danish focus Camilla and her friend, Michelangelo Cestari, an Italian-Venezuelan chef, who was hired as Gustu’s C.E.O. “We wanted to follow the ‘0 kilometer’ philosophy: working exclusively with ingredients planted, raised, grown and processed entirely in Boliva - ingredients that were indigenous in the country, but were novel for those generations currently living in the city. Our aim was to generate respectful relationships with each of our suppliers, seeking to consolidate the Bolivian productive chain, beginning with the boost of fair business activities. Each and every one of us are responsible for the environment around us, we seek to take advantage of the resources offered in a sustainable manner, ensuring the implementation of green practices,” Kamilla resonates the credo of the restaurant, which, after an un-easy start became one of the best restaurants in South America: it was chosen Nr. 1. in Bolivia and the 14th best in LatinAmerica, while Kamilla herself won the ‘Best female chef of Latin-America’ title in 2016. When ‘The Dane of the Andes’, as she is often referred to saw that her team was ready to take over, she decided to move on, as her plan was never to stay forever. She stepped down as executive chef of Gustu after 5 years, and embarked on a world-wide journey she named ‘The Kamilla Seidler Expedition’, teaming with food festivals, gourmet shows and pop-ups, to popularize Bolivian and South American cuisine. As part of this tour, she was invited to Budapest and attended the Gourmet Festival held in May 17-20, to prepare a five-course Latin-American dinner for the Hungarian audience. “I seriously believe that the philosophy behind Gustu (which is first and foremost a social project) could be exported into another environment, any environment, really,” she highlights, adding that in Bolivia, they started with a small culinary school, and today, the foundation runs 10 schools in Bolivia and two in Colombia, while the goal remains the same: empower and improve professional skills and competencies of young Bolivians, offering tools and appropriate working environments, which will encourage the leaders and entrepreneurs of the future.
CHANGING THE WORLD THROUGH FOOD INTERVIEW WITH THE ‘DANE OF THE ANDES’
Kamilla Seidler was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1983. She began working in a
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bakery at 15, and studied at the Copenhagen Hospitality College. She has worked in some of
Diversity, tolerance, ethics, work culture and sustainability
the world’s best kitchens, including Mugaritz in San Sebastián and Belmond Le Manoir Aux
Looking for a new challenge, Kamilla started to work for the Food Organization of Denmark (FOOD), a non-profit organization established to promote and develop Danish & Nordic food & gastronomy. FOOD coordinates, amongst others, the ‘Nordic Sustainability 2.0 project’ which is supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers and runs in 2018. “Basically, our goal is to put social sustainability on the gastronomic map of Scandinavia,” she notes. “I’m glad that I could join a movement in my home country which tries to act as a catalyst for social and culinary change, and that I can work on projects such as the ongoing Freja campaign which aims to improve equality in kitchens across Scandinavia. The food revolution in Denmark hasn’t ended yet, there’s still a lot to do to merge the exploration of deliciousness with sustainability, raising awareness of biodiversity, completely reshaping the way we eat, and what we offer for those who visit Denmark.”
Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire, and Paustian and Geist in her native Copenhagen.
born Kamilla Seidler came into the picture. “Fighting poverty through deliciousness,” that was the goal of Meyer, who hired Kamilla in 2012. “It was a challenge to get used to Latin-America, and especially Bolivia, a country of mountains that is radically different from Copenhagen, which is flatter than my hair,” Kamilla said earlier in an interview. (Indeed, at an elevation of roughly 3,650 meter above sea level, Laz Paz is the highest de facto capital city in the world.)
Socio-conscious gastronomy But, as she says, she has always liked travelling and living abroad, so in the end, she considered living in Bolivia manageable. The fact she speaks fluent Spanish, also helped. Gustu finally opened in April, 2013, headed by J U N E
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New Nordic Kitchen, which in virtue of its good taste and special character compares favorably with the standard of the greatest kitchens of the world,” the Manifesto stated. Proposing a cuisine based exclusively on products sourced from the Nordic terroir, in addition to a strong focus on health and ethical production, the Manifesto was first implemented at noma, which began soaring high, gaining international fame: it was elected best restaurant in the world, four times. Meyer, meanwhile, started a foundation called Melting Pot, originally to teach prisoners in Denmark how to cook. As the ambitious initiative grew bigger, Meyer began planning to cross the borders of Denmark in search of a development country where he could open a culinary school to train generations of cooks who would later be able to educate their own communities; his choice fell on Bolivia. He aimed to apply the basics of the Nordic movement in a restaurant in La Plaz, that could be an equivalent of noma, where newly trained local chefs would work. He looked for a Danish chef to lead the kitchen, and this is where my interviewee, the Copenhagen-
photo by DÁVID
About 15 ago, Danish cuisine was completely unknown outside the country. Today, Denmark is one of the leading gastronomic destinations in the world. The ‘Michelin Guide Nordic Countries 2018’ awarded no less than 31 stars to 26 Danish restaurants, in the cities as well as in the countryside. The dramatic change came with the Nordic Cuisine Movement, commonly attributed to Danish food entrepreneur, TV chef and culinary ideologist Claus Meyer, who founded his restaurant ‘noma’ in 2003, and who, ten months later, along with his head chef René Redzepi, took the initiative to organize the Nordic Cuisine Symposium. Politicians, scientists, farmers, food industrialists, teachers, researchers, retailers and international chefs all gathered to explore the question: what would it take to become one of the greatest food regions in the world, and what would be the benefits further down the line? Right before the symposium started, Meyer wrote a Manifesto, along with some of the greatest chefs in the Nordic region, during an 18 hour workshop. “As Nordic chefs, we find that the time has now come for us to create a
polish focus
POLISHING GASTRONOMY TRENDS A WELL-RECEIVED EIGHT COURSE POLISH MEAL COMPLETE WITH HUNGARIAN WINES
Polish-Hungarian cooperation at the annual Gourmet Festival in Budapest proves that Central-Eastern Europe has what it takes to be a food tourism destination. Evolution and revolution
“How Poles catch on the Zeitgeist of the culinary industry, is truly remarkable,” notes chef and culinary expert Tamás Pellérdi, Commercial Director of Eastore Ltd., a company that distributes excellent Hungarian food and ingredients such as mangalitza and goose liver abroad. An enthusiastic fan of both Polish and Hungarian cuisine, Pellérdi – or ‘Mr Foie Gras’ as he is referred to in Warsaw where he resides – often acts as a propeller to encourage gastronomy-related cooperation and activities, so his presence was more than natural at Budapest’s Gourmet Festival, which this year chose to focus, for one night, on Polish cuisine. “Organizers invited the chefs of all Warsaw-based restaurants that possess Bib Gourmand-recommendations, to cook together and co-host a dinner party where an eight-course menu was served, accompanied by a selection of Hungarian wines,” Pellérdi explains, adding that introducing modern Polish cuisine to the Hungarian public is not a novelty in the Gourmet fest’s programs. “Two years ago, Mateusz Wichrowski, the chef of Brasserie Warszawska, was a special guest of the Gourmet Festival, arriving on the invitation of the Polish Institute Budapest and the Polish Embassy Budapest. I suggested that he should present a cooking show with a Hungarian chef, namely Bocuse d'Or Hungary winner Ádám Pohner. Their ‘Dwa bratanki’ (Two Good Friends) show was very popular. In 2017, chef Wojciech Amaro was invited to the fest, representing his restaurant Atelier Amaro, which was the first restaurant in Poland to win a Michelin Star. This year, organizers wanted to present Bib Gourmand places and contacted Polish restaurateur Daniel Pawełek, who, via his Ferment Group, owns five restaurants and wine bars in Warsaw, of which three have received the Bib Gourmand recognition: Brasserie Warszawska, Butchery & Wine, and Kieliszki na Próznej. Pawełek asked to make it four, to feature all Bib Gourmand restaurants from Warsaw, and so Alewino was invited, too.”
According to Pellérdi, the Polish restaurant scene is relatively young, but it has the dynamics to develop and it is likely to become recognized worldwide. “The country undoubtedly has the foundation to be regarded as a serious performer internationally with everything from street food and gourmet markets to fine dining restaurants,” he says. “The Poles' connection with nature is undeniable. They often go to the woods to pick mushrooms and collect herbs and berries, the tradition of pickling (fermenting) vegetables also has a long tradition in the country. Chefs today tend to recreate long-forgotten recipes and mingle modern cooking techniques with traditional elements,” Pellérdi continues, highlighting how blessed Poland is when it comes to finding the best ingredients: unlike restaurants in Budapest, an F&B manager in Warsaw can easily order and receive fresh fish every morning from the sea and fresh cheese from the mountains. “Another difference, as I see it, is that Polish restaurants are less dependent on tourists, and are mainly full of with residents in Warsaw. On the other hand, Budapest has more Michelin stars. I try to grasp every opportunity to popularize Hungarian gastronomy in Poland and vice versa, and I believe that there’s a lot to learn from each other. I wish for as many collaborations as possible, similar to these recent festivals and expos,” Pellérdi says, concluding, “It is unusual that, in a world of global tensions and conflict, two countries that do not even share a border would maintain such good relations and that their historical friendship would remain intact even during extreme political conditions, since the Middle Ages. I say we should make the most of this friendship, gastronomy-wise. The world should know that there is a culinary revolution going on in Central Europe.”
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The European Academy of Gastronomy (an organization established in 1983 which is based in France and cooperates, among others, with the UN and the EU) has recently awarded Krakow with the prestigious title ‘European Capital of Gastronomy Culture.’ Krakow’s restaurants are the only restaurants outside Warsaw that hold Michelin guide’s distinctions – there are 26 such places at this time. Twice as many Krakow’s places were honored by Gaullt et Millau, while 8 were recommended by Slow Food Poland. The city has prepared its own schedule of culinary events for 2019, including a Gastronomy Congress for specialists and lovers of fine cuisine, and a meeting for Krakow-based chefs and celebrity chefs from around the world. Via the innovative 'Virtual cooking', people will be able to follow multiple chefs cooking online, in their restaurants, live. New projects will also be developed related to the cuisine of the royal court, the bourgeoisie and the academia of Krakow. Krakow’s culinary heritage has included street food – ever since the Middle Ages, when simple food was offered to townsmen, merchants and students from portable stalls.
HARANGOZÓ, DEPOSITPHOTOS.COM
EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF GASTRONOMY CULTURE
american focus my Hungarian heritage, but as I turned older, I started to beg her for recipes and stories alike, but then I realized that it wasn’t easy for her to remember her painful past.”
Inspiration from Lang
THE AMBASSADOR OF HUNGARIAN CUISINE AN INTERVIEW WITH JEREMY SALAMON
photo by DÁVID
HARANGOZÓ
On May 19, American chef Jeremy Salamon took the gastro stage of the Gourmet Festival in Budapest and won the hearts of the audience by introducing his own take on lángos, a popular Hungarian street food classic. A few months before, on the invitation of ReConnect Hungary, he presented a dinner demo at the Hungarian Library in New York, dazzling guests by demonstrating a few of his signature Hungarian dishes. Diplomacy&Trade was eager to f ind out where his passion for Hungarian gastronomy comes from. Only 25, Jeremy Salamon is often referred to as a culinary whiz kid who, at the age of 9, told his mother he wanted to become a chef, and stuck to his plan. Upon turning 13, he started his own cooking blog to connect with other like-minded teens. “I did start early, which gave me a certain advantage, but I’ve never aimed for the Youngest Chef title, or anything like that,” notes Jeremy, who was born and raised in South Florida, and soon moved to New York to attend the Culinary Institute of America. As you might have guessed already, Jeremy does have Hungarian roots. “My grandparents were born in Hungary, and somehow managed w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m
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to stay alive in the Budapest ghetto during WWII. They chose to leave Hungary in 1956 (following the Hungarian Revolution), and fled to the U.S. through Vienna, finally landing in New York City, to start a new life, operating a drycleaners,” Jeremy reveals, At the time, a huge Hungarian community lived on New York's Upper East Side (adjacent to Central Park, between the 73rd and 85th Streets), forming ‘Little Hungary’, with many Hungarian restaurants and shops. “These don’t exist anymore, and the Hungarian legacy is reduced to a confectionary and one tiny, 10-seat place called Andre’s where one can find traditional gulyás,” Jeremy continues. He says he was
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lucky enough to grow up tasting his Ági grandmother’s home cooking. “In fact, she learned to cook Italian and American dishes too, and our Sunday brunches often turned into multi-cultural, international feasts. But having palacsinta (a popular Hungarian dessert, which instead of the American pancake is similar to the French crepes: it is thin, silky, and rolled into logs with jam or cottage cheese cream inside) on the repertoire was a must,” Jeremy recalls. Despite their strong relationship, Jeremy says he rarely spent time in Ági’s kitchen. “Being a very proud, stubborn woman, she has never accepted help in the kitchen. Up to a point I wasn’t interested in
Later, while in college, Jeremy decided to cook a Hungarian meal for friends. Not possessing his grandmother’s entire collection of recipes, he stopped by a bookstore and purchased the only Hungarian cookbook they had: The Cuisine of Hungary by George Lang (the late Hungarian restaurateur, who owned New York’s iconic Café des Artistes). “That book was incredibly eye-opening. It became my Bible, and I became a Lang-freak,” Jeremy admits. Meanwhile, he started working in different restaurants in New York City, and, in 2015, one job took him to the East Village, namely to The Eddy, which, at the time, was famed for its international cuisine, something Jeremy did appreciate and liked, however, as he put it, “Something was missing.” In 2017, he left the restaurant behind and bought a ticket to Hungary. “I wanted to visit my relatives in Eger, and to gather as many ideas on Hungarian food and ingredients as I could. When I returned to New York City, I kicked off FOND, a series of pop-up dinners, which were to demonstrate what I learned on my Hungarian trip: that Hungarian dishes don’t have to be overwhelmingly hearty, meatfocused and sauce-heavy.” His new, modern interpretations of his grandmother’s cuisine were so successful that The Eddy’s Canadian owner, Jason Soloway, soon asked Jeremy to return as executive chef, giving him a platform to showcase his love of Hungarian cuisine. “I must point out though, that The Eddy is not a Hungarian restaurant. Normally, the menu is a synthesis of New American with a few Hungarian touches, I would say,” Jeremy notes, adding, “within a year and a half, I am to open a little restaurant that focuses solely on Jewish-Hungarian food.” In the meantime, he hosts Hungarian dinners, such as the one he calls a ‘milestone’ in his career: a dinner commemorating George Lang. Held on June 5, 2018, The Eddy welcomed the entire circle of Lang’s friends and family, among them Jenifer Harvey Lang, Lang’s widow. “To me, they were like the Royal Family,” Jeremy says enthusiastically. “My inspiration for the menu that night came from Lang’s obituary in the New York Times, that mentioned an interview Lang gave to a Nina Lalli at Village Voice, on what his last meal would be: fisherman’s soup, stuffed goose neck, sour cherry soup, layered cabbage, stuffed peppers, plum dumplings, pancakes with apple meringue, and whippedcream strudel. I did make a few modifications, for instance I changed the traditional green peppers to poblanos for the stuffed peppers. I also served my signature lángos, made with potato, yeast and milk, deep-fried once the gluten developed, topped with pecorino and finished with wildflower honey.” Jeremy says he can’t stand to see Hungarian cuisine becoming extinct. “Over a million people have Hungarian roots in the U.S. I’m sure Hungarian cuisine has much potential here. I’d love to see it revived, first in New York, as an homage to Little Hungary. I guess my mission is to spark some interest in it, by making it approachable and more attractive, with a few updates for a new generation.”
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gastronomy
THE AMBASSADOR OF ITALIAN CUISINE
ITALIAN-AMERICAN MICHELIN-STAR CHEF ATTENDS THE FEAST OF ITALIAN KITCHEN IN HUNGARY
Held for the fourth consecutive year, Italian Gastronomy Week took place in Hungary this fall. This year’s guest of honor was Michelin star chef Cristina Bowerman. The theme and events of the Italian Gastronomy Week were introduced to members of the press at the Italian ambassador’s residence in Budapest but the host, Massimo Rustico was not the only Italian ambassador present as Chef Bowerman is the President of the Association of Italian Ambassadors of Taste. Guests were treated to a masterclass on the preparation of a perfect risotto, this time flavored with Valtellina bresaola beef and Cetara anchovy.
Preserving culinary traditions
Born in Apulia, Cristina Bowerman graduated with a law degree in her home country but, in 1992, she moved to San Francisco to explore new horizons. While in California, she worked at Higher Grounds, a coffee house in San Francisco where she developed her passion for cooking that began in her youth, largely due to her mother’s and grandmother’s teachings. In 1998, she moved to Austin, where she earned a degree in Culinary Arts. There – in particular thanks to her experience at the Driskill Grill – she developed discipline and technique, working a lot on sharpness, definition and concentration of flavors. Talking about her culinary experiences in the United States, she told the L’Italiano-Americano magazine that “a full new world opened up to me. Neither Italian cuisine, nor Japanese nor any other, are the best in the world. There
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are no specific products, but rather particular characteristics that make every cuisine unique and special. I always like to repeat how, once upon a time there was the compulsory military service, today, it should be established a mandatory period to be spent abroad. I’m not talking about the Erasmus Exchange Study Program, but an authentic immersive experience outside ones’ home country. Living abroad helps one realize how, despite big and small differences in customs, traditions and even religions, we are all defined by the same humanity.” Feeling the urgency to reconnect with her Italian roots, she returned to Italy in 2004. In 2006, she became chef at the Glass Hostaria restaurant in Rome’s historic Trastevere neighborhood. There, she achieved the Michelin star in 2010 and became known as one of the most authoritative and recognized protagonists of the Bel Paese kitchen. She has created several restaurant concepts among them Romeo Chef and Baker, Giulietta and Frigo.
Taking Italian cuisine forward Cristina Bowerman created her highly original cuisine, from her experiences – personal and professional – abroad, from the many internships at leading restaurants around the world that she attended to acquire new knowledge, to learn and refine the techniques she took back to Rome and reworked with her own twist. She managed to conquer a
The Italian Gastronomy Week was initiated by the Italian government, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and other institutions to promote quality cuisine, with all its aspects: culture, research, innovation, biodiversity and regional identity. Similarly to the 2015 World Expo, this program series promotes the importance of Italian nutrition philosophy, nutrition knowledge and appropriate consumer information. Over the past three years, more than 4,500 events have been held in 110 countries as part of Italian World Gastronomic Week. The central theme of the Hungarian event was ‘Conscious nutrition, taste culture’, aiming to raise awareness of the relationship between food and health and to provide new sensory experiences for consumers. In addition to nutritional knowledge and aspects of a well-balanced diet, the objective of the event was to rediscover the areas in which the typical Italian products were originally produced and also provide insight into the fight against the 'Italian sounding' phenomenon. In his introduction of the Week’s programs, the Italian Ambassador, Massimo Rustico stressed the importance of the quality materials used and the actual cooking methods where traditions and modernity are combined – “that is why people all over the world like Italian cuisine,” he said.
wide audience of locals and internationals with her kitchen, sometimes provocative and unsettling, but always recognizable and tasty, able to communicate – in an interesting mix – global and local, modernity and tradition. A website dedicated to great Italian chefs notes that she has all the ingredients and ideas of an Italian chef driving Italy’s food into the next era. Some dishes remain close to the country’s traditions, such as her Veal and vignarola salad and a delicate dessert of Cassata spheres with ricotta mousse, almond mousse and chocolate, while others show stronger evidence of her time in the United States, such as her Prawn tartare with pico de gallo, hummus and prawn crackers. Some particularly creative plates hint at the breadth of her travels, like the Foie gras sandwich with liquourice and potato chips, mango ketchup and 'passito' mayonnaise and Rack of lamb, Stilton cheese and burnt leek. In an interview with the Italian novelist and journalist, Alain Elkann, Cristina described her cuisine as “a way of expressing culture, social values, a way of being an entrepreneur. Mine is ‘contaminated cuisine’. It basically means that the main body is, of course, Italian, ‘contaminated’ by all my trips and my readings. I really do think that if you open arms, body and soul you can absorb the best of other people’s culture. When I see a pizza, I see culture, mozzarella, the people who make it. I see the people picking the tomatoes. If you see that you have the power to diffuse culture.” J A N U A R Y
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Law graduate turning to chef
THE WEEK OF ITALIAN CUISINE
photo by TAMÁS
Chef Bowerman told Diplomacy&Trade that she received her Michelin star ten years ago and added – “with a teardrop in her eyes” – that she is the only female chef with a Michelin star in Rome. However, she hopes that her example will be followed by other women as she is convinced there are many women in Italy with excellent cooking skills. She has been an envoy of Italian cuisine since the 2015 World Expo and she is also one of the founders of the Association of Italian Ambassadors of Taste that tries to “bring everybody on board,” not just culinary professionals, to popularize Italian cuisine and the healthy Mediterranean diet, she said. She also emphasized the importance of teamwork, “including cooperation with the tourism authority and the Foreign Ministry in Italy. We also have important cooperation with the main pillars of their mission in Hungary: the College of Hospitality, the Italian Embassy and the organizations representing Italy in Hungary.”