Docsconz- The Blog

Breaking News: Spanish Chef Santi Santamaria Dead in Singapore

It's a sad day. The culinary world has lost a true giant. Seven Michelin Star Chef Santi Santamaria from Catalunya, Spain has died from an apparent heart attack today at his restaurant in Singapore. Known as much for his feud with Ferran Adria as for his great restaurants El Raco de Can Fabes  in Sant Celoni just outside of Barcelona and Santceloni in Madrid, Santamaria was indisputably a great chef. I will never forget the meal I had at Can Fabes in 2004. The roasted leg of goat in partticular still gets my digestive juices flowing when I think about it. He was 53. RIP.

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:

Ferran Adriá at Bar Basque

Ferran Adriá was in NYC over the past few days to kick of the newly published book, Ferran: The Inside Story of El Bulli and the Man Who Reinvented Food  written by Colman Andrews to paint a literary portrait of the man who has become the most influential and famous chef of his generation, if not ever. On Tuesday evening, he was at the International Culinary Center and on Wednesday night, he was at the brand new Bar Basque at The Eventi Hotel for a meet and greet along with a showing of the Adrias' video of A Day at elBulli and a cocktail party featuring culinary talent from Spain's Bay of Biscay.

Colman Andrews

The video presented a first of the morning through the last of the night view of a typical day, in this case August 22nd, 2008, at elBulli. The film was produced and directed by the multi-talented Albert Adriá. If anyone ever wanted to know what it must be like to work or dine at elBulli, this video is a must see. While I haven't worked there, I have dined there twice and the video really does give a great sense of the experience, minus, of course, actually tasting the food. As for working there, the day appears to be a long and rigorous, though ultimately satisfying one. Watching the video from a large television screen located outside across a courtyard, while we sat lined up sitting in rows of chairs inside, was something of a surreal experience in and of itself.

After the video and a few words from Ferran, who hadn't seen the video since it was made, and several folks from the Spanish National Tourist Board who sponsored the event, the crowd convened to a cocktail party featuring Spanish wines and Basque style pintxos made in the Bar Basque kitchen by visiting Basque chefs including Daniel (not Dani) Garcia. Some of the highlights included a rice dish with pork belly, wild mushroom croquetas, Champagne croquetas, jamon Iberico, foie gras and to finish the meal, Bar Basque's snazzy Gin & Tonic and Cuba Libre geleés. 

Strawberry Gazpacho with Lobster

The space of Bar Basque is unlike any restaurant that I have ever been in. Looking more like a movie set (it was designed by Syd Mead, who designed the sets for the futuristic movie classic, Blade Runner, amongst other imaginative pics) than a typical restaurant, the interior of the Jeffrey Chodorow bar space is enrobed in a deep red blanket of color. The principle dining environment is located outside of the swath of red in a light and airy terrace with inside-outside capabilities. On this autumn evening, we were definitely inside, although the sense of the outside space was quite strong. The kitchen is open and built around a unique (at least I've never seen one like this before), charcoal grill. The chef is Yuhi Fujinaga, who has spent time cooking in the Basque country and Galicia.

Chef Yuhi Fujinaga and the grill at Bar Basque

 

(l-r, top to bottom) Drew Nieporent & Ferran; Ferran, cooking prodigy & future Ferran protege(?) Greg Grossman and Jose Andres; Ferran and Lisa Mamounas of Cooking Insiders; Ferran, yours truly and Jose Andres.

For more photos from the evening, see the amazing Melissa Hom's work here and my good friend, Gerry Dawes' work here.

Carlo Petrini at Eataly

For the second time in three days, I drove back and forth, about 4 hours each way, from my home in upstate New York to Manhattan to see and spend time with a person whom I admire. The first time was to see Chef Rene Redzepi at Williams-Sonoma, buy the new Noma book and have him sign it for me. I had told him in Copenhagen that I would make it if I could. Happily, I did. That time was after I got out of work. This time, Saturday morning, I left my home first thing to make it down to see Carlo Petrini, the founder and leader of the International Slow Food movement.

 

I had met him before, in Naples, Italy during the 3rd International Slow Food Congress in 2003. The Congress happened to coincide with a trip I was taking to the area with my then twelve year old son, Andrew. I had become acquainted with Slow Food only a year earlier when I had taken my eldest son, L.J., then 12, on a culinary trip to my paternal homeland of Sicily. The leader of that trip, Peggy Markel, introduced us t the concept of Slow Food. When I discovered the overlap of our itineraries in Naples it seemed only natural to become a part of it. Meeting people like Pamela Sheldon Johns, Alice Waters, Corby Kummer, Jose Iturriaga de la Fuente, Winona laDuke, Myrtle and Darina Allen and Carlo Petrini amongst many others and hearing their stories was quite inspirational. When we got home, we kept Slow Food as part of a lifestyle and became members, though there was no chapter local to us. When L.J. was a junior in High School , he undertook the significant legwork necessary to start a local chapter. Since he was a minor, an adult was necessary to co-sign the papers with him, so I stepped in. The two of us along with Rocco Verrigni, Pat Sheldon and Kim Feeney as founding members, were then able to get our Slow Food Saratoga Region chapter off the ground.

Earlier this week, I received an email from Ed Yowell, Slow Food USA's Regional Governor for the northeast, saying that Carlo Petrini would be in town and would like to meet with members at Eataly. Attendance would be limited to 25 and complimentary tickets were available on Brown paper Tickets. My timing was good and I managed to pick a couple up. I knew Carlo and Eataly would make a very interesting combination.

We met at 1PM in the back of the store in the kitchen classroom. Petrini was accompanied by Marion Nestle and a translator.The group took seats around the classroom and the meeting started with Petrini asking us to say something about ourselves. As might be expected, the group was full of interesting people, including Nestle, Cesare Casella and others.

Once Petrini heard our stories, he started talking about why he was there, explaining that "America is constantly undergoing great change." Continuing with a quote from Edgar Moran, Petrini stated that 

“Every thing needs to start again, but it has all already started.” 

Saying that this was absolutely true in the USA, he noted that the movement is continuing to grow and transform. Transformation, according to Petrini, "comes from the grass roots and is much more important than revolution." Change from transformation may be as radical as revolution, but "transformation respects life, tradition & memory"… a kind of metamorphosis as in nature similar to when an ugly chrysalis becomes a lovely butterfly. "I feel this growing energy whenever I come back to the USA."

"As a movement," he continued in an animated fashion speaking of the value of Slow Food's Terra Madre gatherings, "we have to reconcile science with traditional knowledge… and to establish a dialogue between the two… because the level of knowledge in science is high and that of traditional knowledge is low… so there is no dialogue… dialogue must be between equals." According to Petrini, this realization borne from Terra Madre changed Slow Food, so that it was no longer just an association of gourmets, an elitist movement. "Terra Madre has brought everything back to earth." Petrini noted that Terra Madre is everywhere, 163 countries, rich & poor countries alike. According to Petrini, "all those who attended Terra Madre are back in their home countries working". As an example, he cited the story of a cook from Rio De Janeiro who went home from Terra Madre and built a school for the children of the favelas (slums) to teach them how to cook manioc root. To date, over 17000 children have gone through that school and now have some sense as to how to cook a staple meal. He asked, "So what is the impact?" and answered, "Self esteem is the best thing people can get from Terra Madre." This "can really push people… a simple African farmer can come to Terra Madre and realize that he is not alone, he can realize that there are much bigger things… now with renewed self-esteem goes back & works even harder – the realpolitik…not that from professional politicians, but that from the grass-roots. Like a snail that goes on and on and keeps growing."

 

Continuing to discuss Terra Madre, but switching gears to describe the approach to the upcoming summit, Petrini, stated, "We deal with agriculture and food, but not in a specialist way, because food is life." The first Terra Madre was designed only for farmers, the 2^nd also included chefs and then the third added musicians and youth. The upcoming Terra madre will be focusing on indigenous peoples and the over 2000 languages that are at risk of disappearing, a significant part of culture. To safeguard biodiversity, Petrini opined with great conviction, "we must safeguard all biodiversity including cultures and languages." For example, the tools used to describe traditional farming practices all over the world are described in indigenous, local languages. If the languages are lost, so will be much of the knowledge held within them. This year at Terra Madre "there will be no politicians, only indigenous peoples speaking in their ancestral languages." He added, "The message must be clear… we will draw up a document to deliver to governments all over the world." He outlined this year’s goal to be "the construction of 1000 gardens in Africa in 1 year’s time with all the communities involved. . no missionaries…. The Africans will create the gardens." Petrini noted, "African Terra Madre communities will be in charge of the gardens," adding "we will just need to give them a hand." He described the plan as "A message of the real fraternity of Terra Madre…. Just a small thing, but many small things can actually bring change."

 

Petrini, moving on with the audience in rapt attention, listening to every word of this charismatic man,, stated, "Another important idea is to build a seed-bank of memories. All 1700 Slow Food chapters around the world shall fill the bank with memories and experiences of old farmers and artisans to create a common heritage for everyone to safeguard the memory of traditional knowledge…even farmers & old cooks are wise and intellectual… take the camera & film them… we need to gather this traditional knowledge all over the world… in different languages and contexts." With many heads nodding in agreement, Petrini smiled and continued to his next agenda item.

 

Surprising most, if not all of the people in the room, Petrini, announced his intention to hold the next International Slow Food Congress next year NYC, noting "We need a big hand to accomplish this. NYC is a very big city… our message must be conveyed in the cities as well as the countryside." It was clear that while the intent is there, this will be a tall order to fill in just over a year's time. Can it actually happen in that time frame? Exciting if it can. Petrini added, "The time has come to have Terra Madre ... now is the right time in the US to seize the opportunity… a message from the USA is a message to the whole world. Right now the Slow Food movement is very strong in the US and there is much interest at the world level at what happens here. NYC would be the right choice."

 

He apologized for not speaking English, blaming his old teacher, who he said, "didn’t do a good job."

 

Shifting gears yet again, Petrini, discussed what he feels to be the pillars of the Sloe Food Movement, stating, "The first of two strong bases of the movement is 'affective intelligence'." Claiming that the world is "overwhelmed by rational intelligence, but lacking the intelligence of the heart," Petrini said, "Slow Food's’s intelligence is the intelligence of the heart, affective intelligence," adding, "this can convince a lot of people to volunteer." For Petrini, "The second base is 'austere anarchy.'" He described this by saying, "Each chapter (of Slow Food) can do what it likes. (The organization) is not based on a hierarchy." This is true "all over the world," but is a difficult concept to explain to Americans." For Petrini, the word "austere" makes the difference and makes the concept palatable and workable. For him the chapters grow in their own communities and reap their own rewards.

 

Nicola Farinetti

Speaking of the day's hosts, Eataly NYC, Petrini provided some background and history behind the concept, which started in Italy as the brainchild of Oscar Farinetti, an Italian Industrialist and old friend of Petrini. Brought to the US by Mario Batali, and the mother son pair of Lidia and Joe Bastianich, Eataly NYC is managed by Farinetti's son, Nicola. According to Petrini, "The idea behind Eataly is food quality that is fair for everyone…pay producers and farmers, but keep prices reasonable for all, a very difficult thing to do." Whether they can successfully manage that for the long haul remains to be determined. Petrini was excited by the fact that the staff of Eataly is young. The staff(400) has an average age of 30.

 

With Petrini's meeting come to a close, the group was lead up stairs to a balcony overlooking the store, where we were treated to a lovely, simple meal of mozzarella, salad, pasta and pizza, a satisfying end to a fascinating afternoon. I'm glad I went.

 

Landscapes For Landsake

Leigh McCloskey's "Mikey"

Of course, open farmland is necessary to grow the crops and raise the animals that become our food, but it nourishes more than just our bodies. Some of the most beautiful farmland in the country exists in eastern New York State, especially in Washington and Rensselaer counties. Still packed with small family farms, the quality of the produce is wonderful, as is the scenery. The open farmlands of this area also nourish our collective soul through the work of a number of extremely talented artists who have made this area their home and the inspiration for much of their work. This weekend, The Agricultural Stewardship Association is holding their ninth annual Landscapes for Landsake curated Art Show at Maple Ridge in Cambridge, N.Y. to benefit the organization's important work in preserving this valuable farmland as farmland for future generations.

Unfortunately, it is getting ever more difficult to keep this marvelous land doing what it does so well - working as farms. With suburbia or even industry ever approaching and the difficulties of surviving as a farm getting ever greater, the pressures on this land continue to grow, even as the actual amount of farmland continues to shrink. Contributing artist, Leslie Parke described the situation thusly:

The message and the work of ASA are important for anyone who enjoys a meal of good, clean and fair food or those who just enjoy a bucolic view. This event is always a great way to support those goals and have a good time in the process. Curated with works chosen by Evan Wilson, the show itself takes a broad look at what makes a landscape from traditional vistas to more narrowly focused views of animals, farm implements and more to exceptional pieces of furniture and sculpture made from found products of the landscape. To support the work of the ASA click here.

 

Rene Redzepi at Williams Sonoma - Time Warner Center

I was unable to get the day off Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of this week, so I didn't think I was going to be able to do it. I didn't think I would be able to make it down to NYC to meet up with noma chef Rene Redzepi and have him  sign a copy of his new new book, Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine. The best chance I had for this was on Thursday when he would be signing books at Williams Sonoma in the Time Warner Center from 5-7PM. When I left for work on Thursday, I thought the chances of me getting out in time to make the 4 hour drive to central Manhattan in time to catch Chef Redzepi were slim to none. The day happened to be a relatively light one in the OR and by 1:30PM with the help of a very nice partner, I was able to get out of there.

I was able to get on the road by 2:15, but I was afraid of NYC rush hour traffic. Though I ran into one fair traffic snarl on the NYS Thruway, the gods continued to smile upon me. Parking at the Time Warner Center Parking Garage, I was able to walk into the Williams Sonoma by 6PM. I expected to see a crowd lined up with books, but found none. When I asked at the cashier, they told me that there was a crowd, but that they had all had their books signed and that Chef Redzepi was now done for the day. Fortunately, they checked to see if he was still there. My luck held. Two minutes later and he would have been gone. Instead, he came back out, greeted me, called me "crazy" (which I most certainly was!) and signed my book. We chatted for a few minutes and he signed a few more books for a couple other stragglers who had wandered over, before we both had to leave - he for dinner upstairs at Per Se and me for my 4 hour ride back home. Call me crazy, but I would happily do it again.

 

Food, Farms & the Future at Skidmore College

 

Inside noma - A Docsconz Video

In the second half of August I had the opportunity to travel to Copenhagen and visit noma, the restaurant now considered by The San Pellegrino World's Fifty Best Restaurants as the number one restaurant in the world. Prior to dining there, I had the opportunity to visit the restaurant before lunch service and had a tour from Chef Rene Redzepi himself. We were joined by my friend and dinner partner, Chef Scott Boswell of the restaurants Stella! and Stanley in New Orleans, Louisiana. I hope this short video provides a glimpse into the inside of a truly incredible restaurant.

Inside noma from John Sconzo on Vimeo.

Dinner with The Doc & The Rock

        

Join us for a Private Fundraising Dinner & Screening

THE LAST CROP

A new film-in-progress by Chuck Schultz and David A. Ranghelli

Date and Time: September 10th     6:30-11PM

Location:  175 Fuller Road Queensbury, N.Y. 12804                            

Watch the trailer:

The Last Crop new 3 minute trailer from Chuck Schultz on Vimeo.

Multi-course “Slow” dinner to be prepared by John Sconzo & Rocco Verrigni

Wines donated by John & Kitty Sconzo

$200 per person - limited to 10 people

  Every year one million acres of farmland are lost to development

 

                                               If we have anything to do with it, our farm will be here for generations. - Jeff Main

The Last Crop tells a personal tale of a family caught in the delicate interplay between urban and agricultural space. Jeff and Annie Main’s story is representative of many farming families who confront an uncertain future as development impinges on rural areas and their children choose careers off the farm. The film captures the intractable nature of sustaining a small local farm and the stake we all have in ensuring they can survive and thrive.

                                               Sustainability is a big new catch phrase, but the true issue to me is sustaining farmers. - Annie Main

    Our 1st wish is that you join us for our dinner, screening and discussion

            Our 2nd wish is that you make a donation @ http://blueprintproductions.biz/Donate

   R.S.V.P by September 8th by commenting on this post. Comments will not be published.

Please help this important film get finished.

Bar Inopia Closed

Word has it that Barcelona's Bar Inopia is now closed. New projects for A. Adria are apparently on the horizon. http://www.barinopia.com/

I'm sad that I never made it there, though I look forward to whatever Albert has up his sleeve. I'm hearing something about "macrotapas." Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be interesting and of the highest quality.

Bocuse D'Or USA 2010 - A Docsconz Video

Bocuse D'Or USA 2010 - A Docsconz Video from John Sconzo on Vimeo.

It has been 6 months since James Kent of Eleven Madison Park was selected to represent the United States at the next Bocuse D'Or competition in February 2011 in Lyons, France. This video featuring the likes of Jerome Bocuse, Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Gavin Kaysen, Alain Sailhac, Andre Soltner, Andrew Friedman, Daniel Humm, Joel Buchman and the most recent US representative Timothy Hollingsworth, strives to give an idea of what the competition means for culinary America as well as a sense of what the competition itself was like.

Gulf Seafood- To Eat or Not To Eat?

Man, I love Gulf seafood. I love the shrimp. I love the crab. I love the redfish. I love the oysters. I love it all. That's why I do not plan on eating any for quite some time - not from the Gulf.

There is a movement afoot saying that in order to save gulf seafood one must eat it. While I believe that makes absolute sense for farm-raised and grown animals and products like rare heritage breeds, for which a market must be made so that farmers can afford to raise, grow and save them, it is a different story for wild seafood, especially seafood from the Gulf now and for the foreseeable future. The oil spill has been absolutely devastating and not just to the creatures of the sea whose very existences are threatened. Millions of migratory birds and other animals that rely on feeding in the Gulf's many waterways are suffering as evidenced by photos of their oil-saturated bodies. It may be some time before the full environmental effects of the spill are apparent in other parts of the country and the world. If the flap of a single butterfly's wings has the potential to change the world, what about something as egregious as this? 

 

It is also devastating to the many people who rely on the Gulf seafood culture for their livelihoods - the fishermen, the shrimpers, the crabbers, the oystermen and so many more. Important skills and traditions are in great danger of being lost, a tragic possibility.

The problem with wild caught seafood is that the stocks of many of the most delicious sea creatures such as the bluefin tuna are already under extreme pressure. Now with the Gulf environment under unprecedented pressure, there are probably relatively few areas where the wild stocks can still survive, let alone thrive. I believe that for the foreseeable future, these stocks should be allowed to maintain themselves and recover as best they can. If people continue to look to eat Gulf seafood, then they will have to be fished from whatever "safe" areas are left, putting even more stress on an already stressed out system. No, I think in order to save Gulf seafood we must let that which can survive, survive. Unfortunately, the fishing traditions may very well be lost. However, if, through our efforts to "save" them there aren't any fish left in the sea to catch, then said traditions would be lost regardless. Hopefully, if and when the Gulf gets cleaned up, enough fish and skilled people who know how to catch them in a sustainable fashion will still be around. I dream for that day again.

 

Scott Boswell's Louisiana Part 7: Asian Chili Prawns

In this 7th and final episode of Scott Boswell's Louisiana, Chef Boswell prepares one of his signature dishes: Asian Chili Prawns. This dish combines the bounty of Louisiana - shrimp, with techniques and flavors borrowed from Asia to create a personal and creative rendition of a NOLA classic: Barbecue Shrimp. 

This video was shot not long before the BP oil disaster. Unfortunately this wonderful dish is endangered for the moment - at least with the wonderful Louisiana Gulf shrimp that have here-to-fore defined it. With the oil seeping into the coastal marshes as well as spreading throughout the Gulf, there are real questions about the future of the Louisiana, indeed the entire Gulf's, fishing industry. With the sea life and other wildlife imperiled, stocks will likely suffer significantly. Fishermen's lifestyles and traditions are also imperiled. For the time being, many, such as Captain Corey (from our redfishing experience) and others, are being paid not to fish. Many of these fishermen are instead earning a living working in the clean-up efforts. But what of later on? Will the catch be there? Will there be a great temptation to overfish the stocks that remain? Will the fishermen and their families return to their largely traditional fishing lifestyles? Can they? What of their children?

At the moment and for the foreseeable future, affordable, quality Gulf shrimp and other seafood may be much more difficult to come by, but this video is a testament to a better time. The dish can still be made with shrimp from elsewhere, but I look forward to the day when wild stocks can once again be harvested safely from the Louisiana Gulf.

Scott Boswell's Louisiana Part 7: Asian Chili Prawns from John Sconzo on Vimeo.

Breaking News - Rene Redzepi & Noma Now Number One!

elBulli will always have a special spot in my heart, but if anyone had to supplant Ferran Adria and elBulli as the number one restaurant in the world, I am glad that it is the extremely gracious Rene Redzepi and his team from Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark. My son recently had the pleasure of dining there on his way to studying in Prague. I hope to be able to post his impressions soon.

San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants

1-50

51-100

The Food Blogger's Dilemma

If you read this blog, you know that I like to photograph my food when dining in interesting  and sometimes even not-so-interesting restaurants. I consider the photographs to be essential components of my blog posts. I have also taken to using a voice recorder to capture the description of a dish as it is presented and also to capture my and my fellow diners' impressions of the meal as it unfolds so as to have a more accurate representation of our feelings at the time. Of course, those feelings may be modified by further reflection, but they remain an important component of an overall appraisal and description. Since I started doing this last fall, I believe the quality of my blogging has improved. As much as I wish that I did, I don't have a photographic memory and both the photos and the voice recording assist me greatly not only in writing on my blog, but simply remembering the experience with greater detail. Why am I writing about something that appears so obvious, at least to anyone who reads this blog?

Mugaritz Stagieres' Knives Fund Update

Thanks to the generous donations of people like you, the Mugaritz Stagieres' Knives Fund has now reached $2655, 106% of our goal of $2500 to replace the knives these young stagieres lost in the calamitous fire at Mugaritz. If you can relate to their plight and have a few spare dollars that you would like to contribute to help them out, you can do so via firstgiving.com or PayPal

The fund is set up as a charitable fund and administered through Slow Food Saratoga Region.

Here is a list of made donations through firstgiving or PayPal to date:

Mike Green
John Sconzo
Jason Yee
James Kane
Joseph Gerard
Rob Connoley
Fred Kellerman
Alex Saneski
David Barzelay
Chew Fatt Soh
Matthew Stein
H. Alexander Talbot
Andrew Kirsch
Derek Slager
David Rodriguez
Cruz Caudillo
Craig Thornton
Kathy Tang
Christopher Powers
Chad Ward
Scott Alperin
Zach Hunter
Brett Posmnetier
Elbert Cheng
Alan Hsu
Joseph J. Fenush III
Townsend Wentz
John Dryzga
Mattias Hagglund
Elements Restaurant Staff
AJ Jimenez
Linda Anctil
Brendan King
Scott Dunkelberger
Pim Techamuanvivit
Anthony Nardi
Harold McGee
Hugh Blair
Darcie Fontaine
Alex Lincoln
Martha Gehan
David Yewell
Sean Paroff
Jessica Vanderhoff
Hsun-Chi  Chen
Zarmik Moqtaderi
Paul Reiss
Amanda Tarrant
Naomi Bautista
Jo Stougard
Pat Sheldon
Sarah Nash
James Biskey
Matt Kantor
Patrick McGuire
Wendy Miller
Andrew Kwan
Boris Portnoy
Antonios Drakoularakos
Patrick Miller
Nina Chang
Reid Nakasone

Still others have pledged.

I would also like to extend thanks to the bloggers and tweeters who have passed along this information.

Mugaritz Stagiere's Knives Fund Details

Under the auspices of Slow Food Saratoga Region and Slow Food USA, I have set up a fund through firstgiving to aid those stagiere's, including Slow Food Saratoga Region's own Greg Kuzia-Carmel, who lost their valuable knives and potentially their livelihoods in the catastrophic fire that burned the renowned restaurant Mugaritz to the ground last week. Donations can be made by credit card through firstgiving and can be done whether you are in the USA or overseas. To donate via Paypal click the button below.

For American citizens, your donation is fully tax deductible. For those wishing to contribute but wish to pay with a personal check, contact me by email. For anyone wishing to extend your support by passing the message along, you can make your own page at firstgiving to support this fund and/or attach a widget to your blog or facebook page as I have done on mine. Any help you can offer is appreciated!

Mugaritz Fire - Stagières' Knives Appeal

Early on Monday February 15th, fire severely damaged the kitchens at Mugaritz, the world-famous restaurant in Spain's Basque Country. Luckily, no-one was hurt. For the management and staff of Mugaritz, the destruction of their workplace was a tragedy. But for three other young people, this was also a calamity. Stagières are unpaid apprentices, usually young, without whom no top restaurant can function. Driven by a common passion to learn from the world's best chefs, they travel from all corners of the globe to train at world-class restaurants. When the dust settled on Mugaritz after last Monday's inflagration, Mattias from Sweden, Diego from Guatemala and Greg from the US found themselves without their most valued possessions. Their precious knife sets, not covered by the restaurant's insurance, had been incinerated. Read Greg's story here.

Fellow food blogger Aidan Brooks of Aidan Brooks: Trainee Chef, his father Mike Green and I are setting up a special transatlantic fund to help them recover from their combined $2,500 losses and re-equip themselves for work. As Aidan says, "This is something I understand well - two and a half years ago I set off for Spain as a novice stagière myself. It's taken me years to put together my knife set, so I know exactly how devastated these lads must feel." Can you please help with a personal pledge? Donations will be so welcome, no matter how large or small. Email me at docsconz[at]gmail.com at  with your pledge and we'll get back to you with details of exactly how you can contribute to the fund. Would food bloggers please copy part or all of this post and publish similar appeals. Together we can make so much difference to a group of people who really deserve our support. Update: Please see here for details on how you can donate through firstgiving or Paypal.

Taste of the Week - February 14th-20th: Cereal

Yes, cereal. Not just any cereal, though. Frankly, I don't care for most cereals on the market. They are generally too high in carbs and simple sugars for my taste and either lack good texture or good taste. However, this cereal, Heritage Heirloom Whole Grains High Fiber from Nature's Path really stands out.

First of all, it is delicious with or without milk and with or without fruit. I like it best with non-homogenized whole milk from the nearby Battenville Creamery. It stays crisp in milk and has great flavor without being too sweet. While it has 24g of total carbohydrates per 30g serving, only 4g are sugars with 6g dietary fiber. The cereal also contains 4g per serving of protein. All in all, not bad for a breakfast cereal. While I believe the term "certified organic" has lost a lot of its meaning, all in all, I still prefer to eat "organic" than not. This is certified organic. The grains this is made from include wheat, spelt, oats, barley, millet and quinoa.

It seems fitting that with the Winter Olympics ongoing in Vancouver BC, my taste of the week would come from Canada. We purchased it, though, in New Hampshire at the Upper Valley Food Co-op while visiting our son for Dartmouth's Winter Carnival Weekend. While we can get other, less satisfying Nature's path cereals locally, for some reason this one isn't carried near us. As a result, we took advantage of the generally excellent Upper Valley Food Co-op and bought 5 bags of the cereal, unsure when we would return. Of course, the cereal was not the only item we purchased there. Their cheese department has a wonderful selection of Vermont and New Hampshire cheeses, many of which are hard to come by elsewhere and they carry a wide selection of my favorite beers - those from Unibroue, especially Fin du Monde. I was both surprised and taken aback at their seafood counter though. They have beautiful product and go so far as to employ a labeling system for their different seafood products as to whether they are considered sustainable, threatened or unsustainable, which I applaud. I was shocked, however, to discover that they actually sell fish that they have labeled as "unsustainable" such as Chilean Sea Bass and others.  I queried the saleswoman about it. her response was that as a member organization, all they could do is educate, thus the labeling system. If members want specific product, they have to sell it! I asked her if they would sell Panda meat if members requested it? She didn't answer. I don't understand why an organization generally devoted " to supporting social and environmental responsibility" as they say on their website doesn't act even more responsibly when it comes to selling fish at risk of extinction or fished by processes destroying ocean ecosystems? What concerns me the most is what kind of chance do these fish or ecosystems have if even the "good guys", the people who are supposed to be doing things responsibly, don't act responsible?

Knives in the Fire - Fallout from Mugaritz

By now, most of you have likely learned of the fire that devastated one of the most well known and revered restaurants in the world - Andoni Luis Aduriz's Mugaritz located just outside of San Sebastien in The Basque country of Spain. Many regular readers of this blog are also likely to be familiar with Greg Kuzia-Carmel, an American stagiere at Mugaritz, who recently wrote a guest blog post for this blog in addition to maintaining his own blog, Braised & Confused, documenting his experiences. The good news about the tragic fire is that neither Greg, Andoni nor anyone else were physically hurt by it. The bad news is that so much was totally lost. For Greg, the biggest personal loss was his knives, which he had left in the kitchen.

For anyone who doesn't know, knives are generally considered to be a cook's most important tool and many, like Greg, have put in a lot of time, money and effort to make sure their knives are as good as they can be. Greg's loss is personally devastating to him. While those particular knives can never be replaced, Greg is now without anything to work with. He would appreciate any help he can get in replacing them. Greg can be contacted through his facebook page.