Eneko Atxa’s restaurant Azurmendi perched on a hillside just outside Bilbao is one of the most talked about restaurants in the world at the moment. Ranked 26th in the World’s 50 Best restaurants, it is also the winner of the sustainability award and has 3 Michelin Stars. This Spanish chef is making a name for himself for many reasons. His inventive cuisine is among the most innovative in the world but he is also extremely conscious of the environment. At Chef Sache, in Cologne, Germany, Atxa spoke about what makes his restaurant different. He started off by showing different photos of the 'complex which includes the restaurant, his house, a wine cellar, a hall which serves as a venue for large events, a garden and a small bistro. “The restaurant is designed to pay industrial homage to the old steel industry of Bilbao," Atxa says. The complex has been built in a way which integrates with the surrounding environment. But it also follows the basic principles of sustainability. It … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2014
Coming soon on Food and Wine Gazette
Food and Wine Gazette was in Cologne for Chef Sache 2014 last week. Over the coming days we will bring you detailed posts on the presentations made by each of the chefs taking part at this very popular annual event. These include presentations by some of the world's best chefs among them Mauro Colagreco, Eneko Atxa, Joachim Wissler, Quique Dacosta, Kobe Desramaults, Andree Kothe, Jonnie Boer and Virgilio Martinez. We will also publish a number of interviews with some of the protagonists at Chef Sache including Mauro Colagreco, Kobe Desramaults, Eneko Atxa, Quique Da Costa, Tim Raue and Jonnie and Therese Boer and Joachim Wissler. We spoke to the chefs about their sources of inspiration, what the next food trends will be, how they go about creating new dishes, their philosophy and the importance they attach to food guides among others. We still have to publish three great stories from Chefs Revolution in Zwolle. These include the presentation of the current number one chef … [Read more...]
L’ air du temps – Wallonia’s culinary cathedral
It took me six years to finally get to visit L'air du temps in Liernu, Belgium. The restaurant of Sang Hoon Degeimbre which has two Michelin stars has been on my radar because of his innovative cuisine. When I was listening to his story and approach to cooking at Chefs Revolution in Zwolle, I knew that a visit was a must. I went to the restaurant in Liernu, in the heart of Wallonia, Belgium with very high expectations because it had also come highly recommended by friends. It is normally rather risky when you approach something with such high expectations because you can end up with high hopes dashed. But in this case, the expectations were not only matched but also exceeded. The food was exceptional, the service without fault, the location stunning and on top of that the pairing of wines and water to the food was a memorable experience. The location must be stunning on a summer's evening when you can clearly see the restaurant's garden which supplies all the … [Read more...]
Chef Sache finale – a feast of creativity and food inspiration
The finale of Chef Sache on Monday 27 October was as inspiring as the first day with a line up of six brilliant chefs who presented not only their story but also prepared some of the dishes currently being served in their restaurants. Chef Sache was organised by for the sixth consecutive year by German publisher Port Culinaire. The spectacular line up of chefs yesterday included Joachim Wissler from Vendome, Andree Kothe from Restaurant Essigbrätlein in Nürnberg, Spanish Eneko Atxa of Azurmendi and Quique Da Costa, Jonnie Boer from Delibrije and Virgilio Martinez of Peruvian restaurant Central in Lima. Wissler kickstarted the day with a brilliant presentation and a showcase of some of the dishes are being prepared at Vendome, near Cologne. The German chef spoke about the thought process of the restaurant and the story behind the dishes. "All my dishes need to have a soul. They need to have a story apart from perfect preparation and perfect produce." He spoke about the creative … [Read more...]
Chef Sache – a great first day
The first day of Chef Sache 2014 in Cologne, Germany, was a huge success with some great live cooking presentations by some of the world's best chefs including Kobe Desramaults, Christian Humbs, Tim Raue, Mauro Colagreco among others, as well as a very interesting discussion about what is networking. Desramaults, the Belgian chef behind the In de Wulf restaurant is considered to be today's Marco Pierre White with his inventive cuisine and respect for ingredients. Focusing on the most humble ingredients such as a potato and celeriac, he does his best to bring out the best in even the most humble of ingredients. Questioned about where he finds inspiration he says that he does not find inspiration in books though these are important because they inform him. "To be inspired you need to think and cook like a child, you need to play around with food," he said. He also spoke about the fact that people are waking up to food scandals in supermarkets. "This is a really important issue. We need … [Read more...]
Chef Sache taking place this Sunday and Monday
Food and Wine Gazette will be at Chef Sache on Sunday and on Monday. On the programme on 26 October is a discussion about networking. This is followed by presentations by Belgian Kobe Desramaults of the world famous In de Wulf, Christian Humbs who is considered to be one of the world best Patissiers in the world and Mauro Colagreco, a chef of Argentinian origin with a two Michelin star restaurant in France. Colagreco has the highest ranked French restaurant in the The World's Best 50 restaurants. The event is organised by Port Culinare and Fleet Events. Monday's programme includes many other chefs including Eneko Atxa, Jonnie Boer, Quique Dacosta, Virgilio Martinez, Andree Kothe and Joachim Wissler. For instant information follow us on Twitter (@fwgaz). We will report in more detail on www.foodandwinegazette.com tomorrow evening and also subsequently in more detail on what is taking place at this event. … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #7
This weekend is great for those who love food and wine events. Choices have to be made as to what you can follow though we find Twitter great to get a taste of what is going on in the main events which we find interesting. Just this weekend there is Megavino in Brussels, Chef Sache in Cologne, Salone del Gusto e Terra Madre in Torino all tackle different aspects of the food and wine scene. Yesterday we wrote about the panel discussion that took place between Jamie Oliver, Alice Waters and the founder of the Slow Movement Carlo Petrini. So it is appropriate that we start this weekly roundup with a link to a transcript of a Ted speech given by Jamie Oliver on "Teach every Child about Food". It is really an interesting read and one which makes you reflect on what has gone wrong in the food world. On the same theme, you might want to check out some fast food facts which may make you reflect about how our children are being 'brainwashed' into craving for fast food. It is indeed … [Read more...]
Jamie Oliver says its time to ambush fast food
As we prepare to drive to Cologne for Chef Sache (more tomorrow on this event with some of the greatest chefs in the world), we have been following the discussion taking place at the Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre in Torino Italy about fast food and cooking for children and we tend to agree with pretty much all that has been said. A panel discussion was held together with Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food Movement, Alice Waters and Jamie Oliver. These three personalities are campaigning on a daily basis so that everyone can have access to healthy and nutritious food cooked in an eco-sustainable way. We have a moral obligation to feed children food that is good for them Alice Waters said at the panel discussion that "We have a moral obligation to feed children food that is good for them." Apart from being a chef of the world-renowned Chez Panisse, Waters is an activist that created the Edible Schoolyard Network. Founded in 1994, Waters built a garden in an unused plot of … [Read more...]
Megavino – the biggest wine event in Belgium this weekend
The 16th edition of the biggest wine event in the Benelux opens in Brussels this weekend. Starting from Friday 24th October to Monday 27th October, Megavino is a must for any wine lover. Last year there were 368 exhibitors from 32 wine producing countries. The event welcomed over 27,000 visitors including around 5,000 professionals. The event is held at the Brussels Expo. This year, the wines of Portugal will be the guest of honour though visitors will be able to taste wines from most of the wine regions in the world. Another eye catcher is the pavilion of Madeira, an autonomous island of Portugal in the Atlantic Ocean which will be present for the first time at this event. Spain, last year’s guest of honour, will be well represented with the most important Belgian importers and about 24 bodegas from different Spanish regions presenting their wines for the first time on the Belgian market. There will also be the Cava Institute and the region of Navarra with a real tapas … [Read more...]
The new Rotterdam indoor food market
The new Rotterdam food market is set to become a destination for foodies around the world. Inspired by some of the best food markets in the world, it is being called the food walhalla of the Netherlands with 96 booths selling daily fresh products. It is open seven days a week under one roof in a shopping hall that is underneath what is being considered as the biggest artwork in the world. This indoor market opened its doors earlier this month. It is the first covered market hall in the Netherlands and the facility is expected to attract between 4.5 and 7 million visitors each year. The stunning architectural design in the shape of a horse shoe has a steel cable facade which is the largest of its kind in Europe. A colourful mural depicts a composition of produce on the hall's barrel shaped ceiling. It has been designed by architects MVRDV and is located in the city centre of Rotterdam. The roof is shaped by an arch of 228 apartments. This combination of market and housing is the … [Read more...]