Eight chefs left their restaurants last Saturday and Sunday to cook at the first 'Enjoy the Pleasure' event that took place at the Ferme d’Achêne, a farm built in 1641 in the area of Ciney, province of Namur and which is listed as part of Belgium’s national heritage. This was the first such event organised by Roland Swinnen. The chefs that took part in the event were Régis Alexandre (Le Comptoir du Goût, Ciney), Olivier Bruckner (L’Olivier, Dave), Gregorio Clavello (Au Gré des Saisons, Achet), Simon Denis/Gregory Gillain (Le Gare d'Hamois) , Ludovic Vanackere (L’Atelier de Bossimé, Loyers) and Carl Gillain (L’Agathopède, Namur) and Frederic Rolland (Rolland-Warnon, Hamois). Despite the weather which forced the event organisers to move everything to indoors, the event turned out to be a very enjoyable evening. Together, the chefs created a series of dishes which balanced each other out and which created a perfect showcase of the produce that the region … [Read more...]
‘Social media can ruin a restaurant experience, it is like pollution’ – David Kinch (Manresa)
David Kinch, US chef of three Michelin star restaurant Manresa in Los Gatos, California is an avid book reader and therefore it does not come as a surprise when he says that the image on social media is like pollution. It is not that he is against social media. He tells Food and Wine Gazette in an interview that the restaurant is going to be over 15 years old and over 15 years we have seen the rise of social media. "I understand the power and potential of social media and I also understand that it is not going to go away. It is something we have to live with. Part of my job as a chef with my team is to harness the positive aspects of social media, spreading the notion of Manresa, our message and our story so people perhaps feel compelled to come and visit our restaurnant." "I have no problems with that. On the flipside, there is a lot of conversation that goes on in social media and in blogs that are public but do not necessarily have to happen in public. They would be much more … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #81
The Italian Riviera: Italy's vegetarian heartland: The beautiful, rocky coastline of Liguria – also known as the Italian Riviera – stretches from the French border in the east to Tuscany in the west, taking in fishing villages, famous resort towns and the historic city of Genoa. The maritime Alps separate Liguria from the northern Italian provinces of Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna, creating a narrow strip of land between mountains and sea. Olive trees stretch as far as the eye can see, and tiny ancient villages perch precariously on mountainsides. Food as poetry: Massimo Bottura, the cultured chef at the top of the culinary world: When the World’s 50 Best Restaurants announced earlier this week that Massimo Bottura’s Modena restaurant Osteria Francescana had made it to the top of the list for the first time few in the culinary world were surprised. His rise to the top of the culinary world has been progressive and constant. What may have been surprising was the time it took for him to … [Read more...]
Food as poetry: Massimo Bottura, the cultured chef at the top of the culinary world
When the World's 50 Best Restaurants announced earlier this week that Massimo Bottura's Modena restaurant Osteria Francescana had made it to the top of the list for the first time few in the culinary world were surprised. His rise to the top of the culinary world has been progressive and constant. What may have been surprising was the time it took for him to achieve the pinnacle of success. This was as much a victory for Bottura, his wife Lara Gilmore and his team as much as it was a victory for culture and creativity. The Italian chef could have easily been a poet or an artist. He says creating a recipe is an intellectual gesture that involves ingredients, technique, memory and the compression of everything in bites of edible culture. He uses food as his medium for creativity and the palate to transmit emotions. "In a world of obligation, you can lose your point of reference. The secret is to keep a small space open for poetry, to be able to jump into that space and … [Read more...]
Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana is No 1 in the World
On the night when Italy was celebrating an unexpected victory against Belgium at the Euro 2016, in New York, Massimo Bottura, chef of Modena based restaurant Osteria Francescana had just been named as the World's Best restaurant by the 50 World's Best Restaurants. This was the crowning of a wonderful year for Bottura who has not only pushed the boundaries of fine dining but has now created the Food for Soul foundation with the aim of raising awareness on food waste and feeding the world's poor. In his first word's after winning the award in New York, after thanking his wife and team, he encouraged all chefs present to go to Rio and help him with the soup kitchen there during the Olympics. That is also Massimo Bottura. The award crowns a slow but steady ride to the world's top position and crowns his perseverance for taking tradition and twisting it with his creativity and culture. That was no easy task in a country where no one can mess with football, religion and … [Read more...]
‘Travel is a great source of inspiration’ – David Kinch (Manresa)
Travel is a great source of inspiration for David Kinch who is back in the United States after his trip to France where he was the first of 10 guest chefs to cook at Mirazur in celebration of Mauro Colagreco's restaurants' 10 year anniversary. "In recent years, I had the opportunity to travel a lot. This has meant not only having the opportunity to eat in the restaurants of my peers but also to get a grasp of the culinary culture of the places I visited. When you travel somewhere for a long way, you suffer from jet lag, you wake up very early in the morning because you cannot sleep. What better opportunity then to go and check out the early morning markets? For me the markets tell you almost everything you need to know about a town or city you are visiting, the ingredients, the people who are shopping for them, the seasonality. It tells you many different things. If you have to create a menu, most of the work will be done with a visit to the market," Kinch … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #80
96 of the world's best chefs share their favorite food experiences: Shopping local markets, the perfume of durian, Andean mountain cooking, oyster omelets with Sriracha sauce and warm milk straight from the cow -- these are some of the world's best chefs' favorite food experiences. On the eve of the 2016 World's Best Restaurant awards, we asked chefs from the world's current top 100 eateries to nominate an all-time favorite culinary experience that they'd recommend to traveling foodies. Why did I fall in love with fermentation: Growing up in a house void of inspiration, I always looked outward for my involvement, expression and stimulation through food and creativity. I grew up in the mountains of New Mexico and then in my teens moved to a larger city where I quickly embraced the best of both cultures. Take it with a pinch of salt – the food marketing myths we’ve swallowed whole: What came first, the chicken-is-healthy study or the eggs-are-unhealthy study? Nutritional advice is … [Read more...]
Four new chefs join Generation W
Four new chefs have joined Generation W, the collective of chefs from the Wallonia region of Belgium (the W representing Wallonia). The new chefs are Philippe Meyers, chef of Restaurant Philippe Meyers in Braine-l'Alleud, Stephane Diffels chef of L'Air de Rien in Esneux, Jean-Philippe Watteyne, chef of Icook in Mons and Benoît Van den Brandem chef of Cuisinémoi in Namur. The number of chefs in the collective has now reached 24 and they cover the whole region of Wallonia. The collective also includes over 20 artisanal producers from the region. "Joining Generation W is part of my growth as a chef, and of the importance of sharing and exchanging information with chefs and artisanal producers that have the same passion as I have," said Van den Brandem, chef of Michelin starred Cuisinémoi. Having worked in the business for around 10 years, he loves to focus on terroir, local produce while just cooking them to the bare minimum or even serving them raw to let the taste be as … [Read more...]
Saison is top US restaurant in Opinionated about Dining list
Saison, Joshua Skenes' restaurant has been named the number one restaurant in the United States by the Opinionated about Dining list. The list created by Steve Plotnicki is based on surveys filled by diners. The US list follows the publication of the European list a few days ago and is released just five days before the World's 50 Best restaurant list which will this year be announced in New York for the first time. In awarding Skenes' restaurant, OAD said that the chef serves aged fish, and offers a service of ducks that have been dry-aged for 32 and 70 days. Skenes also pushes the envelope in the way he uses the wood-burning grill on the restaurant’s patio. Rather than cook on a grate, Skenes might place ingredients directly in the ash or set them right next to a pile of flaming logs. Skenes has moved Saison into shiny new quarters in San Francisco’s SoMa district; he also serves a more casual menu in the restaurant’s lounge. Skenes also recently added an eight-person … [Read more...]
Changes to 51-100 positions of World’s 50 Best list: The Jane in Antwerp is newcomer to the list in 54th place
The Jane, the restaurant that has been in the news for the past two years because of its stunning design has made it to the 54th place of the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. The restaurant, based in Antwerp is the result of a partnership between world renowned chef Sergio Herman (above in the picture) and Nick Bril. The two worked together at three Michelin star restaurant Oud Sluis before they opened the restaurant in a former church in what is considered to be one of the most stunning restaurants of the world. Just a week before the World's Best 50 restaurants announces its top 50 restaurants, the list that has become an annual fixture for foodies around the world announced the restaurants in 51st to 100th place. There were a few surprises in the list including 15 new restaurants. Seven restaurants in the top 50 list have dropped positions. These are Chateaubriand from 21st to 74th place, Aqua from 33rd to 63rd place, Astrance from 36th place to 57th place, Mani from … [Read more...]