Apicius 25 (eBook)

Every six months (with one issue in May and another in November), it uniquely showcases the latest developments in high-end gastronomy worldwide. The list of professional collaborators reflects this progressive internationalization and gives an idea of the dimension these notebooks are taking on, and what their principles or philosophy are. Published semi-annually (May and November), Apicius features content based on the creations of prestigious chefs and the latest techniques in the gastronomic scene. Culture and design. Apicius is the notebook that records novelties, curiosities, and great dishes. Apicius aims to show not only the didactic and formal aspects that support professionals but also the pleasurable elements that round out the rich and broad term of gastronomy. All these aspects are treated with a high qualitative and technical standard, guaranteed by the Apicius editorial team, which has been collecting content of this kind since 2003.

"StreetXO is not a restaurant and never will be," Dabiz insists repeatedly. The gastronomic event goes beyond a restaurant. That much is clear. Muñoz understands it this way, and he has captured it in StreetXO. There's the kitchen and the people. But let's not be mistaken. What the diner receives, which is ultimately the epicenter of the experience, overflows with creativity. Only a mind like that of the chef, who has decided to present a gentler image (his 'new' mohawk attests to this), is capable of creating dishes that turn out to be explosions in the mouth.

Alain Passard is a chef with enviable talent. For decades, without ever being first or second... always at the zenith of French cuisine, among the chosen few. He holds the highest ratings in Michelin, Gault Millau, and virtually all guides. He has combined his natural gifts with an unbreakable meticulousness in his work and has successfully transmitted his consciousness and feelings to his disciples. His work, in addition to triumphant concepts and dishes, has fostered the most promising school of young creators in France: Pascal Barbot "Astrance," Jacques Decoret, Mauro Colagreco "Mirazur," among other eminent chefs.

André Chiang's cuisine greatly attracts us due to that emotional component we consider basic to transform an, a priori, gastronomic experience into The Experience. Taiwan, France, Singapore. His journey makes his work acquire a special dimension. His figure is an extension of his culinary art: elegance that requires you to pause and analyze. We traveled to Singapore to get a first-hand look at André Chiang's work and discover what goes on in his mind. The dinner he offered at Azurmendi last October alongside Eneko Atxa and Ricard Camarena demonstrates that, in reality, distances do not exist. Only in our minds.

What do Albert Adrià, Albert Raurich, Juan Mari Arzak, Dani García, Fina Puigdevall, and even the late Santi Santamaria have in common? They have all sat in this "granja." But this is much more than "Where the chefs eat." Granja Elena enjoys the same kind of clientele as gastronomic restaurants where, presumably, you have to book many months in advance. A neighborhood restaurant that first opened its doors in 1974. Located in the industrial area of Barcelona, it has only 7 tables and a bar with 5 stools. A place where neighborhood haute cuisine and the cult of lunch are proclaimed... Borja (1980), along with his siblings Patricia and Guillermo, is at the helm of this temple to produce. From a memorable tripe dish to a cream-filled "xuxo." Everything goes. The premise is enjoyment.

Living away from the limelight is perhaps one of his distinctive traits. Always in his kitchen. Always working. A character marked by sincere discretion. On the rare occasions he travels, he empirically captures the gustatory essence of each environment. Atxa doesn't just visit a country; he takes bites out of it. He doesn't just taste dishes; he scans them. Capable of detecting every flavor he doesn't know, everything is recorded in his memory. Sooner or later, even years later, an overseas memory can resurface at the right moment to be the perfect complement to a distinctly Basque creation. Because Eneko Atxa is, above all, the chef of a territory. He wouldn't know how to cook anywhere else. His cuisine could be described as alive. Interconnected with a territory. Basque ingredients. Avant-garde techniques. A magical equation for a surprising result both gustatory and visual.

Jordi Roca achieves it unhurriedly, steadily, with constant rhythm, hard work and a lot of imagination – an infallible recipe for the explosions of genius that many of his dishes have represented – in his own way, by the side of a beautiful Mexican woman with eyes the color of the sea, who is his escape and driving force. He uses a chef's tools and applies them to the sweet world to bring each of his crazy ideas to life. The result: a revolution.

Young people. Because it seems that in the Roman Empire, only Caesar dominates Western civilization. And we refuse to think that way. And we like people who feel like Spartacus. And there he is, Lorenzo Cogo, who decided to shed tradition and look beyond. After arduous battles in Gaul and Hispania, he returned to his Italy to fight on the front line. El Coq is that... Resistance. Raised in a family trattoria, as the son and grandson of cooks, he decided to embark on this career because he felt it was a true passion. Determined to achieve the goals he set for himself, like all aspiring chefs, he began working in lower-level positions.

"¡¡Garrote!!" is his motto. That's what everyone thinks when they see him. But Martín Berasategui is much more than that. He is a born fighter who exports cuisine and recognition across the world. He is a man who transmits joy and passion for excellence wherever he goes. He is the mirror in which every chef wants to see themselves one day. But, above all, he is a great master who has marked a before and after in the History of our kitchens. In 2015, Martín Berasategui celebrates 40 years in the kitchen. And Apicius celebrates this by putting in black and white that there is, and will continue to be, much more beyond "¡¡garrote!!" in Lasarte.

The Akrame universe is composed of a rejection of routine, true freedom in creation, constant menu renewal, and a special state of mind... Akrame is a true workshop of creative reflection. He strives for perfection in texture, flavor, and work where feelings play an important role.

Apicius wanted to experience firsthand two very important moments, as we understand them, in the history of contemporary Spanish cuisine: the closing of Aponiente and the opening of Aponiente. This is not merely a romantic issue. We aim to highlight a series of values such as entrepreneurship, courage, and nonconformity.

Without fanfare. Without "posing." Without zero kilometers. "We were already here." A house where Fina Puigdevall was born is today a restaurant that, with its two Michelin stars, illuminates the sky of Olot. Those of us who believe in projects full of passion are happy to see that the saga will continue. Martina, one of her three daughters, is already training to take over the restaurant's stoves, and American chef Dan Barber hosted her for a few months at his Blue Hill Farm restaurant.

Vidra Gastronòmic is a gastronomic company that owns and manages the restaurants located in Platja d’Aro and Sant Feliu de Guixols, Casa Viart and Náutico Sant Feliu de Guixols. It was in the first of these that we discovered, thanks to Joan Roca's wife (El Celler de Can Roca is the guiding light for these two young men determined to highlight local produce), the cuisine of Víctor and Adrià. The class with which they handle the raw ingredients they personally select themselves, and the grandeur of desserts that demonstrate the great development of their taste palette and their exquisite technical level, make the gastronomic experience in the house of these two young people like them... overflowing with joy.

Ricard Camarena is possibly one of those who sets the course for this new contemporary Spanish cuisine which, ultimately, transcends our borders. And to do so, it is not necessary to lose one's way. Cooking, cooking, and cooking. "Only" that, which is no small feat. And if Ricard's cuisine must be defined in some way, it would be with the term "power." It is inevitable to let your feet get wet in the Mediterranean by this chef who, from the very heart of Valencia, manages four gastronomic projects at his whim. And, despite his business success, Camarena does not give up on his dream, that of standing at the pass table and controlling the orders like a true kitchen obsessive.

Asturian chef Ricardo Sotres added a new Michelin star for Asturias. Marcos Morán, fifth generation of chefs at the Casa Gerardo restaurant founded in 1882, insisted. During the weeks we spent working in Prendes on the book "Casa Gerardo, 50 steps of contemporary cuisine," Ricardo's name drilled into our eardrums. So much so that, in the end, to silence the beast, we went to his restaurant. The experience was more than gratifying. For this reason, Apicius dedicates these pages to a restaurant where grandmother and grandson, grandson and grandmother, took over the kitchen with the greatest affection.

"With great belief in French cuisine, I seek a new way to interpret what I have learned and felt. Thus, I form a culinary map that belongs to me and to this land. And as my thoughts wander, the birth of each dish is like the extension of each step in my life. Or what I can say, it is a trace of nuances in the journey of self-discovery.” Balance is the interplay of sour, sweet, spices, and aromas that ultimately create a perfect blend of flavors. For Lanshu, that is what represents the beauty of a dish.

Five Michelin stars: two in Barcelona, one in Berlin, and two at his dream restaurant. Miramar stands facing the sea of the Costa Brava in Llançà. Looking at it head-on, challenging it. The house, established in 1939, has evolved since then to become an essential reference. The restaurant has evolved at the same pace as the profession. Even, more than once, anticipating it. Miramar is pure tramontana.