Obama Invites German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Step into History at Georgetown’s 1789 Restaurant

If one is a world leader, state visits are often a round of the to-be-expected activities ranging from reviewing the troops to sitting through long formal dinners.  German Chancellor Angela Merkel was treated to just such a rare break from tradition during her recent visit to Washington DC when prior to protocol's demands President Barack Obama hosted Merkel at Georgetown’s historic 1789 Restaurant.

Named for the year in which both Georgetown University was founded by the Roman Archbishop John Carroll and the District of Columbia was designated as the future capital of the country, each of the six dining rooms in the Federalist period townhouse are discretely decorated with period antiques and equestrian prints.

Yet while Obama and Merkel relaxed and talked for nearly two hours, it was not the historical décor alone that held their attention.  Certainly a large part of the evening’s charm was the cuisine created by Executive Chef Daniel Giusti and Pastry Chef Mallory Staley.

Chef Giusti was appointed the lead chef at 1789 in 2008 by the Clyde’s Restaurant Group that owns this esteemed property. Though one of the youngest top chefs in D.C., Giusti has been winning national awards with his fresh seasonal fare highlighting the cuisine of America’s many culinary regions.

His interest in all matters kitchen began t 15 years of age and went on to include training at the C.I.A., an internship with acclaimed Chef Charlie Palmer at New York’s Aureole, study in Italy and work as the Chef de Partie at the popular French Restaurant Guy Savoy in Las Vegas's Caesars Palace. With this background and after serving as executive Sous Chef under former 1789 Restaurant Chef Nathan Beauchamp, he was the perfect choice to lead this very popular restaurant into the twentieth­-first century with style and elegance.

Working beside Chef Giusti is another talented culinary professional, Executive Pastry Chef Mallory Staley. Born in historic Frederick, Maryland, Chef Mallory brings an extensive background to her current position including training at the French Culinary Institute, directing dessert creation at NYC Plaza Hotel’s Oak Room and the Hearth Restaurant. 

Soon additional honors from the James Beard Foundation would also be added to her resume. Charged with recreating the best of America’s traditional desserts with a contemporary twist, her new creations are now gleaming praise from diners as the perfect ending to a more than memorable meal at 1789.

Having enjoyed such a feast, it must have been hard for both Obama and Merkel to leave and return to the formal worlds of duty waiting for them at the White House and Blair House, the official residence of presidential guests.

But have no fear, beginning Tuesday, June 7^th at 9 AM the formal pageantry begins with a 19 gun salute and troop review on the White House lawn.  Later that night, the German Chancellor will be hosted at a formal White House State Dinner, complete with placards, toasts and tuxes.

The dinner there will, of course, be great and grand, but one can only be thankful that for a moment, at least, these two leaders could relax and enjoy all that make the 1789 Restaurant a national treasure not to be missed.   

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

Legandary Chef Anton Mosimann to Create a Royal Champagne Wedding Dinner for Kate and William

When it's a royal wedding, only the best will do, especially when it's combined with a regard for both innovation AND tradition. And no one but no one can create that blend better than Chef Anton Mosimann.

Born in Switzerland, Chef Mosimann first ventured into the kitchen at the age of six when he first assisted his parents in a Nidau based restaurant. By the time he was 15 he was apprenticed to another regional restaurant in the Hotel Baeren in Twann. He would go on to receive his chef de cuisine diploma at the early age of 25!

Soon thereafter he was working in restaurants ranging from Rome’s Cavalieri to Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel and from the Swiss Pavilion at Japan’s Expo 70 to Belgium’s Villa Lorraine. Each position offered him a fresh opportunity to discover new ingredients and techniques.    

Using his new insights the young chef won a gold medal in the culinary competition in Lucerne in 1973. This achievement brought him to the attention of Adelrich Furrer, who recommended him Eugene Kaufeler, the famed chef of London’s grand Dorchester Hotel. 

Several interviews later Mosimann found himself the Head Chef of the legendary Dorchester Hotel at remarkable age 28! But several problems lay ahead for this young and very talented chef.

On arrival the Swiss chef discovered that the cuisine of the Dorchester was classic but dated and many among the staff of over 100 employees wondered at the wisdom of appointing such a young chef to a position of high responsibility.

Slowly but surely he won them over, centering all culinary changes around “La Nouvelle Cuisine”. Each dish was to be prepared from only the freshest food and never preped in advance. 

The goal of each assisting chef was to preserve the original taste of the ingredients involved – a chicken should taste like a chicken and not be buried under heavy sauces.

Mosimann also believed that the diner should not be limited to the cuisine of a single nation. Under his direction, French trained chefs learned to appreciate and prepare classic Japanese dishes and visa a versa. With a clarity of flavors and an embrace of diversity, Mosimann chose to reduce portion sizes and also favored a more leisurely paced dining experience.

The result? The first Michelin stars awarded outside of France! But the honors didn’t stop there. Mosimann would go on to receive the esteemed Order of the British Empire from the Queen of England in 2004 as well as to become a favorite of both Prince Charles and many other royals and celebrities who also appreciated his fresh and healthy approach to matters traditional.

Today Chef Mosimann holds court at his own private dining club Mosimann’s. But on the evening of April 29^th, he and his staff will be busy creating the evening wedding dinner being hosted by Prince Charles for Kate and William.

It will be memorable and the champagne to be served is rumored to possibly be Pol Roger, the bubbly favored by another London legend, Winston Churchill.

What a night to remember! Good Luck Kate and William!

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

Thomas Keller To Receive French Legion of Honor Medal

Congratulations to Chef Thomas Keller! On March 29^th he will receive France’s highest honor in acknowledgement of his outstanding work promoting an appreciation of French cuisine in America.

Famed French chef Paul Bocuse will present the medal in New York at Keller’s legendary Per Se Restaurant in the Time Warner Center. Once awarded, Keller will join a very elite group of only two other Americans.  Alice Waters and Julia Child are the only other U.S. citizens from the culinary world to be so honored. Bravo Thomas!

The Legion of Honor (or Legion d’Honneur to use the correct French term) was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. The French Revolution had swept away the ancient merit system which honored only the “achievements” of the nobility. Napoleon wanted a new system that acknowledged talent, not birth or inherited family wealth.

With this intent in mind, Napoleon ordered the creation of the Ordre National de la Legion d’Honneur, the first modern order based on merit and creative contribution.  Though most often given only to French citizens, exceptions have been made for those individuals who have honored the traditions and values of France around the world, despite their nationality.

One such person was the remarkable Josephine Baker, who dazzled the French with her singing and great beauty, but won their hearts with her courageous resistance efforts during World War II and her noble humanitarian efforts after the War ended.

Napoleon once said that medals and awards were but glittering baubles but that such things mattered because they inspire, they motivate, they tell us who is worthy to be followed. In awarding this great medal to Thomas Keller of French Laundry fame, they could not have chosen better. 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011