Only a few hours remain as many uncork their champagne bottles to bid farewell to 2016 and welcome the New Year. We are sure that many will be hoping that 2017 will be better on many fronts particularly given the global experiences and challenges that we have all witnessed in the past year. On a global level, 2016 will be remembered as one that has brought about tumultuous change. It is still hard to see what impact this will have on the long term but certainly the year has regaled us with many uncertainties, only the extent of which will be visible in the years to come. The changes in the food and wine world might not have been as profound though even here there are signs that change could also be coming but we will cover that in a subsequent article on what we see as the main trends coming in the food and wine world. Clearly, there has continued to be more pressure guides and lists as more and more people start to question their consistency and reliability. We have started … [Read more...]
Archives for December 2016
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #100
Whey too popular? Foodies angered by crowds at London cheese festival: It was billed as a “fromage-themed extravaganza” but a cheese festival at London’s historic Borough Market left a bad taste in the mouth of many foodies who complained of dangerous overcrowding. More than 18,000 people on Facebook indicated they were going to the free event which took place on Wednesday night and some visitors said the large numbers who turned up, coupled with a lack of organisation, rendered it a disaster. Restaurant trends for 2017: Michael Whiteman is a striking example of a lifetime well spent in the American hospitality business. Aged 78, with a full head of hair and a wry smile, he created the first edition of Nation’s Restaurant News in New York in 1967. A meeting with the late restaurateur Joe Baum led to their consultancy business, Baum + Whiteman; together they opened Windows on the World and the Rainbow Room in Manhattan. They also introduced the concept of food courts across 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...]
Ron Finley: Saving the garden that inspired a community
A few months ago Ron Finley and I were at a roof top garden restaurant in Copenhagen on a cold, stormy night. As torrential rain pounded the glass structure while lightening flashes illuminated the dark skies and the rest of the diners expected to be struck by lightning any moment, Finley was struck with the beauty of the rain-soaked garden lit up by Mother Nature. Beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder especially for a crazy artist of the soil. We first met at the MAD Food Symposium in Copenhagen many years ago where he shared his vision of "Save Your Food Save Your Life" with the movers and shakers of the world of food. I had heard and read about how one man sowed a seed in the heart of South Central LA that not only transformed the bleak litter strewn sidewalks of his neighborhood but changed lives and a community in the process. It was after getting to know him over time that I have realised how deep the passion and significance of these gardens are to him and his … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #99
Is Sugar Killing Us? At the risk of being a Grinch, the Christmas season is a pretty good time to consider the possibility that sugar is killing us. It is yet another holiday in which sweets play a primary role, with candy canes dangling on trees, cookies or Coca-Cola set aside for Santa and visions of sugar plums (which are not fruit but hard candies) dancing in children’s heads. AA Gill's last article: “More life with your kids, more life with your friends, more life spent on earth — but only if you pay”: AA Gill used to think that being an NHS patient was like travelling second class on a train, grittier than first class, but in the end everyone ended up at the same destination. But in his farewell piece he tells of his discovery of a drug not available on the NHS. The best thing I ate in 2016: If I tell you that the best thing I ate this year was in January, please don’t think that the rest of my eating year has been a disappointment: know that I would never allow that to … [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...]
Childhood memories (2): The crunchy part of the lasagne
Lasagne used to be my favourite dish when I was young. Whenever my mother used to ask what I wanted for a special treat, birthday for example, my response always used to be the same. Mostly it was reserved for weekends, for celebratory occasions like Christmas or Easter or a birthday here and there. When it was served on midweek, it used to somehow lose its allure and I could never understand why. Today, I love to cook lasagne and there are many reasons for this. First it is the ultimate comfort food, it is therapeutic to make a ragu and wait for hours, process after process to get it right and extract the most possible flavour from the meat. Second, the children love it and there is always leftovers which works particularly well for a midweek treat. But why was lasagne less attractive when it was prepared during the week? Was it just memory playing tricks or was there really something to it? I couldn't pin it down to anything until I read Massimo Bottura's reasoning behind … [Read more...]
Sergio Herman’s AIRrepublic to open in spring 2017
AIRrepublic, the restaurant and terrace café created by Sergio Herman in Cadzand, Zeeland Netherlands will open in Spring 2017. The restaurant announced on its Facebook page that it was recruiting staff for the opening of the much awaited project in Cadzand. Earlier this year, Herman said "Air Republic is coming between Belgium and Holland. You feel it...the air and the vibe is always different! Every single day." Herman is one of the most talented chefs in the world. He decided to stop cooking full time in 2013. He has, however, not rested on his laurels created the successful The Jane with Nick Bril in Antwerp and Pure C in Cadzand with Syrco Bakker. After the success of his two restaurants, he set sights on opening this new harbour restaurant, pavillion and takeaway in the beach town on the North Sea. The seaside resort in the Netherlands was partially made popular by his restaurant Pure C. Sergio Herman is the former 3 Michelin star chef of Oud Sluis. He decided … [Read more...]
The first Chefs for Human Rights event held in Los Angeles
Chefs for Human Rights LA grew out of a conversations with Human Rights activists in California and their close social connections and histories with a group of notable chefs in Los Angeles. Chefs Bryant Ng, Nancy Silverton, Josh Loeb, Niki Nikayama, Ray Garcia and Zoe Nathan together with winemaker Mimi Casteel stepped up together to tackle these problems in a tangible way. Theirs was an answer to pressing contemporary social issues in their own city for those seeking asylum status which may take at least three years through the legal and bureaucratic process before these people can begin a new life in a new country. The chefs shared Bryant Ng's kitchen at Cassia and Casteel poured her wines for a crowd of LA guests who paid admirably for a seat at their table last month in October at Cassia in Santa Monica with all proceeds going to Programme for Torture victims. The event at the award-winning Cassia restaurant in Santa Monica raised over $100,000 for the Los … [Read more...]