Hello all! I hope you are enjoying a wonderful Wednesday. I’m not working at Reservation today. No, instead I am enjoying my first day off since last Tuesday and man is my body tired. I’ve worked approximately eighty to eighty five hours in the last six days. Tack on travel time and we’re right near one hundred hours. But more on this in the flurry of posts to come over the course of the day.
You’ll remember in this post http://newbieintheweeds.blogspot.com/2008/02/dont-play-with-your-food-file-under.html that I mentioned that I was reading Heston Blumenthal’s “In Search of Perfection” and that I sent my lovely and talented fiancé C to go to Le Parker Meridian to have one of the best burgers in New York City (http://www.parkermeridien.com/eat4.php ).
At first she was a little curious that I was asking her to go to one of the finest hotels in New York City. C thought that I was sending her to a place where she was going to have to pay fifty dollars for a burger. Instead she was pleasantly surprised.
Walking through the lobby of the hotel she was taken aback at the splendour and beauty of it all. Somewhere in the back of her mind she must have thought that this was not the ideal place for the best burger in New York. But she played along and although I had given her instructions as to how to find the place inside the hotel she still could not find it. Of course that is not all that surprising given that you have to walk down a narrow hallway to find Emile Castillo’s burger joint.
As she walked through the door C was transported to a lovely juxtaposition, a friendly and warm hamburger joint that you’d sooner find on a street corner diner than a beautiful hotel. The first thing she remarked about was the fact that the place was packed. It was almost impossible to get a seat. But being the beautiful lovely young lady that she is (and fairly lucky) a table opened up which she quickly and deftly grabbed. The next thing she remarked about was the décor. It was authentic, cluttered (but in a good way) with all kinds of memorabilia plastered on the walls.
Having secured a table she joined the line and read the no nonsense menu which I’ve included with the URL above. She ordered a Hamburger, fries and some beer. Quickly she realized why I had sent her to this place. It was AMAZING. The burger was served plainly but to order and was beyond all things DELICIOUS. The fries were as fries should be crispy on the outside and like mashed potato on the inside.
Thus, after her experience I was assured that Heston Blumenthal was in fact correct (no big surprise here) that one of the best burgers in all of the United States is at Le Parker Meridien.
That said Heston once said; “But most is all to do with work. There are aspects of work that are enjoyable, that you could call a hobby.”
Have you found your hobby yet?
Dream big and INSPIRED!
A la prochaine
SDM
Showing posts with label Emile Castillo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emile Castillo. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Let it snow… (File under craziest winter in a decade)
Good Saturday to everyone! I hope that it was filled with wonder and delight. My day started early as usual and again because of a little bit of snow everyone drove like they had never seen a snowflake, let alone a white out. It took me forty-five minutes to get to work as everyone was doing thirty kilometers an hour. But I made it there safe and that is what matters most. I really do need to reiterate though that people who live in this city drive me bonkers. They complain about the heat, they complain about the snow, they complain about everything. Me, I live in Toronto, I’m used to this. At least this is how it was when I was growing up. Truth be told my only regret about this winter is that C has missed the first real winter since she moved here from Montreal. At any rate…
The last couple of days have been fabulous. I really have, as I’ve stated earlier, found my very own dysfunctional yet entirely working family. We all have our own quirks, mannerisms, and language but have common ground in our love of food. I’m not sure that every kitchen (professional) is filled with people that truly love food. I enjoy learning every day and have even come to love the way that everyone speaks to each other. Think Goodfellas meets Hell’s Kitchen meets Animal House (though I’m still on the fence about Gordon Ramsay but we’ll get into that later). It really is the most beautiful combination of these things and I know that I will have life long friends as a result of my time at Reservation.
So on Tuesday (which was my day off) I tried to make an authentic Indian curry. It ended up being more like a Trinidadian curry but was good nonetheless. I’ve had four curries this past week. Shu (I will call him that as it gets confusing just to have S) made two and Chef J made one as well. THEY WERE FABULOUS and I will as a result try to find a way to not improve but put my own personal spin on curry. I LOVE CURRY! Have you had a good one lately? If not, you should, and if you’ve never had curry, get off your ass, stop reading this (though I will miss you and there may be a test later and go get one post quick. That is my prescription for the day!)
Friends visited me this week. My old business partner and a friend of ours came in for dinner. I got to introduce them to Executive Chef, Head Chef and the line as well as show them where I work. L said that she was thrilled for me and that she loved seeing me in my whites and happier than a pig in shit on slaughter day. Well, maybe not those words exactly but remember I get to have a little creative license here. It brought a massive smile (not that I ever am without one these days) that someone got to see me in my whites and as she said “my element.” I never had an element before and now that I have one I feel incredible. I feel alive. I feel like my purpose has brought meaning to my everyday.
Head Chef and I had a conversation a few times this week as he was doing his Mise and I was helping. One of the conversations was about the fries that I was working on. He told me that when he was at the Fat Duck (http://www.fatduck.co.uk/) working with Heston Blumenthal that another of his projects was working on fries. He told me that the “perfect” batch of fries takes three days and then proceeded to give me a tip as to how to ensure that the texture on the inside of the fry is like mashed potatoes but the outside is nice and crispy. As always I will not elaborate how he did it or taught me to do it. But if you do want a great fry come on down and I’ll be happy to give you the best fries you’ve ever had. This caused me to start looking at how I evaluate food. How I can improve upon every day things. How I can start to think of things outside of the box and be rewarded for it. It is a great realization to come to. Although currently Heston Blumenthal and molecular gastronomy are a stretch for me (and if you say it isn’t for you then you’re much better than I and we should talk). I mean his methodology to me is akin to Ferrari racing. The best, most critical and sensational things from the most commonplace. Truly inspired and something to which to aspire.
Chef J has also started revealing things to me. I guess now that the initial uncertainty is gone everyone at Reservation has seen that I am in it for the long haul. Chef J revealed to me what he puts in his curry among many other things this week. I like speaking with him as he is very understated. His demeanor is calm but firm and he has an eye for detail (as all Chefs must if they ware good). I have a lot to learn from him and look forward to learning all I can from him.
One of the gentlemen that helped get me the job and I have become fast friends. He and I go out and have a drink about once a week and it is like we’ve known each other forever. E is a young up and comer. He is knowledgeable, intelligent, spirited, passionate and a straight shooter. I look forward to our friendship growing and what’s more knowing him for a long time to come. As I always like to say he is “good people.”
I’ve started paying attention to everything that I do in a day. And when I say attention I analyze what I’m doing and the impact it has n the end result. I make my list and cross things off. I have started monitoring my time and trying to get a fix on how long things should take. An example of one of the things that I’m paying attention to is ordering. I’m piecing together the process and the result. I am making note of what gets ordered, what it is used for, what it costs. All things that are going to benefit me in the future when it is my time to do the ordering for Reservation but what’s more when I have my own restaurant. I make a concerted effort everyday to speak with the suppliers that are bringing things in and I make sure that everyone that comes and goes hears that I am fabulous and that I hope they have a great day. I feel that just that little thing is enough to change people’s lives, consistency, brought on by purpose and joy. Do you know what I mean?
Thursday night I also got to go see my friends MoBadAss play their first Toronto show. In fact I am the official documentarian for them which is nice because it gives me another outlet as well. Remember that Executive Chef has told me that I need to have another outlet in order to recharge and unwind. I can understand why.
As well my Choron is getting better. I had a couple of them break on me this week and through trial and error I’ve come to the conclusion that I wasn’t cooking the eggs long enough. It takes a while to make one correctly but today I think I got it. Though it tasted good and Executive Chef even said so, “Pretty god,” were the exact words, but then Head Chef thought that it was a bit sweet and too acidic. Note to self reduce acid and possibly less tomato paste though I think that it may have been an especially fragrant batch of tarragon that was the culprit. Nonetheless I will get there. Ah mother sauces. The very foundation of any Chef worth his weight in Foie Gras!
So it is nice to be able to come home and write, as I’m not too tired. In fact I am going to read some more of Michel Bras’ “Essential Cuisine,” make some notes and write some more of the million questions I have rolling around in my head. I spend all day, every day, every waking moment laser focused on what I’m doing, on where I’m going and on what I am becoming. I really enjoy Michel Bras and have much to learn from him.
I still haven’t gotten a report on Le Parker Meridien’s burger. Though I’m certain when C gets to it I will find out just how fabulously Emile Castillo makes a burger. I myself can hardly wait to go down and give it a shot myself. I mean Le Parker Meridien you’d figure that a burger has to cost 50 bucks. But no a cheeseburger is 7 bucks (if you are in the know and know how to find it tucked down a narrow hallway).
I recall something that Paul Prudhomme once said that seems fitting; “I think the most wonderful thing in the world is another chef. I'm always excited about learning new things about food.” Me too.
I hope you all have a beautiful evening, perhaps nestled up next to your honey with some red wine (full bodied of course), a fire and of course some laughs. Have a wonderful evening, dream big and have an inspired tomorrow.
A la prochaine
SDM
The last couple of days have been fabulous. I really have, as I’ve stated earlier, found my very own dysfunctional yet entirely working family. We all have our own quirks, mannerisms, and language but have common ground in our love of food. I’m not sure that every kitchen (professional) is filled with people that truly love food. I enjoy learning every day and have even come to love the way that everyone speaks to each other. Think Goodfellas meets Hell’s Kitchen meets Animal House (though I’m still on the fence about Gordon Ramsay but we’ll get into that later). It really is the most beautiful combination of these things and I know that I will have life long friends as a result of my time at Reservation.
So on Tuesday (which was my day off) I tried to make an authentic Indian curry. It ended up being more like a Trinidadian curry but was good nonetheless. I’ve had four curries this past week. Shu (I will call him that as it gets confusing just to have S) made two and Chef J made one as well. THEY WERE FABULOUS and I will as a result try to find a way to not improve but put my own personal spin on curry. I LOVE CURRY! Have you had a good one lately? If not, you should, and if you’ve never had curry, get off your ass, stop reading this (though I will miss you and there may be a test later and go get one post quick. That is my prescription for the day!)
Friends visited me this week. My old business partner and a friend of ours came in for dinner. I got to introduce them to Executive Chef, Head Chef and the line as well as show them where I work. L said that she was thrilled for me and that she loved seeing me in my whites and happier than a pig in shit on slaughter day. Well, maybe not those words exactly but remember I get to have a little creative license here. It brought a massive smile (not that I ever am without one these days) that someone got to see me in my whites and as she said “my element.” I never had an element before and now that I have one I feel incredible. I feel alive. I feel like my purpose has brought meaning to my everyday.
Head Chef and I had a conversation a few times this week as he was doing his Mise and I was helping. One of the conversations was about the fries that I was working on. He told me that when he was at the Fat Duck (http://www.fatduck.co.uk/) working with Heston Blumenthal that another of his projects was working on fries. He told me that the “perfect” batch of fries takes three days and then proceeded to give me a tip as to how to ensure that the texture on the inside of the fry is like mashed potatoes but the outside is nice and crispy. As always I will not elaborate how he did it or taught me to do it. But if you do want a great fry come on down and I’ll be happy to give you the best fries you’ve ever had. This caused me to start looking at how I evaluate food. How I can improve upon every day things. How I can start to think of things outside of the box and be rewarded for it. It is a great realization to come to. Although currently Heston Blumenthal and molecular gastronomy are a stretch for me (and if you say it isn’t for you then you’re much better than I and we should talk). I mean his methodology to me is akin to Ferrari racing. The best, most critical and sensational things from the most commonplace. Truly inspired and something to which to aspire.
Chef J has also started revealing things to me. I guess now that the initial uncertainty is gone everyone at Reservation has seen that I am in it for the long haul. Chef J revealed to me what he puts in his curry among many other things this week. I like speaking with him as he is very understated. His demeanor is calm but firm and he has an eye for detail (as all Chefs must if they ware good). I have a lot to learn from him and look forward to learning all I can from him.
One of the gentlemen that helped get me the job and I have become fast friends. He and I go out and have a drink about once a week and it is like we’ve known each other forever. E is a young up and comer. He is knowledgeable, intelligent, spirited, passionate and a straight shooter. I look forward to our friendship growing and what’s more knowing him for a long time to come. As I always like to say he is “good people.”
I’ve started paying attention to everything that I do in a day. And when I say attention I analyze what I’m doing and the impact it has n the end result. I make my list and cross things off. I have started monitoring my time and trying to get a fix on how long things should take. An example of one of the things that I’m paying attention to is ordering. I’m piecing together the process and the result. I am making note of what gets ordered, what it is used for, what it costs. All things that are going to benefit me in the future when it is my time to do the ordering for Reservation but what’s more when I have my own restaurant. I make a concerted effort everyday to speak with the suppliers that are bringing things in and I make sure that everyone that comes and goes hears that I am fabulous and that I hope they have a great day. I feel that just that little thing is enough to change people’s lives, consistency, brought on by purpose and joy. Do you know what I mean?
Thursday night I also got to go see my friends MoBadAss play their first Toronto show. In fact I am the official documentarian for them which is nice because it gives me another outlet as well. Remember that Executive Chef has told me that I need to have another outlet in order to recharge and unwind. I can understand why.
As well my Choron is getting better. I had a couple of them break on me this week and through trial and error I’ve come to the conclusion that I wasn’t cooking the eggs long enough. It takes a while to make one correctly but today I think I got it. Though it tasted good and Executive Chef even said so, “Pretty god,” were the exact words, but then Head Chef thought that it was a bit sweet and too acidic. Note to self reduce acid and possibly less tomato paste though I think that it may have been an especially fragrant batch of tarragon that was the culprit. Nonetheless I will get there. Ah mother sauces. The very foundation of any Chef worth his weight in Foie Gras!
So it is nice to be able to come home and write, as I’m not too tired. In fact I am going to read some more of Michel Bras’ “Essential Cuisine,” make some notes and write some more of the million questions I have rolling around in my head. I spend all day, every day, every waking moment laser focused on what I’m doing, on where I’m going and on what I am becoming. I really enjoy Michel Bras and have much to learn from him.
I still haven’t gotten a report on Le Parker Meridien’s burger. Though I’m certain when C gets to it I will find out just how fabulously Emile Castillo makes a burger. I myself can hardly wait to go down and give it a shot myself. I mean Le Parker Meridien you’d figure that a burger has to cost 50 bucks. But no a cheeseburger is 7 bucks (if you are in the know and know how to find it tucked down a narrow hallway).
I recall something that Paul Prudhomme once said that seems fitting; “I think the most wonderful thing in the world is another chef. I'm always excited about learning new things about food.” Me too.
I hope you all have a beautiful evening, perhaps nestled up next to your honey with some red wine (full bodied of course), a fire and of course some laughs. Have a wonderful evening, dream big and have an inspired tomorrow.
A la prochaine
SDM
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Don’t Play With Your Food (file under categories Things Your Parents Should Not Have Said to You)
Heston Blumenthal’s More In Search of Perfection is truly an incredible book with the perfect marriage between the visceral animalistic response to food on a palette level AND the science behind the bodies response to food. His dense writing and extreme scientific approach to food makes it almost unreachable for the uninitiated. I have to tell you that being a cerebral (left and right brain) guy I find his work challenging. Moreover, the processes which he uses seem like something straight out Blade Runner or Star Trek as opposed to a kitchen.
Nonetheless, Heston opens up a world that once was foreign to me. I remember a long time ago I told my littlest brother that in order for something to become easy for him to learn he had to find a context appropriate to something that was second nature to him. In his case it is cars, for me, obviously, it is food. I hated science, I wasn’t very good at it, though I could pick up the concepts they meant nothing to me. That is until now.
Heston opened my eyes (as have all the books I’ve read thus far) to Chefs from across the ages. In this blog entry I am going to speak about Heston Blumenthal, one of his restaurants The Fat Duck and some of the chefs that he has exposed me to AND as a result of that exposure my firm belief that no parent should ever say to their child; “Don’t play with your food.”
Heston Blumenthal will travel to almost any length in order to find for him what equals ‘perfection.” Of course the very word itself proposes a problem. What “perfection” is to me may not be to another person. However his approach is methodical, scientific and of course tempered by his utter appreciation of food and the entire body experience.
He states that food is a multi – sensory experience; the look, aroma, texture, sound and taste all are part of the experience. Heston, in his search for perfection is looking for the perfect marriage of the body – brain experience. This is a very interesting concept to me as I believe (much less so in Europe or the Far East where the concept of a meal IS the experience itself) that food is looked at as merely sustenance. Something that we do only to fuel our bodies. I for one have never ascribed to this point of view. I through the years have thrown probably hundreds of dinner parties. At each I was trying to create an experience. Something that beyond the food would be remembered for years to come. I have included some of the photographs of meals I have made over the years here. Food is at its core a celebration of life itself. It is an experience that has become rushed in North America (as Exec Chef and I bemoaned at the event last week). I asked if we could change the culture of food here and he answered that he didn’t think so because we have had ‘fast food’ ingrained into our culture and it is difficult to overcome that. Perhaps I will in the future be able to overcome that. Only time will tell.
One of the great chefs that Heston introduced me to is Hannah Glasse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Glasse ). In short Hannah was the author of The Art of Cookery. The kitchen is an environment that as I’ve mentioned earlier is predominantly run by men. Hannah, a trail blazer on the title page of her book wrote; “THE ART OF COOKERY, Made PLAIN and EASY; Which far exceeds any THING of the Kind ever yet Published.” Many believe that food of a high quality is generally unreachable by the every day chef. However, Hannah challenged this belief and was highly regarded for her efforts (many even believed it was a man that wrote the book). If you read through the brief Bio of her at Wikipedia you will see that some even credit her as ‘The Mother of the Modern Dinner Party.’
Louis Lassen is the owner of Louis’ Lunch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis'_Lunch and http://www.louislunch.com/ ) in New Haven, Connecticut. Heston came across him while trying to find hamburger perfection.
Lassen is credited by the Library of Congress as being the first to serve Hamburgers and Steak Sandwiches in the United States. The burgers are made the same way today by the fourth generation of Lassens’ as they were by Louis over one hundred years ago. Moreover, he grills them on Bridge Beach’s Co No.1 Patent January 11, 1898. This of course is my birthday and I found it particularly interesting as now I’m paying careful attention to just about everything. You never know where that EUREKA moment is going to come from.
Also on the search for the perfect burger Heston ended up at Le Parker Meridien. Not exactly the place you’d expect to find the best burger unless you were thinking about some kind of Foie Gras melt in your mouth $200 burger. But of course New York is filled with surprises and I’ll be sure to get C to go and try this highly recommended burger. The Executive Chef there is Emile Castillo. There is a very small corridor that leads to one of the best burger joints in the whole of the United States (http://www.parkermeridien.com/eat4.php ) . I will give you a first hand understanding of it once I get my reporter on the beat C to go. There is not much on Emile Castillo but as I find out more I will let you know.
In Search of the perfect Peking Duck Heston travels to Beijing, China. Da Dong was one of the many chefs at the state run Quan Ju De. As an interesting aside Heston points out that a placard there read; “Quan Ju De opened in 1864. It has served 115,390,636 since then.” I can’t even imagine. Can you? At any rate Da Dong is an incredible chef who is trying to put food into a cultural context. It is widely suggested that this is the finest Peking Duck anywhere in Beijing. My supposition then is that if it is the best there then it must be the best in the world. Again there is not much information about him out there but when I find more I will pass it on. Though I will say if Blumenthal says that he is a rising star I am sure to believe it.
George Blanc is a fourth generation restaurateur with a twist (http://www.georgesblanc.com/ ). His passion and drive have caused him to turn the small town of Vonnas, France into a virtual Blanc monopoly. He is widely considered one of the greatest restaurateurs in France and certainly one of the best chefs in the world. As a side note he did try to bring some of his famous Bresse to Canada for a showcase but was not allowed as it did not meet Canada’s stringent rules.
I mention each of these because I have the utmost respect for Blumenthal. If he finds these people worth exploring further than I feel I must.
So how does all this relate to my subject heading?
Who among us has not heard from our parents; “Don’t play with your food?” Every single one of us I’m sure. Now my question to you my loyal readers is this; Would Heston Blumenthal be who is today if he did not play with his food? Would I be on the journey that I’m on today without playing with my food? Therefore parents, please don’t tell your children not to play with their food, you may just have a budding three star chef on your hands.
I hope you’re enjoying my journey. As this is the don’t tell your kids not to play with their food entry I thought the following quote was particularly fitting from Walter Savage Landor; “A good cook is the peculiar gift of the gods. He must be a perfect creature from the brain to the palate, from the palate to the finger's end.”
When today you find that you would normally be upset, LAUGH! You’ll find it is quite good medicine. Be inspired today and take that LEAP towards fulfilling your dream. It all starts with just one step.
Al la prochaine.
SDM
Nonetheless, Heston opens up a world that once was foreign to me. I remember a long time ago I told my littlest brother that in order for something to become easy for him to learn he had to find a context appropriate to something that was second nature to him. In his case it is cars, for me, obviously, it is food. I hated science, I wasn’t very good at it, though I could pick up the concepts they meant nothing to me. That is until now.
Heston opened my eyes (as have all the books I’ve read thus far) to Chefs from across the ages. In this blog entry I am going to speak about Heston Blumenthal, one of his restaurants The Fat Duck and some of the chefs that he has exposed me to AND as a result of that exposure my firm belief that no parent should ever say to their child; “Don’t play with your food.”
Heston Blumenthal will travel to almost any length in order to find for him what equals ‘perfection.” Of course the very word itself proposes a problem. What “perfection” is to me may not be to another person. However his approach is methodical, scientific and of course tempered by his utter appreciation of food and the entire body experience.
He states that food is a multi – sensory experience; the look, aroma, texture, sound and taste all are part of the experience. Heston, in his search for perfection is looking for the perfect marriage of the body – brain experience. This is a very interesting concept to me as I believe (much less so in Europe or the Far East where the concept of a meal IS the experience itself) that food is looked at as merely sustenance. Something that we do only to fuel our bodies. I for one have never ascribed to this point of view. I through the years have thrown probably hundreds of dinner parties. At each I was trying to create an experience. Something that beyond the food would be remembered for years to come. I have included some of the photographs of meals I have made over the years here. Food is at its core a celebration of life itself. It is an experience that has become rushed in North America (as Exec Chef and I bemoaned at the event last week). I asked if we could change the culture of food here and he answered that he didn’t think so because we have had ‘fast food’ ingrained into our culture and it is difficult to overcome that. Perhaps I will in the future be able to overcome that. Only time will tell.
One of the great chefs that Heston introduced me to is Hannah Glasse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Glasse ). In short Hannah was the author of The Art of Cookery. The kitchen is an environment that as I’ve mentioned earlier is predominantly run by men. Hannah, a trail blazer on the title page of her book wrote; “THE ART OF COOKERY, Made PLAIN and EASY; Which far exceeds any THING of the Kind ever yet Published.” Many believe that food of a high quality is generally unreachable by the every day chef. However, Hannah challenged this belief and was highly regarded for her efforts (many even believed it was a man that wrote the book). If you read through the brief Bio of her at Wikipedia you will see that some even credit her as ‘The Mother of the Modern Dinner Party.’
Louis Lassen is the owner of Louis’ Lunch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis'_Lunch and http://www.louislunch.com/ ) in New Haven, Connecticut. Heston came across him while trying to find hamburger perfection.
Lassen is credited by the Library of Congress as being the first to serve Hamburgers and Steak Sandwiches in the United States. The burgers are made the same way today by the fourth generation of Lassens’ as they were by Louis over one hundred years ago. Moreover, he grills them on Bridge Beach’s Co No.1 Patent January 11, 1898. This of course is my birthday and I found it particularly interesting as now I’m paying careful attention to just about everything. You never know where that EUREKA moment is going to come from.
Also on the search for the perfect burger Heston ended up at Le Parker Meridien. Not exactly the place you’d expect to find the best burger unless you were thinking about some kind of Foie Gras melt in your mouth $200 burger. But of course New York is filled with surprises and I’ll be sure to get C to go and try this highly recommended burger. The Executive Chef there is Emile Castillo. There is a very small corridor that leads to one of the best burger joints in the whole of the United States (http://www.parkermeridien.com/eat4.php ) . I will give you a first hand understanding of it once I get my reporter on the beat C to go. There is not much on Emile Castillo but as I find out more I will let you know.
In Search of the perfect Peking Duck Heston travels to Beijing, China. Da Dong was one of the many chefs at the state run Quan Ju De. As an interesting aside Heston points out that a placard there read; “Quan Ju De opened in 1864. It has served 115,390,636 since then.” I can’t even imagine. Can you? At any rate Da Dong is an incredible chef who is trying to put food into a cultural context. It is widely suggested that this is the finest Peking Duck anywhere in Beijing. My supposition then is that if it is the best there then it must be the best in the world. Again there is not much information about him out there but when I find more I will pass it on. Though I will say if Blumenthal says that he is a rising star I am sure to believe it.
George Blanc is a fourth generation restaurateur with a twist (http://www.georgesblanc.com/ ). His passion and drive have caused him to turn the small town of Vonnas, France into a virtual Blanc monopoly. He is widely considered one of the greatest restaurateurs in France and certainly one of the best chefs in the world. As a side note he did try to bring some of his famous Bresse to Canada for a showcase but was not allowed as it did not meet Canada’s stringent rules.
I mention each of these because I have the utmost respect for Blumenthal. If he finds these people worth exploring further than I feel I must.
So how does all this relate to my subject heading?
Who among us has not heard from our parents; “Don’t play with your food?” Every single one of us I’m sure. Now my question to you my loyal readers is this; Would Heston Blumenthal be who is today if he did not play with his food? Would I be on the journey that I’m on today without playing with my food? Therefore parents, please don’t tell your children not to play with their food, you may just have a budding three star chef on your hands.
I hope you’re enjoying my journey. As this is the don’t tell your kids not to play with their food entry I thought the following quote was particularly fitting from Walter Savage Landor; “A good cook is the peculiar gift of the gods. He must be a perfect creature from the brain to the palate, from the palate to the finger's end.”
When today you find that you would normally be upset, LAUGH! You’ll find it is quite good medicine. Be inspired today and take that LEAP towards fulfilling your dream. It all starts with just one step.
Al la prochaine.
SDM
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