A Tour Guide Tames Lunch in Midtown

Julia Moskin reports in The New York Times on Zach Brooks, founder, editor, and chief correspondent of Midtown Lunch, midtownlunch.com, a three-year-old Web site that serves those who toil in Midtown and hope to find something decent and reasonably priced to eat on their lunch breaks.

The site brings a measure of order to the roiling chaos of the area, which has almost 3,000 food businesses — delis, pizza joints, trucks, carts and restaurants — and almost one million daily workers, according to the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Read more

Taste of the Nation Los Angeles

Anyone who's been to Taste of the Nation Los Angeles knows this is not the kind of fundraiser where one politely pays more for a dainty plate of food. It's a gourmet feast where a little gluttony can fuel a lot of charity, featuring some of Southern California's best-loved chefs, deftly uniting Taste of the Nation LA the culinary with the altruistic.

Sunday's 21st annual Share Our Strength Taste of the Nation, which takes place locally in Culver City, includes cooking demos from XIV's Michael Mina and Border Grill and Ciudad's Mary Sue Milliken, a silent auction, waiter races and a mole cook-off between well-known Mexican restaurants, Moles La Tia, Guelaguetza and Tlapazola Grill.

But the big draw are the 46 booths where many of Los Angeles' most highly regarded restaurants will hand out samples of their signature dishes, including the Bazaar by Jose Andres, Mozza, Lucques, Craft, Palate Food + Wine, Church & State and Rivera.

IACP's "Room in the Bowl"

"Room in the Bowl: The IACP Gumbo Giveback Project", 132 pages of beautiful visual and written ruminations on the ingredients and experiences associated with Louisiana’s iconic dish, combines the work of top photographers and writers in an effort to give back to the culinary community. Proceeds from the book are divided equally between the Southern Food and Beverage Museum (SoFAB) and The Culinary Trust, the philanthropic partner of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). Edited by Jamie Tiampo and David Gallent.

Read the Times-Picayune book review.

Buy your copy at SoFAB or Amazon.com today.

How Women Are Heating Up the Restaurant World

Move over, Mario. Take a hike, Emeril. Look who's cooking now: A handful to ambitious and talented female chefs who are running their own restaurants and creating compelling brands, that's who. Unlike Lidia Bastianich or Cat Cora, who've traded restaurant kitchens for television sets, these top chefs haven't found celebrity. Instead, they are focusing on crafting menus that delight customers--and turning a profit in tough times... Forbes.com 5/29/09

Coming Soon in Theatres, "Julie & Julia"

Take a peek at Meryl Streep's new film portraying Julia Child, coming to theatres on August 7.

Where to buy tickets for the 2009 IACP Conference, Events Open to the Public

Here's the link to buy tickets online for open to the public events at the 2009 IACP Denver Conference.

If you wish to attend a tour, master class or special event Buy your tickets here.

Some of the master classes offered are:

Wednesday, April 1

"New Trends, New Techniques" Part I featuring chefs Nils Noren and Dave Arnold from the French Culinary Institute. Class will be offered at the Sheraton Downtown at 9am.

Fee: $100

Part II features celebrity chef Andoni Luis Aduriz from Award winning restaurant Mugaritz, in Spain. Class will be offered at the Johnson & Wales Kitchen Auditorium, at 2:00pm.

Fee: $100

Get both sessions for $180

Saturday, April 4

"Sourcing Sustainably for Culinary Professionals", featuring chef Michel Nischan and presented by the Culinary Trust.

2:00pm at the Sheraton Downtown

Fee: $25

"The Art and Science of Artisan Cured Meats: Salumi from the Inside", featuring Armandino Batali.

2:00 p.m.

Fee: $90

2009 IACP Conference in Denver

Andoni Luis Aduriz in Denver

Andoni Luis Aduriz
Mugaritz
Spain

After following studies at the Hotel Management School of San Sebastian, he worked with renowned cooks such as Ramón Roteta, Hilario Arbelaitz, Jean Louis Neichel, Juan Mari Arzak, Fermín Arrambide and Pedro Subijana. He was part of the El Bulli restaurant staff (1993-1994), directed by Ferran Adriá. In 1996, he was head chef at the three Michelin starred restaurant, Martín Berasategui. Since 1998, he directs Mugaritz restaurant (19/20 from Gault&Millau, 2 Michelin stars), chosen as the 4th best restaurant in the world in April of 2008 by the British magazine Restaurant.

Recognized by the international press as "(...) the most important gastronomic genius in the world of the latest times", he appears on the pages of prestigious magazines like the Swedish Gourmet, the french Gault&Millau, the New York Times, Saveur, Gambero Rosso, Food & Wine, the Japanese Cuisine Kingdom and Specialités, which devote a large space to analyze his working technology and cooking style.

In 2002 he received the National Gastronomy Prize of Spain. In 2003, he was awarded the Euskadi Prize of the best restauranteur by the Basque Academy of Gastronomy. The Lo Mejor de la Gastronomía guide named him “Best Cook of the Year” and “Best Baker of the Year.” In 2005 he received his second Michelin star. He received the best qualification of three suns by the Campsa guide.

He sits on the Board of Directors of Euro-Toques, an international organisation of cooks with more than 3,500 professionals from 18 countries, created in Brussels in 1986 by request of the President of the European Community at that time, Jacques Delors.

He is the creator of Diálogos de cocina, an international meeting organised by Euro-Toques. Moreover, he is the author of Papeles de Cocina, the official publication of Euro-Toques in Spain.

He collaborates with some newspapers (El País, Noticias de Gipuzkoa, etc.) by writting opinion pieces.

He is the co-author of the books La joven cocina vasca (1996), El mercado en el plato (1998) and Tabula Bacalao (2003). Inside the collection Tabula, he published Tabula huevo (2000) and Tabula 35 mm (2007). Furthermore, he is the author of the Cuadernos de Mugaritz collection, which includes the books Foie gras (2002), Clorofilia (2004) and Bestiarium Gastronomicae (2006). He is also the author of Txikichef (2006). In the collection Libros del Atajo, in 2007 he published the Diccionario Botánico para Cocineros.

Chef Andoni will be presenting an advanced cooking demonstration on the latest trends and techniques during the 31st IACP Annual Conference, on Wednesday April 1, from 2 pm - 4:30pm at the Johnson & Wales Kitchen Auditorium. For more information visit www.iacp.com. This class is open to both members and non-members.

IACP Conference in Denver: 3 classes open to general public

Denver will soon be hosting more than 1,000 culinary professionals from around the world for the International Association of Culinary Professionals Conference, April 1 – 4, 2009.

Denver’s IACP members and other culinary professionals are truly rolling out the red carpet for us and we’re excited, in return, to share unrivaled access to some of the world’s top chefs through a variety of Advanced Level and Master Classes specifically designed to address new trends and advanced techniques. These include such famed culinary professionals as world-renowned Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz from Mugaritz in Errenteria, Spain; Chefs Nils Noren and Chef David Arnold of the French Culinary Institute; and Armandino Batali, patron saint of artisan cured meats from Salumi.

For the first time, IACP is opening a few classes to non-members. Whether you're a culinary student, a chef or culinary professional in Colorado or anywhere in the World, do not miss the unique opportunity to participate in the following classes:

Date: Wednesday April 1
Time: 9:00 am - 11:30 am
Place: Sheraton Hotel

“New Techniques in Cooking”
Presenters: Chefs Nils Norén and Dave Arnold, French Culinary Institute, New York

From the legendary French Culinary Institute in New York City, we are excited to present chefs Dave Arnold and Nols Norén in this class where the most recent cooking techniques will be demonstrated. The use of low-temperature cooking, sous vide, hydrocolloids, and other newer culinary techniques and ingredients will help you improve the way you cook. Participants will get a first-hand look into these techniques and equipments, as well as tastings of the products resulting from these methods. The FCI is one of the few culinary schools in the USA to offer classes in Culinary Technology, and this is a very unique and exclusive opportunity to participate in this class outside of New York city.

Date: Wednesday, April 1
Time: 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Place: Johnson & Wales University

New Trends: Vegetables on Center Stage
Presenter: Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz, Mugaritz, Errentería, Spain

Featuring one of the top chefs in the planet, we are proud to feature chef Andoni Luis Aduriz, whose two-star Michelin restaurant Mugaritz, in Errentería, Spain, has been named #4 in the world. Chef Andoni recently presented in Tokyo Taste and Madrid Fusion, and now he arrives in Denver to share with us his expertise on the latest trends. Chef Andoni will be preparing live 8 of Mugaritz's creations utilizing the most advanced culinary techniques and ingredients.

Date: Saturday, April 4
Time: 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Place: Johnson & Wales University

The Art and Science of Artisan Cured Meats: Salumi from the Inside
Presenters: Armandino and Marilyn Batali, Salumi, Seattle

What a unique opportunity this master class provides, to learn directly from one of the country’s patron saints of artisan cured meats, Armandino Batali, founder and Principal Salumist of Seattle’s celebrated Salumi. This tiny lunchbox of a restaurant/deli in the city’s historic Pioneer Square neighborhood is a Mecca for devotees of salami and other cured meats. There’s an omnipresent line of customers happily waiting for a sandwich of porchetta or cotecchino, or to pick up an order of sliced hot soprassata or culatello to go. The roughly 2000 pounds of cured meats made here each week are sold to walk-in customers, as well as restaurant chefs, delis and salumi enthusiasts across the country.

Salumi’s Seattle production facility manages to blend state-of-the-art processes with deep dedication to the hand-crafted traditions of salumi. Batali will share with class attendees in-depth information about the science of meats and what exactly transpires in the course of the curing process. He will address different styles of curing and explain each stage in the progression from raw meat to sublime salumi. Important issues such as USDA regulations and meeting integrated quality standards (such as HACCP) will be covered. In addition, Batali will share insights on educating and inspiring consumers about this world of artisan cured meats. His demonstration will feature a cotto salami (coarsely ground pure pork with pepper and spices), with detailed descriptions and samples of other cured meats from the Salumi repertoire.

For registration information, check out our website at www.iacp.com

Sven Mill goes West with his Royal Blue

The launch of IACP’s cookbook For the Love of Food was held in Dallas 2005 during the IACP Conference. As one of the contributing authors from Europe, Sven went over for the book signing. On the way he made a stop in Chicago and visited Art Smith, who earlier that year had been to the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Grythyttan, Sven’s home village. The two souls had found each other around the buffet table of game, various salmon dishes and blue cheese. Sven served an opening dinner at the medieval castle in Örebro. Later the same year he was one of the local hosts of the IACP Culinary Experience to Grythyttan and Sweden.

Art and Sven met again when Gourmand Awards was celebrated in Beijing 2007. Sven gave a work shop on blue cheese and air dried game. Now Art invited Sven to come over again and back to Chicago. Art was about open his restaurant Table 52. Art introduced this gifted craftsman to some selected persons. To Mike McCloskey it was obvious the skills of Sven were perfect for further developing business opportunities and quality cheese at Fair Oaks Farms.


Fair Oaks Farms is owned by 9 local dairy farm families, one of which is the McCloskey family. Located in Northwest Indiana, just outside of Chicago, it is one of the largest dairy farms in the country. Fair Oaks Farms is home to some 30,000 dairy cows. Fair Oaks Farms also opens its’ farm to visitors so they can see for themselves 21st Century dairy farming and processing at work. Environmentally sound farming practices are used to protect the soil and water for future generations; and more than 3,000 acres are set aside to protect the streams and watersheds, while providing habitat for wildlife. All cow manure is processed in anaerobic digesters to become methane gas and ultimately electricity to power the farms and milk processing plants.

Now Sven is starting up production of his famous Royal Blue Cheese and also smoking and air drying local game and making spicy sausages. So far the reactions from restaurateurs in Chicago and Washington have been very positive. Now the rumor of a terrific new cheese has started to resonate among the thousands of visitors that come to Fair Oaks Farms about the marvelous Royal Blue…


Back in 1972, Sven started his professional career in the kitchen of Loka Brunn, a Swedish resort that got its royal privilege from King Adolf Fredrik in 1632. He formed his own company Mills Ost & Vilt. Many of the products from Sven’s personal production were used by Michelin stared restaurants and others in Sweden. He became an important contributor to the chefs of the New Nordic Cuisine era. Mills Cheese & Game produced wonderful offerings from the region’s bountiful supply of wild and fresh resources. His Royal Blue was an ecological cheese crafted from cow’s milk. During many years Sven delivered a buffet to His Royal Highness the King of Sweden in celebration of the Swedish National Day. Now he has sold the Swedish branch and put all his creativity into developing tasty product for the US market.

World Gastronomy Summit

Nobu Mastuhisa, Ferrán Adriá, Joel Robuchon and Heston Blumenthal

by Yukari Sakamoto

Tokyo was the host to the World Gastronomy Summit on February 9-11, 2009. Top chefs from around the world presented, many of them including Japanese ingredients or techniques in their cuisine.
Former Prime Minister Junichi Koizumi opened the summit stating, “There is nothing better than eating delicious food that is good for us”.
Chef Joel Robuchon praised Japanese cuisine and its use of seasonality ingredients, delicate and meticulous presentation and use of umami. He also said that he noticed the reverence and pride Japanese have for produce and ingredients. He said that the cuisine has influenced his food.
Chef Pierre Gagnaire was enthusiastic about the quality of seafood in Japan. In particular, he is currently fascinated with tairagai, a large shellfish with a rich texture. He said that in Paris now, ingredients like yuzu and kombu are very fashionable ingredients.
Chef Nobu Matsuhisa talked about trying to get foreigners to eat raw fish thirty years ago. And, as people weren’t familiar with the texture, or even the concept of eating raw fish, he created some of his signature dishes now similar to sashimi salads with rich dressings, searing the outside of the fish, or creating ceviches.
Chef Ferrán Adriá said that Japanese chefs Seiji Yamamoto of Nihonryori Ryugin, chef Tokuoka of Kitcho and chef Nobu have changed his life. “Japanese food is pure and simple.” And that in his kitchen now he is using many sea vegetables and citrus fruits like yuzu.
It was evident that many non-Japanese chefs are curious and passionate about Japanese cuisine. They all agreed that there is so much to learn and that seasonality is key, the respect for ingredients, and the high quality of seafood, so fresh that much of it can be eaten raw. Many chefs have been influenced in their own cuisine with Japanese ingredients and techniques and that the will continue to explore the cuisine and culture of Japan.

The Splendid Table in Mexico City

Lynne Rossetto Kasper interviews Mexican chef Margarita de Carrillo

The Splendid Table is a culinary, culture, and lifestyle program that celebrates food. On Saturday Feb. 28 award-winning host Lynne Rossetto Kasper will lead listeners on a journey of the senses through Mexico City with some of its most famous chefs.

Congratulations to Lynne and her crew for surviving such an intensive week long schedule intent on capturing the Mexican culinary soul.

Read more about Lynne's visit to Mexico City in Ruth Alegría's blog.

UPDATE: Listen to this show's podcast here.

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Tokyo Taste - The World Summit of Gastronomy

Feb. 9-11, 2009

Top Chef's Tom Colicchio Saves fellow IACP member's life

Top Chef's Tom Colicchio Saves Life
By Gina DiNunno

Tue Jan 20, 8:44 AM PST
Top Chef head honcho Tom Colicchio may be considered the "bad guy" when it comes time to axe one of the cheftestants during judge's table, but for now this restaurateur could be called a hero.
The reality-show judge saved fellow foodie Joan Nathan from choking to death during the "Art. Food. Hope." benefit in Washington, D.C. on Monday, according to the Internet Food Association. While being cornered by some bitter Top Chef fans who where less than thrilled about last week's elimination of Ariane, Colicchio heard a cry for help from another famed chef, Alice Waters, and immediately ran over to perform the Heimlich maneuver saving Nathan who had a chunk of chicken lodged in her wind pipe.
"I did what anyone else would have done and was just happy to be there," Colicchio told TVGuide.com. "I'm thrilled Joan's well."