CUSCO: Pía León has opened her new restaurant, Mauka at the Palacio Nazarenes, a Belmond hotel in Cusco. Named after an endangered Incan root vegetable, Mauka is an ode to the bounty of Cusquenian cuisine and its diverse produce, from the Andean mountains to the Amazon rainforest. At its core, Pía’s vision is to preserve Peruvian culture, transcending local gastronomy, curating moments to learn and experience the true root and origin of Andean cuisine. Together with local farmers and artisans, Pía and her team continue her culinary legacy, incorporating Cusco’s history and biodiversity into the restaurant’s DNA, with menu items such as grains from the Andean plateau with pumpkin cream and beef cheek cooked at a low temperature, Urumbamba giant corn, Pampa yuyo, and smoked caiguas. Weaving past, present, and future together, the menu curates unforgettable culinary experiences at the heart of the once capital of the Incan empire, using distinctive flavours from forgotten tropical and … [Read more...]
Archives for April 2023
Chef Fatih Tutak and The Peninsula Istanbul to open Gallada Restaurant and Topside Bar in June 2023
ISTANBUL: Chef Fatih Tutak, of Istanbul’s acclaimed restaurant Turk Fatih Tutak, the first Turkish restaurant to be awarded two Michelin stars will take the helm as chef director at Gallada Restaurant and Topside Bar from early June 2023. This will be a collaboration with The Peninsula Istanbul which opened in Istanbul on 14 February 2023. The Turkish born chef has created menus that celebrate a contemporary Turk-Asian cuisine, inspired by Fatih's professional journey from Turkey through China to SouthEast Asia, and back. His dishes are refined, and intuitively perceptive with a focus on the myriad culinary skills and techniques shared along the way. Located on the hotel’s stunning rooftop, boasting some of the most coveted views over the Bosphorus, Gallada will consist of a main dining room, outdoor terrace, and private dining rooms. On the floor above, the Topside Bar will reflect the kitchen's philosophy. Offering premium spirits, drinks and cocktails, these will be inspired … [Read more...]
Elena Reygadas is 2023 World’s Best female chef
One of the most important figures in Mexican gastronomy and chef owner of Rosetta in Mexico City, Elena Reygadas has been awarded the World’s 50 Best Restaurant’s 2023 Female chef of the year. She was Latin America’s Best Female Chef in 2014 and since then Reygadas has become one of the most important figures within Mexican gastronomy. A passionate advocate for Mexican biodiversity and sustainable production, she has recently launched a female-focused scholarship programme in Mexico with the aim to promote greater gender parity in kitchens. With the goal of championing equal opportunities and strengthening the leadership of Mexican women in the gastronomic world, the ‘Beca Elena Reygadas’ scholarship is open to Mexican students who have been accepted into a culinary school. Reygadas said: “I’m very grateful and honoured to have been awarded by people I admire so much. Cooking is a communal practice. And so, for me, this award belongs to my entire team, as well as to all the women … [Read more...]
Syrco Bakker to open two restaurants in Bali and the Netherlands
SLUIS/UBUD: Syrco Bakker, chef of two Michelin star restaurant Pure C will open a new restaurant in Ubud, Bali this autumn. While on the Indonesian island, he will simultaneously continue work on the renovation of a listed building in Sluis. Once completed, in around 18 months to 2 years, he plans to open a small-scale gourmet restaurant and atelier with his own bakery and farm shop where people can also enjoy breakfast and lunch. On 29 April, Syrco Bakker will cook for the last time at Pure C in Cadzand. Having announced his departure from the two-star restaurant in December, he decided to continue the journey as an entrepreneur and chef. In June, Syrco will move to Bali together with his family. Choosing Indonensia was not a coicidwnxw. Syrco's grandfather is from Java and his grandmother is from Sumatra. As a child, little Syrco grew up with the flavours of Indonesian cuisine. The new restaurant in Ubud will be called Syrco BASE and is currently under construction. Base is … [Read more...]
To offer happiness you need to be happy – Pablo Sacerdotte
BARCELONA: Two days after ABAC had clinched three Michelin stars, Pablo Sacerdotte, the maitre d’ of the restaurant had already quit. “We got the three Michelin stars on 23 November and on 25 November I quit. It was the end of the journey for me,” the Argentinian told Food and Wine Gazette. He had decided that the world of fine dining was over for him, tired of working seven days a week. “It is difficult to create new things when you are open seven days a week and you are constantly trying to train people,” he tells me. What lured him back to the world of fine dining and three Michelin stars was happiness. He realised that for him to be able to work again in such an environment he needed to first be happy in his job, happy in what he did and happy in his family life. He found all that at Cocina Hermanos Torres where he helped clinch three Michelin stars in record time. “At Cocina Hermanos Torres we offer happiness but to offer happiness you need to be … [Read more...]