What would you think if restaurants google you after you make a reservation? Two thirds of respondents to a survey in the United States said they would be fine with such a practice which exists. We have not come across any such statistics for Europe so we need to look at a recent survey carried out by OpenTable for a new e-book Technology and Dining Out 2015. 31 per cent said they found the suggestion creepy and intrusive. 40 per cent thought it was no problem and 24 per cent actually said it is a good thing.We can think of many reasons why this would be a good thing but wonder whether the figures for Europe would be similar particular given the difference in views on privacy in Europe. In today's world of social media where anyone has the potential to become a food critic by reviewing restaurants on sharing platforms, it would seem like standard practice for a restaurant to look for information about their clients. Moreover, it also helps to enhance a user experience. Just … [Read more...]
Gelinaz! shuffle still a secret few hours before culinary event of the year
It may well be the most ambitious culinary event that has ever taken place. 37 chefs, most of them world class have taken the bold step to travel the world and replace one of their colleagues for an evening at the restaurant. The chefs taking part in the Gelinaz! Shuffle have arrived over the past two days to their destination after their names were drawn in a ballot. We know for sure that one of them has missed a flight and another, travelling to Faviken, a restaurant in the middle of nowhere in Sweden, had problems with his car engine on the way to the restaurant. But the identity of the chefs remains a mystery. Gelinaz! is a collective of international chefs. It is a group that was created by Andrea Petrini and one of Italy's best chefs Fulvio Pierangelini. (You can read about his story here). Pierangelini is an exceptional chef who did not necessarily like the way the culinary world was heading toward in the early 2000s. In an interview with Agrodolce.it, Petrini said that … [Read more...]
Advice from Massimo Bottura to young chef: Keep your feet on the ground
Mark Moriarty, an Irish chef has won the San Pellegrino Young Chef 2015, an event organised for the first time this week. One of the judges of the competition, that took place in Milan was the most renowned chef Massimo Bottura. As soon as the award was announced, Bottura invited the Irish chef to cook at the Refettorio Ambrosiano, the soup kitchen in Milan which is feeding the poor thanks to the creativity and generosity of Bottura and chefs who are using scraps and food that would otherwise be wasted, to raise awareness on the problem of food waste. Mark Moriarty immediately accepted the invitation from the chef of Osteria Francescana in Modena and said he was honoured to be invited to cook at the Refettorio. He said he was looking forward to the first of many opportunities. To which the Italian chef replied with a quick thought: "First of all after yesterday night, feet on the ground." It's a lesson we'd like to highlight because it is so important to remember. It is no … [Read more...]
First Generation W International Food festival next year
Generation W, the organisation that groups chefs from Wallonia, Belgium will be organising the first Generation W Food Festival and International Congress at the Citadel of Namur on 4, 5 and 6 June 2016. It is a bid by chefs from the French speaking part of Belgium to showcase their region and their cuisine. When we interviewed Sang-Hoon Degeimbre of L' Air du Temps who is considered as one of Belgium's best chefs, he had told Food and Wine Gazette that it was time for Wallonia to market itself to the rest of the world and showcase what it had to offer. Sang-Hoon Degeimbre is one of the founders of Generation W, He said that the collective will also produce an e-magazine which will focus on in-depth articles to provide information about the culinary patrimony of the region and which will enable outsiders to discover the gastronomic wealth of this region. This magazine aims to complement a book called Generation W Editions which was published in 2014. Generation W was set up … [Read more...]
Non-existent restaurant tops TripAdvisor list in Italian village
You find yourself in a city or village you are not familiar with and you have not really carried out any research so you take out your phone or tablet and try to look up reviews on a website like TripAdvisor or Yelp. You look for restaurants close to where you are and find that the best restaurant in the village is just 200 metres away. It has recently opened, has great reviews and people are raving about it. You walk to the address only to find that the restaurant does not exist. This is what might have happened to you if you were searching for La Scaletta in Moniga del Garda, Italy recently. Italia a Tavola carried out an experiment to verify the reliability of the most visited review portal, TripAdvisor. The restaurant did not exist, though they write that it has been open since the end of April. They put in a false address and telephone number and the reviews started to come in. The restaurant received ten excellent, but obviously false, reviews which led it to the first … [Read more...]
By using food waste we can help feed the planet – Massimo Bottura
The project by Massimo Bottura to feed Milan's poor using food waste generated from the pavilions of Milan Expo is helping to raise awareness about the problem but is also the start of something that could be much bigger than what Massimo Bottura might have imagined. He says that interest in this project is growing to the extent that there could be a 'Refettorio Ambrosiano' in New York and one in Lima. "Daniel Humm left this place with tears in his eyes after he came here. He was emotional and said he wanted to take this project with him to New York. Gaston Acurio, the Peruvian chef who will cook at the Refettorio towards the end of June said this is such an extraordinary project that he wants to have something similar in the poorest quarters in Lima," Massimo said. Massimo Bottura is the chef of Osteria Francescana in Modena, recently voted 2nd world's best restaurant. We have already urged our readers to help Massimo in this project by donating. Trust us, this is a worthy … [Read more...]
Christophe Hardiquest’s Bon Bon set to join Les Grandes Tables du Monde
Bon Bon, the two Michelin star restaurant in Brussels of chef Christophe Hardiquest is set to join 12 other Belgian restaurants in the 'Les Grandes Tables du Monde' list, Pierre Wynants, the vice president of the association announced when he was speaking during a discussion on a recent book he co-authored on Belgium's culinary future earlier this week. Christophe Hardiquest will join the other Belgian chefs who are part of 167 restaurants in 24 countries worldwide. It will be the fifth Brussels based restaurant on the list following Jean-Pierre Bruneau (Bruneau), Laurence and Lionet Rigolet (Comme Chez Soi), Pascal Devalkeneer (Chalet De la Foret) and Yves Mattagne (Sea Grill). Brussels lacks a three Michelin star restaurant after Comme Chez Soi lost the third star upon the retirement of Pierre Wynants. Gault Millau awarded Bon Bon 19.5 out of 20 in its latest guide for Belgium and Luxembourg. This year, Belgian chef Sang-hoon Degeimbre (L'Air du Temps) joined the list … [Read more...]
Gault Millau changed cuisine to what we know today – Pierre Wynants (Comme Chez Soi)
Pierre Wynants, former three Michelin star chef of Comme Chez Soi, the Brussels institution that celebrates its 90th anniversary next year, needs no introduction among food lovers. There is no question that he is one of Belgium's most well known chefs. At 76 years of age, he still commands great respect among his peers having held the coveted three Michelin stars from 1979 to 2006. The Belgian capital has not had a three star restaurant since that day even though things are looking bright for the food scene in Brussels. Wynants was at the cultural centre of Uccle, a leafy suburb of Brussels, on Monday 9th June to present the book he wrote together with Philippe Bidaine called La cuisine belge de demain (Tomorrow's Belgian food). In a conversation on stage with the President of the Uccle Cultural Centre Jacqueline Rousseaux, Wynants recalled how kitchens in the past where completely different to when he had started working in restaurants. "In the old days we used to cook with … [Read more...]
El Celler de Can Roca voted World’s Best Restaurant, Osteria Francescana second
El Celler de Can Roca was voted World Best Restaurant for 2015, as the three Roca brothers regained the top spot for the second time, after losing it to Rene Redzepi's Noma last year. Massimo Bottura, Italian chef of Osteria Fracescana continued his slow but gradual rise in the list as he reached the second spot for the first ever time. Noma, took third place. Peruvian chef Virgilio Martinez of Central, Lima made it to 4th place while Daniel Humm, who won the Chef's Choice award came fifth with his restaurant Eleven Madison Avenue. There were a few surprises on the night as the World's 50 Best Restaurants list was announced at the 14th annual event that took place in London Guildhall. Spain in total claimed seven spots out of the 50 list, the United States had six places in the top 50, France had five places and Italy 3. Earlier during the day it was announced that next year's event will be held in New York. In its 14th edition, this year's event has attracted more … [Read more...]
Occupy 50 Best calls for more transparency in selection of World’s best restaurants
Occupy 50 Best is the name of a movement that was launched a few days ago calling for more transparency in the selection of the World's 50 Best Restaurants. A few days before the announcement of this year's top 50 list (it will take place in London on 1 June), the petition has been signed by a number of well known chefs including three Michelin starred Georges Blanc, Thierry Marx two Michelin starred chef of Sur Mesure, Giancarlo Perbellini chef of Casa Perbellini in Italy and Joel Robuchon holder of 25 Michelin stars and chef of the century. Other chefs who have signed the petition include, among others, Pascal Aussignac, Jean-Andre Charial, William Frachot, Nicolas Gautier, Rocco Iannone, Eric Jambon and Patrick Jeffroy. It has also been signed by Will Jansen, editor-in-chief of Boillon Magazine, Guy Job, director of Gourmet TV. The list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants has grown in importance over the past years and can make or break a restaurant. Restaurants are known to … [Read more...]