DECEMBER WG MAGAZINE 2018
XANTY ELÍAS
HUELVA CUISINE
ANDREW WONG
NOSTALGIC FLAVOURS
JAN HARTWIG
COMPOSITIONS WITHOUT LIMITS
JULIEN ROYER
THE ODETTE EXPERIENCE www.wgmagazines.com
JAMES OAKLEY
AUTUMN 5 COURSE WG December 2018 -
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SA HTEIN by
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Bringing you a taste of the Middle East’s culinary scene www.sahteinbywg.com
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NOVEMBER 2018
BRUNO SERATO
INSPIRES CHANGE
GONZALO LUZARRAGA
A JOURNEY ON A PLATE
VALERIA PICCINI
A MASTER CHEF
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FEDERICO ZANASI CONDIVIDERE
WG MAGAZINE VOL 1
PEDRO SUBIJANA
RICHNESS IN VARIETY
EDORTA LAMO
TRADITIONAL BASQUE PINTXO
JOSEAN ALIJA
CORE, HEART, ESSENCE
JOSÉ LUIS VICENTE GÓMEZ
LEGACY OF FOUR GENERATIONS www.bas-que.com
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Contemporary Italian cuisine by
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From the first photographer of Rolling Stone Magazine with JIMI HENDRIX 1968 - 1970 Baron Wolman saw the music. His iconic music photography included shots on-stage with Jimi Hendrix, backstage with the Rolling Stones, and in front of the stage with Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin. Grace Slick and the Grateful Dead performed for the camera in his studio. Baron Wolman was Rolling Stone’s first staff photographer. From 1967 through the early seventies, his pictures have appeared in virtually every issue.
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For more than 80 years, Bragard supports women and men who give the best of themselves everyday at work to ignite their client’s taste buds. Combining tradition and inovation, professional workwear from Bragard gained unparalled reputation thanks to its quality and make the biggest names of the culinary and hospitaly world proud.
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Good taste isn’t expensive
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E X P E R I E N C E U N R I VA L L E D QUALITY Soaring above Amsterdam’s rooftops, step into a calm and composed realm of fine dining at Ciel Bleu Restaurant. Situated on the 23rd floor of Hotel Okura Amsterdam, Ciel Bleu holds two Michelin stars for its international cuisine led by chefs Onno Kokmeijer and Arjan Speelman. Attentive, amiable staff are on hand to welcome and guide you through the seasonal menus showcasing the creations of Ciel Bleu’s world-class chefs, alongside exclusive vintages from the award-winning wine list. For a rare glimpse into the workings of a two Michelin-starred team, reserve the Chef’s Table overlooking the heart of the kitchen. Visit www.okura.nl/cielbleu for more information and reservations.
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Simple & Delicious
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Culinary Arts can give new life to children... we make it our mission to identify talented, underprivileged children with culinary ambitions and provide opportunities that otherwise would have been beyond their reach‌
Grant MacPherson
WO’GOA Foundation Ambassador An inspirer, innovator and perfectionist - Grant encompasses all the qualities that deserving children can glean from a role model!
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BRINGING AUTHENTIC GREEK FOOD TO THE TABLE
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Editor Feature Editor
Fabian deCastro Maria Lourdes Doug Singer
Contributors
Elisabete Ferreira Michael Hepworth Laura Pedrazzoli
Photography
Victoria Shashirin
FJMdesign WGkonnect Photography Consultant Creative Design Studio Publisher IZZY Publishing Pvt. Ltd.
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Cover Image Credit: JAMES OAKLEY - ALIBI - CORDIS HOTEL, HONG KONG PORCINI, TRUFFLE, AGED COMTE MACAROON PHOTO © BEN WONG
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KYM’S is a homage to the many gastronomic regions of China but also to the creativity of London’s Chinatown, Andrew Wong takes us through this ancient craft of Chinese roasting, the skills, precision and nostalgic flavours at his new restaurant.
Compositions without any limits with Jan Hartwig, he sets high standards for himself, but also for his kitchen team and was awarded his first Michelin star in 2014, the second in 2015 and in 2017 his third. On the proven foundation of haute cuisine, he conjures contemporary and modern creations, but always without unnecessary extras, the recognition of the product is his foremost objective. Julien Royer continues to inspire the “Odette experience” at the restaurant which Royer named after his grandmother and he brings his Modern French cuisine to Restaurant Ikarus this December. It was Dutch in November at Restaurant Ikarus with Richard van Oostenbrugge from 212, Jannis Brevet from Inter Scaldes, Michel van der Kroft from ’t Nonnetje and Jacob Jan Boerma from De Leest.
James Oakley creates a 5 course menu highlighting the feeling of autumn using the best produce available. Xanty Elías at Acánthum where each step, each product, each person, each experience mixed with Respect, Responsibility and Effort.
Martin Fauster has been putting his mark on the culinary world in the Königshof gourmet restaurant, over the years he has built up a dependable network of suppliers that not only guarantees the highest of quality, they can also be sure that their wares will be transformed into dining experiences that do their origins justice. Jakub Hartlieb’s expression through food, the desire to please the audience consuming the dish and leaves with fond memories and something they rarely experience.
Paul Gajewski firmly believe harmony and balance is the true sign of a well-rounded and experienced chef and he never limits himself with knowledge and striving to develop new styles of dishes with lesser known or hard to get products is what really excites his creativity. A perfectionist and he likes to keep growing and innovating every day. Martin Berasategui showed him discipline while Quique Dacosta allowed him to have an open mind which has led Alberto Ferruz to lead BonAmb to success with being awarded two Michelin stars.
Mathieu Masson-Duceppe discovered his passion for cooking at the age of 17 while he was in rehab. Since that day, cooking has been his new drug. I like to wish all our readers Happy Holidays and enjoy this Festive Season! Bon Appétit
FdeCastro
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DECEMBER 2018
CONTENTS
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NOSTALGIC FLAVOURS
50
COMPOSITION WITHOUT LIMITS
58
THE ODETTE EXPERIENCE
66
AUTUMN 5 COURSE
78
HUELVA CUISINE
86
DUTCH AT IKARUS
96
GOURMET CUISINE AT HOTEL KÖNIGSHOF
106
HIS RESPECT FOR INGREDIENTS
118 132
SIMPLICITY AND PASSION
140
ASIAN-LATINO TWIST
PERFECTIONIST AT BonAmb
JAMES OAKLEY - ALIBI - CORDIS HOTEL, HONG KONG PORCINI, TRUFFLE, AGED COMTE MACAROON PHOTO © BEN WONG
WG MAGAZINE
Porcini, truffle, aged comte Macaroon
This dish is just a small bite but with very large and powerful flavors, I really wanted to make a statement with the first dish. A really intense flavor burst to shake off the autumn chill and prepare you for the meal ahead, we would even suggest a good Scotch whiskey to offer an extra warming felling. I imagine myself after venturing into the chilled autumn forest to find the porcini and autumn truffle settling by the fire to enjoy the macaroon with a good Scotch, I imagine this to be very relaxing and want to relax the guests in preparation for the meal ahead. I chose to incorporate these flavors into a savory macaroon for a number of reasons, firstly here in Hong Kong the macaroon is hugely popular, they are everywhere, cafĂŠ, restaurant, supermarket just about anywhere that serves food. Secondly the flavors and textures just work really well, Almond, truffle, porcini mushroom, crisp macaroon, creamy porcini puree, soft comte cheese. Thirdly I feel it is interesting, I know of very few people offering savory macaroons, it is actually very challenging as you would ordinarily need sugar for it to work and that remains so, the challenge is to get the balance right whilst creating something which still resembles a Macaroon.
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ANDREW WONG
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B
orn and brought up in London, Andrew has been immersed in the world of restaurants since his childhood. His grandfather, moved to London as a Chinese refugee, owned pubs in the East End and a restaurant in China Town. In 1985, his parents opened a Cantonese restaurant, Kym’s in Pimlico, named after his grandmother. That is now the current location of Andrew’s first restaurant, A. Wong. Many people assume the A stands for Andrew but it’s actually a nod to his parents, Albert and Annie.
ANDREW WONG NOSTALGIC FLAVOURS
He opened his second restaurant, Kym’s, at The Bloomberg Arcade early October 2018. At Kym’s his main goal is to showcase his interpretation of some classic Chinese dishes and really celebrates the London Chinese food scene. Most of his younger years were spent at his parent’s restaurant, Kym’s. Both, he and his sister would spend many an afternoon working in the restaurant to help out, being paid in batteries for their Walkman’s. He wasn’t exactly sure what sort of career he wanted to pursue but he knew it definitely wasn’t a chef! When he left school he went on to study chemistry at Oxford University before swapping to study Anthropology at the London School of Economics where he eventually graduated. When he was 22, his father passed away, and he came back to the restaurant to help his mum. He realized that he wasn’t all that bad at cooking and wanted to work hard and be the best he could be in the kitchen, so he enrolled at the London culinary school where he specialized in classical French cookery and culinary science.
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ANDREW WONG
KYM’S - PORK WHOLE ROAST
In 2010, he left London and set out on a working tour of China in a bid to widen his knowledge of Chinese cuisine. His first move was to Qingdao in the Shandong province studying at the Sichuan Culinary Institute, before gaining more practical experience in banqueting and the specialized techniques of Chinese roasting. Then onto Beijing to the ancient skill of traditional Peking duck, before heading to Hong Kong and the famous Cantonese dim sum. He was fascinated by how food in China differed so dramatically according to region and culture so when he came home he and his wife Nathalie closed down Kym’s and reopened it as A. Wong. Kym’s was originally a Cantonese restaurant but he wanted somewhere that he could experiment and out into practice everything he had learnt whilst in China. He wanted to open a restaurant that wasn’t bound to just one region, and wanted to showcase how diverse Chinese food could be and really celebrate the cuisine.
Six years down the line, A Wong has a Michelin star and now he has just opened his second restaurant.
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WG catches up with Andrew Wong… KYM’S is a homage to the many gastronomic regions of China but also to the creativity of London’s Chinatown… Take us through this ancient craft of Chinese roasting, the skills, precision and nostalgic flavours... At my newest restaurant Kym’s, I’ve put a big emphasis on the ancient craft of Chinese ‘roasting’ meats – and that includes poaching. Soy chicken is an ancient way of poaching at a slightly lower temperature to keep all the nutrients and moist in the chicken. At the same time infusing it with the flavors from the soy sauce, rock sugar and dried Chinese herbs. The meat is tender and succulent with a soft flavorsome skin on top. The meat needs to be hung to rest for a while before serving. The crispy pork belly is another of our staple classics on the menu. The process behind this is half curing and half roasting. The technique behind it is incredible on multiple levels. Firstly, dry curing by rubbing with salt and spices, then air drying in front of a fan, puncturing the skin and making 1000 holes so to stop the skin getting too hard. And finally the scraping process that allows you to get the biscuit like finish on the skin. British pork belly has a completely different texture to Chinese pork belly, it has a crumble to the skin rather than a crunch.
WG MAGAZINE
PHOTO © MILLY KENNY
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ANDREW WONG
KYM’S - BBQ MEATS
KYM’S - BBQ CHICKEN
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KYM’S - CHAR SIU
WG MAGAZINE
“I’ve put a big emphasis on the ancient craft of Chinese ‘roasting’ meats at Kym’s”
KYM’S - CHICKEN RANGE ROAST
How do you bring about this impeccable balance on a plate? For me, it’s about making the unfamiliar, familiar. Take for example the above two dishes, at Kym’s we offer a Sunday Roast where guests can choose from their favorite roast meats and lots of sides. The roasted meat element is relatable, familiar, it makes sense to our audience but the work behind the scenes and the outcome is something quite different. By introducing new flavors and textures this way, it is easier for guests to understand and appreciate what Chinese cuisine is rather than just alienating them. I couldn’t for instance just put braised chicken feet on the menu and expect people to enjoy it. You need to slowly integrate things. Your culinary philosophy… Ultimately I cook because I enjoy creating things. I enjoy making people happy. I enjoy feeding people. I take a lot of pride in my work and get a lot of joy out of it, if I didn’t then I wouldn’t still be doing it. I suppose my philosophy and goal when I opened up A Wong was to introduce guests to Chinese history and culture through food. I still have that goal and want to keep expanding on that. KYM’S - DUCK PANCAKE
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ANDREW WONG
“Spending time in Sichuan taught me that it is so much more than chili and pepper”
You worked with cooks, chefs across China… take us through the experience, and how did it influence you as a chef? So I was lucky enough to work in a few different places across China. I started off in Sichuan at the Sichuanese Institute. Funnily enough I didn’t know what they were saying to me most of the time as they all spoke Sichuanese Chinese, which I don’t speak. It’s is very different to Canton. Most of my time was spent watching them and copying them. Watching them at work was amazing. I tried my best to understand the fundamentals behind their cuisine, their skills, and the way they ran their kitchens. Spending time in Sichuan taught me that it is so much more than chili and pepper.
KYM’S - DOVER SOLE
In Qingdao in Shandong province I was in a hotel with a roasting chef. The roasting section was in a side room separate to the main kitchen, so the two of us would spend most of the day in there just chatting as we worked. I probably learnt the most in my time spent in that side room. The roasting chef wasn’t a chef because he wanted to open a restaurant or because he wanted recognition, to him it was just a means to an end, something to pay the bills. He was perfectly happy to tell me everything there was to know and share with me that missing 5% that other high profile chefs wouldn’t tell you! We would be in our own side room learning how. The missing 5% that the other chefs wouldn’t tell you. He was very open. Most chefs were pretty open with me. They were doing it as a means to an end. They were cool to share stuff with me. There were no secrets. Most of the time just hanging out with them is when I could take the most away… completely subconsciously.
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KYM’S - AUGBERGINE
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KYM’S - BAO BAO
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ANDREW WONG
A WONG - CRAB CLAW
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A WONG - SCALLOP
WG MAGAZINE
A WONG - SOY CHICKEN
At KYM’S, would it be an opportunity for diners to taste their way around China - a focus to educate diners, explain to them where a particular dish comes from, certain flavours, cooking techniques…. take us through one of the dishes of KYM’S which would not be familiar to the general diners? One of the newest additions to the menu (just this week in fact) that you may not be familiar with is a clay pot dish and the inspiration behind this comes from a famous Hong Kong dish called The Buddha Jumps Over The Wall.
A WONG
Back in the day there was a boiled soup filled with the most expensive seafood ingredients such as dried abalone, dried sharks fin, dried scallops etc. While it was boiling, the rumor has it, that the smell was so good apparently the Buddhists in the monastery next door jumped over the wall so they could try it. Buddhists are vegetarian so this soup must have been pretty awesome for them to break this rule!! Our version at Kym’s is actually vegetarian but takes influence from the soup as it is very rich in umami flavors. The main components in the dish are vehicles to soak up all the flavors from the sauce, tofu, the bean curd skin, gai lan and mushroom. The dish is very aromatic and each and every bite is filled with umami notes, though each component has a different texture. I’m really excited to see how our diners take to it. A WONG - SESAME BALL
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ANDREW WONG
KYM’S PHOTO © GAVRIIL PAPADIOTIS
You worked with anthropologists to try and archive the regional traditional cuisines of China – how successful have you been and if so, could you share some of the cuisines which you were able to archive? So I am not actually archiving anything. I work with a food anthropologist called Mukta Das who has since become a really good friend of mine. She has access to ancient texts and drawings through working with The British Library and shares them with me. Our relationship generally consists of late night messaging after I’ve finished service and my brain is buzzing with questions for new dishes. She is an early riser and I often wake to research she has done in whatever particular field I was enquiring on. Together we try and decipher documents she has found. Mukta’s approach is from a historical point of view, looking at all sorts of economic and social aspects behind whatever dish we are researching. I look at it from a chefs perspective, what will it taste like, what would the texture be, how I can logistically make this happen.
KYM’S PHOTO © GAVRIIL PAPADIOTIS
One of the documents Mukta found was a recipe for ‘A Dish of Swallows Nest With Julienned Smoked Duck’ Cooked by Chang Er’, which appears on a menu of foods dated from 1754 from the Imperial Palace in Beijing. It was served to the emperor Qianlong. And when I say recipe, this text had maybe 4 ingredients and no method or serving suggestions. After a few months of talking through ideas of what it would have been and what could work in a modern kitchen I ended up creating my own interpretation of the menu at A Wong. If you’re interested in finding out more about the dish you can find a blog post on it here - https://muktadas.wordpress. com/2018/04/07/a-dish-of-swallows-nest-with-juliennedsmoked-duck-cooked-by-chang-er-a-talk-at-sunday-paperslive/
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KYM’S PHOTO © GAVRIIL PAPADIOTIS
WG MAGAZINE
KYM’S - LEMONGRASS SALAD
KYM’S - BEAN FRITTERS
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ANDREW WONG
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KYM’S - GAI LAN
WG MAGAZINE
“Chinese cuisine has many ingredients where the aromas given off by orchestrate the value given to them but they don’t cost extortionate prices”
Ingredient that you weren’t able to master and have given up on… Flour; the way it reacts, the way it works, I will never be able to master it. But that doesn’t mean I have or hopefully ever will give up on it. Obviously I’m predominantly referring to in making dim sum, buns, and noodles here.
Ingredients that inspire you, your favourite ingredients… The thing about Chinese ingredients is that the most prized ones are dried. For me to make the best quality food I can at my restaurants I (generally) have to get the most expensive ingredients. Nowadays it can be quite challenging, finding reliable and consistent suppliers from half way across the globe and making good working relationships with people does take time and effort. Our gai lan for instance has to be flown in from Yunnan and Yunnan only, no other regions will do. It is in my opinion because it’s the best. When it comes to fermented stuff I need to make sure it is all traceable so we can monitor the process of it being made. I don’t want anything that has too many additives in. Eggs, oyster sauce, dried shitake mushrooms, and most recently because of our wonton soup that I have just added to both the A Wong and Kym’s menus – Chinese leaves. I believe they’re also known as wa wa cabbages.
I’ve been pulling noodles for over a decade but still to this day I have never found an exact recipe that works all the tome throughout the year that is fool proof. Depending on whether it’s a cold dry day or a warm humid one, your dough will react differently. No recipe can account for that. You need to feel the dough and figure out what you need to do. This is something I find myself teaching to young chefs coming into my kitchen and wondering why the recipe I have given to them doesn’t work, you need to understand your ingredients before you can master them. In your opinion what is the most overrated ingredient? Truffle. I think they’re actually pretty tasteless and they’re only attributed value because of their potency and smell. Oh, and because they require an animal to find them! Chinese cuisine has many ingredients where the aromas given off by orchestrate the value given to them but they don’t cost extortionate prices. Fermented tofu for example costs one HK dollar for a bag. Dried fish, dried abalone, and dried roe – they’re expensive but nothing in comparison to truffle. I feel a lot of people use truffle for the sake of using it. If you want to add aroma to a dish there are many ingredients in a Chinese larder you could use instead.
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ANDREW WONG
“Chinese cuisine is so steeped in history and rooted in the understanding that the chef ’s skill is to turn produce that would customarily not be anything special – into something delicious”
Special cooking techniques, equipment you enjoy using…
I would have to say the Roasting Oven, it’s an incredible piece of kit. Reaching highs of 400 degrees. If you put your head into the oven (when it’s turned off obviously) there is a ring of charcoal and ring of water that lines the bottom of it making it superb for not only roasting but steaming and barbecuing all in one.
KYM’S - EGG NET
Produce, Creativity or Technique… Chinese cuisine is so steeped in history and rooted in the understanding that the chef’s skill is to turn produce that would customarily not be anything special – into something delicious. A fine example, the Pomelo skin, which most of us would throw away is widely used throughout Hong Kong. By taking the skin through a long-winded braising process, it creates an ingredient similar to the skin of a radish. It’s true that produce plays an important factor when cooking, but what can you do without technique and creativity. To be a good chef you need to not only understand the techniques but also the reasons behind them. Then on top of that you must be able to replicate them again and again on a daily basis. If I had to rank them I would probably say technique, skill and then produce. Your greatest influence in the kitchen… The constant search for improvement. To better my skills as a chef, to keep learning and keep challenging the perceptions of Chinese food. My motivation in cooking dwells from my efforts in changing people’s perception of Chinese food.
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KYM’S - FRIED CHICKEN ESCALOPE
WG MAGAZINE
KYM’S - LOTUS ROOTS
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ANDREW WONG
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KYM’S - THREE TREASURE
WG MAGAZINE
“Humans are made to evolve, people learn and from this they grow and they change. Cuisine is no different”
Your earliest food memory and flavors from your childhood... I’m not going to lie, probably my earliest food memory is my mum giving a sugar sandwich. White bread, butter and sugar. Despite running a restaurant she’s a pretty terrible cook – thankfully she was wonderful at running the business side of things! My grandmother on the other hand was an amazing cook, she was from a place called Guangyuan which is in Sichuan. She would cook lots of dishes from that region. Stuffed aubergine, chicken broths, stir fried vegetables in fermented bean curd. She would even make instant noodles take pretty cool. They’re still to this day one of my guilty pleasures!
KYM’S - SKEWER TRIO
In the past years how has Chinese cuisine changed around the world? I think it’s a combination of two things; China opening up as a country and China changing. The thirst of the Chinese population wanting to go outside of Chine, travel the world and share Chinese culture as they go. In turn the perception of Chinese food and Chinese culture has changed. For a long time, especially here in the UK, Chinese cuisine was stagnant, no one was trying to push boundaries or do anything new. Partially because there wasn’t an environment that would nurture change but also because a lot of Chinese people wouldn’t want it to change. The cuisine is so heavily steeped in history that many believe doing something new is to take away from this, to make it less ‘authentic’. But I don’t believe authenticity and tradition necessarily need to mean the same thing. Humans are made to evolve, people learn and from this they grow and they change. Cuisine is no different. Being a chef is perceived as a glamorous profession, your advice to chefs entering the kitchen for the first time… I certainly don’t feel glamorous! I often tell my chefs that in order to learn a skill they need to do it approximately 100,000 times. You must embrace repetition and routine! KYM’S - LAMBBAO
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JAN HARTWIG
A COMPOSITIONS WITHOUT ANY LIMITS...
JAN HARTWIG
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His father was a trained chef and since he remembers cooking accompanied his childhood. At least a day he enjoyed a hot self-made dish but it just wasn’t the culinary part that excited this three Michelin-Starred Chef, it was sitting together with the family and chatting around the table over a good meal. As Chef de Cuisine of Atelier, Hartwig not only sets high standards for himself, but also for his kitchen team. His arrival at Atelier was proceeded by the awarding of his first Michelin star, the “Newcomer of the Year” 2014 by the FAZ and a year later after only 18 months, in 2015, Hartwig’s greatest success by far, was being awarded the second Michelin star, and in 2017 he received the third Michelin star. Hartwig focuses on regional and seasonal products for his light and creative cuisine. Regionalism and sustainability are important to him in the selection of ingredients. On the proven foundation of haute cuisine, he conjures contemporary and modern creations, but always without unnecessary extras, the recognition of the product is his foremost objective. In addition, the taste and the culinary experience are in the foreground and as Hartwig says; “the guest should have fun during dinner”.
WG MAGAZINE
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JAN HARTWIG
MAKRELE PHOTO © LUKAS KIRCHGASSER FOTOGRAFIE
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LAMMRÜCKEN VOM GUTSHOF POLTING, GRANATAPFEL, ORIENTALISCHE AROMEN PHOTO © LUKAS KIRCHGASSER FOTOGRAFIE
WG MAGAZINE
“It is important to create a great, memorable experience”
WG catches up with Jan Hartwig…
You honed your culinary skills with some of the best kitchens in Germany and especially with Sven Elverfeld… Working with Sven Elverfeld for seven years was quite a long and important time. It was an indeed informative and an influential experience. Sven Elverfeld is a great chef and by now I consider him one of my best friends. He always gave me the chance to contribute ideas and get involved, which can’t be taken by granted. I am very thankful for the opportunity he gave me. There may be a few parallels but in my opinion the experience in Wolfsburg did not influence my style of cuisine. Your culinary philosophy… I always choose one protagonist, for example lamb, flounder or something like that. While considering the season, I form the idea of the dish. Through the experience and long training, I got the talent to clearly imagine how some compositions of flavors will taste. Every situation and product inspires me. Many people live very inattentive, but I get inspired all the time, while eating, brushing teeth or just taking a walk. What inspires you when plating a dish, the art which gives a different texture to the dish… It is important to create a great, memorable experience, as excellent work of great chefs should be recognized. Besides it is a matter of taste. Every guest can decide how to combine the dish, because the canvas is a very intense, aesthetic component. PHOTO © BENJAMIN MONN
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JAN HARTWIG
Through creativity and the fun I have when creating compositions without any limits...
Ingredients that inspire you, your favorite ingredients…
I am very open-minded and I want to try many things. I am highly interested in all the new products my suppliers present. I place emphasis on regional and seasonal ingredients, especially regional fish. We only progress food, I really like. That is the reason I fail cooking with cauliflower. My favorite ingredient is vinegar because I like sourness very much. Special cooking techniques or equipment you particular enjoy using… No, but I really do like working with my original Japanese Robatayaki grill. It is a cheap and easy technique. The grill has low emission and we use holly oak for a long lasting heating. Produce, Creativity or Technique… All aspects are significant. But I put creativity first, then technique and afterwards produce. Your greatest influence in the kitchen… The greatest influences are my former experiences. General Manager of Hotel Bayerischer Hof, Innegrit Volkhardt, supports and offers me the opportunity to cook everything the way I prefer. I always develop further, so our kitchen keeps changing, too. Progress is extremely important to me. Your earliest food memory, flavors from your childhood… I always liked pasta. I could eat pasta every day. Especially Spaghetti Carbonara.
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JAN HARTWIG
SCHWEINEBAUCH, UMAMIBOUILLON, GERÄUCHERTE HOLLANDAISE PHOTO © LUKAS KIRCHGASSER FOTOGRAFIE
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SARDINE, PARMESAN, PIEMENT D’ESPELETTE PHOTO © LUKAS KIRCHGASSER FOTOGRAFIE
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“With each dish, his primary objective is to recognize the product on the plate, doing away with any unnecessary extras”
AUSTERNPERLE, SAUERAMPFER, DULSEALGE PHOTO © LUKAS KIRCHGASSER FOTOGRAFIE
Three Michelin stars, what was the feeling getting the third star? Getting the third star war an incredible feeling! I believe that only the feeling of becoming father would top it. I really enjoy going to work, because I want to develop myself and for me it is fun going to work. I want everybody to be satisfied. Innegrit Volkhardt, my Atelier team, the guests but primarily I have to be satisfied with myself. The third star not only brings success, it also involves more responsibility and stress. The higher you raise, the deeper you can fall. Also the pressure grows, as the guests are very critical and expect a lot. We did not only get the three stars, we have to keep and win them every night.
PHOTO © BENJAMIN MONN
In the past years how has cuisine changed around the world? Our society cares about resources and they are going to restaurants to have fun. We have to teach the next generation to treat our guests in an open and pleasant way, not formal as it would be expected in a three-star-restaurant. What do you do to stay on top of the new cooking trends? I’m actually not interested in any trends and I don’t waste my time on assessing if my menu is still up to date. I notice trends but they don`t influence my cuisine. Being a chef is perceived as a glamorous profession, your advice to young chefs… Being a chef is a learning progress, a handicraft. No matter whether you prepare a simple sandwich or a flounder, you got to do it with devotion and love. MIREAL TAUBE, SCHW. KNOBLAUCH, WILLIAMS CHRIST BIRNE PHOTO © LUKAS KIRCHGASSER FOTOGRAFIE
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JULIEN ROYER
JULIEN ROYER
THE ODETTE EXPERIENCE
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TEXT HANGAR-7 PHOTO © HELGE KIRCHBERGER PHOTOGRAPHY / RED BULL HANGAR-7
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JULIEN ROYER
According to Julien Royer, he owes everything that he is to his family, especially his grandmother, Odette. It was she who showed him that the most remarkable dishes could come from the purest ingredients and that adding that “little something” would create dishes to excite the palate and fill the heart.
Her influence continues to inspire the “Odette experience” at the restaurant which Royer named in tribute to her. This is where he demonstrates a lifelong respect for seasonality, terroir and artisanal produce which is embodied in his Modern French or “essential” cuisine. His signature delicate and cleverly restrained approach is all-pervading and at Odette he offers guests a unique opportunity to taste exceptional ingredients at their peak, obtained from some of the finest boutique producers from around the globe. Every ingredient has its place and purpose and is treated with the utmost care to highlight its purest flavors and underscore his cuisine.
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JULIEN ROYER
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Chef Julien’s first venture into the kitchen was under the legendary Michel Bras in Laguiole who instilled in him a respect for the integrity of each ingredient and a commitment to showcasing its brilliant flavors. Michael Bras believed that a chef’s success relies on the people he surrounds himself with and he assiduously mentored younger chefs, a philosophy Julien Royer continues today. After Laguiole, Royer moved to Durtol in Auvergne, working for Mâitre Cuisinier de France Bernard Andrieux who reinforced his beliefs and helped him to hone his culinary skills. His career then took him from the French West Indies to Polynesia and then London, where he was sous chef to Antonin Bonnet at Michelin-starred restaurant, The Greenhouse. In 2008, he moved to Singapore where he lives with his wife, Agnes.
JULIEN ROYER IN IKARUS KITCHEN
Chef Royer, in collaboration with The Lo & Behold Group, opened 2-Michelin-starred Odette at the iconic National Gallery Singapore in November 2015. It has been lauded by critics and guests alike, making its debut in 9th place on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant 2017 List, the highest new entry in the list’s history. His aim is to make Odette an honest and welcoming experience for everyone. He sees it as a celebration of people: those who grow the produce, those who cook and serve it, and those who entrust him and his staff with the honor of serving them. Signature dishes include hokkaido uni, rosemary smoked organic egg, lemon tart and foie gras “Comme Un Pho”. MARTIN KLEIN, ECKART WITZIGMANN AND JULIEN ROYER
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JULIEN ROYER
Odette’s interior reflects chef Julien’s approach to keeping the integrity of ingredients with a soft color palette and comfortably elegant décor while respecting the historic and iconic National Gallery location. Led by Singaporean artist, Dawn Ng, the artwork featured throughout the restaurant explores the visual beauty of raw ingredients from chef Julien’s kitchen, re-imagined into a surreal universe of shapes and forms that float, settle, drift and pirouette. The glass-enclosed kitchen enables diners to see the chefs at work and reflects the openness and honesty which is central to the Odette dining experience. Guest chef Julien Royer echoes his grandmother in ensuring that the fundamental pleasures of enjoying a meal are delivered in the most thoughtful, welcoming and hospitable manner and he is delighted to bring his Modern French cuisine, featuring the best fresh and seasonal produce available combined with the “Odette experience”, to Restaurant Ikarus in Hangar-7 in December 2018.
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JAMES OAKLEY
JAMES OAKLEY PHOTO © BEN WONG
The chef de cuisine at Alibi, Cordis Hotel, Hong Kong creates a menu highlighting the feeling of autumn using the best produce available. Beautiful wild mushrooms, the autumn truffles are becoming far more aromatic, the waters are becoming cooling therefore the fish has more fat retention and is far tastier. “The autumn months are some of my favorite of the year, the leaves begin to fall, the weather is cooler and most importantly it brings us some fantastic flavors and truly wonderful produce” says James. James has trained in some of the best kitchens, with Gordon Ramsay at the Claridges and Jeremy Medley, both of these chefs have influenced James’ style of cooking which is not over complicated in terms of flavour, as he generally likes to work with 3 to 4 key flavours one of which being the star and build the complexity by enhancing the natural flavours and displaying different techniques with the same animal or ingredient. Then he considers texture - food should not only be interesting in flavour but also mouth feel, crispy textures, soft textures.
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KINGFISH SASHIMI, YUZU FLUID GEL, SAKE GRANITE, BRONZE FENNEL Following the richness and intensity of flavor from the macaroon I felt it essential that the next dish is palate cleansing and has a fresh, crisp, clean feeling similar to the feeling of being outside on an autumn morning, a bit of a contrast but necessary to prepare you for the remainder of the meal. As the waters become cooler the fish becomes more fatty to prepare themselves for the winter months ahead, the flesh retains more fat giving it a more buttery texture and fantastic depth of flavor, far more so than in the summer months when the fish are more lean. The Japanese Yuzu for me is at its best in November and December, the skins have ripened to a more yellow orange color and have developed more sweetness however the intense sour notes still remain, just I feel a little more harmonized than the more green summer yuzu, the sake granite is more sweet in balance with the sour notes of the yuzu to complement the kingfish and breakdown the richness from the fat of the flesh. In addition the ice cold granite with the slight burst of bronze fennel gives you a quick burst of crisp and clean icy freshness.
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“MISTY FOREST� FERMENTED BEAN CURD MOUSSE, SMOKED YUNNAN MUSHROOMS, AUTUMN TRUFFLE, PARSLEY This dish could be considered a signature of mine or rather an adaptation of one of my signature`s. I originally developed this dish around eight years ago during my first head chef position at Llys Meddyg in Wales, the owner and I would often go foraging for ingredients in the early hours. I vividly recall one autumn morning scouring the forest floor for mushrooms, the mist lingering across the floor, the scent, I looked down at the forest floor and decided I would capture the image and feeling in that moment and create a dish to represent what I had seen and felt. I was actually challenged to use the local Chinese fermented bean curd by the hotel f & b director, she described it as local cheese and felt it would be very interesting to use in western cuisine, I agree it is a very interesting ingredient and does resemble cheese, the sourness of it resembles a very mature goat`s cheese, this made me consider the Misty forest since for the original dish I had used goat`s cheese. I was very excited to use local ingredients and add a local Hong Kong flavor to a dish which has become so special to me. Yunnan is the mushroom region of China and has some fantastic, interesting mushrooms I particularly like the black termite and cordy ceps mushrooms we used for this dish, fantastic flavor, texture and mushrooms which I had never seen or used in Europe, the truffle is also from Yunnan and I was surprised and extremely impressed by its aroma and depth of flavor.
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TERIYAKI GLAZED QUAIL BREAST, CONFIT LEG SPRING ROLL, QUAIL CONSOMMÉ, SOFT BOILED QUAIL EGG I love Japanese Ramen especially as the weather gets cooler, the amazing warming broth infused with Kombu seaweed and smoked bonito gives me a real nurtured warm feeling and that is what inspired me to create this dish, sharing my own feelings and joy from this season. I wanted to use most of the base elements of a Ramen dish and infuse the quail consommé with the Kombu and bonito however I removed the noodles, I wanted the same warming feeling and intense punch of umami whilst remembering this is part of a six course meal and not the meal itself, noodles can be very filling. Of course it is now the season for French game, the quail beautifully succulent, has a game taste without being strong and over whelming. I am really passionate about sustainability and utilizing the entire animal, firstly there are so many wonderful flavors and textures from each of the various parts of the animal if you have the love to invest the necessary time to get the best from them. Secondly and most importantly it is about showing the animal the necessary respect, the animal has made the ultimate sacrifice with its life! I feel the very least we can do is ensure that we utilize every part and that nothing is wasted. Thirdly a seemingly simple dish can display so many different cooking techniques and various skills, we pan fry and glaze the breast, we confit the legs and break down the meat for the spring roll, we roast the bones and use them for the consommé, we soft boil the egg. For me it is so exciting to cook one bird in such a variety of ways.
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CONFIT SNAPPER, NEW CALEDONIA PRAWN, POMME ANNA, PURPLE OXALIS I recently tasted the local snapper and was very impressed by the subtle flavor and very delicate texture when gently confit, I am always inspired when I sample great produce. I used to frequently forage and find wild wood sorrel around this time of the year when in the U.K, I adore sorrel in particular purple oxalis, it is beautifully acidic, sour with slight fruity notes and also has a beautiful deep purple autumn color, it works in harmony with fresh seafood in much the same way as lemon juice would but with a far more interesting flavor profile. The prawns from the crystal clear, clean waters of New Caledonia are beautifully sweet and have a nice crunchy texture in contrast of the soft flesh of the confit Snapper. We use the heads of the prawns to make a concentrated sweet umami packed prawn stock and emulsify it with butter to give the dish the necessary richness to comfort the palate and add balance between the sweetness of the Prawn and the sour notes of the oxalis sorrel. We tasted this dish with many starches, potato, pasta, rice and even considered no starch at all, the Pomme Anna just really works. During autumn I enjoy what I would call comfort food and for me pomme Anna falls within this category, Crisp mahogany like surface with the flavor of caramelized butter, garlic infused buttery potato layers works incredibly well with the entire dish.
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JAMES OAKLEY
BITTER CHOCOLATE TART, BLACKBERRIES, FRESH THYME, COCOA & SEA SALT SORBET During this time of year I like to finish a meal with good quality bitter chocolate. I love the simplicity of a good quality chocolate tart, I love that there is nowhere to hide, each of the individual elements must be executed perfectly. The chocolate should be room temperature, rich and creamy, I like the pastry to be short like a good quality biscuit, not hard but also not too crumbly. I prefer the pastry to be more golden brown in color as the butter and sugar starts to caramelize. A good chocolate tart dish needs a good blend of acidity with slight sweetness, the exact flavor profile of blackberries however the blackberries are just about coming to the end of their season, there is a small window of opportunity to get them before the first frost. I like the temperature contrast of the sorbet which helps to cleanse the palate with each mouthful, the fresh thyme gives interesting slight mint like notes which also helps to cleanse the palate whilst being far more subtle and less intrusive than mint itself.
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XANTY ELÍAS
XANTY ELÍAS HUELVA CUISINE Born in Huelva, started his culinary career at the age of 12 making bread in his uncle’s bakery in Madrid and he discovered that it made him happy and it made him understand the importance of details. At 14 he began studying Sala at the School of Catering in Puta Umbria and at 16 he started in Cocina, at 19 after passing through different schools he went on to spend two years working at Arzak in San Sebastián and then returned to Huelva. His experience in the kitchens of Juan María and Elena was wonderful, he was just a kid who went to practice and the outcome was chef with the decisions taken, it helped him to become a professional but above all it helped him to become a better person, to be an honest cook, intelligent and daring to continue thinking like a child. That style of cooking still pursues him and is part of his genetic code that implant all his decisions. After working in several places, training personnel’s and advising companies, Xanty opened Acánthum in 2011.
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XANTY ELÍAS
QUENNELLE TARTAR SOBRE JAMÓN
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GAMBA DE HUELVA Y PISTACHO
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“Acánthum... each step, each product, each person, each experience mixed with Respect, Responsibility and Effort”
AGUA DE MOLUSCO Y CARACOLES
His philosophy in the kitchen is based on choosing the best products in the market which is of the territory and has moved him since his childhood, thus making it possible for his environment to have a meaning, while temporality conversing and listening to it, trying to see how he can complement it with another product, keeping the tradition and risking it in the future. The inspirations behind his dishes are from multiple sources, it can be from people, a book that he reads or something that he sees on the street or simply at work. He lets his energy flow so that in this way the dish connects with the guests’. His kitchen is transformed into 100% excitement, where a mixture of native flavor with different touches of madness, makes the guests’ live a different experience without losing the “south” of his origins. WG catches up with Xanty Elías at Acánthum… Your cuisine is in perfect harmony of flavors and balance… The balance is already in nature and is only about observing the knowledge and some wisdom where we realize that the products themselves grow in the same season and complement each other or yet the flavours offered by the hardness of a good Iberian ham of Villota, it has peculiarities of being able to marry practically everything. With continuous research and long process of tasting based on trial error, we managed to maintain a level of quality never before in this area. TARTAR DE JAMÓN SOBRE JAMON
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XANTY ELÍAS
Huelva cuisine… The cuisine of Huelva has a great power and in its strategic zone of life that different climates converge a little slowly the coast the cold airs of the Atlantic clean beach sand and with great marine biodiversity that attracts in turn bio diversity of birds and animals that They maintain an ecosystem difficult to achieve. This makes the first line products are very easily stay at sea in the orchard or saw These products are fundamental steps that can be taken to make a kitchen of authentic draft and that is the true value of Huelva and its province its raw material. Until now it would only be used with simple technique and we from Acanthum seek to rethink war balls rework that recipe. Ingredients that inspire you, favourite ingredients, unable to master and in your opinion the most overrated ingredient… Ingredients that we like the most are the Iberian ham and the choco or cuttlefish, however, other ingredients such as raspberries start to appear. I like to work a lot with parts of the fish that other debris like for example the skin of the Corvina his car and the final part of the tail I find magical products. We are currently working with the green garbanzo and we are rediscovering it to be able to use them as a product of high expression are native to the area of Escacena a town of Huelva. There are products that are overvalued in price since all of them have an incalculable gastronomic value and it is certain that in certain stages of the year the demand makes raise its price as the guru Melo but at the end of the day it does not stop being an increase of the demand with very little offer for being the first of the season. Produce, Creativity or Technique… The whole set is fundamental so that the dish at the end arrives perfect to the customer there is no production without creativity there is no production without technique and the technique creativity if they are not prepared to produce they are not worth at all.
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MEJIILÓN Y CALDO DE UMAMI_
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XANTY ELÍAS
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Special cooking techniques or equipment you enjoy using… We are quite frequent to use low temperature coactions and funds tremendously concentrated funds based on traditional cooking. But taste is very delicate. Your greatest influence in the kitchen… The biggest influence in my kitchen are the people around me, my co-workers, other chefs and friends, my family, the clients who visit us every day and especially my mood, the better I find myself, the better cooking. Several awards and accolades… what keeps you motivated? At this time my career motivates me to establish a restaurant that continues to make reference and that allows us to expand visions and generate visions. To move forward with a project that we have called the Pere Nauta foundation where we have taken a big step to make the new generation of Andalusia is the best generation formed at the level of gastronomy this means that they can study at the gastronomy school like any other subject math language etc. Your earliest food memory and flavors from your childhood… The most basic flavour I remember is beans with choco made by my mother, it’s a very traditional dish in Huelva their croquettes and a stew of pig’s trotters, she always made me taste the raw coquina. In the past years how has cuisine changed around the world? The whole kitchen has changed because it has become a topic of first importance, because every time we are aware of what we eat and what to eat has gone from being simple plain mind a pleasure to fill our satisfaction. Our need to feed ourselves has become a joy where we really eat more and eat better, but that does not feed not only the stomach but also the soul and this has its repercussion thanks to new technologies the world of internet and new business. Being a chef is perceived as a glamorous profession, you advice to young chefs… I would recommend that you do not think about being glamorous or famous nowadays you have to be honest and responsible with. The rest of everything else will arrive if it has to arrive but if that does not exist and everything else arrives the star the awards will fall down like a house of cards.
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DUTCH AT IKARUS
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TEXT HANGAR-7 PHOTO © HELGE KIRCHBERGER PHOTOGRAPHY / RED BULL HANGAR-7
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Dutch at Ikarus with Richard van Oostenbrugge Jannis Brevet Michel van der Kroft Jacob Jan Boerma
Restaurant Ikarus welcomes a quartet of distinguished guest chefs from the Netherlands in November 2018 and with 9 Michelin stars between them they bring a wealth of experience and flair to the table. Exquisite seafood, fresh lamb, seasonal vegetable and exotic international flavour combinations await our guests when they venture to out to savour the culinary arts prepared by Richard van Oostenbrugge from 212, Jannis Brevet from Inter Scaldes, Michel van der Kroft from ’t Nonnetje and Jacob Jan Boerma from De Leest. Each has carved out his own niche in Dutch cuisine and continues to evolve his own inimitable style with the best ingredients the Netherlands has to offer.
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DUTCH AT IKARUS
Richard van Oostenbrugge 212 Richard van Oostenbrugge and Thomas Groot will open Amsterdam’s first no-table restaurant 212 in early January 2018. The restaurant takes its name from the address at Amstel 212, the former Breitner, with tickets for seat reservations already on sale similar to booking for the theatre. 212 has just one big chef’s table and every evening 24 guests sit at the bar which surrounds the kitchen. From there they move directly to the kitchen counter for a communal dining experience featuring the exquisite cuisine of chefs Oostenbrugge and Groot. Their famous culinary signature remains the same: ingenious creativity from classic French techniques. This time the creativity appears not only in the dishes since the chefs and waiting staff will also be choreographed to provide a show that appeals to all the senses.
I’ve known for a long time that if I opened my own business it must be something like Brooklyn Fare, The Table and DiverXo. It must be possible to go out for a ridiculously delicious meal that’s fun. We don’t want to do it according to the rules. There are no wine arrangements, no chef’s menu but five days a week there is good food, good music and good company. Oostenbrugge says, “I’ve known for a long time that if I opened my own business it must be something like Brooklyn Fare, The Table and DiverXo. It must be possible to go out for a ridiculously delicious meal that’s fun. We don’t want to do it according to the rules.” Thomas Groot adds, “We have not lost our Michelin ambitions but above all we want to take full advantage of the freedom to create what we think works.”
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DUTCH AT IKARUS
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Jannis Brevet Inter Scaldes Oysters, lobsters, winkles, meadow lamb and sea lavender are the stock in trade of Jannis Brevet at his 3-Michelinstarred Manoir Restaurant Inter Scaldes in Kruiningen, Zeeland. After many years of wandering early in his career, working at Tantris in Munich under Heinz Winkler and in the Schweizer Stuben under Dieter MĂźller before taking charge himself of Le Marron in Bonn and Alb 31 in Ettlingen, he returned to his roots where, surrounded by endless fields and a stunning shoreline, he runs his famous restaurant with his wife Claudia.
After many years of wandering early in his career, working at Tantris in Munich under Heinz Winkler and in the Schweizer Stuben under Dieter MĂźller before taking charge himself of Le Marron in Bonn and Alb 31 in Ettlingen, he returned to his roots.
An admirer of the modernism of the 1950s, Brevet is fascinated by the synaesthesia between art and cooking which is reflected in his dishes that are simplistic works of art where colours, lines and shapes inspire his cooking and influence his choice of ingredients or the way the food is arranged on the plate. The goal is an explosion of flavours and aromas – a balanced composition which appeals to all the senses.
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Michel van der Kroft ‘t Nonnetje As head chef of ’t Nonnetje in Harderwijk, Michel van der Kroft first earned the restaurant its two Michelin stars in 2015, retaining them in 2016 and 2017. His passion combined with enthusiasm can be tasted in every dish, and Portuguese influences inspire some of his dishes through his marriage to Maria do CĂŠu from Portugal.
The passionate chef for whom cooking is a way of life takes strong and refined flavours as the basis of his cuisine, using wholesome, recognisable ingredients which are complemented to enhance the taste of his signature dishes.
The passionate chef for whom cooking is a way of life takes strong and refined flavours as the basis of his cuisine, using wholesome, recognisable ingredients which are complemented to enhance the taste of his signature dishes. He cooks from his heart and guest can see and taste that on their plates.
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DUTCH AT IKARUS
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Jacob Jan Boerma De Leest Austrian-born Jacob Jan Boerma is the co-owner, with his wife Kim Veldeman, of the 3-Michelin-starred De Leest restaurant in Vaassen which opened its doors in 2002. After holding positions at exclusive restaurants in Germany, England and Belgium, he became head chef of Restaurant de Nederlanden which soon earned a second Michelin-star.
His dishes are brimming with Asian, Spanish, southern European and North American influences. Boerma translates all his experiences into cosmopolitan and creative dishes for his sophisticated clientele.
He is renowned for his use of seasonal and regional products and he learned the latest and best cooking techniques all over the world. His dishes are brimming with Asian, Spanish, southern European and North American influences. Boerma translates all his experiences into cosmopolitan and creative dishes for his sophisticated clientele. His perfectionism is evident and has been acknowledged throughout his career. His culinary philosophy is that a chef can never lie about the quality of his product. He is inspired by the nature around his restaurant and the products available in the Netherlands which translate into culinary art of the very highest standard.
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MARTIN FAUSTER
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PHOTO © JULIA KNORR
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MARTIN FAUSTER
STEINBUTT MIT KAVIAR PHOTO © KLAUS EINWANGER
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ROH MARINIERTER HUCHEN PHOTO © KLAUS EINWANGER
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G
rowing up in a small village, the countryside in Austria, where the family had their own garden with a lot of vegetables and fruits. Martin always liked to pick the ingredients from the garden and to use them to prepare different dishes. When he to decide whether he would like to continue studying or to start with an apprenticeship, he choose the job training as he didn’t wanted to study anymore. The job as a cook was the most obvious one, as he wanted to work with the great products that Mother Nature gave and this was the start to being a cook and never did he have the intention to be a star-awarded chef one day.
HANS HAAS AND MARTIN FAUSTER PHOTO © HILKE OPELT
He had the chance to learn a lot from great chefs and also great bosses. Hans Haas taught him that he can use every part of an animal and that also each part has the same value. Which meant that even though the filet is more expensive than the calf, both came from the same animal. From Oliver Roellinger he learnt how to handle sea fruits and fishes and also how to use spices. For example, he taught him how to produce his own oils and spice mixes to give the meals a special touch. Both these brilliant chefs with great personalities and remained human, although they have achieved great success, Martin gained not only a professional knowledge from them, they also showed him how to remain a down-toearth chef. Both Hans and Oliver had a great influence on him till date, but Martin found his own style and own handwriting, which combines his experiences of working with both. Martin has been putting his mark on the culinary world in the Königshof gourmet restaurant since 2004 and over the years he has built up a dependable network of suppliers that not only guarantees the highest of quality, they can also be sure that their wares will be transformed into dining experiences that do their origins justice. The Styria-born chef sees a menu as a work of art with a richness of facets based around the main course. This love of his craft has earned him a Michelin star for the last ten years, and 18 points in the Gault Millau. Carl Geisel, owner of Hotel Königshof, gives Martin a lot of freedom to develop and also gave him a lot of good advices due to his broad experience in haute cuisine HANS HAAS AND MARTIN FAUSTER PHOTO © HILKE OPELT
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MARTIN FAUSTER
“I like to use for inspirations and where I read out combinations of different products. I have the opinion that each dish was cooked once before and that the history can tell us a lot”
WG catches up with Martin Fauster…
A combination of fresh and quality ingredients, creative with the finest produce, creating a composition of flavours which is complex and modest yet impeccably balanced… I have gathered a lot of experiences during my formation as cook and have learned a lot about the classy preparation methods while working with excellent chefs. I am using mostly seasonal products from small producers in a high quality. Furthermore I like to put a spot on forgotten products, which have become very rare. When creating a dish I put the main
PHOTO © THOMAS HABERLAND
Your culinary philosophy, the process of creating a new dish, what inspires you when plating a dish… My process is based on several factors: I have a lot of old books, which I like to use for inspirations and where I read out combinations of different products. I have the opinion that each dish was cooked once before and that the history can tell us a lot. Sometimes our supplier is passing by with new or rediscovered products which I want to try to prepare. In general, it’s often a coincidence, how I create new dishes. I try something, taste it and develop it further. I see the season of the year as a base for a new dish, because I try to use only seasonal products. When I create a dish, like the scallop for example, I start with tasting the main product. When tasting a scallop there is a nutty flavour. Scallops are in season in fall, as walnuts too. Then I tried a walnut. The shell of a walnut is a bit bitter. Thus, I peeled it off. Afterwards I thought there is something crunchy missing. So I used a whole walnut. The dish together is ok, but I thought the dish needs something fresh. Then I thought once again about products which have its season in fall and have a fresh flavour. An apple. So I used the fresh taste of the apple together with the other two ingredients. Finally I used a porcini to round out the dish. So concluding you can say that tasting is the most important thing when creating a new dish. When plating a dish, I concentrate on the main products and the taste. Everything on the plate must have its purpose.
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PHOTO © THOMAS HABERLAND
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AALRUTE MIT MORCHELN PHOTO © KLAUS EINWANGER
BISON MIT ROESTZWIEBELKREPP PHOTO © KLAUS EINWANGER
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FLUSSKREBSE MIT ARTISCHOCKE PHOTO © KLAUS EINWANGER
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LEICHT GERAEUCHERTER SAIBLING PHOTO © KLAUS EINWANGER
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“A good product is the foundation of a good dish. To know how to prepare the product is the way to a good dish and creativity is to crown it all ”
PHOTO © KLAUS EINWANGER
Ingredients that inspire you, your favourite ingredients, those you weren’t able to master and in your opinion what is the most overrated ingredient? As in season, I am currently working a lot with root vegetables and other fruits from the soil.In addition, I like the tiger nut a lot as it enhances the dishes with a gently nutty taste for example: Breton king prawn, Quince, almond and quinoa. I have received the tiger nut from a small farmer a few years ago and since that it’s a fix ingredient of our cuisine. Huchen and other freshwater fishes, which we buy from our fisher in excellent quality. As my kitchen style is based on mainly European elements, I do not have a lot of experience which very exotic stuff like snakes or kangaroos. The piece of sirloin of an animal, because, as mentioned before, Hans Haas taught me that each piece of an animal has the same value.
PHOTO © THOMAS HABERLAND
Special cooking techniques or equipment you particular enjoy using… I mainly make use of the classy ways of preparation like candying, grilling, steaming, pickling, etc. The most important thing is to know what technique is the best for each product. Produce, Creativity or Technique… In my opinion a good product is the foundation of a good dish. To know how to prepare the product is the way to a good dish and creativity is to crown it all, but creativity should not be in a way that the product is suffering from it. Your earliest food memory, flavors from your childhood… Scrambled eggs with chives from the garden. Flavours I can’t live without is the fresh mushrooms and berries, self-picked. MAKRELE ROH MARINIERT PHOTO © KLAUS EINWANGER
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What keeps you motivated?
“The beautiful thing on being a chef is to give people a pleasure by having the chance to prepare great products”
Furthermore, you get everything back immediately when entering the restaurant and welcoming the guests and asking them how the meal was. In the past years how has cuisine changed around the world? Globalization linked the whole world. The internet gives you the chance to see what dishes are prepared on the other side of the world and allows you to gather new ideas. The transport possibilities allow you to order ingredients from around the world, without taking care on seasonality. Anyhow, for me personally, seasonal and regional products have the highest value and I try to use the products at the time when their season is in Europe. What do you do to stay on top of the new cooking trends? In my view each chef has its own philosophy, to which he should remain true to. Nevertheless, each one should work on improving his skills on each day and should improve in valuing good products. KYM’S - EGG NET
Being a chef is perceived as a glamorous profession, your advice to young chefs… You must be ambitious and persistent. Be grateful for the possibility to work with great products of Mother Nature. Have a respectful interaction with ingredients and passion for the job, which you also express. Respect is the key for being a good chef, treat your employees in the way you want them to treat you.
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KYM’S - LEMONGRASS SALAD
KYM’S - BEAN FRITTERS
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JAKUB HARTLIEB
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JAKUB HARTLIEB A story could be very similar to others; Jakub’s family always gathered around great meals and he loved eating. Born in Warsaw, Poland and moved to the US at the age of 13. He graduated with a degree in Culinary Arts and Business Administration from OSU. At 15, he started working as bus boy, it was a job that got him some cash and he did not think any deeper into it. At that time he still wasn’t sure what profession he was going to choose, but since he was in the restaurant scene he decided to apply at the new Renaissance Hotel that opened close to his house. This is when he was introduced to the works of Charlie Trotter, he did not realize he could express himself in a way, but it became sort of an obsession. He would spend hours in book stores going over Trotters books, making notes, telling him that if his food does not look like his it isn’t good enough. He researched every ingredient he did not know, he asked his chef if he could bring some of those ingredients and experience them and he always was fortunate to get them. He was just a line cook but had big dreams. Few years later he knew that he was getting serious about cooking so he decided to go to a culinary school. Towards the middle of his education, he saved up enough money to travel to Chicago and eat at Charlie Trotter’s, he got to meet the man and talk to him, see his kitchen, and see what he did. After that, there was no question what he would do, he wanted to strive towards something that he created, Jakub had a long way to go, but each day he would try to push towards that goal.
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WG catches up with Jakub Hartlieb‌ SALMON
You honed your culinary skills with some of the best in the US, tell us about your experiences with Wayne Christensen, Chris Ward‌ Wayne Christensen was the man that introduced me to Charlie Trotter. He came to Tulsa from NYC; he was a big deal and was extremely talented. His style was different from anything I have been around. During my interview for prep cook job, he sat me down in his office, showed me his food and asked me if I would ever want to do stuff like that. I was blown away and he sparked the desire for me to strive for the best. He was a busy man but every time he would take time to teach me one-on-one were some of the best lessons. He imbedded the work ethic, quality and taste into my being as a chef. After few weeks of prepping he moved me to the dinner service line cook at the hotel restaurant. I felt like he saw potential in me and I did not want to disappoint. I breathed and lived kitchen life that led me to be hungry for more knowledge. Fast forward few years, I was towards the end of my culinary degree and became close friends to one of my instructors, Brandon Trash. He was a younger instructor that I got along with very well. He pushed me in many ways and the result was me travelling with him to many competitions, scholarships and an amazing trip to cook at the James Beard House in NYC. Part of the scholarship work was travelling to Dallas, TX and working under Chris Ward at The Mercury. Chris showed me another side of quality, amazing food and execution; he even let me come up with some of the dishes for the night service, which was a big deal for a young student.
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YUZU TOMATO MELON
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WHITE ONION
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GREEN SALAD
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You cooked with some of the best in the world at the James Beard House alongside Jaun Mari Arzak, Joan Roca and Ferran Adrià… This experience was short but a huge catalyst that created the Chef I am today. I have idolized these great figures for years, and to experience them, and their teams first hand was life/ career changing. Their work ethic, comradery and passion took over immediately, they made you feel like you were part of their team, and they did it well. I couldn’t even notice any language barrier there was because we understood each other so well. Among the innovation, completely unique and new techniques you could feel how close they are to each other. There were teams from over 6 different restaurants but it felt like one team. I still remember that week as if it was yesterday, it’s one of the foundations of my career and I feel very fortunate that i was able to be a part of it. Your culinary philosophy, the process of creating a new dish… Expression through food is very important for me, as important as the desire to please the audience consuming the dish, but I always want to make sure the consumer leaves with fond memories and something they rarely experience. The creation process has to have few key factors that are very crucial. The longing for each dish to have a meaning made me create a list of questions that I always ask myself before I even start cooking. Some of those questions touch on the moment each dish was created in, what smell or visual prompted me to combine specific flavours, what memory brought the idea together. I love the idea of sensory eating, adding small detail to the dish that will bring out nostalgia, and my goal is to reach out and find a way of doing that, it is what connects us with food. Each dish has to be created with respect to the ingredients, so finding a sustainable source is just as important, but what is the story behind that source, where does it come from, can you meet the people behind the finished product. Each dish has to have a rock solid foundation of classical techniques, executed to the best of your abilities, you represent your whole being as a chef when creating and presenting your dish, it’s a part of you. Imagination and modernism, these two go hand to hand, how can you present the most delicious bite yet present in a way that will invoke a small challenge to the audience that will make you think of it as an experience rather than just food. APPLE YUZU
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Art gives a different texture to the dish, what inspires you when plating a dish? I am a nature lover; I spend a lot of time in nature with my wife and three kids. I am inspired by smells, visuals, sounds. Feelings you get when you walk through the woods covered in fog, by the smell of the ocean shore, or when you mountain climb. How can I apply these inspirations to the way I express myself? My mind is always running thoughts like these and these thoughts bring about magic of creation. I do not have to be blown away to be inspired, each moment can find inspiration in anything that surrounds you. There is a great book written by Elizabeth Gilbert called “Big Magic”, it’s an amazing read, I truly connected that that idea and truly believe it. Special cooking techniques or equipment you particular enjoy using… I absolutely love what has been happening in our industry for the past few years when it comes to equipment. As chefs, we should be very fortunate to be able to have access to some of the technology we can these days, there is not one single piece of equipment that does not get me excited. Produce, Creativity or Technique… I think one cannot exist without another. What good would it be if weak ingredients would be used to create a beautiful and time consuming dish? I think each has its place and contributes to the balance of the end result.
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GOLDEN BEET
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“My mother would send us out into our secret spots we knew we would find mushrooms, we chose to do it right after it rained, so the smell of rain, moss, bark and mushrooms is something coded in my brain and triggers great memories all the time”
ROOT SALAD
Your greatest influence in the kitchen…
The team, of likeminded individuals that have full understanding and respect for each other. A team that is your second family that depends on each other’s strengths and understands each other’s weaknesses. When everyone in the room contributes, wants the same result and has each other’s backs, there is not much that can stop you, as rare this is it exists, and the goal should be to find yourself in that predicament. Your earliest food memory, flavors from your childhood… When we grew up in Poland, our past time was spent traveling in the woods, mountains or the sea. We would spent time in the woods, foraging for berries and mushrooms. These memories are deeply rooted and translated into the creative process I described before. My mother would send us out into our secret spots we knew we would find mushrooms, we chose to do it right after it rained, so the smell of rain, moss, bark and mushrooms is something coded in my brain and triggers great memories all the time. What keeps you motivated? To see our industry grow. I love seeing what some of the top teams do to better themselves, even if they reach a very high level. I love that some teams decide to starch everything they created and start form new, because the set the bar high for all of the industry. When I see articles, or read stories or books, or interact with other chefs, I get very excited and inspired. It pushes me to be better, to stay on top of my industry, and strive for the best results. I think constant evolution is the theme here, and it is a beautiful thing to be a part of. APPLE YUZU VIOLET CHEESE CAKE
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What do you do to stay on top of the new cooking trends? Obsessed with reading, through my career, I have been able to collect many books, weather they were stories from other chefs, or their cook books. I have a great ritual of reading several pieces and I try to do that daily. With all this knowledge, even for 30 minutes a day you are bound to get inspired. I also try to attend chef conferences, it is the best way to get in touch with your community, make new connections, and hear about new techniques or inventions. Every city has a community like this, and it’s all up t you weather you take advantage of it or not. Being a chef is perceived as a glamorous profession, your advice to young chefs‌ This has been my biggest gripe while working with some young students that are just starting in the industry. The perception of glamour and celebrity chef personality can be deceiving. What I like to focus on when talking to young minds is the truth about our industry. I encourage them to place the TV shows, and the rich and famous stories on pause, and research deeply what comes with the territory of being a chef. Before spending money on schooling or dreaming of being a TV chef, I tell them to do a stage at few restaurants, get the feel of every day to day life of a chef, and interview few chefs that have been in the industry for a while. I also send them to different resources like books and articles form solid industry personalities that have an amazing way of describing what it really means to be a chef. The great thing for this and future generations is that all of this info is easily available, all you have to do is put a little time and effort into it. After all this research, if you desire the same thing, and you are willing to work hard and make this your life, your dreams and goals should be something to strive for. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be and celebrity in this industry, as long as you realise what it will take, and as long s you are humble about getting there.
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PAUL GAJEWSKI
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PAUL GAJEWSKI Born in Gdansk, Poland and raised in Melbourne, Paul grew up in an outer suburb of Melbourne, a simple yet enjoyable childhood. His parents in-stilled many great qualities to him and his brother and the most important was to work hard. That with hard work anything was achievable. Something he now pass on to his staff. Food wasn’t always something that he took too, as a very young child he was a very fussy eater, he wasn’t a fan of meat, not overly crazy about vegetables and eating anything but mums cooking took a few years to get used too. He still remember the torment of being in pre -school, only speaking a few words of English as he only spoke Polish and was fed things like canned spaghetti, even if he was starving, he couldn’t eat it. He would sit there for hours and not touch it. “Polish food isn’t glamorous, it’s hardy, warming and nutritious but not very adventurous, but it’s still the taste of home and I wouldn’t change it for the world. It wasn’t until my early teens that I was really getting to taste all that Australia had to offer, this was when I really fell in love with food and its creative potential” says Paul. From an early age he fell in love with the art of bonsai; this helped him to relax after a 100-hour work week in the kitchen. It was something about the peace and quiet and just the focus on something simple like trimming a branch. It grounded him and kept him calm when he was always stressed about work. During his years at Vue de monde, Paul, Josh Lewis and Andreas Papadakis would finish a Saturday night service around 2am and then a drive of an hour and a half to Geelong. They would stay at Josh’s house, sleep a few hours and then get up to go spearfishing. All completely broken from a long stressful week but loved diving. “I still remember the first time Josh took me spearfishing, I was immediately hooked (no pun intended). It was a combination of spending time with my best mates, peacefully swimming, away from the noise of the world and the thrill of the hunt” says Paul.
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“Simplicity and passion are the keys to perfection”
Paul Gajewski
WG catches up with Paul Gajewski… How you found your way into the culinary field… From the age of 14, it was clear to me that cooking was my passion. Starting as a first-year apprentice at Sofitel Melbourne and then moving into Melbourne’s premier restaurant Vue de monde, I was equipping myself with the skills and knowledge in order to work in the best restaurants in the world. This was the goal, to take my modern French training and to go work in 3-star Michelin restaurants in Paris. At 21, I graduated from academy Sofitel, two years in a row I was awarded the best apprentice in my year. In my final year as an apprentice and won multiple gold medals at cooking competitions and also won the national Nestle Golden chef’s hat with my team mate Vanessa Mateus. We were named the best young chefs in Australia. I had also just landed a job at Vue de monde. Being the youngest chef and the only apprentice was more than daunting. At Vue de monde I started at 7.30 am, we did lunch prep then lunch service then dinner prep with maybe time to have staff meal, then we rolled straight into dinner service. I routinely didn’t get home until 1am- it was f#%$*d, but I continued to take on extra functions on Sunday, so I could learn more- my appetite for learning in those early days was off the charts….. I look back and wonder how I did it to be honest. I was averaging 4 hours sleep a night. Yes it was hard, but worth it. After 3 months of being a commis I was promoted to chef de partie. I was running the sauce section which when I first started was something I dreamed of. In 2011, I took my first ever holiday and all the money I had saved and moved to Paris for a few months. I had landed stages and Guy Savoy and Le Atelier which had been a dream of mine. After Paris I was lucky enough to have a friend help get a stage at Noma, a restaurant I hardly knew until the day I started there, and they had only the day before being named the number 1 restaurant in the world for the first time.
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Noma changed my entire methodology in how a kitchen should be run. I had never been in such a well organised and functioning restaurant. It really opened my eyes to a whole new mentality within kitchen management. At 24, I moved to Singapore to work under my former head chef Ryan and at 26 I was named head chef of Tippling club. As head chef I was able to lead the team to #23 and #36 respectively in the San Pellegrino Asian top 50 in 2014 and 2015. The 6 years in Singapore helped me become a better leader, and a more rounded chef in every aspect of management and cooking. Since coming back to Melbourne, I’ve challenged myself to step into areas of hospitality that I have least experience in. I worked at Tipo 00 to learn the true artistry behind making fresh pasta as well as working in an all- day crazy busy restaurant. I’ve always cooked in fine dining degustation format restaurants, so this was a big change. Next, I wanted to challenge myself and see what catering for the masses was really like. I have experience with catering and off-site cooking, only fine dining style though. I was offered a job at Tommy Collins, and my challenge was to see if I would be able to create a modern, fun and different experience for large events like the grand prix and the Melbourne Cup. I really enjoyed catering because we did some amazing smaller events for the rich and famous families of Melbourne as well. I was really able to showcase my cooking style and artistry at such events. Now I own my chef consulting company Ruminate concepts based in Melbourne. Owning my own business is what I have ultimately be striving for since the beginning of my career. The next step is to open my own restaurant, this will be my own interpretation of modern gastronomy and flavours from around the world, where I can showcase not only my creativity but flavours. I have just finished my first project which is a restaurant/bar serving modern Pan Asian cuisine called The Sampan in Singapore. It was an amazing project.
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Your honed your culinary skills in some of the best kitchens with Shannon Bennett, Ryan Clift and your stages with Guy Savoy, at Noma and at Le Atelier… Working for Shannon Bennett, Ryan Clift and Guy Savoy was never boring. Like all top tier Chefs in the world there is always room to improve and better a dish, a sauce, a dessert or any aspect of the restaurant. To me it felt like to be content was to get lazy, there was never a dull moment. It was an ongoing pursuit to get better, each had a very different way of running the kitchen, but the ultimate goal was the same. Never settle for second best, it has to be the best otherwise it’s not worth serving. How did the experience help you as a chef? Learning Classical French cooking techniques at culinary school was what drove me to love French food. Shannon Bennet had a modern take on some many classics, he was able to harmoniously use a classic French dish and create a modern take that always wowed guests and the staff. This was the first time I had seen traditional become modern and exciting. The creativity and ability to transform traditional to new and modern is something I still use extensively now. Guy Savoy is the quintessential traditionalist, his classic homage to French cuisine was I had always wanted to experience. Everything at Guy Savoy felt opulent, you just felt so important being there, for me it was the first feeling of a true 3-star Michelin restaurant. It showed me the impeccable level of food and service I would need to pursue to become the chef I’ve always strived to be. Ryan Clift showed me what is was like to be a global chef. We were always traveling to a food congress somewhere in the world or filming a TV show. These experiences show you what is truly possible through this industry.
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How did they influence your style of cuisine? My cooking style has had many subtle changes along my 13-year career. I’ve always loved eating classic French food, Guy Savoy showed me the true opulence in classic cooking something I always go back to and enjoy. Shannon Bennet introduced me to modern and fun interactive dining, something as classic as a chocolate soufflé’ was transformed with a modern touch of a test tube which was sauced at the table, a true show stopper. Ryan Clift had always been in tune with modern gastronomy and was able to use modern techniques which were born in Spain. Dining at the top restaurants in the world he was able to replicate a lot of techniques and show case them in his own way. This modern approach to food and science is the true ethos to my cooking style today. It is always a challenge to create a new flavour or texture for a guest. Creativity is a representation of my imagination. Who would you say is your mentor? My mentor and best mate is Andreas Papadakis, chef and co-owner of Tipo 00 and Osteria Ilaria in Melbourne. I have known Andreas since our Vue de monde days together. Since then we have kept in touch and become great mates spearfishing buddies and global travellers. Although Andreas and I have very different cooking styles, it’s his leadership skills, industry knowledge, calm and collected nature which truly reflect why he is among one of the most successful chefs in Australia. He has shown me that being level headed and maintaining balance in life is what truly sets chefs like him apart from the rest. Your cuisine is an expression of creativity and passion, innovative and engaging in perfect harmony on each plate… I firmly believe harmony and balance is the true sign of a well-rounded and experienced chef. Achieving this is not easy and takes years of developing your palate and product knowledge, as well as keeping up to date with new techniques being created every day. Every day is a school day, I never limit myself with knowledge and striving to develop new styles of dishes with lesser known or hard to get products is what really excites my creativity. Technique is developed to make things better or more consistent, it is also created to accentuate the natural flavour of a food, or to intensify its aroma or perhaps its texture. For me it’s bringing out the true embodiment of the ingredients potential and respecting what it can bring to a dish.
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Your culinary philosophy… Personally, I look at a dish from the eyes of a guest, a guest with as much global dining experience as I do. I always look to create an experience for the diners that cannot be created at home and to showcase ingredients that are otherwise to scarce to find or too difficult to prepare. I look to provide diners with unique flavour combinations which they would never have thought about. Or something common that is completely transformed it an obscure piece of culinary art. Take us through the process of creating a dish, the inspiration behind it… For me I conceptualise a dish, they key element for instance in a dessert could be milk. How can I make an everyday household item into something that diners will talk about after they have left the restaurant? First, I find the best milk, not one milk but five different milks. Then I taste each one and identify its flavour characteristic and what it would be lend itself too. For instance, a fresh cow’s milk, creamy, fresh, clean flavour with subtle sweetness makes an amazing ice-cream. Coconut milk has rich and robust flavour like a pudding which works well with tapioca pearls, Almond milk has a light but clean nuttiness which creates a great meringue, Soy milk has great viscosity which allows for a fluffy and full flavour soft marshmallow, and buttermilk, its acidity and creaminess create a perfect liquid nitrogen snow. A dish of milk and textured finished with yellow sorrel flours and wood sorrel. My inspiration comes mostly from my extensive travel, tasting and understanding flavour combinations and cooking techniques. Or just one day tasting an amazing glass of fresh milk. One can never underestimate the simplest of things or a childhood memory that has been long forgotten about. Emotions a key driver in our dining experiences, that one moment that triggers our subconscious could trigger an avalanche of happiness which I look to achieve in every dish.
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The inspiration of plating a dish, the art which gives a different texture to the dish… Being artistic with food for me has come from years of practise and identifying how to build a dish. Dining in the world’s top restaurants you quickly identify the pros and cons of plating but also develop the main components that you like. I mainly focus on a few key elements; always allow each component to be seen on a plate, each item is on the plate for a reason and has been painstakingly prepared to be at its best so let’s show it off. Secondly, I like creating layers and textures, this gives the diner an indication that the dish shouldn’t be picked apart and eaten separately but to combine all components together. Ingredients that inspire you… At the moment I’m Playing around with the new range of chocolate by Valrhona, which include Kidavoa, almond inspiration and passion fruit inspiration. These flavoured chocolates really allow you to build layers of flavour in chocolate creations. Naturally occurring flavours in chocolate has never been done to this level before, it really opens the flood gates for your imagination to develop the already amazing flavour of the chocolate. Since Attending the Valrhona chocolate school in Tokyo, I have really been able to understand the true craftsmanship that in required to produce for me the best chocolate on the market. You can only truly understand the product once you have been taught and shown by the best in the world. Something I have been lucky enough to have done. Your favourite ingredients you like to work with… Valrhona chocolate, for me chocolate is the ultimate and most sensual ingredient. It has such a profound effect on emotion and is versatile is use with sweet and savoury dishes. Toriyama Wagyu beef from my good friend Makoto Toriyama is creating the first umami wagyu in the world. Its flavour and consistency are the best I’ve ever encountered. Mangalica pork from Hungry which is also known as the sheep pig for it has a woollen like coat. This breed is known for its incredible fat content, it’s much larger than most breeds and its marbled meat is outstandingly tender and succulent. It’s the pork version of Wagyu.
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“I always want to become better than the day before this is what really drives me, there is no room for second best”
What keeps you motivated?
Staying motivated isn’t hard for me, being a chef there is always so much to learn. Social media allows us to access the world of food at the click of a button and all of a sudden you see countless amounts of new information at your finger tip. I always want to become better than the day before this is what really drives me, there is no room for second best. In the past years how has cuisine changed around the world?
Produce, Creativity or Technique… Ultimately the produce is the key to any great dish. No matter what you do to a product, whether it be a technique driven or how creative you have been with it, you can’t change the fact that the product wasn’t good to start with. Seasons change the landscape and with it what grows, its nature’s way of telling us what to it. Your greatest influence in the kitchen… For me this is when a producer comes to me with a new product or something exceptional. It’s always great to have a farmer or supplier come directly to you and speak about how amazing a product is. Once you see a product at its peak of freshness and flavour it’s easy to become inspired and create. Your earliest food memory, flavors from your childhood… Earliest food memory is eating a black forest cake for my birthday. It’s always been a family favourite and to this day still is. To this day I can’t live without Polish foods… I believe we make incredible hams, sausages, and other deli preserves. Without fail every weekend there are kielbasa with friend onion and speck on the table with polish mustard. Alongside country style smoked hams.
I believe that we have become far more conscious of where our produce is coming from and its sustainability. We have been forced to realise that the world is not an endless resource of food and that we must respect our resources. The movement of using indigenous produce has also really captured the imagination of many chefs. Key global chef figures show us that there are so many things right on our door step that we haven’t yet explored. Being a chef is perceived as a glamorous profession, your advice to young chefs… Being a chef can be glamorous, the key word being ‘’CAN’’. My advice would be don’t expect to be the next Alain Ducasse’ over-night. Our industry is truly amazing, you can travel and work anywhere you want in the world. You can be in a kitchen with countless different nationalities of which everyone has different knowledge and skills they can show you. Be open minded, strive to want to learn and practise as much as you can. Always ask questions, no question is a stupid question. Be willing to sacrifice your weekends, birthdays, Christmas, parties and social gatherings unless they are on your day off. Your family is the people you spend 16 hours a day with in the kitchen, you become a tight network of friends who will do anything for each other. That is the true sign of a well- oiled kitchen. Being a chef requires complete focus and nothing less than 100% dedication. Finally stick with it. It’s a long and very windy road, it will make you bleed, cry, hurt and frustrated, but there is never a dull moment and the rewards are endless.
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ALBERTO FERRUZ
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WG MAGAZINE
ALBERTO FERRUZ Born in Cariñena in the province of Zaragoza. The Spanish proverb ‘he grew up between fires’ couldn’t be more true in Alberto’s case. When he was only 12 years old, he started working at the uncles restaurant La Bodega and from there on never wanted anything else. Alberto indeed found his vocation which led him to the path of studying hospitality business at the IES of Miralbueno in the capital Zaragoza. After a short period of time, Alberto decided to leave his home grounds to work with one of the best chefs in Spain, Martin Berasategui, in order to expand his knowledge. In his desire to further develop, after three years he moved to Paris where he worked for the next two years at the prestigious Parisian restaurant Taillevent. Back in Spain Alberto worked with the chef cook Quique Dacosta for one season and he then began his adventure at BomAmb. Shortly after the opening of BonAmb, Alberto was invited to cook at Millesime Madrid by Guía Repsol as one of the young promises of the national cuisine. A few months later he was invited to speak at the presentation of the Yearbook of the Kitchen of the Comunidad Valenciana together with the great Joan Roca.
PHOTO © BonAmb
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ALBERTO FERRUZ
“Martin Berasategui showed me discipline while Quique Dacosta allowed me to have an open mind”
SOPA
A perfectionist and he likes to keep growing and innovating every day. This has led to BonAmb being awarded a Michelin star and a Sun of Guía Repsol in their guides of 2014. It was the beginning of many beautiful things to come, for example invitations for many events and presentations such as: ‘Gastro Alicante’, ‘Gastrónoma Valencia’ or ‘Millesime Madrid’. In 2015, it was the second Sun in the Guía Repsol and the acknowledgement for Best Chef of the Year awarded by the ‘Academia de la Gastronomía de la Comunidad Valenciana’ and 2016 was awarded the second Michelin star. WG catches up with Alberto Ferruz… Your experience with Martin Berasategui and Quique Dacosta… It is like talking about your father and mother, both are great personalities that helped to find my own path. Martin taught me how to be rigor in a kitchen and work with discipline and Quique showed me more about the creative part of the profession. What I always try is learn from other people and interiorize it. It was like a continuous master class working with them and being part of their team offered me the possibility to get to know people from all around the world. Martin showed me discipline while Quique allowed me to have an open mind. The process creating a dish, the inspiration… This process is always based on journey (long and short) and that what we have learned and lived. From thereon it is a process of testing until reaching perfection. We always work based on trial and error and continually try to find the right balance of spiciness, bitterness and sourness to find the right balance for a dish. The main inspiration of the dishes at BonAmb can be found at the direct environment of BonAmb: the Marina Alta region on the south East coast of Spain with an incredible climate product and tradition of good cooking.
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KEFIR
WG MAGAZINE
DENTON POMELO
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ALBERTO FERRUZ
CORDERO
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PATO
WG MAGAZINE
CALDILLO AGRIPICANTE
Ingredients that inspire you, your favourite ingredients, ingredients that you were not able to master and have given up and in your opinion what’s the most overrated ingredient? Like always the ingredients that inspire me most come from the sea, the Mediterranean is a well of inspiration that never stops. The produce from the sea and the three mean ingredients that form the DNA of BonAmb: Pasion, Eagerness and hard work. I haven’t been able to create a salty dish with fruit that I like a 100% and I start to believe that fruit is not meant to be in salty dishes. Overrated ingredient… Juvenile Eels because the taste like the spices you use, and further more they stop to grow to become adult eels. Special cooking techniques…
I love roasting, at the end it brings us back to the origins and bring in a special touch of the base of all flavours.
BonAmb
Produce, Creativity or Technique…
All three are equally important without a good technique you can´t get to produce and creativity is starting point of all. Greatest influence in the kitchen… The biggest influence is the feedback we receive from our guests. NABO
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ALBERTO FERRUZ
MOCHI
What was the feeling being awarded the Michelin stars and what keeps you motivated? The Michelin stars are great especially to celebrate it with the whole team because it is a team effort. Since the beginning our motivation has been making our guests satisfied. Being in the picture opens up our range and gives us the possibility try to make people from all over the world satisfied where in the beginning almost all our guests came from a 10 km radius. Your earliest food memory and flavors from your childhood… Cauliflower a la romana of my grandmother, it is that smell marked my childhood and over the last couple of years we have a dish based on this traditional dish of my grandma. In the past years how has cuisine changed around the world? This generation of chefs is better schooled and they have opened up to the world without forgetting to work their local product. Being a chef is perceived as a glamorous profession, your advice to chefs entering the kitchen for the first time… About 80% of the glamour doesn’t exist, my advice would be to follow your dream and forget about the glamour and think about the hard work that needs to be done.
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PASTISSET
WG MAGAZINE
PETITS
ALMENDRA
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MATHIEU MASSON-DUCEPPE
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WG MAGAZINE
Born and raised in Montreal, the 28 year old Mathieu started cooking at the age of 15. So, what happened in these 13 years of hard labor, cuts and burns?
MATHIEU MASSONDUCEPPE
Mathieu started down the ladder like everyone, working as a line cook in different types of restaurants, hotels, caterers etc. At the age of 17, he started his course of restaurant management at the: Institut de tourisme et d’ hôtellerie du Québec, to realize after that cooking was his true passion and later achieve a superior cooking formation. During these years, Mathieu worked in restaurants such as Moïshes, Weinstein Gavinos, Newtown, Mundo Trattoria etc. He started on his free time a Take Home chef company that he took care for 2 years doing contracts all over Montreal. At 18, he started travelling and cooking in the Dominican Republic as a chef de partie, as a Sous chef in Ixtapa Mexico, he spent 3 years in the Bahamas as chef de cuisine and did internships in France and Italy. Mathieu came back to Montreal in 2013 to work as executive chef for the reopening of La Magia restaurant and gardemanger in the south shore. In 2014, He participated and won an Episode on Chopped Canada season 2. The same year, he started to work at the restaurant Mme Thaï to improve his Asian cooking. Participated in UCC Montreal battle in 2015. Also, opened the restaurant Jellyfish Crudo et Charbon as executive chef partner.
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MATHIEU MASSON-DUCEPPE
“I discovered my passion for cooking at the age of 17 while I was in rehab. Since that day, cooking is my new drug”
WG catches up with Mathieu Masson-Duceppe…
How did you find your way into the culinary field? I had the chance of having a grand-mother and a mother that cooked a lot and well when I was young. It gave me the chance to work on my pallet from a very young age. I discovered my passion for cooking at the age of 17 while I was in rehab. Since that day, cooking is my new drug. Your culinary experiences… After 13 years of cooking, each experience I have done, helped me to become who I am now as a chef. But I would say that my travels are the experiences that influenced me the most now a day. Traveling allowed me to learn about cultures, languages, spices, techniques, products. Discovering all of this, allowed me to direct myself in my style of cooking. Using a mix match of inspiration from all over the world in my plates. Always different than others! Who would you say is your mentor? For the past years it has been my boss and partner Francis Rodrigue. He saw my talent 7 years ago and helped me direct it into good use. Also, he really helped me developed the managerial side of my job. I am grateful and proud of everything we have been true. Your culinary philosophy and tell us about your cuisine… Everything can be reused or transformed. Nothing goes to waste. Respect your products, equipment’s and employees and then great food will come. Creating a dish always comes out of nowhere! I get an idea, I obsess about it, until I have no choice but to create it. Then it`s all about fine tuning to make it perfect. Tasting it and correcting it. My cuisine is a balance of international flavours with an AsianLatino twist. “Crudo-charbon“means the contrast of the raw and cooked. And everything we cook is on wood charcoal. A lot of different textures, flavours and temperatures in the plates.
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MATHIEU MASSON-DUCEPPE
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WG MAGAZINE
Ingredients that inspire you… I really like fresh local seasonal vegetables, they never gross me out and always inspire me. I hate Brussel sprouts with passion lol and I adore weird ingredients that nobody knows about. Special cooking techniques or equipment you enjoy using… Since I cook with wood charcoal, I would never grill or cook on something else. There is something about returning to the sources of fire that enchants me. The flavours, the sound of the wood cracking, the smell of nature etc… Produce, Creativity or Technique…
Everybody can cook gold with a thermo circulator and for example a “perfect piece of meat”. But for me technique is the most important thing, it`s when you have nothing in hand, third grade products and you are able to create gold.
Your greatest influence in the kitchen…
The seasons are probably the greatest influence for me in my kitchen. Here in Montreal, the products changes every 4 months because of the climate. I have no choice to adapt with what we have to serve. Your earliest food memory, flavors from your childhood… My mother cooking! Everything she cooked was pretty good. I find that sometimes when I create a dish, I am trying to reproduce some flavours that I have from her.
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MATHIEU MASSON-DUCEPPE
What keeps you motivated? Creating and taking the time to cook, is what truly makes me happy in life. So, when I get the chance to “talk” with my tomatoes and “sing” with my asparagus that’s all I need to motivate myself. How do you do to stay on top of the new cooking trends? I try to travel and eat everywhere. Food trips, research on social media, reading books, sharing ideas with other chefs and my cooks. But it’s also cool if by my creations, I am the one launching trends… Being a chef is perceived as a glamorous profession, advice to young chefs… Glamorous? Being a chef is all about sacrifice, humility, stability, discipline and long hours. Don’t start cooking for glamour… cook first with your heart and the glamour will follow.
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