The red carpets were out at Steirereck for the GELINAZ! welcome dinner on Wednesday 16th August. Chefs from all corners of the world and journalists had travelled here to take part in the GELINAZ! DOES UPPER AUSTRIA event that was taking place on 20th August at the Muhltahof in Neufelden. But a visit as guests of Heinz Reitbauer was also on the cards because he is the most representative Austrian chef and the one who is leading a quiet revolution in Austria that could see the country ride the wave of culinary tourism that is rising in importance each year. Think about Austria and you think about Vienna, mountains, idyllic lakes, Alpine skiing and the Sound of Music. You might know about the Wiener Schnitzel or the Sacher Torte but Austria's food remains its best kept secret. But that could soon change. Love lists or hate lists there is a reason why Heinz Reitbauer of Vienna restaurant Steirereck in Stadtpark has been quietly rising in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. His … [Read more...]
Marketing disaster for San Pellegrino as Dominique Crenn blasts their leadership on gender equality
Dominique Crenn has lashed out at San Pellegrino saying their leadership skills were disappointing and they were not inspiring. This comes after an image did the rounds on social media showing a total of 37 jurors for the San Pellegrino 2018 Young Chef competition from nine different regions without a single woman. This is not the first time that giants like San Pellegrino, Michelin or the World's 50 Best Restaurants list have been the subject of tough criticism for ignoring women in what is often called a 'boys club'. This despite the fact that the World's 50 Best Restaurants have come up with the title of female chef of the year. Dominique Crenn won the award in 2016 Pressure on this issue has been mounting over recent years with journalist Maria Canabal also setting up the Parabere Forum to raise awareness on the issue. But she was not alone. GELINAZ! silently organised an event in Upper Austria this summer which involved 12 male chefs and 11 female chefs (one female chef … [Read more...]
Heinz Reitbauer: GELINAZ! was a great opportunity to show the world what Austria has to offer
A quiet revolution has been going on in Austria in the world of food and that is being led by chef Heinz Reitbauer who has slowly but surely climbed up the rankings of the World's 5o Best Restaurants list to reach 10th place with his Vienna restaurant Steirereck which is housed in a monolithic glass cube. "We cannot imagine how important for Austria it is that GELINAZ! came to our country. It gives us a chance to show to a lot of people, to chefs and the whole world the products we have, the current state of gastronomy in Austria and what we are thinking about Austrian food. We have been working with our producers to build something for many years and now we have the chance to showcase it," Reitbauer told Food and Wine Gazette in an interview. "The quality of the products and the standard of cooking is very high wherever you go," says the most representative chef of Austria at the moment. "Maybe our wines are known better than our cuisine because you can nearly always find … [Read more...]
Four hands lunch by Gert De Mangeleer and Yusuke Takada at Hertog Jan
Gert de Mangeleer, the chef of three Michelin star restaurant Hertog Jan in Zedelgem, Bruges hosted a four hands lunch with Yusuke Takada from 2 Michelin star restaurant La Cime in Osaka, Japan on 24 August. Also present for the event were chefs Zaiyu Hasegawa of restaurant Den in Tokyo which holds 11th place in Asia’s 50 Best and 45th place in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants) and Hiroyasu Kawate, chef of Florilège, 14th in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. They helped Yusuke prepare his dishes for the four hands lunch before cooking with Gert a dinner on the same day. The event, organised with the support of Visit Flanders and Arts Flanders Japan aimed to raise awareness of this Belgian region while introducing a few Japanese and international media to some of Gert and Joachim Boudens favourite suppliers and fellow chefs. Takada is the most western of the three chefs that cooked at Hertog Jan, also because of the time he spent in France during his formative years. The lunch was … [Read more...]
Getting to know part of the GELINAZ! crowd at O’ Boufes in Vienna
What better way to get to know part of the GELINAZ! crowd than with a casual lunch at O' Boufés, the casual restaurant of chef Konstantin Filippou and his wife Manuela. The duo hosted chefs and journalists for a lunch on Wednesday before the welcome dinner at the world renowned Vienna restaurant of Heinz Reitbauer, Steirereck and the transfer to Muhlathof in Neufelden where the GELINAZ DOES UPPER AUSTRIA took place. Chef Konstanin Filippou and his wife Manuela own two restaurants in Vienna, the causal O' Boufés and their flagship restuarant called Konstanin Filippou which gained a Michelin star soon after it opened its doors. The O Boufés was opened two years ago and is next door to their flagship restaurant and has been an integral part of their story. Serving pure and simple food that is characterised by great ingredients and good taste the cooking style at the O Boufés clearly reflects Konstantin's multicultural background (he is half Greek having a Greek father and … [Read more...]
GELINAZ DOES UPPER AUSTRIA: how 23 chefs revisited 3 matrix dishes
23 chefs, 7 teams, 3 matrix dishes with clearly defined ingredients, 14 courses. It may sound simple but it definitely is not. Chefs are meant to collaborate, to spend time together, to learn from each other and to exchange ideas. Its a bit like summer camp but it is also stressful and tiring. That is what the GELINAZ! DOES UPPER AUSTRIA dinner was all about. It is not the first time that chefs have been asked to revisit matrix dishes. And it will definitely not be the last. So what was served in Neufelden earlier this month when 21 top chefs were hosted by father and son duo Helmut and Philip Rachinger at the idyllic Mühltalhof restaurant and hotel? The dishes may have looked simple: what's not to like about a simple fresh water dish, a goulash and venison but the end result was far from simple. The chefs were grouped in teams of three or four people and they have one dish to reinterpret. There are seven teams in all. Three teams must reinterpret the venison dish, two the fish … [Read more...]
Sang Hoon Degeimbre first chef to cook at Mary Pop-in
Mary Pop-in, a Brussels based pop-up restaurant will be inviting chefs from Michelin star restaurants to cook a six-course vegetarian dinner using food that has been saved from waste. Called Masterchef Monday, the first guest of Mary Pop-in, an initiative of Eatmosphere, will be the chef of two Michelin star restaurant L'Air du Temps, Sang Hoon Degeimbre. "We love to work with top chefs like Sang Hoon. They have no limits and do not have preconceived ideas. Their approach to food waste is different and they actually value certain products in their way of cooking. They have the authority, the creativity and the possibility to raise awareness among the general public. Sang Hoon has been using a no waste philosophy for a long time and is using all sorts of modern and also old techniques such as fermentation to follow this approach," said Steven Desair, the founder of Mary Pop-in and Eatmosphere. "He respects nature. If you would like to take part in this event, then book quickly on our … [Read more...]
Japan meets Belgium at Hertog Jan: Gert de Mangeleer to reciprocate with visit to Japan next month
Gert de Mangeleer, the chef of three Michelin star restaurant Hertog Jan in Zedelgem, Bruges on Thursday hosted three Japanese chefs for a unique four hands lunch and a six hands dinner. The event, organised with the support of Visit Flanders and Arts Flanders Japan, aimed to raise awareness of this Belgian region by introducing the chefs and a few Japanese and international media to some of Gert and Joachim Boudens favourite suppliers and fellow chefs. The three chefs that cooked at Hertog Jan together with Gert were Yusuke Takada from La Cime in Osaka cooked lunch with Gert. On the other hand, the dinner was a collaboration between Zaiyu Hasegawa of restaurant Den in Tokyo which holds 11th place in Asia’s 50 Best and 45th place in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants) and Hiroyasu Kawate, chef of Florilège, 14th in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants together with Gert. Inspired by the unique garden at Hertog Jan which supplies 95 per cent of the herbs, fruits and vegetables that are used … [Read more...]
The beauty of raw prawns
I have never been an early morning person. But I still remember the days when my father used to wake me up early to go fishing with him. I used to relish the time with him. I used to love the anticipation and the preparation that went into the fishing. My father would prepare the fishing bait which either consisted of bread with fermented cheese that had been left in jars in full sunshine and stank really badly or else freshly brought shrimps or gambli as they were more commonly known in Maltese. My attention span when I was young and fishing would not really last long unless I was actually catching fish and to be honest I did not get the point of it until many years later. My father doesn’t even really like fish until this day. But, there is something therapeutic about fishing. You are alone, surrounded by nature sitting or standing in silence.The best time to fish is either at sunrise or at sunset and when it gets dark but to get the best spots you needed to go early. Today, … [Read more...]
Three top Japanese chefs to cook at Hertog Jan
Three top Japanese chefs are currently in Belgium and will cook with Gert De Mangeleer, chef of Belgium three Michelin star restaurant Hertog Jan. The three chefs are Yusuke Takada from La Cime in Osaka (a 2 Michelin star restaurant), Zaiyu Hasegawa of restaurant Den in Tokyo which holds 11th place in Asia’s 50 Best and 45th place in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants) and Hiroyasu Kawate, chef of Florilège, 14th in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. They arrived in Belgium on Monday and have been guests of Gert De Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens who have taken the chefs in tow in Bruges and its surroundings together with a few Japanese and international media. They have been introduced to a few of Gert and Joachim’s favourite suppliers and fellow chefs of both top restaurants as well as brasseries, brewers, chocolatiers from Flanders. The experience and inspiration that the chefs will have gained during this culinary trip will be put into practice on Thursday 24 August. The Japanese … [Read more...]