Andre Chiang, one of the most influential chefs in Asia and the world has shocked the culinary world by announcing that he would close down his award-winning restaurant ANDRE in Singapore and return his Michelin stars. In the process, the chef, who also has another restaurant in Taipei called Raw has also asked the Michelin guide to no longer feature him in the guide. In a letter he sent to clients and friends, the chef said: “I’m a perfectionist and for the past 30 years of my career, I’ve been looking for that unrealistic “moment of perfection”; Three Michelin stars, World’s Best 50 Restaurants list, until now I realized, at this moment- It is perfect as it is” The restaurant will close on 14th February. The chef said that he has a quote on the cover of his biography which states that the moment he perfects a dish is the moment he lets it go from his menu. It is for this reason that he has decided to close his restaurant in Singapore and head back to where he … [Read more...]
Eat well and stay well is the manifesto of the next LSDM
Barbara Guerra and Albert Sapere, curators of the Italian food congress LSDM or Le Strade della Mozzarella (Mozzarella Roads) have announced that the next congress to take place in Paestum, Italy on 23 and 24 May 2018 will have as its main theme eat well to stay well. "Over the past 10 years, we have had the good fortune to closely observe the cuisine of some of the best Italian restaurants. Today, cuisine has assumed a new social function because chefs are also in the spotlight. Today, It is not sufficient to just know how to produce food that is technically and stylistically correct. The wellbeing of the diners, the sustainability of ingredients used to prepare dishes, vegetables and the definition of a dietary model are all important topics which are becoming increasingly pertinent," the two curators of the congress said. Their aim is not to ostracise any particular food but rather to apply common sense, to the benefit of customers and our planet. For the event they have … [Read more...]
Gert De Mangeleer reflects on ‘roller coaster’ trip to Japan to cook with Zaiyu Hasegawa, Hiroyasu Kawate and Yusuke Takada
Ask any chef whose been to Japan to speak about the quality of produce there and their eyes light up. Gert de Mangeleer, chef of Belgian top restaurant Hertog Jan is no exception. He's a regular visitor to the land of the rising sun, drawing lots of inspiration from the culture and cuisine and he could not say no when he was asked to reciprocate a visit of three Japanese chefs who visited his restaurant in Zedelgem in late August. In the span of two weeks in September, the Belgian chef cooked at three different top-end restaurants in Tokyo and Osaka. “It was a bit of a roller coaster experience because in two weeks I cooked at three restaurants and also cooked at the Belgian embassy. But it is also a great experience which inspired me in many ways,” he told Food and Wine Gazette. The Belgian chef started his trip to Japan in Tokyo cooking at the restaurant of Zaiyu Hasegawa, Den before cooking at Hiroyasu Kawate’s restaurant Florilège. He then made his way to Osaka where he … [Read more...]
Mauro Colagreco has some advice for GELINAZ! – to keep doing things differently
Mauro Colagreco may have arrived late to Neufeulden for GELINAZ! DOES UPPER AUSTRIA but he has clearly not lost his cool or his smile. He's missed his early morning flight which meant that he had to make his way to Upper Austria. I was looking forward to seeing him again. I had met him a few years earlier. He was actually the first chef that I had ever interviewed for Food and Wine Gazette. I had seen him on other occasions including at the GELINAZ! Brussels Headquarters event. The Argentinian-born chef is a fan of GELINAZ! despite his incredibly busy schedule. "It is a small family and I am among friends. Such an event gives me the opportunity to meet new people. For established chefs, it is a way to meet people that we do not know and to see the new generation that is coming behind us but which are rising very fast," he said. Mauro said that to top it all it is always organised in a magnificent setting making it all the more special. "It is a way to get us out of our daily … [Read more...]
‘Noma delay could be a good thing for us’ says René Redzepi
René Redzepi, chef of noma, said the delay of noma 2.0 could end up being a good thing for the restaurant. Over the past few months, they have travelled the same journey they did 14 years ago when they opened noma in search of inspiration, new ideas and new ingredients. "To have a month more to be able to work on the new menu is a good thing," Rene said. After their pop-up experience in Mexico, the chef and his team embarked on a journey over the summer months (see stunning video below). The Danish chef said that they had gone back in time to the opening of noma 14 years ago and have covered the same journey they embarked on when they opened the restaurant. In the process, they have visited the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, Sweden, Norway and the whole of Denmark. "We have been from farm to farm, butcher to butcher, fisherman to fisherman simply trying to see what's out there. Nothing beats meeting new people, meeting new friends and discovering new ingredients," René … [Read more...]
Filip Claeys to cook with Christophe Pauly on 16 October
Christophe Pauly, chef of restaurant Le Coq aux Champs in Soheit-Tinlot, Belgium will be welcoming Filip Claeys, chef of the Bruges restaurant De Jonkman and the face of the collective North Sea Chefs for a special four hands dinner on 16 October. The dinner, the second in a series of three dinners being organised by the chef from Wallonia will be an unusual dinner which brings together 'the farm' and 'the sea'. This is because the chef, who has his restaurant in the middle of the Wallonian countryside will be inviting Bruges based chef Filip Claeys whose focus is mainly fish. Over the past years, Filip Claeys has been working to raise awareness about the need to use all the fish that are caught by fishermen and not just the ones which are fashionable. When he started, he lost 30 per cent of his customers in the process at his gastronomic restaurant but now, nearly 10 years after founding North Sea Chefs he has managed to convince many of Belgium's best chefs to follow … [Read more...]
Cala in San Francisco to organise charity brunch in aid of Mexican victims of earthquake
Cala, the restaurant of chef Gabriela Camara will be organising a charity fundraiser this Sunday to help victims of the earthquake in Mexico. Camara, who made a name for herself in Mexico City before opening Cala, her first U.S. restaurant in San Francisco is half Mexican half Italian and was recently one of the chefs at GELINAZ! DOES UPPER AUSTRIA. Named Fuerza Mexico, the restaurant will organise a brunch to support relief efforts after this week's devastating earthquake in Mexico City. The restaurant said that the brunch will be a celebration of Mexican food and culture to help victims of the earthquake. The brunch will be held between 11am and 4pm and there will be an unlimited selection of tostados, bottomless micheladas and margaritas. Guests are expected to donate $100 dollars direct to charity at the door. There will be a life performance by Diana Gameros. Yesterday, it was the turn of René Redzepi to announce a charity dinner in Copenhagen in aid of Red Cross … [Read more...]
Charity dinner in aid of Red Cross Mexico at noma Under the Bridge
René Redzepi, chef of Copenhagen restaurant noma is organising a charity dinner on 26 September at the pop-up restaurant Under the Bridge. All proceeds from the dinner will go towards the Red Cross Mexico after the horrible earthquakes that devastated the country earlier this week. Dishes will be prepared by friends of René Redzepi from Hija De Sanchez, Geist (Bo Bech), Taller, Kodbyens Fiskebar and the Noma team with bread prepared by the Hart Bakery. The Danish chef said that the best natural wines in Denmark will be served during the dinner which have been kindly donated by Rosforth&Roshfort, Petillant and Lieu-Dit. 100 per cent of the ticket price will be donated directly to Red Cross Mexico in support of relief efforts that are taking place following the devastating earthquake. Bookings can be made here. Earlier this week, Redzepi announced that because of a delay in building works due to an archaeological find, the pop-up Under the Bridge would continue for … [Read more...]
Archaeological find delays opening of Noma 2.0
Noma 2.0 which had to open in December will have its opening delayed due to an archaeological find, chef René Redzepi announced in a Facebook post. He said that to cut a long story short, the builders found an old wall in the ground during the works and archaeologists had to be called in. After a month long inspection, the works could continue following the granting of an approval but this means that the opening will be delayed to 2018. Redzepi said that because of this delay, the team at Noma will be extending their pop-up Under the Bridge by another 6 weeks until November 12. Joining the Noma team for the extended run to help develop a new menu for October and November, will be two of Noma's friends Torsten Vildgaard, most recently head chef of Studio, and bread will be made by Richard Hart, the former head baker of Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. Richard Hart will be opening a bakery in Copenhagen next year. "We are so excited to be working with both of them," Redzepi … [Read more...]
Six hands dinner by Gert De Mangeleer, Zaiyu Hasegawa and Hiroyasu Kawate at Hertog Jan
When Zaiyu Hasegawa, chef of Tokyo restaurant Den came to Belgium to cook at Hertog Jan, the three Michelin star restaurant of chef Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens he came with a pan and a plan. He and Hirouasu Kawate, chef of Florilège challenged the Belgian chef to cook a Japanese style rice to accompany the main dish. The Belgian chef rose to the challenge and made a rice with cepes, marrow and snails which was one of those dishes that remains etched in your memories and which accompanied the pigeon from Steenvoorde and a dashi that was made by the two Japanese chefs. This was a splendid six hands dinner that Gert and Joachim hosted with the support of Visit Flanders and Arts Flanders Japan and which was aimed to raise awareness about this Belgian region. At the moment, the Belgian chef is reciprocating the visit with a trip to Japan where he is cooking at Florilege, Den as well as Yusuke Takada's La Cime in Osaka (the latter cooked lunch with Gert on the same … [Read more...]