My chef, your chef
21-4-2015
GELINAZ! Is a chef’s collective that will organize a Grand GELINAZ! Shuffle in the culinary scene. On 9 July, 37 of the world’s best chefs will, according to their website, “be swapping lives, identities… and restaurants!”
The GELINAZ! restaurant-swap concept is developed by Andrea Petrini and Alexandra Swenden in 2005. They’ve hand-selected an impressive group of chefs from 17 countries. Check the video for the line-up which includes respected names in the culinary scene like René Redzepi, Albert Adrià, and Dominique Crenn.
My chef, your chef
During the shuffle chefs will be swapping restaurants and home countries, serve their best in another chef’s kitchen and will even be living in each other’s houses, a bit like Wife Swap. We wonder if this will be used for a new television format as well! Tickets will be for sale online beginning 13 May, according to the GELINAZ! website.
About GELINAZ!
According to their website GELINAZ! is a collective of international chefs responsible for wild, collaborative cook-off stunts. Every time pushing the boundaries, performing food and taking risk as a starting point. Longing to discover new cultures and exchange knowledge. Inventing collaborations with artists, musicians, scientists, thinkers, producers. Never willing to repeat itself, always exploring the unknown. Adapting to uncertain situations, charting new territories to sharpen creativity. Zooming on the beauty of nature, its elegant chaos and unending recreation.
Easter campaign in Brielle
16-4-2015
We can’t say it often enough: if you do a sales promotion, point it at your potential visitor. After Easter we read about the promotional action of Sven Schreuder for his Brasserie Hotel ‘De Nymph’. Inspiration for Easter next year but in the way he implemented it could work for other campaigns as well.
Fans could hunt for giant Easter eggs in Brielle
Sven hid 10 giant chocolate eggs on Easter Sunday. He did this in Brielle, the town where his brasserie and hotel is located. From 8 o’clock in the morning enthusiasts could try to find the hidden eggs. Last year, participants tried to follow Sven while he was hiding the eggs. So this year he went out extra early! As from 8 o’clock he gave hints on his Facebook page.
The finder of the giant chocolate egg could of course keep it, all finders could get a free ice cream in his ice cream parlor ‘De Koele Kever’ (The Cool Beetle). In addition as an extra incentive Sven hid in one of the eggs a free night at his hotel ‘De Nymph’. A great Easter action and an example of how you can implement a local promotion: local press was involved (the newspaper ‘AD Voorne Putten’ paid attention to the promotion before Easter) and the fact that Sven also used social media to give hints and placed pictures of the ‘finders’ on Facebook. Next to the annual celebration of the Brielle capture by the Sea Beggars on 1 April 1572, the city now has a new tradition.
Canned food in the hospitality industry
15-4-2015
Since the start of company Bommels Conserven they are convinced that canned food is tasty and trendy. That’s why they’ve launched the concept ‘Een nieuwe blik op de tafel’. (Freely translated as ‘You can clearly see the table’).
The concept is meant for the hospitality entrepreneurs who want to keep their guests entertained with products which are easy and simple to present at different times of the day.
Canned food
The canned fish will be served at the table. It’s a complete concept with a wooden cutting board that is the connecting tool to present the products which are: canned fish, bread and garnitures matching the recipes of the fish. This cutting board is specially designed to fit the canned fish exactly, the bread is presented and there’s space for bowls with different garnitures.
How does it work?
The guests can choose the cans from the menu. These will be served by the waiters and presented on the cutting board with the matching garnitures. Serve with homemade bread for more flavour.
For the launch of this concept, Bommels Conserven is still looking for entrepreneurs who would like to introduce it. Contact Dineke van Bommel for further information.
A Food Boat instead of a Food Truck
14-4-2015
Pizza Pi, a pizza delivery boat, is sailing the Caribean Sea and delivers pizzas at the Christmas Cove on the Great St. James Island.
Pizza Pi – the first pizza delivery boat
The Pizza delivery boat of Pizza Pi is an initiative by Sasha and Tara Bouis. They bring the trend of food trucks, which are becoming pretty common nowadays, to a new level. They converted their house boat into a fully operational pizza bakery boat in two years. Sascha and Tara have visited the Pizza School of New York and now they make their own pizzas, including gluten-free pizzas aboard their ship.
A food boat in the Netherlands?
Although we lack the Caribean sun, we can have great summers and we have a lot of water and water enthusiasts as well! It’s a great idea for Italian restaurants to start delivering pizzas by boat! Maybe one of the restaurants located at the lakes in the West and North of The Netherlands already does this…. We’d love to hear it!
Peugeot designs an urban chic food truck 2.0
13-4-2015
Peugeot has its own food truck, a bistro on wheels, conceived and developed by the Peugeot Design Lab. A super modern food truck, striking because one of the characteristics of the current food trucks is the ‘old fashioned’ image. With ‘Le Bistro du Lion‘ Peugeot will attend the Milan Design Week 2015 from 14 April followed by the French Pavilion of the World Expo Milano 2015.
‘Le Bistrot du Lion’, a Food Truck 2.0
The food truck was invented and developed by the Peugeot Design Lab, the Global Brand Design studio of the car brand. Cathal Loughnane, Head of Peugeot Design Lab, comments, “The end-users are always at the heart of all of our designs. For the Peugeot ‘food truck’, we wanted to create a complete mobile cuisine experience, not only creating a kitchen for the chef but a restaurant and cafe for the customers. A lot of attention was given to opening up the kitchen and allowing the chef and food preparation to be as close to the public as possible. We also wanted to create a real sense of surprise as the compact Peugeot ‘Food Truck’ transforms into an amphitheatre-like dining space ‘Le Bistrot du Lion’.”
The dynamic ‘Le Bistrot du Lion’ is compact, featuring short front and rear overhangs to provide enhanced maneuverability, with a long wheelbase to offer considerable load volume. Once on site, the food truck spreads its wings to double its width. Accommodating 30 persons comfortably, with separate areas for food preparation, eating and refreshments as well as a DJ booth. On board, chefs benefit from two grilling plates and four induction burners as well as a deep fryer. The ventilation system ensures optimum air quality and a 400-litre refrigerated under-foot compartment allows food to stay fresh. A 350-litre refrigerator keeps drinks cold. Attached is a professional espresso machine, by Rocket Espresso. Not only does the Peugeot ‘food truck’ provide a one-of-a-kind dining experience, it does so at an environmental way, having been specially designed to recuperate and recycle all waste.
Peugeot has selected the talented French chef Sven Chartier, of Saturne and Le Clown Bar in Paris, as the first culinary tenant of ‘Le Bistrot du Lion’.
The Roast Bar and Rotisserie
9-4-2015
The Roast Room is the new restaurant of Michael and Saskia Deenik and opened officially on 8 April. The Roast Room is a butcher shop, roast bar and rotisserie in one, located in the RAI Amtrium at the Europaplein in Amsterdam.
The butchers cut the meat that’s used in the restaurant themselves and they make fresh sausages and burgers as well. The vegetables and herbs for the restaurant come from a five floors City Farming space on the south side of the Amtrium.
The Roast Bar and Rotisserie
The Roast Bar on the ground floor is a brasserie which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If the weather allows, it’s possible to eat outside at the terrace. The bar is decorated with large copper beer tanks filled with Warsteiner lager and the special beers.
The Rotisserie, a fine dining restaurant which is open for lunch and dinner, is located on the first floor. It includes a roof terrace for sunny days. The open kitchen has a Rotissoire, a charcoal grill, Australian Beech-wood furnaces for gas burners and a California South Bend-broiler that can heat up to 1,400 degrees Celsius.
Interior
The interior is the work of Studio Modijefsky and Studio Molen, who were responsible for the interior of Visaandeschelde as well. Restaurant Visaandeschelde is from the same owners. A bronze ‘Tower of Babel’ with shiny sausages welcomes guests at the entrance, an iconic butcher’s leg dangles in front of the butchery and a giant bronze ‘Ginger’ chandelier is one of the other unique cool features of the restaurant.
Chef’s Table Netflix series
1-4-2015
6 episodes on Netflix
Netflix introduces a new culinary documentary series about chefs and their philosophy about cooking. The documentary will be split into six episodes. Moviemaker David Gelb will visit a few top chefs during this series and has a look at their kitchens and private life’s. The trailer of Chef’s Table went online last Monday.
Participating chefs at Chef’s Table
Every episode the viewers of Chef’s Table have the opportunity to dive into the life of a different chef. The chefs will show their kitchen and private life for the viewers to have an idea. The participating chefs are Massimo Bottura (Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy), Dan Barber (Blue Hill Restaurant in Stone Barns and in New York , USA), Francis Mallmann (El Restaurante Patagonia Sur in Buenos Aires, Argentina), Niki Nakayama (N/Naka Restaurant in Los Angeles, USA), Ben Shewry (Attica Restaurant in Melbourne, Australia), and Magnus Nilsson (Fäviken in Järpen, Sweden).
Chef’s Table is produced by David Gelb, Matt Weaver, Andrew Fried and Brian McGinn. The series is directed by David Gelb, Andrew Fried, Brian McGinn and Clay Jeter.
Chef’s Table premieres 26 April on Netflix.
Mini Pancakes
31-3-2015
Mini Pancakes has been chosen as pancake supplier by the Dutch pavilion at the World Expo 2015. During this edition of the world international exhibition in Milan, food plays central role. That’s why the traditional Dutch dish, the mini pancake, can’t be left out. In countries where this company from Bunschoten (NL) is active, including the Gulf States, the mini pancakes turn out to be very popular. So popular that Mini Pancakes recently opened a store in Dubai.
Dubai
Through the activities that took place in the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Kuwait and the United Arabic Emirates, Mini Pancakes became the market leader in selling freshly baked mini pancakes. Mini Pancakes is a part of Global Village, the annual international festival in Dubai where over the 5 million visitors pay a visit to. Mini Pancakes received the Best Retail Award last year from Global Village. The youngest son of the sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum handed out this award. With the opening of the permanent Mini Pancakes establishment, the mini pancakes are available in Dubai throughout the year.
Modern form
Mini Pancakes aren’t only served with a simple knob of butter and some sugar. This is just one of the many choices. Other options are white chocolate, Nutella, a variation of syrups, lime and even spreadable cheese as topping. According to Tomek Aalders, director of Mini Pancakes, the mini pancakes aren’t old fashioned but tasty and nice.
World Expo 2015 is from 1 May until 31 October in Milan.
BunnyChow Experience food truck
30-3-2015
BunnyChow Experience
The Bunny Chow is a South African ‘fast food’ dish that originated in the ‘40s. The South African Njabulo Ndlovu gives the Dutch an opportunity to enjoy this delicacy with the ‘BunnyChow Experience’ food truck.
The Bunny Chow
Bunny Chow consists of a hollowed bread stuffed with a filling such as curry. The curry is made by Njabulo with fresh products, the organic bread is made by Bakery Paul Annee.
Bunny Chow’s origin
In the ‘40s a large number of Indians went to live in Durban and roti and curry became very popular in South Africa. The curry was popular because of its taste, but also because it was an affordable dish. The Bunny Chow was a good solution to serve curry as take-away through the back of a restaurant for people who were not allowed to enter during the Apartheid era.
Social
The South African culture is one where food and especially ‘eating together’ is very important. The BunnyChow Experience therefore focuses on both the quality of the food as well as the quality of the experience around it. The slogan ‘Food is a social event!’ underlines the goal of this experience.
The Duchess
27-3-2015
Restaurant ‘The Duchess’ in the former KAS Bank and the new W Amsterdam opens this summer. It’s just a short distance away from the Royal Palace at the Dam square. Founder Yossi Eliyahoo of ‘The Duchess’ calls the restaurant a luxurious retreat in the crowded heart of Amsterdam.
The Kitchen
All the tastes are prepared in a handmade Molteni kitchen. This kitchen has been designed specially for the restaurant. An exclusive table is located in middle of the kitchen, The Duchess Table. The menu is inspired by the tastes that are characteristic for countries such as France and Italy. The restaurant uses products like artichoke, zucchini, lemons, olives, tomatoes, truffles, a variety of seafood, meat and fresh pastas. These are all local products from France and Italy.
The ‘Afternoon Tea’ is an important part of ‘The Duchess’. During this light meal there will be a variety of small pastries and scones served with signature marmalades. Besides that, the restaurant also serves one of its many tea blends and champagnes. Adjusted to the ‘dining experience’, the drink menu consists of different drinks, cocktails and punch.
Interior
Yossi Eliyahoo is inspired by the history of the former bank and combined this with the character of ‘The Duchess’. The interior has been brought into balance with the elegance and refinement of a royal past and with the comfort and intrigues from this time. The hall is decorated with a ceiling that is made of glass surrounded by marble details and handmade floor tiles.
