs, foodies, journalists, and experts from the culinary world will meet in person to share knowledge and discuss these four topics. “We are convinced that discussion is really important and we aim to encourage experts like chefs, scientists, business owners, producers, journalists or any other, to exchange knowledge and learn from each other. The Best Chef is a global platform and even though we have a lot of differences in every culture, we all share a lot of the same issues and challenges when it comes to gastronomy," said Joanna Slusarczyk, neuroscientist and one of the founders of THE BEST CHEF. After last year's virtual edition that brought together 21 speakers from … [Read more...]
Michelin Stars II – Nordic By Nature to feature at the San Sebastian film festival
Michelin Stars II - Nordic by Nature will feature at the Culinary Zinema: Film and Gastronomy section at the 69th edition of the San Sebastian International Film Festival. Nordic By Nature is a culinary documentary filmed over an 18 month period that follows the endearing and brutal destiny and everyday life of the Faroe Islands and its culinary pearl KOKS, helmed by chef Poul Andrias Ziska. While the COVID-19 pandemic forced people to focus on core values and what was important, for Ziska and the restaurant this was nothing new. The two Michelin starred restaurant is situated in a low ceiling farmhouse with grass on the roof. It is surrounded by luscious green fields surrounded by rolling hills inside the isolated Faroe-archipelagos in the middle of the Nordic seas. It is almost mythological restaurant in hobbit settings that has received international acclaim for embracing the mindset the world now finds itself with. Everything sourced, cooked and enjoyed … [Read more...]
Gault & Millau Belgian chef of the year to release recipe book in October
Christophe Pauly, Belgian chef of the year 2021 of the guide Gault & Millau will publish his first recipe book Le Coq aux Champs on 14 October. The book, named after his restaurant, will capture some of the restaurant dishes that have made it one of the best tables to dine in Wallonia (the south of Belgium). Apart from some of the classics, Christophe will also showcase his creativity and harmony in the recipes. His cuisine is always focused on excellent produce that surrounds him. There are more than 100 recipes in the book which are easy to recreate and where the focus is on the quality of the product. You can try the carrots cooked in their own vegetal liquid, asparagus cooked the flemish way (asperges a la Flamande) or the famous Liege coffee. The chef makes use of products that come from the Wallonian territory as well as fish provided to him by the collective North Sea Chefs which has as its main aim that of showcasing fish that is normally caught as a by catch or … [Read more...]
All good things take time: GELINAZ Silent Voices returns with a bang
The sun was setting at Tenuta di Valgiano on the rolling hills above Lucca. GELINAZ! Stay in Tour Silent Voices was about to come to life. Months of hard work, stress all came together to create what turned out to be a magical evening. All good things take time. The first Silent Voices Chapter 1 took place in November 2020 with restaurants mainly in Asia since restaurants there were not facing any lockdown restructions. In other places, however, the event had to be postponed not once but twice because of the pandemic. Originally pencilled for the end of January, it was later pencilled in for spring before it finally took place in a number of locations around the globe on Sunday 29 August. We were at Tenuta di Valgiano where the event organised by the 3 chefs of Ristorante Giglio, Stefano Terigi, Lorenzo Stefanini and Benedetto Rullo, was taking place. In total, 13 chefs and their teams had been busy for over a day preparing a dinner for 140 people. They were given matrixes (or … [Read more...]