In A Confident Chef, Nicholas Lander (FT) shares a conversation he had with British chef Bruce Poole of Chez Bruce on a chef’s principles.
A basic tenant should be ‘Chefs must enjoy what they cook. No good chef would put on anything he could not eat‘.
This makes perfect sense but as Bruce Poole notes, chefs want to be loved by their audience and some of them tend to fall for fads.
Amongst current fads, I would put ‘truffle oil’ everywhere.
Piling up the ingredients is another thing that irritates me, too many flavors on one plate makes it so busy that nothing stands out, you could call it a harem.
I agree with him on not serving too much bread or there will be no room left for desserts.
A balanced and well written menu is a must and Bruce Poole considers that bad spelling or bad grammar are signs of laziness.
Why are many American chefs poor spellers, I wonder?
Amongst other points he makes is the fact that many of today’s chefs confuse popularity and quality.
He is right in stating that should not try cooking something that does not appeal to you and/or food that you cannot turn into a successful dish.
His favorite pastry is a Pithiviers.
Bruce Poole concludes by saying that through his food a chef should lift his customers’ spirits, a little magic must take place.
I tried to explain to a couple of chefs recently how a cheese selection should not just be based on being made with 3 different type of milks but that they should also offer a contrast of textures and taste (from the mild to the strong).
Even if the topics are very different, this Restaurant Insider column by Nicholas Lander relates to my previous comments on Enthusiasm being better than Confidence.
Where did you have your most inspiring meal?
Let me know!
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