It has taken us a while to sit down and watch a conversation between sushi master Jiro Ono (owner of Tokyo's Sukiyabashi Jiro and subject of the acclaimed documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" and René Redzepi which was recently released on Mad Feed (see it below). And as we watched it, we realised what we had missed. It is an incredible lesson in work ethic and life from a sushi master who still works at 90 and hopes to be still standing and making sushi in 5 years time when Tokyo hosts the Olympics. There is no question about Jiro being the most famous sushi master. "I have said before that you must like your job. If you start saying I don't like this or this isn't the job for me you will not become an expert in anything," Jiro says. "If you have taken on a job or career, you need to like it and continue moving forward. Younger people today say that they are great but they don't compare to previous generations. Machines are more advanced now and everyone has embraced that … [Read more...]
Archives for April 2015
Cipriani on celebrity chefs, Italian cuisine and the French guide to ‘tyres’
There is no question that Italian cuisine is stuck in tradition and in its rituals. In many ways, this nostalgia for the past as well as the quality of its ingredients have helped Italian cuisine to travel the world over the past years. But in Italy, many are speaking of an Italian cuisine that, like the whole of Italy, is suffering from an identity crisis. The problem, for some it seems, is that the country is too stuck in its ways. As Massimo Bottura likes to say, if traditions are put under glass they stagnate. So it is no surprise that an interview with Arrigo Cipriani, the owner of the legendary Harry's Bar in Venice, has created a storm in Italy. He said that Italian cuisine is today an ugly copy of French cuisine and destined to lose. "The obsession of designers, fancy restaurants without any substance," is ruining everything according to the 83-year-old proprietor of 22 restaurants across the world. In the interview with Il Fatto Quotidiano, Cipriani criticised two … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #30
A series of documentaries called Chef's Table featuring Massimo Bottura from Italy, Magnus Nilsson from Sweden, Niki Nakayama and Dan Barber from the United States, Ben Shewry from Australia and Francis Mallmann was launched today. Many have written about these documentaries. Judging from social media, the series created by David Gelb who directed the popular documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi in 2011 will be a success. Here you will find an interview with the creator of this series. You can also read a review of the three episodes featuring Shewry, Nakayama and Mallmann here. He's rated the three documentaries 5 out of 5 stars. On the same theme, you may want to watch this amazing Op-Doc video which focuses on one of these six chefs. Ben Shewry, whose restaurant Attica, in Melbourne, Australia, is constantly considered as one of the best, developed his love for nature while growing up on a farm in New Zealand. His menu is an example of how sustainable ingredients can be made … [Read more...]
A perfect day in Valletta (Malta)
The starting point has to be Valletta. It is the capital city of Malta, the country where I was born and lived for over 30 years. It is known by locals as il-Belt (the City in English). It is a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen and for many years, especially after World War II, it stood in neglect abandoned by a nation which is once again discovering its glory at all times of day. Unlike other capital cities around the world, Valletta is a small peninsula with a population of just under 7,000 though more and more people are returning to live in what is considered as a World Heritage City. While Valletta has always been busy during the day with tourists and locals alike who go there for various administrative reasons, the city would fall silent after sunset as offices, museums and shops closed. But the city has been transformed over recent years and is becoming a hub of activity in the evening, away from the hustle and bustle of other busier areas on the island such as Sliema/St … [Read more...]
Hélène Darroze named female chef of 2015 by World’s 50 Best Restaurants
The World's 50 Best Restaurants have announced that the Veuve Clicquot World's Best Female Chef of 2015 is Hélène Darroze. She is a fourth-generation chef born into a family of chefs who has been cooking since the age of six. She has opened two highly acclaimed restaurants in Paris and London after three years of training under Alain Ducasse. After winning the award, Hélène spoke to The World's Best 50 website (see full interview here) saying that she was not expecting the award. She speaks about the hardships of being a chef and the fact that there are so few women at the top level in this industry. "There's one day in this job when you have to choose between being a wife and a mother and being a chef. The two things are very, very difficult to combine and most of the really talented young women in my kitchen stopped because they wanted to be a mum and a wife and they thought it was not compatible - which is probably not true but for them it was." Hélène who adopted two children … [Read more...]
Gordon Ramsay hated Noma but was nice about it – Redzepi on Reddit Q&A
Gordon Ramsay had visited Noma and hated it according to the award winning chef René Redzepi who was answering a question and answer session he organsied on Reddit called Ask Me Anything. "But he was nice about it," Redzepi said with a smiley. The AMA (as Ask Me Anything is called on Reddit) is full of incredible insights from one of the best chefs in the world. Here are some of the highlights, but if you are interested you might want to check out the whole session here. Redzepi is a chef from Denmark and the son of an Albanian Muslim immigrant and a Danish mother. He trained in many restaurants around the world before returning to Copenhagen and opening Noma in 2003. The restaurant celebrates the Nordic region's ingredients and aims to present a kind of cooking that expresses its location and the seasons, drawing on a local network of farmers, foragers and purveyors. Noma has held 2 Michelin stars since 2007 and was voted best Restaurant in the world in 2010, 2011, 2012 and … [Read more...]
Gelinaz gang of 37 chefs pushing boundaries again with unique shuffle in July
The Gelinaz! gang, a collective of chefs that was formed by Italian food journalist Andrea Petrini have announced an interesting plan as their next project. 37 of the world's best chefs from 17 different countries will swap places with each other and take over the respective restaurants for a day. The event takes place on July 9. Chefs come from countries such as Japan, Chile, Brazil, France, Sweden, Italy, UK, Peru, Spain, Belgium, Denmark and the United States among others. Tickets go on sale from May 13. The question being asked is who will be cooking in which restaurant? The full list of chefs taking part in this incredible shuffle are the following: Albert Adria, Danny Bowien, Blaine Wetzel, Jock Zonfrillo, Riccardo Camanini, Fulvio Pierangelini, Inaki Aizpitarte, Davide Scabin, Massimiliano Alajmo, Claude Bosi, Sean Gray, Magnus Nilsson, Colombe Saint-Pierre, Bertrand Grebaut, Rene Redzepi, Ben Shewry, Alexandre Gauthier, Paul Cunningham, Ana Ros, Kobe Desramaults, Alain … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #29
It has been a relaxing two weeks for me with limited access to the internet, which meant that not only blogging was sporadic but also the collection of stories for the weekly roundup was a bit harder than usual. Nevertheless, we have still managed to come across a number of interesting reads. At the start of this week, there was an event in Paestum, Italy showcasing the Mozzarella di Bufala called Le Strade della Mozzarella. Here are a few links to what was presented by chefs at the event starting from Belgian chef Sang-Hoon Degeimbre, a resumé of what happened on the first day and on the second day of the event. Food Beast has come up with a list of 50 of the world's most breathtaking restaurant views. Which of them do you want to visit? In our view they've missed Brussels new restaurant La Villa in the Sky. This week we finished a splendid book by Michael Pollan called Cooked. It is a really interesting read. If you've missed our review, you can read it in our previous … [Read more...]
Book review: Cooked – A Natural History of Transformation
There are very few times in today’s hectic world when we are able to just do one activity without being distracted by technology. Our attention span has decreased considerably, we barely have time to sit at table and eat let alone cook on a daily basis. Yet, never have food programmes on television been so popular and chefs been such household names. Speaking for myself, cooking is the place where I can relax the most. It is the place where I can focus on one small process after another. There is a certain element of relaxation that goes with chopping vegetables, hearing the sizzle of a grill or the gentle patience required as you constantly stir a risotto. I have just finished Michael Pollan’s brilliant book Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation, published last year and found it extremely interesting. Pollan has written a splendid book about cooking which should be a must read for anyone interested in food and its place in our history and culture. And while you might … [Read more...]
Albert Jané (Acustic Celler): ‘Great wines are made in the vineyard’
Albert Jané is a passionate winemaker who is considered to be one of the pioneers of the D.O. Montsant region, in Spain. Coming from a winemaking family in the heart of Penedes, Albert had full confidence in the Do Montsant regionI had the pleasure of meeting him recently at a wine tasting event organised by La Buena Vida. The name of the winery ‘Acustic’ reflects not only the style of wine but also Albert’s philosophy of winemaking. He told Food and Wine Gazette that he likes to make great wines from exceptional vineyards. “It is the grapes and the weather conditions which express the history and reflection of a region and not the winemaker. I firmly believe that wine is made in the vineyard not by the winemaker,” he tells me. “Wine is pleasure, emotion and passion,” he tells me. “When you take a good bottle of wine and listen to what it tells you, it gives you a similar feeling to music. That is why I have used ‘acustic’ for the winery. “I like to think of my wines as being … [Read more...]