As we start the New Year and resume our weekly round-ups of the things we enjoyed reading after a two-week break you may want to start with this long read about an Italian chef who took on the Calabrian Mafia, the 'Ndrangheta. It is the story of Filippo Cogliandro of restaurant L'Academia in Reggio Calabria and how he fought the battle against the Italian mafia. He will be cooking at a series of public culinary demonstrations in Europe, the United States and beyond to denounce the 'Ndrangheta while at the same time raising awareness of the true spirit of Calabria. The head chef of Noma, Daniel Giusti announced he will be leaving the famous Copenhagen based restaurant. He said he was moving to the United States to launch Brigaid, a company that will attempt to change the way schools feed their students. In this interview on Lucky Peach the chef of Italian origin says that while he appreciated working at Noma, at some point when you climb the ladder you understand what it's all about. … [Read more...]
2015 – a year of Food and Wine Gazette in review
Just a few hours remain before many will uncork their champagne bottles to bid farewell to 2015 and welcome the New Year, here at Food and Wine Gazette we would like to wish our loyal readers, followers and supporters all the very best for the coming year. We would like to share with you what our readers have enjoyed reading most in 2015. The following is the list of most read articles for 2015. Interview with Peter Goossens: 'Belgium has one of the best cuisines in the world but no one has said it yet' 10 things we learnt from Sergio Herman 10 Sicilian producers to look out for A review of Massimo Bottura's great book Never Trust a Skinny Italian chef Sang-Hoon Degeimbre of L'Air du Temps to open restaurant in Brussels on 5 October Kobe Desramaults announces closure of In De Wulf in December 2016 Massimo Bottura's soup kitchen needs your help Gert de Mangeleer (Hertog Jan): Simplicity is not so simple Francis Mallmann 'Get out of your chair and go out' Fulvio … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #60
Times are changing and as people have less time to cook the Italian tradition of the aperitivo is slowly changing to the 'apericena'. It is a new student supper and combines the old aperitivo (an old Italian custom in the north) with a buffet. Students are flocking to bars which have started to offer a buffet of homemade hot and cold dishes with evening drinks. They are substantial enough to constitute a light dinner at a relatively low price - often starting at around €10 for one drink and the buffet. Magnus Nilsson has been in the news because of the publication of his book on Nordic cuisine. Here is an interesting article which gives some personal insights into this talented chef. If you are lacking ideas for your Christmas lunch here are four alternative recipes from UK master chefs. We are tempted to try the espresso panna cotta. Are you still looking for the last Christmas presents? Here is a list the 25 best food books of 2015 compiled by The Guardian. Did you know … [Read more...]
Two Swiss restaurants in Top 5 of La Liste, Hof Van Cleve is highest Belgian entry
La Liste, a new collective of 1,000 top restaurants in the world was launched for the first time in Paris on 17 December and there are a few surprises. Two out of the top 5 restaurants are Swiss with one of the top 5 restaurants being French. The top restaurant on the list is Swiss Restaurant de l'Hôtel de Ville. It is followed by US based Per Se, Japanese Kyo Aji, French restaurant Guy Savoy and Swiss restaurant Schauenstein Considered to be the French answer to the World's 50 Best Restaurants, La Liste is being called the guide of guides as it compiles the results from 200 gastronomic guides such as (Michelin, Gault&Millau, Zagat), websites like TripAdvisor and Open Table as well as lists like the 50 Best and the Daily Meal apart from reviews of press critics. A quick look at the top 3 restaurants in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list reveals some remarkable differences particularly for the third restaurant on the list Noma. While Cellar de Can Roca is placed in sixth … [Read more...]
The inspiring work of René Redzepi, one of the world’s greatest chefs – Noma: My Perfect Storm reviewed
When you are on top of the game, whether it is in sport, art or in any other field, it is easy to rest on your laurels and bask in the glory of success. René Redzepi's restaurant Noma has been voted as the World's best restaurant in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014. When he lost the top position in the year the restaurant was hit with an outbreak of norovirus, he worked harder and focused to get back to the top position. He is considered by many to be one of the most influential chefs if not the most influential chef that came after the Spanish star Ferran Adria who reinvented modern cuisine in the 1990s. It is therefore no coincidence that a documentary film would be released about this talented chef who has put Copenhagen on the worldwide gastronomic map and has been hitting the headlines with incredible ease for his ground-breaking dishes and concepts in his restaurant. And that documentary becomes all the more topical as we learned just some months ago that Noma would close … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #59
Michelin in Italy was in the news last week following the decision to remove a star from Davide Scabin. It has been a controversial decision among Italian foodies given they consider this chef to be one of the most inventive in Italy. Social media was all the rage after designer Bob Noto created a graphic called Je Suis Scabin to show support to the Italian chef. If you missed it, we have written about it here. Brussels is the New Berlin according to this article in the New York Times. The article says that Brussels has quietly emerged as one of Europe's most exciting creative hubs. Nicholas Lander reviews what is considered to be one of the best restaurants in France, the Maison Troisgros. It has held three Michelin stars since 1968. We have written about Nuno Mendes and his attempt to crowd-fund a restaurant recently. Here you will find some Portuguese Christmas recipes from this talented chef. Jay Rayner takes a look at the world of Instagram and does not necessarily … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #58
Magnus Nilsson, the Swedish chef famous for his restaurant Faviken was in the news the past few weeks as the much awaiting book Nordic was launched. Here Dianne Henry takes a look at the book in an article which also features some recipes from this Swedish chef. You can also read about the experience of eating at his restaurant on Rocket & Squash. Are we in the middle of a food fad? And why are retired men suddenly interested in cooking? According to this article, there is a surge in older men attending cookery classes. We've written often about the subject of food waste. Here is an article which might inspire you to waste less. The premise of the article is that when cooking, good ingredients gone bad can still be delicious. Very few will get to try the world's most expensive meat. Is it so special? Difficult to say though if you judge by the demand, it seems like it. Chris Dwyer writes about the French butcher Alexandre Polmard who is behind the world's most expensive … [Read more...]
A visit to the San Lorenzo mercato centrale in Florence
Food markets are the heart of any city. You tend to miss out a lot when you miss visiting the food market in any city. A food market is the centre of the city and it tells you a lot about the food culture and produce of that city or region. The San Lorenzo Mercato Centrale in Florence is no exception. Although the food market in Florence is a tourist attraction in its own right and attracts a large amount of tourists, the quality of the produce on offer also gives you a direct insight into Florentine and in particular Tuscan cuisine. If you are not into food, it is still worth visiting for its architecture. This old market is an architecturally interesting building that was built by Giuseppe Mengoni, the same architect who created the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan. The market inaugurated in 1874 was inspired by the Les Halles de Paris. Its glass and iron combination ensures that light comes in naturally and allows the amazing colours of the splendid produce from fruits … [Read more...]
A review of Francis Mallmann’s book: Seven Fires – Grilling the Argentinian Way
"Fire has its own language, spoken in the realm of heat, hunger and desire. It speaks of alchemy, mystery and, above all, possibility. It is a slumbering voice inside me, the ever present beast within my soul, it is beyond words, beyond memory. It comes from a time long before I can recall." This is how the book Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentinian Way by Francis Mallmann and Peter Kaminsky starts. The Argentinian chef is an inspiring character who uses cooking to send a message of a certain way of living. He is known for telling people to cook by 'getting out of your chair, sofa or office and go outdoors.' The most influential chef in Argentina has been portrayed in a splendid documentary Chef's Table on Netflix which we have reviewed here. Mallmann has mastered fire like few others. He has been trained in French classics so he is a master of the art of intensifying, deepening and developing all the flavours and textures of his ingredients. But rather than rely on … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #57
The Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo is probably the most famous fish market in the world. The wholesale market is best known for its pre-dawn tuna auction but Tsukiji's future (also as a retail market) could be at risk. It opened in 1935 but is set to move next year to Toyosu a few miles away. Read the story here. What is healthy eating? And who can we trust when it comes to finding out what should really be on our plates? Alex Benton has a splendid article about the subject and he argues that we have turned all that worry to the wrong things. He calls gluten free a top dietary fad which keeps health magazines and food manufacturers busy. It is a must read. French culinary master Joel Robuchon, the chef with the most Michelin stars worldwide, has unveiled plans for an international culinary school. It will be located on the site of a monastery hospital in Montmorillon in the Vienne region of Western France. The school will welcome its first students in 2018. Danny Meyer, one of … [Read more...]