El Somni Is Truly a Culinary Opera Dream Come True

For over a year now the famed Roca Brothers of Spain have been crafting a unique culinary presentation, El Somni, a culinary opera.

Their truly amazing creation is a stunning collaboration of cuisine, form, music and wonder – worthy of the esteemed name, ‘Opera’.

The universality of this 'great work' (for that is what the word ‘opera’ actually means), is reflected in the diversity of the first 12 individuals invited to experience the work.

The premiere guest list included an HIV researcher, a fellow chef, an anthropologist, an actress, a theoretical physicist, a poet, an artist, a film director, a research biologist, a conductor, a food writer and a robotics researcher.

The composition of the work is divided into 12 concepts or courses that wrap the viewing diner in The Dream that is the experience’s title translated.

The courses pay homage to the great French chef François Vatel, who killed himself in 1671 when his concept for a vital banquet that was to be served to the French King Louis XIV was destroyed by the late delivery of fresh fish from the coast.

Such was the temperament of a dedicated artist when art was an expected part of the 'noble' life.

EL SOMNI MENU

• Prelude: Water Nymph (Vegetable soup at low temperature, sprouts, flowers and light)
• The Dream Begins (Moon)
• Space (Foams frost Indian figue) 
• Ophiucus (Electric eel)
• Under the Sea (Shrimps, plankton, and anemones, sea urchins, cockles, seawater, crustaceans)
• Garden of the Hesperides (Anarkia)
• The Courtship (Ying yang Palo Cortado oysters with garlic and white all black)
• The Carnality (Pueblano pigeon breast with mole, grilled strawberries and roses)
• Apple/Brittle (Golden apple)
• War (Royal hare roial with blood orange and beet)
• Mercy/Death (Parmentier potatoes with purple bone marrow,caviar, purple flowers and incense smoke)
• Glory (Dessert mass mother, mother dough ice cream)
• Awakening (Sweet spring)

Yet the wonder of the evening does not rest solely on the event's innovation cuisine. Expanding on the talents developed in the three brothers’ world famous restaurant,El Celler de Can Roca, these three creative chefs also collaborated with a diverse group of visual artists, includingFranc Aleu, Daniel Molina, Pere Grife,andPeret, to create an experience that defies the limits of culinary classification.

After its initial premiere in Barcelona, this unique work will be hosted at 12 different locations around the world, followed by a documentary book, exhibit and finallya filmby Mediapro.

If possible, do all you can to attend.  Like listening to great opera performed well for the first time, afterwards you will never view the world in quite that same way as before. And that is, truly, the definition of great art. 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

New Writing Conferences Offer a Window into the Publishing World for Culinary Professionals

The world is moving at an ever faster pace, in large part thanks to the explosion of information on the Internet and the impact of the digital technology. As a result, culinary professionals in every market have to now struggle with the new task of writing about their profession as well as being part of it.

Many chefs, who spent a lifetime mastering the skills of the kitchen, are extremely uncomfortable with this contemporary trend. However, where there's a need, there's an answer, thanks in large part to the insight of creative companies, such as Amazon, that deal daily with writers, editors AND the new world of digital publications. 

These state-of-the-art firms are most easily located at conferences, saving the attendees both time and money as the availability of the information offered is focused and concentrated.

The Northwest Bookfest is one such conference, where the topics range from an exploration of Amazon Kindle's Direct Publishing programs by Thomas Kephart to understanding how to manage a writing project using Evernote by Viv Ilo E Veith. Other workshops explain how to conduct a successful interview as well as how to protect one’s legal rights in the digital world.

And the list goes on and on. ThisNovember 2-3 Conference is just another reason why many creative culinary professionals enjoy calling the Northwest home.  If creativity is about being ready to learn new skills, here’s your chance. See you there!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013