On the base of the Mont Blanc, the village of Courmayeur will welcome Portuguese chef David Jesus for a series of charity dinners being organised in collaboration and in aid of Food for Soul. The eight charity dinners take place between 25 February and 4 March. Food for Soul is a non-profit organisation set up by world renowned chef Massimo Bottura whose aim is to promote social awareness around the issue of food waste and hunger through a range of projects in collaboration with chefs, artisans, food suppliers, artists, designers and institutions. The aim behind this newly set organisation is to encourage public and private organisations to create community kitchens around the world to promote the importance of taking back the abandon: food, spaces, people. The rejuvenation of food, spaces and people is a cultural project not only for those in need but for the good of the larger community. This is the first event called "Chef in Commune" which will welcome 14 people every … [Read more...]
Honorary degree for Massimo Bottura in Bologna
Massimo Bottura, the chef at the helm of Osteria Francescana, the world's best restaurant, was this evening honoured with an honorary degree in Management from the University of Bologna. Bottura got the degree for setting an example by merging entrepreneurship, culture and technique and that helps to spread Italian culture worldwide. The Modena based chef, who has three Michelin stars and is number one in the World's 50 Best Restaurant list has also set up the Refettorio Ambrosiano during the Milan Expo. Since then he has opened refectories to feed the world's poor in various cities including Rio. In summer, a soup kitchen will open in London in the Chelsea area and he also has plans to open one in Berlin. Bottura belives that chefs can make a difference today because they have a voice unlike in the past. An honorary degree to a chef is not common but Bottura says that even Harvard have studied the way they work in the restaurant. The restaurant today receives 2,000 … [Read more...]
Chef Sache 2017 to be held in Düsseldorf
Chef Sache, the largest and most important avant-garde culinary festival in the German speaking countries will be moving to Dusseldorf from Cologne for 2017. Port Culinaire and Food Events, the organisers of the event, have announced that this year's edition which takes place on 17 and 18 September will be held at the Areal Böhler, Alte Schmiedehallen in Düsseldorf. The location was converted into an event location in July 2012. The old industrial complex, whose unmistakable character, has been preserved will welcome some of the world's most creative chefs. The lineup of chefs confirmed for this year's event include Thomas Dorfer, Landhaus Bacher in Mautern, Wachau, Vladimir Mukhin, White Rabbit in Moscow, Esben Holmboe Bang of Maaemo in Oslo, Paul Pairet of Ultraviolet in Shangai and Heinz Reitbauer of Steirereck in Vienna. The event is nine years old has is growing every year. Last year, the attendance during the two days of the event numbered 3,100 visitors. The … [Read more...]
Fourth edition of Salon du Chocolat in Brussels next weekend
The fourth edition of the Salon du Chocolat in Brussels will be held next weekend from 10 to 12 February. Having been successfully organised since 2014, the event promises to be a celebration of Belgian chocolate in all its forms. This year, the event is being organised at Tour & Taxis in an area of 8,000 sqm. Over 130 participants, from chocolatiers, pastry chefs, confectioners, designers and cocoa experts will be taking part in this year;s edition. Philippe Close, the deputy mayor of Brussels City Council responsible for Tourism, Finance and Personnel said "Brussels’ image is inextricably linked to chocolate; we have the best chocolatiers working in the most prestigious locations, real craftsmen who offer their delicious product in every shape and form, from the simple bar to the most sophisticated arrangements. Their know-how and traditions have been quite rightly institutionalised in a museum dedicated to cocoa and chocolate." This year's theme is Cocoa - the heart of … [Read more...]
Six hands dinner at Prieuré Saint-Gery on 27 February featuring Melanie Englebin and Euphrasie Mbamba
Vincent Gardinal, chef of l'Hostellerie Le Prieuré Saint-Gery is inviting two ladies, a female chef and a female chocolatier to a unique six hands dinner on 27 February. Melanie Englebin, chef of Brussels based restaurant Cecilia who was also named as Young Chef of the year 2017 for Brussels by Gault Millau and Euphrasie Mbamba, who created the range of Sigoji chocolates will join Vincent for the second edition of his events called 'Les Invitees'. This is the second time that Vincent, chef of Le Prieuré Saint-Gery is inviting women to cook with him. The first successful event was held in December and welcomed Isabelle Arpin, chef of WY in Brussels. The restaurant is found in the farming village of Solre-Saint-Gery, on the outskirts of La Botte du Hainaut, not far from the French border. A former priory, chef and owner Vincent Gardinal has been welcoming guests in his Michelin starred restaurant for more than 20 years. Accompanying Vincent Gardinal for this evening is … [Read more...]
“A childhood dream come true” – Hendrik Dierendonck on the opening of Brussels butcher shop
Hendrik Dierendonck, the renowned nose to tail Belgian butcher, has opened the long-awaited shop in Rue St. Catherine in central Brussels. "It is a childhood dream come true for me to open a Brussels shop particularly in the city centre." Dierendonck told Food and Wine Gazette that this was a big step for him. "I have always been working on the Belgian coast and since I was young, I have always dreamt of this step." When he was young, the Belgian butcher used to work with his father Raymond Dierendonck in St Idesbald on the Belgian coast in summer while in winter he spent his time in Brussels. The opening of the Brussels shop replaces the Jack O'Shea shop in the Place St. Catherine area which closed abruptly last summer though it has been completely refurbished in an open style to reflect Dierendonck's approach to butchery. "I want to present Brussels residents and visitors to Brussels with an old school approach. Here they will find the artisanal approach, with an … [Read more...]
Wilder at the Villa – a new private dining concept by Maarten Van Essche
There is a new concept just outside Brussels called "Wilder at the Villa". Chef and interior designer Maarten Van Essche who has formerly worked at Noma and Hof Van Cleve has created a private dining experience in a villa that is at his disposal. "Because it is private dining, people need to make a reservation to get a seat. There is room for 20 guests at the table, and it is available from Wednesday to Saturday," Van Essche told Food and Wine Gazette. "The recipe for the evening is simple: one table, one menu, one starting hour. Nature defines the menu, we fix the matching drinks. So all the guests are eating and spending the evening together." "I created this private dining concept because we have a great villa at our disposal for an undetermined period of time," Van Essche told Food and Wine Gazette. "We want to use it in the best way we can. As a chef and interior designer, I like to create a great atmosphere to live and invite people. Since its an old villa from the … [Read more...]
Auction of aprons signed by Massimo Bottura in aid of Food for Soul
If you would like to give a food lover something he would cherish while donating to charity you might be interested in bidding for five aprons signed by top chef Massimo Bottura. The auction which started last week and which ends on 18 December is organised by Giblor's in collaboration with eBay to raise funds for the organisation Food for Soul. They are auctioning five aprons signed by top chef Massimo Bottura and all the proceeds of the auction will be donated to Food for Soul. The aim of the auction is to help Food for Soul ensure the sustainability of the 2016 projects and make those in 2017 come true. Giblor's has been supporting Food for Soul since the early stages. The Italian manufacturer, produces and donates the aprons for chefs and volunteers of Refettorio Ambrosiano in Milan, the Socialtables@ Antoniano in Bologna, Refettorio Gastromotiva in Rio de Janeiro and the brand new Socialtables@ Ghirlandina in Modena, which opened on December 5. For the very first … [Read more...]
Empowering women: Parabere Forum launches crowdfunding campaign to raise 5000 euros
Parabere Forum, the non profit organisation that aims to raise awareness about women in the food and wine business has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise 5,000 euros. After the success of the first two events that took place in Bilbao and Bari, Parabere will organise the third Forum in Barcelona in March 2017. Maria Canabal, president of Parabere Forum, a non-profit-organisation, will use the money to fund the publicity campaign for the third campaign. "In the first two editions which took place in Spain and in Italy we communicated through the forum with some of the world's best chefs. Today, the forum needs to widen its audience and communicate not only with female chefs but with all stakeholders within the food and wine industry globally," says Maria in the crowd-funding page. "For this reason, I need to communicate extensively on social media. This will help to make female chefs, farmers and entrepreneurs known." Parabere Forum needs to employ a webmaster from … [Read more...]
12 year old chapter for In De Wulf comes to an end with last dinner
A 12-year-old chapter has come to an end for the talented and creative Belgian chef who rose to fame over the past years for a unique style of cooking that is pure, natural and has no classic dishes or traditional sauces. On Sunday 11 December, at In De Wulf in Dranouter, Kobe Desramaults and his team served their last dinner. Considered to be one of the most internationally recognised Belgian chefs, he managed to create one of the top destinations for foodies in the world in Dranouter, in the middle of no where on the Belgian border with France. (His restaurant was number 1 in the Top 100 European list of Opinionated about Dining in 2014 and 4th in 2015). He was also listed for some time in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List. Sergio Herman, Kobe's mentor was present yesterday and posted on his Instagram feed: 'The last one. I know how it feels." Kobe told Food and Wine Gazette earlier this year that his only experience in a top level kitchen had been at Sergio Herman's former … [Read more...]