Imagine a world where you could find the best producer of eggs in Italy at the click of a button. That is what Eneko Atxa, chef of three Michelin star restaurant Azurmendi has set out to do this year. Called the Best Farmers award, his dream is to give farmers and producers the importance they deserve. "Today, chefs are considers as rockstars but if we can achieve that for farmers, maybe the world will be a better place," Eneko told Food and Wine Gazette in Larrabetzu. "During 2018, I want to create a platform that gives visibility to the best producers in the world. I want to give the possibility to people to look for the best produce at the click of a button. The aim is that in every part of the world you will be able to look for the best producer of a given product," Eneko said. He is not leaving anything to chance. The Basque chef, who has made a name for himself for sustainability and for his new concept JAKIN(N) which looks at the restaurant in a holistic … [Read more...]
JAKIN(N): Eneko Atxa ‘cooking up the future’
On a perched hill in Larrabetzu on the outskirts of Bilbao, Eneko Atxa, the Spanish chef of acclaimed restaurant Azurmendi is ‘cooking up the future’. Using Jaki, the basque term for meal and Jakin, the term for knowledge he is building an ecosystem that builds around knowledge and meals. With his idea he wants to foster a sustainable, healthy and a fair society through gastronomy. Those are the three elements that are the pillars of his work. Eneko has taken up running recently and he intends to run a full marathon this year. “Running has really helped me to think. It is a way of arriving at the restaurant refreshed or of leaving the restaurant to go home and be able to clear my mind,” he told Food and Wine Gazette. "I'm so convinced of the importance of sport that I insist with the members of my team that they should take up any sport they love," he said. The Spanish chef considers running to be an integral part of his creative process and the place where he can think and … [Read more...]
New start for Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens after decision to close Hertog Jan
Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens may have decided to close Hertog Jan to gain more flexibility but they will certainly be keeping themselves busy. They want to pursue other opportunities even if they want to do it on their terms. "The decision to close Hertog Jan was not something we took yesterday. We had been discussing about the possibility of closing the restaurant for more than one and a half years," Gert de Mangeleer said. Chef Gert de Mangeleer and sommelier Joachim Boudens, the joint-owners of 3 Michelin star restaurant Hertog Jan announced early on Saturday morning in a press release sent at around 2am in the morning that they would be closing the restaurant in December this year. "Since a year and a half ago, we found that the restaurant was constraining us from pursuing other opportunities. It is not an easy decision to close such a restaurant. We have been seriously thinking about our decision for the past 8 or 9 months," De Mangeleer told Food and Wine … [Read more...]
Belgian top restaurant Hertog Jan to close its doors
Dreams come true, new stories start Hertog Jan, the three Michelin star restaurant of top chef Gert De Mangeleer and sommelier Joachim Boudens, will close its doors after 13 highly successful years. Gert and Joachim shocked the Belgian gastronomic scene and the culinary world with a press release sent in the middle of the night announcing that they have achieved their greatest dreams with Hertog Jan and want to stop at the height of their careers. The duo are looking to the future with great energy and entrepreneurial spirit and are already making new plans. They have cited more flexibility as one of the main reasons for the closure. Hertog Jan is one of two 3 Michelin star restaurants in Belgium. Gert, Joachim and the entire Hertog Jan team will welcome their last guests on Saturday, 22 December 2018. "We’ve always had dreams: first we wanted our own restaurant and 1 star. Later we dreamed of 3 stars and of a restaurant with international allure…Our greatest dream has always been … [Read more...]
Bart de Pooter: A dinner that changed everything
Every person has a defining moment which makes you change paths or perspective. For Belgian chef Bart de Pooter that moment came at the dinner table of legendary restaurant el Bulli. He had been running Pastorale, a two Michelin star restaurant in a small village, Reet, close to the city of Antwerp for 26 years but that dinner changed everything. “When I went there and was served 26 courses, I felt very frustrated when I returned home because I realised that out of all those courses, I could maybe only create 3 dishes,” said Bart. He could not understand what had happened. Feeling lost, he went on a voyage of discovery looking at what made him and his restaurant unique. “I was a classic cook and quality was always important but then I became someone who wanted to translate his culture and create an identity.” Upon reflection and deep thinking he came up with Biotope or the habitat that has become his signature. Whether it is the vegetables, the produce or even the wood and … [Read more...]
Massimo Bottura opens new restaurant in Florence with Karime Lopez as chef
Massimo Bottura, chef of the internationally renowned restaurant in Modena, Osteria Francescana has opened his first Italian restaurant outside his home city of Modena in Florence. The restaurant opened to the general public today, 10 January 2018. The chef in charge is Karime Lopez, a Mexican cook who previously worked alongside Virgilio Martinez of Central, Peru and René Redzepi of Noma among others. She also worked at Mugaritz in Spain, Puyol in Mexico and Ryugin in Tokyo, Japan). She moved to Italy last year when she married Takahiko Kondo or Champion Taka as Massimo Bottura likes to call his sous chef. The restaurant is in the Gucci garden inside the historic Palazzo della Mercanzia, which housed the Gucci Museo. Conceived by creative director Alessandro Michele, the newly designed space features a store with one-of-a-kind items as well as the Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura, the restaurant by the three Michelin star chef from Modena. The restaurant has around 35 … [Read more...]
The Jane launches private dining room
Nick Bril, chef of The Jane in Antwerp has launched a private dining room in his office at the PAKT complex just a few metres away from the award winning restaurant. The Dutch chef of The Jane who opened the restaurant together with Sergio Herman, who we worked with at Oud Sluis, told Food and Wine Gazette that the private dining room will give the restaurant and its team more flexibility to enjoy their work. "It is great because it will give me the liberty to manage the reservations without the need to have it fully booked because the space also serves as my office and research area. It gives me the liberty to create or test a menu, to invite people and get their feedback," he said. PAKT is a new hotspot in Antwerp close to The Jane which houses all things creative, innovative and culinary. It is also includes a communal rooftop garden as well as the rooftop garden of The Jane which has been in use since last year. Nick said that the space can also be used for product launches and … [Read more...]
Nick Bril to open new restaurant in Antwerp
Nick Bril, chef of award winning restaurant The Jane in Antwerp will be opening a new restaurant in the Belgian city of Antwerp. The restaurant is set to open later this year. The Dutch chef who partnered with Sergio Herman to open The Jane after working with him at Oud Sluis for many years told Food and Wine Gazette that he will be working together with a new hotel which is opening its doors just 100 metres away from The Jane. The new restaurant which will be more simple and more accessible than what one can expect from Nick Bril and The Jane. "The hoteliers of Hotel Julien, a renowned boutique hotel in Antwerp contacted me as they were opening a hotel just a few metres away from our restaurant. They wanted to speak about the possibility that guests at their hotel would be able to book a table at The Jane.” The Jane is a highly successful restaurant and often considered as one of the most visually stunning restaurants in the world. The hotel will have 46 rooms with a … [Read more...]
Bar Crenn to open next to Atelier Crenn on 20 February
Dominique Crenn, the successful chef of Atelier Crenn has announced that the extension to her world renowned restaurant Bar Crenn will open on 20 February in San Francisco. Featuring recipes from some of France's food giants like Alain Ducasse, Pierre Sang, Yannick Alleno and Guy Savoy among others this will be a completely different offering to Atelier Crenn. Bar Crenn, while adjacent to Atelier Crenn will be different. The wine director Matt Montrose has amassed a collection of the great wines of France and beyond that channel their shared philosophy of environmental responsibility where winemakers and domaines are showcased that priortize traditional methods of viticulture as well as careful and thoughtful use of the land. A rotating collection fo wines will be available by the glass as well as a more developed bottle list of some remarkable producers of world-class wine. There will also be a small selection of cocktails with a special focus on old-style French … [Read more...]
New scholarship gives opportunity to aspiring chefs to work at Mugaritz and Atelier Crenn
Aspiring chefs with less than three years' experience in a professional kitchen will be able to gain experience at Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Spain and Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, USA over a three-month period. The new scholarship called the 50 Best BBVA Scholarship was announced by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants organisation and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) The annual scholarship scheme will identify talented chefs and seek to develop their potential with the aid of internships or ‘stages’ in the kitchens of some of the world’s best restaurants. For the inaugural scholarship in 2018, the recipient will be invited to work at Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Spain, and Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, USA, over a three-month period. He or she will also be flown to Spain to attend The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018 awards in Bilbao next June, where they will be presented on stage in front of the world’s leading chefs and media. Aspiring chefs with less than three … [Read more...]