Docsconz- The Blog

Early Pomegranates

Early pomegranates at the Montclair (Oakland, CA) Farmers Market 11/28/10

Romanesco

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is the universal American family holiday. It is a holiday of tradition. The exact traditions followed may vary from family to family and those traditions within a family may evolve over time, but there isn't a holiday in the United States more wrapped in tradition than Thanksgiving. From turkey to cranberry sauce to pumpkin pie to laying on a couch in a food coma to football to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and more, the traditions of the day come in many guises. For me, one of the earliest and best is watching Laurel and Hardy's The March of the Wooden Soldiers on Thanksgiving morning. I still get goosebumps when Stan and Ollie get hit with the inspiration to press the soldiers' buttons and they start marching out into Toyland. When I was a child, I was dependent on the television programming schedule, then I bought a DVD. I still have the DVD, but people today might be just as likely to stream it from the internet. It has been fun to instill this tradition into my family and share it with my wife and children. Hopefully, they will continue the tradition when they have their families. What are some of the special Thanksgiving traditions in your families?

A Golden Dinner - The Alchemy of Taste and Smell

 

Alchemy - Definition from  Dictionary.com

1. a form of chemistry and speculative philosophy practiced inthe Middle Ages and the Renaissance

 and concerned principally with discovering methods for transmuting baser metals into gold and 

 with finding a universal solvent and an elixir of life.

2. any magical power or process of transmuting a common substance, usually of little value, into a 

 substance of great value.

The Dinner at The Alchemy of Taste and Smell event at The Astor Center clearly did not live up to the first definition above. Try as many have, those goals remain elusive. Definition 2, however, is another story. Though the substances used to prepare the dishes assembled for the lucky 45 diners assembled were not of particularly little value in and of themselves, they were transformed by the magical powers of the chefs, mixologists and natural perfumer, Mandy Aftel, into a dinner of value well beyond the sum of its parts. It was a very special evening of food, drink, wine and extraordinary culinary camaraderie that was the culmination of two days programs examining and exploring  the art of combining elements of taste and smell by some of the very best in the business.

Cipollini

Photo taken at The Union Square Green Market, Saturday, Nov. 13th, 2010.

Starchefs ICC 2010: Art vs Craft - Jordan Kahn & Albert Adriá

For most of the rest of the Congress, the presentations did little to advance the concept of food as art rather than craft, although there was plenty of "artistic" food. There were two outstanding exceptions, however, and both happen to be known principally as pastry chefs - Jordan Kahn and Albert Adriá. Adriá presented a video based on his work and the book of the same name "Natura." The beauty and creativity behind his work is astounding. Even better is that his "art" happens to be delicious. Unfortunately, Adriá's visual presentation was in the form of a video. This was unfortunate only because, I do not have anything to show you from his presentation other than some pictures of Albert himself.

Adria's presentation closed the Congress. His video Natura showcased his incredible creative skills not only as a pastry chef, but also as a film-maker. He made the Natura film himself and was also the director on the incredible film A Day at elBulli. The latter film was shown only as a trailer, though I got to see the whole amazing thing a few weeks later during Ferran's visit to Bar Basque. It is absolutely worth the time viewing it, if the opportunity presents itself.

 

Jordan Kahn also showed a video of his making, demonstrating creative skills beyond his talents as a pastry chef as well as highlighting his pastry brilliance. His video played a soundtrack of music by Chopin interspersed with surrealist clips of Dali, Rothko and Kahn himself plating desserts. While this played on a large screen, Kahn plated the same desserts pictured in the video, live in front of the audience, all without uttering a word. The scene was absolutely mesmerizing and his on stage creations simply beautiful. After the fact, Kahn had to stop people from trying to taste his plates. Though based on real, delicious desserts (I had his desserts at Varietal in NYC), these were not made for actual eating. Given the need to transport some of his work from California, the elements of his on-stage creations were designed to mimic the look of his actual platings, but to also allow for stability and transportability. Regardless, the effect of his presentation certainly showed that food preparation can be art and no less an art than any other aesthetic discipline. As for any good artist, craftsmanship is a necessary ingredient. An artist must be able to convey a message,a statement or a feeling. Craft, whether it be drawing ability, the ability to handle an instrument, the knack of applying paint to canvas or a chisel to stone or creating a dish of food to achieve a specific effect, is something a good artist must have. Both Adriá and Kahn, as well as other presenters at the Starchefs ICC, have craft, which they are able to apply to create something on a plate that strikes a chord in the diner, both visually and through taste. Occasionally other sensory components come into play as well. The bottom line is that food as art must employ craft, but not all well-crafted food is art.

Seventy Years Ago Today

 

Though I was still quite a a number of years from being born, seventy years ago today was a very important day in my life. It was the day that my parents were married. My mother has been gone for 18 years now and my father 14. I miss them and will always miss them, but today, I will celebrate in their honor. Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad!

The Magic of minibar

Magic. Fun, awe-inspiring and belief-defying, magic delights the soul. The experience at Jose Andres' minibar, currently a restaurant within a restaurant with-in the Pan-Latin themed Cafe Atlantico, offers a magical experience that indeed delights the soul, but it also delights the palate, something few good magic shows provide. Though much magic is based on illusion, the food at minibar is quite real and quite good.

I'd been to minibar twice before (sort of) and each time had a wonderful experience. A recounting of my first minibar experience can be found here. Our second time wasn't a pure minibar experience, though it incorporated a lot of minibar dishes into a special anniversary meal at Cafe Atlantico at a table adjacent to the minibar and was just about as amgical.The food, the closest thing to an elBulli experience available outside of Spain, is playful and creative, but with more of an American reference point than one would find at elBulli or the other creative restaurants of Spain. When I saw a dinner for 6 - inclusive of wine pairings, tax and gratuity - pop up on an online auction to benefit the Culinary Institute of America last spring, I bid to win and succeeded.

The perfect opportunity to use my auction win presented itself this past September to celebrate my good friend, Tom Person's 50th birthday. We decided to celebrate with a weekend in DC along with our wives and our mutual good friends, Alex Talbot and Aki Kamozawa of Ideas in Food. We arrived on Friday in time for a fantastic lunch at Bread Line, followed by a truly inspiring dinner at The Oval Room. On Saturday, we visited another Jose Andres restaurant, the impressive Oyamel for a superb Mexican lunch, eating early enough so as to not spoil our appetites for our 8PM seating at minibar.

The auction was for 6 seats at minibar, which meant that we had that entire seating of minibar (there are two seatings per evening - at 6 and at 8:30PM) to ourselves since the restaurant only has 6 seats. Of course the upper parts of Cafe Atlantico blanket the small corner that is minibar, but the feeling is of a totally separate restaurant.

Quick Pics From The Alchemy of Taste Dinner - "Action" Shots

An all-star cast cooking together, this one of a kind dinner was simply incredible. The food, the drink, the scents, the people, the vibe - all combined to create a simply unforgettable evening after an already unforgettable program. I will get to discussing the meal and posting photos of the food soon as well as photos of Day 2 and discussion of both days' programs soon after that. 

The principal organizer of this incredible event was Chef Daniel Patterson of the San Francisco Bay area. He brought together such luminaries as natural perfumer and the inspiration for the program and dinner, Mandy Aftel; culinary scientist & writer extraordinaire, Harold McGee; master mixologists Dave Arnold (with Nastassia Lopez) & Audrey Saunders (with Kenta Goto); and sensational chefs David Chang, Bill Corbett, Wylie Dufresne, Johnny Iuzzini, George Mendes,Carlo Mirarchi, Nils Noren & Alex Talbot (& Aki Kamozawa). In addition, the staff of The Astor Center did a great job of making everything run smoothly in a perfect setting.

 

Quick Pics From The Alchemy of Taste Night One

 

The opening of The Alchemy of Taste and Smell at New York City's Astor Center held only two events, but they were both of very high quality. The evening started with a presentation by one of the major figures of the Mixology Renaissance, Audrey Saunders and the ever-informative and entertaining, Dave Arnold (if there is a more brilliant and entertaining person in all of cuisine, I have yet to meet that person) on Using Aroma in Cocktails. This was followed  by an opening party with creative cocktails by the two presenters and food by Daniel Patterson and Bill Corbett of Coi and Plum in the Bay Area, Alex & Aki of Ideas in Food, David Chang of the Momofuku Empire and Nils Noren of The French Culinary Institute. A more detailed report of Audrey's and Dave's demonstration will come.

Blog Find - Lisa Abend

Ever wonder what it must be like to work at elBulli as a stagiare (culinary apprentice)? One of the most coveted positions in the entire cooking world has been examined up close by my friend, Lisa Abend. Many of you likely know Lisa as the Spain Correspondent for Time Magazine. A good number of her articles for Time are food related and she has become extremely well known within the Spanish food community. Lisa is about to publish a book (set for release on March 22nd by Simon and Schuster) called The Sorcerer's Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adrià's elBulli. During the entire 2009 season, Lisa was at elBulli chronicling the story of that year's stagiares, coming up with literary portraits of each. According to Ms. Abend's website, 

"Taken together, their stories form a portrait of the international team that helps make a meal at elBulli so unforgettable. But they also offer a look at a Ferran Adria few ever see, a Ferran who is not only a genius chef and artist, but also a boss, teacher, taskmaster, businessman, and sometimes flawed human being. And in an age in which food has become the focus of unprecedented attention, ambition, concern, and desire, it explores the strange phenomenon that in less than two decades has turned a once-maligned profession into a source of celebrity. It asks, in other words, a pressing question whose answer Adria himself has been critical in changing: Why cook?"

She has now started a website with a very specialized blog associated with it. In the blog, Ms. Abend shares additional portraits of elBulli stagiares, however, the portraits here are from people who have staged at el Bulli over the course of its existence. The very first portrait/ interview is of Will Goldfarb, the pastry chef extraordinaire currently residing and working in Bali. Goldfarb staged during the 1999 season. Abend promises many more to come. This should be fascinating!

Seeing Spots

Starchefs ICC 2010: Art vs Craft - Keller, Kinch & Barber Discuss

The main theme of the 5th Annual Starchefs International Chefs Congress this past September in NYC was Art vs. Craft. There is no question that cooking involves craft and good cooking involves plenty of it. The more controversial question is whether the craft of cooking can aspire to or ever be considered art. While my personal preconception is to say that some cooking is clearly "art," the question really isn't that simple a one to answer. The dilemma comes from trying to define what "art" actually is. The Free Dictionary offers at least one definition of the word that reads:

"the conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium."

However, a discussion in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy suggests that it is actually quite difficult to come up with a universally acceptable definition of what constitutes "art" and that "Whether art can be defined has also been a matter of controversy." It is not clear (to me at least) from this discussion that there really is any clear and universal definition of what art is, even among its more traditional considered areas. Still, thanks to the rise of creativity and new forms and styles of cooking, the question of whether or not cooking can be considered art is a legitimate one.

The organizers of the International Chefs Congress sought to address that controversial question with a discussion of Craft vs. Art involving three of the most prominent chefs in the United States today, Thomas Keller, Dan Barber and David Kinch along with moderator Michael Ruhlman. A detailed account of the proceedings follows. Though much of what is written below are actually direct quotes from the discussants, they are offered as paraphrase rather than in quotes. Once again, I am indebted to my son and assistant, L.J. Sconzo, for his yeoman work in transcribing the discussion. Let's see what they had to say:

Breaking News: Five New Certified Master Chefs

Congratulations to my friend, Richard Rosendale*, Executive Chef of The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.VA and 4 other talented, dedicated and dogged chefs for earning the coveted Master Chef Certification from the American Culinary Federation. They survived a grueling week of culinary practical exams to emerge with an incredible accomplishment to their credit. The Press Release from the American Culinary Federation is below:



November 2, 2010

Five Chefs Receive Certified Master Chef® Certification from the American Culinary Federation

St. Augustine, Fla., November 2, 2010—Five chefs from Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire and West Virginia joined the elite group of chefs known as Certified Master Chefs® (CMC®) following an eight-day cooking exam, sponsored by McCormick For Chefs, at The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y., Oct. 23-30, bringing the current number of CMCs in the U.S. to 66.

“This exam was the strongest showing by a group of candidates in recent history. Every day showed growth and refinement within the candidate pool,” said Brad Barnes, CMC, CCA, AAC, chair, Certified Master Chef Subcommittee. “I believe those who were unsuccessful will regroup shortly and begin their plans to retake the exam. This scenario is not unusual, and the CMC community welcomes chefs to further their skills and return a second time. On behalf of the CMC community, we congratulate these new masters.”

Chefs who passed the exam are: • Brian Beland, CMC, of Sterling Heights, Mich., executive chef, Country Club of Detroit, Grosse Pointe

Farms, Mich.; ACF Michigan Chefs de Cuisine Association • Daniel Dumont, CMC, of Hampton Falls, N.H., corporate chef, Ocean Properties Ltd. Hotels and

Resorts, Portsmouth, N.H.; ACF Piscataqua Chapter • Robert Mancuso, CMC, of Dedham, Mass., executive chef, The Country Club, Chestnut Hill, Mass.;

ACF Epicurean Club of Boston • Richard Rosendale, CMC, of White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., executive chef, The Greenbrier, White

Sulphur Springs; ACF national member • Brian Sode, CMC, AAC, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., executive chef, The Bear’s Club, Jupiter, Fla.;

ACF national member

The process to earn CMC certification is as follows: First, chefs applied for the CMC exam, showing documentation that they were a Certified Executive Chef® or Certified Culinary Educator®, providing two letters of recommendations from current CMCs and meeting rigorous education and experience requirements.

Then, 12 candidates took the practical exam, which is administered in eight segments: healthy cooking, buffet catering, classical cuisine, freestyle cooking, global cuisine, baking and pastry, Continental/Northern European cuisines and market basket, demonstrating that the candidate is well-rounded. Each category was graded on kitchen skills/presentation and tasting. The minimum passing score for the exam is 75 points out of 100. For chefs to keep the CMC title, they must recertify every five years, documenting 80 hours of continuing education.

To view photos from the exam and to read daily summaries, visit www.acfchefs.org/CMCexam. -more-About the American Culinary Federation

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 20,000 members in 225 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and programmatic accreditation. In addition, ACF operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs in the United States. ACF is home to ACF Culinary Team USA, the official representative for the United States in major international culinary competitions, and to the Chef & Child Foundation, founded in 1989 to promote proper nutrition in children and to combat childhood obesity. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org.

*I met Chef Rosendale while attending the 2009 Bocuse D'Or Competition in Lyon, France. 

Three Pears