Chef Interviews

A

Albert Adria: Enigma, Tickets, Pakta, Hoja Santa, Nino Viejo, Bodega 1900, Barcelona, Spain

• An enigma for me, for my staff and for my clients

Eneko Atxa: Azurmendi, Larrabetzu, Spain

• Putting the guest at the centre of the experience

B

Syrco Bakker: Pure C, Cadzand, Netherlands

• Working step by step to create a unique experience at Pure C
• Q&A with Syrco Bakker: Forget about the things you cannot control

Bo Bech: Geist, Copenhagen, Denmark

• The Bride of the Fox and the excitement of that first kiss
• Easier to remember the truth than the lie

Heinz Beck: La Pergola, Rome, Italy

• Top end cuisine can and should also be healthy

Andrew Borg: Risette, Valletta, Malta

• A vision for Malta’s dining scene 

Nick Bril: The Jane, Antwerp, Belgium

• A chef and entrepreneur who knows exactly what he wants
• Q&A with Nick Bril: I get a good vibe in Antwerp. Being here is closer to my style of cooking

Manu Buffara: Restaurante Manu, Curitiba, Brazil

• You need to know your land, your food, your culture, then you can cook with your soul

C

David Chang: Momofuku, New York, United States

• David Chang on GELINAZ! “It is stressful but it is a small price to pay for hanging around with friends”

André Chiang: Restaurant André, Singapore

• The possibilities are endless if we open the doors to fermented juices in restaurants

Mauro Colagreco, Mirazur, Menton, France

• Finding good produce will become a luxury
• I never expected to get to where I am today

Enrico Crippa: Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy

• I am no longer afraid of the moments when I am not creative
• Q&A with Enrico Crippa: Innovation is simpler than tradition in cooking
• Inside the magical world of Enrico Crippa’s garden is the secret to his legendary salad
• A perfect meal: Enrico Crippa reflects on collaboration dinner with Zaiyu Hasegawa

D

Quique da Costa: Quique da Costa, Denia, Spain

• The idea is what matters

Gert de Mangeleer: Hertog Jan, Zedelgem, Belgium

• Simplicity is not so simple
• Q&A: Easy looking dishes but it only looks easy

Bart de Pooter: Pastorale, Reet, Belgium

• A dinner that changed everything

Sang Hoon Degeimbre: L’Air du Temps, Liernu, Belgium

• Creativity comes from constant questioning and keeping an open mind

Kobe Desramaults: Chambre Separee, Gent, Belgium

• Adapt, create, evolve
• Q&A with Kobe Desramaults: Technology is not always better
• Using humble ingredients to create something out of nothing

Riccardo Di Giacinto, Ristorante all’Oro, Rome, Italy

• Enogastronomy could help Italy, Europe out of crisis 

Stephane Diffels: L’air de rien, Fontin, Belgium

• The hard route to finding one’s passion

E

Richard Ekkebus: Amber Restaurant, Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong

• I have not changed, the people of Hong Kong have changed
• Q&A with Richard Ekkebus: The beauty of dining without a mobile phone
• Richard Ekkebus and the Amber philosophy to eliminate plastic from the restaurant

Magnus Ek: Oaxen Krog, Stockholm Sweden

• The pace of innovation in food is incredible and is becoming faster

Sven Elverfeld: Aqua, Wolfsburg, Germany

• Food education should start with young children

F

Konstanin Filippou: Konstantin Filippou, Vienna, Austria

• Creativity starts with quietness

G

Anthony Genovese: Il Pagliaccio, Rome, Italy

• Italian cuisine is easy to understand

Peter Goossens: Hof Van Cleve, Kruishoutem, Belgium

• Belgium has one of the best cuisines in the world but no one has said it yet
• Q&A: We need to find a way to eliminate food waste also in supermarkets

H

Christophe Hardiquest: Bon Bon, Brussels, Belgium

• A chef is an artist with sensibility
• Q&A with Christophe Hardiquest
• Christophe Hardiquest fulfills dream to cook without pressure and constraints this summer

Sergio Herman: Netherlands

• Seeing light at the end of the tunnel
• Q&A: Chefs need to lead the way

Zaiyu Hasegawa: Restaurant Den, Tokyo, Japan

• Doing things differently makes me happy

K

Tom Kerridge: The Hand and Flowers, Marlow, UK, The Coach, Tom Kerridge Bar and Grill Corinthia London, UK

• Tom Kerridge on British cuisine: “We have no shackles, we can go wherever we want’

David Kinch: Manresa, Los Gatos, United States of America

• Social media can ruin a restaurant experience, it is like pollution
• Travel is a great source of inspiration

Rasmus Kofoed: Geranium, Copenhagen, Denmark

• You need to look for what is not obvious

M

Virgilio Martinez: Central, Lima, Peru

• I find inspiration by listening. We need to listen more
• Mater Iniciativa has become essential to Central restaurant

Kurt Micallef: Risette, Valletta, Malta

• Working to reinvent and modernise Maltese cuisine
• I am at the point where I appreciate simplicity in food

Luciano Monosilio: Pipero al Rex, Rome, Italy

• Food is fashionable at the moment, it will be over in three years time

Vladimir Mukhin: White Rabbit, Moscow, Russia

• The future of gastronomy is glocalisation

N

Lukas Nagl: Restaurant Bootshaus, Lake Traunsee, Austria

• You have to love what you do

Magnus Nilsson: Faviken, Järpen, Sweden

• Winters are getting shorter. I don’t know how this will impact food but it is not good

P

Fulvio Pierangelini, Italy

• It is time to relearn everything

R

Tim Raue: Restaurant Tim Raue, Berlin, Germany

• Western cuisine is too complicated

Heinz Reitbauer: Steirereck, Vienna, Austria

• GELINAZ! was a great opportunity to show the world what Austria has to offer

Niko Romito: Reale, Castel di Sangro, Italy

• Niko Romito and his meticulous work with vegetables: “Every bite has to be different”

Ana Ros: Hisa Franko, Kobarid, Slovenia

• I believe we should be our own heroes and find a way to express ourselves

Michel Roux Jr, Le Gavroche, London, United Kingdom

• Quality produce is core to my cooking

S

Vilhjalmur Sigurdarson: Souvenir, Ypres, Belgium

• The Icelandic brutalist chef in Belgium

Bo Songvisava: Bo.Lan, Bangkok, Thailand

• Dreaming of a self-sustainable restaurant

T

Atsushi Tanaka: Restaurant A.T. Paris, France

• A Japanese chef conquering Paris

Jeremiah Tower, United States of America

• You have to look to the past to figure out the future

Mitsuharu Tsumara: Maido, Lima, Peru

• Nikkei is a blend, a perfect blend of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine

V

Yannick Van Aeken: Humphrey, Brussels, Belgium

• I’ve spent a lot of time travelling to find what I wanted to do after Noma

Maarten Van Steen: Villa Bardon, Gent, Belgium

• The Belgian chef giving a Maltese twist to his restaurant in Gent
• Q&A with Maarten Van Steen

W

Joachim Wissler, Vendome, Cologne, Germany

Sensational plates always have a story

Z

Poul Andrias Zizka: KOKS, Faroe Islands

• The young chef who has put the Faroe Islands on the world culinary map

Jock Zonfrillo: Orana, Adelaide, Australia

• A 16 year old journey to discover the taste and origins of Australian cuisine