Chefs can change the world
At Theatre of Ideas the world’s most forward-thinking chefs reveal the big ideas and small inspirations behind their approach to cooking and eating, now and in the future. Read on to see how these visionaries are shaping the industry one microbe at a time…
Rene Redzepi's Carrots and Butter Milk
THEATRE OF IDEAS
Food Festivals Are A Force For Good: Ben Shewry of Attica (Restaurant of The Year 2011) recently attended MAD FoodCamp in Copenhagen, where 250 chefs, scientists and farmers got together to help solve the problems of the world. ‘It feels like an opportunity to bring about change’ he told Eater.com.’ Being a chef is more than just about the cooking now.’
Microbes are cool. Even chefs who slept through science classes as students are turning on to the mysterious world of food microbiology. Momofuku’s David Chang now lectures at Harvard on ‘microbial terroir’ (whether microbe growth on food is affected by the particulars of the local environment) and hides out in his test kitchen innoculating pork. ‘Our goal as chefs is to always want to learn more.’ He says. ‘That’s our job.’
Chefs can change the world: Rene Redzepi of the world’s No 1 restaurant in the World’s Fifty Best, Noma, believes individual chefs can fight global industrialisation and obesity by using pleasure to change the things we want to eat into healthier, more local foods. The proof? His deep-fried reindeer moss, nasturtium flower stuffed with snails, and blue mussels served in edible shells.
Eating With Your Fingers: Half the known world already eats their food with their hand or hands; for the rest of us, culture dictates the use of cutlery. Now Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana in Italy says ‘touching your food is next to holiness. Do it as often as you can’. We can think of two more good reasons: 1/ Everything tastes better. 2/ Less washing up.
