Timberlake and SNL Invite Everyone to Visit Veganville

Once in the land of mass produced, high calorie foods, vegetarians were considered, well, just strange and marginal. But no longer.

Today veggies are seen as good and normal - part of an informed lifestyle choice. We should, of course, thank such culinary leaders as Alice Waters and Michelle Obama, who among others have helped to change the way we think about food.

As of last weekend, we can also thank Justin Timberlake and the creative team at Saturday Night Live who helped their millions of viewers to laugh and so take a trip to that once forbidden destination - Veganville.

Chefs will surely cheer (and so will the diners' doctors) - because now we can all "live longer and prosper".

 Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Eggs in Purgatory May Offer a Valuable Ecumenical Lesson to the Vatican

Roman Catholic Cardinals are now meeting in Italy to begin selecting a new pope. This esteemed group of gentlemen, for there is not a woman among them, will face many unsolved problems in the Church.

Chief among the difficult issues facing the next Holy Father will be the sexual abuse of children by priests, the noncompliance of the Vatican Bank with international monetary regulations, the stabilization of relationships with Islamic spiritual leaders, the recognition of women’s universal rights as well as massive internal security leaks to name only a few of the troubling topics.

It is the hope of many that the Cardinals’ papal choice will open the windows of the Vatican to the 21st Century, embracing as a result, both change and diversity – just like the Italian dish “Uova al Purgatorio”, also known as “Eggs in Purgatory”.

The heritage of this dish begins in Spain and North Africa where both Moorish and Jewish cooks called the dish “shakahouka”.

These innovative kitchen masters were among the first in the Old World to adopt the tomatoes, paprika, and chili peppers brought back from the New World by Spanish explorers. They also quickly added the eggplant -- which was brought from India by Portuguese merchants.

But sadly, many other individuals did not share their creativity, their ability to accept the new and explore its possible applications. Indeed, many felt that these new foods, all of which are contained in “Eggs in Purgatory”, were “vulgar and rustic” foods – unworthy of the upper classes.

As a result, these new culinary delights were enjoyed only by the lower classes, into which both Jews and Arabs had been forced by royal degrees as early as the 16^th century in both Spain and Italy.

Yet slowly over time tastes changed. By 1891 the Italian Pellegrino Artusi wrote, “Forty years ago, one hardly saw a tomato, an eggplant or fennel in the markets of Florence. They were once considered vile and foreign.”

Thankfully things have changed as proven by such now popular dishes as “Eggs in Purgatory.” Let us hope that the red robed Princes of the Church are not lost in a ‘purgatory’ of their own creation, frozen in tradition, unable to see the new ’ingredients’ offered by the 21^st Century – a century crying for change and ready for a broader, richer, more inclusive spiritual menu.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Tennis Master Andy Murray Scores with Scottish Hotel Purchase

Tennis ace Andy Murray has just bought the multi-million dollar luxury Cromlix House Hotel near his Scottish home, just north of Edinburgh. 

The US Open and Olympic champion plans to transform the grand Victorian manor house, where his brother Jamie married Colombian Alejandra Gutierrez in 2010, into a five-star destination.

Locates close to his home town of Dunblane in Stirlingshire, the refurbished hotel is scheduled to re-open next spring just ahead of the 2014 Ryder Golf Cup, which is being staged a short drive away at Gleneagles.

Murray said in a statement to the press: “By re-establishing Cromlix as a leading luxury hotel at the heart of the Dunblane community, we will be able to attract new visitors to the area, create a number of new jobs and focus on supporting other local businesses. I'm pleased to be able to give something back to the community I grew up in.”

The Cromlix House is set in 50 acres of breath-taking rolling woodlands and currently has 14 vintage bedroom suites, a beautiful wedding chapel, a baronial reception hall, two drawing rooms, a conservatory, a classic dining room, a well-stocked library and several meeting rooms.

The Eden Family, who have owned the estate for more than 30 years, is happy the property is passing to someone with a strong commitment to the local community. Future plans for the Hotel involve a Chez Roux restaurant.

Renowned Chef Albert Roux, owner of Le Gavroche in London, is one of a group of industry experts consulted by Inverlochy Castle Management International (ICMI), which will manage The Cromlix House on behalf of Murray.

ICMI’s managing director, Norbert Lieder, is confident that “'With Andy, we can create a very special hotel in his home community. While we aim to create a destination that attracts visitors from around the world, we are also determined to ensure it remains a venue of choice for local people”

Bravo, bravo, bravo!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Fresh Guacamole Film Will Make You Laugh

Sometimes in this world of stress, we can all use a little humor - even if it starts at the cutting board. Just remember, as always, the 'right' ingredients make the dish.

Entitled "Fresh Guacamole", this stop-motion film took over four months to create making it is the shortest movie ever submitted to the Academy in the Best Animated Short Film category.

Sadly it didn’t win this year, but it has amassed an amazing 3.5 million hits since being uploaded on the Internet. One can be sure its creator, who goes by the professional name "PES", is smiling and answering his phone with an enthusiastic "Ole!" 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

El Bulli Cooking in Progress Is One Amazing Film

Well, the Oscars have been awarded in Hollywood and congratulations to all. But there is one film the members of the Hospitality Industry are all waiting to see in wider release and that's El Bulli - Cooking in Progress.

If you have not had a chance to read any of the film's glowing reviews, just check out the movie's trailer and you'll run, not walk, to the showing nearest you or purchase the DVD for your permanent collection. 

Truly an inspiring film about the nature and value of creativity!

POST NOTE, February 25, 2013: It’s finally confirmed! THERE WILL BE A SECOND FERRAN MOVIE!

Vendome Pictures has just announced they are moving ahead to turn Lisa Abend’s book, The Sorcerer’s Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adria's elBulli, into a new film.

The movie will focus on the drama of the young apprentice chefs going through the restaurant's famous training program. Besides Adria, the main characters will be his Chefs de Cuisine--Eduard Xatruch, Mateu Casanas, and Oriol Castro

There will also be a stunning range of stagiares: Katie Button, an American former biomedical researcher turned chef; Luke Jang, a Korean who paid his way to El Bulli by working in a slaughterhouse; Andrea Correa, a Colombian chef who gets to be Oriol's personal assistant; Roger Alcaraz, a son of Catalan goat farmers; and Gael Vuilloud, a young French chef who can't quite pick up Spanish.

But the big question is: Who will play Ferran? Abend has always thought of Johnny Depp in the central role.

And while no one can doubt his talent, for this role, he might have to gain some pounds.

But what better way to gain weight then while studying (and savoring) the cuisine for this world famous Chef and his amazingly talent staff.

 Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013