the good things in life
Fish plate by Nicolas Decherchi, Paloma restaurant, Mougin, France
a massive agricultural industry and supporters of genetically modified plants. Her charismatic performance and speeches help encourage the fight against GMO food, in spite of arguments that genetically modified food keeps the poor from starving. In reality, it has already become obvious that such food fills the stomach with an illusion of saturation, the same as if you eat a handful of cotton with no nutritious value, which leads to the long-term degeneration of an organism. FERRAN AND ALBERT ADRIA became famous for their revolutionary deconstructive, and almost laboratory approach, to the art of cooking, in their restaurant El Bullina (now closed) at the end of the last century. Deconstruction is one of the inventions of the Adria brothers which changed the face of gastronomy. To understand how it works, have a look at what it does to a classic meal from his mother country, “tortilla Española” – the Spanish omelet. In deconstruction, three single ingredients - eggs, potatoes, and onion - are cooked separately from each other. In the final product, one part is a potato foam (foaming is the method that Adria gave to the world), one part of the onion is processed as a puree, and one part of egg white is sabayon. Then, one separate component is served on the top of the other, in layers, and on the very top, fried potato crumbs are sprinkled. All of this comes in sherry glasses with a due portion of playful irony, present practically everywhere in what he does, while the name of the meal remains “tortilla Española”. He used the same method with many classic meals like gazpacho, chicken curry, and tiramisu. The fun of the thing is an ability to fully appreciate the new forms that offer new combinations of tastes, in a radically original interpretation.
David Chang, famous NYC chef
ALEX ATALA, René Redzepi, and David Chang are three of the most acclaimed chefs in the world, as well as good friends. Their friendship and mutual openness create a new world in “haute cuisine” which differs from the empire of old masters, those who intensively protected their cooking secrets. Each of them works with the products from the region they live, and all three of them give the highest priority to the origin of all ingredients and their healthy processing, free of any chemical adjustments or modifications. The empire of gastronomy is no longer just a male issue. In 2011, the Veuve Clicquot Award was founded for the best female chef in the world, which helped to publicize and reward culinary mastery of French Anne-Sophie Pic 2011, Spanish Elen Arzak 2012, Italian Nida Santini 2013, and Brazilian Helena Rizzo. All of them agree that culinary mastery is a way of thinking, an approach close to meditation, when every day brings something new and revealing. It is an unforgettable experience which concretely rewards them for all their hard work and effort, and fulfills their culinary dreams.
Helena Rizzo, Brazilian best world woman chef 2014, Mani restaurant, Sao Paulo
All mentioned chefs agree that a common filet of fish, freshly caught and perfectly prepared on the grill, may have the same pleasant taste as any sophisticated invention of the most recognized chef. Eating well is something that we can do at home, of course. The meaning of gastronomy is in its innovative approach and use of wholesome, quality products, which is the best experience for our taste buds, and brings joy to all of our senses. By Iva Drebitko Photos: Iva Drebitko, archive české znění naleznete na našich stránkách www.leadersmagazine.cz Alex Atala, Brazilian chef D.O.M. restaurant, Sao Paulo
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Leaders Magazine I/2015 63