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

Thoughtful Change Defines Rapoport’s First Bon Appetit Cover

The May copy of Bon Appetit is a must-see/must-read issue for all those who follow trend development in the culinary industry. The magazine’s new editor-in-chief, Adam Rapoport, chose a simple bowl of pasta al pomodoro garnished with grated parmesan as the front cover image.  

It’s a classic dish but not a cutting edge selection such as one might expect from, say, Ferran. But be assured that Rapoport knows what he’s doing and why. After all, he worked at GQ (Gentlemen’s Quarterly) before being selected by Condé Nast, the parent owners of the Bon Appetit publication. And no one can say that the prestigious GQ isn’t hip to all that’s hot.

Rapoport recently explained over breakfast in mid-Manhattan that startlingly fast change has never been his goal. With over 1.5 million readers, the magazine’s new directing editor's principal objective is to maintain and then to expand subscriptions through an in depth understanding of contemporary trends and interests.

An experienced hand at developmental design, Rapoport quickly repeated lessons learned at GQ that one’s supportive staff can make or break even the most gifted as no one truly creates successfully in isolation.  Soon such talented and experienced individuals as Christine Muhlke, formerly from The New York Times Magazine, were working beside him.

The first (and probably most pressing) problem facing Rapoport and his staff is how to stand out among the many spin-off magazines from the crowded field of T.V.'s celebrity chef shows. That other leading food magazine, Food & Wine, has very successfully co-branded with the Bravo Chanel “Top Chef” programing. And no one can miss Rachael Ray’s or Martha Stewart ‘s magazines at the grocery check-out stands, complete with nearly endless tie-ins to their daily television broadcasts.

So what’s Rapoport to do? In short, keep the best and then add the rest. For Bon Appetit, Rapoport believes that the positive starting point is the magazine's library of outstanding recipes, all tested and copyrighted. Add solid culinary technique, all captured in stunning photography that both defines and excites.

But Rapoport wants more. He wants snap and pop while always bringing the reader into the experience.  Story titles will become more intriguing with such lead lines as “How to Drink Like an Italian,” and “The Real Baconator.” Writers (and photographers) will abandon the standard studio stillife shoot and move out onto location, bringing back not just the story but also the authentic “feeling” of cuisine and culture.

Will there be celebrities? Yes, but one’s that are truly interested in cuisine, not just those using all matters food and wine to promote their image (and their bank account). The New York Post is currently reporting that the next issue will feature Gwyneth Paltrow. One can only hope-hope-hope they are right.

Go for it Rapoport!  We’re all rooting for you. 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

Mardi Gras, the Chef’s Toque and the Court of the Two Sisters

There is no destination in America that offers more elaborate costumes (or cuisine) then New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Whether enjoying the grand parade of the customed “Indian” clubs in the streets of the old French Quarter or glazing at the elegant attire at the private krewe balls while enjoying chilled champagne, there is no simply no other place like grand New Orleans.

Yet none of this is new to the Big N.O. Whether it’s the classical white towering toques that New Orleans’ famed chefs wear or the stylish tignon head wraps still worn with pride by many of the city's most beautiful women, New Orleans has always been a city of flavor and fashion flare.

When New Orleans’ first professional chefs arrived they were French and they brought with them the culinary traditions of their homeland – including the wearing of the venerated toque or tall white chef's hat. First wore in the 16^th century, this hallmark hat began as a simple European tradesman’s hat, enabling the harried venders to quickly identify the chief cook among the many other tired kitchen servants.

As cooking developed into a profession and random cooks became trained chefs, the toque rose in height and importance. The legendary French Chef Marie-Antoine Careme designed the now universal chef attire of the white jacket and, of course, tall starched toque. Tradition says the 100 folds of the classic toque honor the fact that Chef Careme knew 100 different ways to cook an egg. Amazing!

When New Orleans' early chefs walked to market they often nodded their heads to the free black women of the city who also wore their own distinctive headwear.  In 1785 the then Spanish governor of Louisiana passed a law requiring free women of color to cover their hair and avoid any use of feathers or jewelry. When the French retook possession of the Mississippi colony, they continued the ruling.

Not to be denied their identity, these remarkable women developed elaborate scarf wrapping techniques, known as making a tignon, to make an art of what was supposed to be a restricting limitation. Free and creative, these women held a unique position in post-Civil War New Orleans, often acting as culinary suppliers to the chefs.

Two individuals who were heirs to this world between worlds were the two Camors sisters, Emma and Bertha. Together they designed and created gowns for many of the city’s finest ladies (and quietly for some of their husband’s special ‘friends” as well). At their workshop the treasured fabrics and ribbons moved through their skilled fingers as they also savored the drifting nearby smells of rich creole cooking. Year after year the sisters stitched gown after gown in the courtyard of their elite establishment on Governor’s Row.

Each year they traveled to Paris, the home of fashion, then and now, to study the latest Worth designs and purchase the rare laces and rich fabrics available only there. Once back at home, they skillfully blended the legacy of Europe's style with the cross-cultural influences of New Orleans to create gowns as memorable as the city itself.

The flavor and flare of their creativity is captured today by two brothers, Joseph and Jerome Fein, owners and directors of the restaurant - The Court of the Two Sisters.  Located in the exact location of the sisters’ workshop, this esteemed destination offers one of the city’s best brunches, all to the sounds of New Orleans jazz, just behind a wrought iron gate of promised grace near a softly flowing fountain.

If it seems another world, well, it is – especially at Madri Gras where fans and feathers, beads and bubbles mingle with cuisine and chefs in tall toques smile at the end of the day and say as only a southern chef can say, “Ah, New Orleans!”   

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

At Home with the World: Madhur Jaffrey

Madhur Jaffrey is that rare culinary writer who principal’s ingredient is life itself.  Whether you are reading any of her many cookbooks or watching her latest film (yes, she is also an accomplished actress), you can’t help but sense a joyful depth in all she does.

There is purpose and passion to what she shares.  And share she does – from the story of her childhood in India surrounded by a large extended family to her days as a young acting student in London.

It was in cold foggy London that she first longed for the comfort of the foods made by loving aunts and her distant mother.  There was only one problem – Madhur had never been one to see the kitchen as a place of interest.  In short, she couldn’t cook.

After short (and often incomplete) cooking notes began arriving from her mother, Madhur realized that if she wanted authentic Indian cuisine while aboard, she was going to have to learn to cook.

Soon two career paths emerged for Madhur – the stage and the kitchen.  Yet her rich heritage from the ancient cultures of India saw these two interests as part of a single life focus: community shared.

During a recent interview she explained that she sees acting as sharing the passion/the inner meaning of the play with the audience – to draw them in until they discover a warmth of understanding that makes the evening worthwhile.  

She shared that she considers cooking to be no different – it should also enrich community, bring people together in a deeper sense of self.

In her newest cookbook, At Home with Madhur Jaffrey, she carries that spirit forward on every page.  Each recipe is adjusted to comfortably fit in a western kitchen.  Yet each recipe was collected directly from cooks in Indian, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanks as they cooked for family and friends.  You can almost smell the spices as you read recipe after recipe.

Each dish is enticing and begs to be shared with others.  Madhur explained that her goal was to free the cook from the tiring tradition of long and difficult hours of ethnic food preparation.  Then there would be time for what truly matters in life – laughter, conversation, fellowship and family.

There is a gentle grace and ease in Madhur’s writing that makes you feel at home within these rich cuisines of Asia.  She is truly a citizen of the world and invites you to be one, too – one bite at a bite.

Just be sure to invite your friends to join you.  No one should dine alone.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2010

Life's a Feast So Enjoy the Trip

One of the wonderful things about food is that it always makes one want to travel – try new flavors and experiences in far away places. But did you ever wonder how the travel industry got started?

Back in 1841 a creative individual with a commitment to quality named Thomas Cook came up with a new idea – what if travel was fun and problem free. Prior to 1841 travel was dirty, dangerous and downright unpleasant. Cook, who was a teetotaler in an age of very, very heavy drinkers, was interested in health and the quality of life (and eventually of travel itself).

After arranging a day trip for fellow nondrinkers, he was shocked at how difficult it was to travel safely and comfortably even on the newest form of transportation of his day – trains.

After opening a bookstore in London, friends urged him to go further and arrange a trip to the Continent.Thinking it might be easier then arranging travel in Britain, he agreed. But it was worse! Multiple languages and differing customs made travel there even more difficult.

Well, Cook was anything if not organized and analytical. He quickly realized that travelers needed the help of knowledgeable professionals to smooth out the rough spots and help them along their way.

Cook then decided to open the first offices where nervous travelers could pick up all their tickets for any entire trip at one time as well as sign up for tours taken and approved by Cook himself. Every detail was personally checked and rechecked.

Nothing was left to chance or error. Cook not only offered safe traveler’s checks to the hesitant traveler but regional guidebooks and correct departure and arrival timetables for all trains and cruise lines.

Expert travel advice in one’s own language was always available at the Cook Offices including what sights to see, the best local food to enjoy and where to shop.

And of course, Cook’s was always willing to ship your purchases home for you, freeing you to move on carefree and unburdened by extra boxes and bags.

How nice. (Are you listen airlines?)

If you are starting to long for these bye-gone days of quality travel to come again, just remember there still are certain hotels and cruise lines that have never abandoned the standard that Thomas Cook established for the travel industry over one hundred years ago. He’s motto (and their's)...service, service, service – at every possible level!

Life’s a feast – enjoy your trip!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2010