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, including Franc Aleu, Daniel Molina, Pere Grife, and Peret, 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 finally a film by 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

How to Feed 100,000 People a Day

In a world that seems unable to work together even to solve the simplest of problems, Valerie Berteau and Philippr Witjes have produced a stunning documentary film, entitled Himself Who Cooks, that follows the efforts of hundreds of volunteers at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India as they feed up to 100,000 people every day. 

Yes, that’s correct -100,000 meals in a day from the Temple's Langar Kitchen.  Bertau and Witjes capture in beautiful imagery, frame by frame, the spontaneous choreography of hundreds of hands moving in unison to the pulse of a spiritual expression found through the creation and sharing of food for all. 

The Golden Temple is itself as unique as the film, because it is not only a central religious center for Sikhism but also serves as a shining symbol of brotherhood and equality for all people. As a result, everyone, regardless of creed, race, sex, nationality or social status, is welcome without hindrance or restriction to dine respectfully together in peace and fellowship.

What makes this documentary even more unique is that Philippe Witjes, who worked with Berteau as co-author and film maker, is himself a professional chef.  As a result, many images of everyday beauty, that others might have overlooked, are captured and presented as moments of meaning within food service.

Many thanks to this creative team for reminding us all, that between the plates and pans, food, when all is said and done, is about fellowship with others and so, hopefully, with the world around us.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

It's The Life of Pi after Thanksgiving Pie

What does one do after a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner? Well, everyone on staff at Your Culinary World is going to see the just released movie hailed as the new Avatar - The Life of Pi.

Directed in 3D (and digital) by Ang Lee, who also created the visually stunning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and thought provoking Brokeback Mountain, The Life of Pi has been hailed by early reviewers as a masterpiece.

Based on an award winning book by Yann Martel, the story superficially tells the tale a boy shipwrecked in a small rowboat with a tiger. But the story is about much much more than that. It is also a story about fear, division, courage and the power to understand the heart of Life itself - themes the author often seeks to write about.

Make time this holiday to see a movie you will long remember -it's one great present you can give yourself and your staff. No gift wrapping required!

Post Note, November 30, 2012: If by now you have seen The Life of Pi (which we hope you have as the film is truly amazing), why not celebrate a great movie with a piece of Tiger Cake in honor of Richard Parker himself.

(Just adjust the colors and you can also make a Zebra Cake - if you've seen the film...poor zebra).

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2012

Massive Indian Power Outage Offers a Wider Lesson to the World

Our hearts go out to the 680 million people in northern and eastern India who are enduring that nation’s largest electric blackout ever. If that number seems too large to grasp, the recent outage has impacted a population group larger than that of the United States, Russia and Brazil combined.

That is a lot of people suffering – hotels, hospitals, restaurants, schools, rail transportation... all stopped still.

The world should take note and learn a very important lesson: we are all interdependent one to another.

Recently the President of the United States was misquoted when he correctly said that no business owner achieves success alone.

Any successful business needs lights, power, roads and healthy employees.

Often that large supportive, and very necessary, infrastructure is built and maintained by the collective effort of government, paid for with public taxes for the benefit of all.

Once during the early days of American history (1777-1789), the U.S. adopted a singular, every state for itself approach and the result was disastrous. Today we should know better.

Working together is always stronger that pulling apart with an “I/we don’t need anybody else” attitude.

No hotel department or restaurant division is successful in isolation.

Each has to be an integrated co-supportive professional community to be a truly successful and creative business. 

India will survive because she is one of the world's greatest nations blessed with an indomitable spirit.

It is our hope that India's recovery will be inclusive, embracing the right of all to the safety of light and an equally bright future for everyone.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2012