Who Will Lead Spanish Cuisine After Ferran’s El Bulli Closes?

After the final dinner is served at El Bulli on July 30^th, the famed Spanish restaurant will close. So sad, sad, sad.

But where one door shuts, another is sure to open.

That new door, what with Ferran’s ‘retirement’ from his legendary kitchen to his new research center, will need to be wide, very wide to accommodate the host of other talented chefs that also call Spain their home.

Just consider:

QUIQUE DACOSTA, Chef at El Poblet (near Valencia)

Known for his edible culinary landscapes, Chef Dacosta is among the chefs favoring the techniques of “la cocina de vanguardia”, the phrase now replacing the much-disliked by all term “molecular gastronomy”. Implementing the skills initially created by Ferran, Chef Dacosta’s dishes include a recreation of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao a la an edible oyster coated with consumable (and oh so beautiful) titanium-silver colored surface.  Even Frank Gehry would be impressed by its stunning appearance.

CARME RUSCALLEDA I SERRA, Chef at Sant Pau (outside of Barcelona), Moments (Barcelona) and Sant Pau de Toquio (Tokyo). 

The holder of a total of six, yes six, Michelin stars, this esteemed chef is surprisingly little known outside of Spain, except in Tokyo where she is greatly admired.  Her creations are delicate, seasonally driven with an appreciation of the fresh and local while never forgetting the impact of presentation. With such an understanding of aesthetics, is it any wonder that her cuisine is honored by the preceptive diner in both Tokyo and Barcelona?     

JOSEAN MARTíNEZ ALIJA, Chef at Nerua (Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao)

Among the most fluent speakers of the adopted ‘art-words’ that enables the ‘vanguardia chefs’ to describe their innovative efforts, it should surprise no one that Chef Alija‘s kitchen is located at the remarkable Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

There, like a traditional artist in his/her studio, he combines and creates the new while capturing the essence of the expression (just like Picasso).

NANDU JUBANY, Chef at Can Jubany (Catalonia)

A “regresar a las raíces” or “return to the roots” believer, Chef Jubany is an advocate of the farm-to-plate model, believing the value of identifiable terroir. Every ingredient in his kitchen has a known source, all free from commercialization and industrialized production. The resulting cuisine is clear, crisp and full of rediscovered delights, often making regional favorites bright and amazingly new again.  

VICTOR ARGUINZONIZ, Chef at Asador Etxebarri (east of Bilbao)

Another “regresar a las raíces” deep roots devotee, Chef Arguinzoniz starts his devotion from the ground up, using not only fresh local ingredients, but also crafting his own flavorful charcoal. Impressive, no?

As a former forest ranger, and though a self-taught chef, no one can question his hallmark grilling expertise. From appetizers to dessert (yes, even his goat milk ice cream brings a smoky flavor to the table), the fiery traditions of the Basque country is always present in his memorable cuisine.

MARI CARMEN VELEZ, Chef at La Sirena (Alicante)

Famous for her focus on seafood, she transforms traditional Spanish dishes honoring both regional recipes and contemporary trends. In a restaurant where only the best is good enough, she is assisted by both her husband as sommelier and her sister, who studied with Paco Torreblanca, as director of pastry.

PACO MORALES, Chef at Hotel Ferrero (between Valencia and Alicante)

Relocating from his famed restaurant in Madrid, The Senzone, Chef Morales is one of Spain’s young chefs who successfully blends traditional techniques and innovative changes within his cuisine.

Clarity matters as much as wonder. Flavors should, according to Chef Morales, never be a mystery but equally magic should never leave the dining experience.

Assisting him in the complete creation of the evening is his wife (and sommelier) Rut Cotroneo, who trained at Heston Blumenthal’s highly honored Fat Duck Restaurant in Great Britain.

XAVIER PELLICER, Chef at Can Fabes (Sant Celoni, Catalonia)

With a father who is Catalan and a mother who is French, is it any wonder that by age 13 Chef Pellicer found the crafting of cakes far more interesting than the solving of calculus equations in the classroom.

An international array of apprenticeships soon followed and enabled him to master both traditional and avant-garde techniques.

As a result, his skills have simultaneously impressed both the strongly anti-Ferran Chef Santi Santamaría as well as the most adventurous of diners.  Not bad Chef!

Working to insure the blending and growth of all these culinary traditions, old and new, is La Real Academia de Gastronomia or The Royal Academy of Gastronomy founded in August of 2010.

Its stated goal is to disseminate and promote the exciting world of Spanish food and wine, while always honoring both history and innovation in Iberia and beyond. 

With the help of such culinary talents as those offered by these amazing new chefs, Spain is sure to continue to delight and amaze us all with flair and flavor!

 Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

Time and Talent Win Anne-Sophie Pic Title as World’s Greatest Female Chef

In a world composed largely of male colleagues, Anne-Sophie Pic has just been recognized by S. Pellegrino’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards as the best female chef in the world. And it’s an honor totally deserved. Not only does Pic come from a great culinary family but she also holds three Michelin stars in her own right – and is the only the fourth woman in history to do so.

Based in Valence (known to seasoned travelers as the southern door of France), she placed ahead of two other very talented female chefs – Spain’s Elena Arzak and Italy’s Nadia Santini. And though Arzak favors the cuisine of Iberia’s Basque region and Santini focuses on the flavors of the sea, Pic reaches back to the clear simplicity of Careme and Escoffier, the legendary masters of classic French cuisine.

Motivated by their heritage, Pic’s creations focus on enhancing the natural flavors of her ingredients, not smothering them with heavy sauces or over dominate ingredients. As a result, her menu most often highlights the use of regional vegetables and fresh fish.

Yet despite her family’s culinary legacy and France’s great heritage of cuisine, Pic did not start her career in the traditional manner of the industry.  It was her brother, Alain Pic, who initially was chosen to continue the culinary dynasty began by her grandfather Andre Pic when he was Michelin rated in 1945. That valued ranking was continued by her own dear father Jacques Pic.

Anne-Sophie chose instead to study at Paris’ famed Higher Institute of Management and then moved to New York City where she worked in marketing for the prestigious firms of Moet & Chandon and Cartier. Her positions there enabled her to travel and thus she met her husband (and future business partner) David Sinapian.         

Still something called her home. She missed the sounds and flavors of France and so in 1992 she decided to return to Valence and apprentice with her father. Everyone who watched them work together noticed the flow, the unspoken ease that existed between them as the famed father taught his daughter one after another the skills of a master chef.

Then abruptly Jacques Pic died of a heart attack. The famed three star restaurant was without a directing head chef.  Anne-Sophie, young and less experienced than some of her staff, stepped into the void and continued the heritage of her family. By 2007 she had regained the Michelin star that traditionally is removed at the death of a great chef and went on to write the truly collectable memoir, Au Nom du Pere, about her beloved father, the history of the Pic family and her amazing life journey that led to discovering her true vocation - cuisine.

That discovery included not only the lessons learned in the kitchen but also the many marketing skills she mastered away from the heat of the stove.  Working together with her insightful husband, the decor of the esteemed Pic Restaurant has been updated, a culinary school launched and a profitable line of extensional products developed and marketed online.

Truly this is a renaissance woman and one to be counted among the greatest of the industry.  If you doubt that, just journey to Valence, enter the subtle elegance of Restaurant Pic and dine on the classic cuisine offered there such as pan roasted Bresse chicken supreme accented with a yellow lemon marmalade, steamed young chards or a farm fresh pigeon poached with a slightly smoked broth. Then consider their unforgettable warm Grand Marnier soufflé served with orange supremes or choose instead an air-light rice pudding. 

Mere words cannot truly express the flavors, the experience. All created by one remarkable woman – one worthy of the heritage of both the cuisine grand-mere (those unnamed country-kitchen grandmothers who inspired so many great chefs to become cooks) and haute cuisine, such as Anne-Sophie’s own renowned grandfather and father created. What can one say but merci, merci, merci Anne-Sophie!  

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011