Rodrigo de la Calle is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

Rodrigo de la Calle (Spain)        

Rodrigo de la Calle  is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

Text: Almudena Muyo/©ICEX

Translation: Hawys Pritchard/©ICEX

Photographer: Spanish chef Rodrigo de la Calle. Tomás Zarza/©ICEX.

Chefs, Pastry Chefs & Chocolatiers

‘Gastrobotanics’ is the joint brain-child of restaurateur Rodrigo de la Calle and biologist Santiago Orts. It’s a concept that has turned De la Calle into a champion of undervalued and overlooked vegetable species which, in his hands, become the stuff of haute cuisine.  I’m off to Aranjuez (46 kilometers south of Madrid), and feeling quite excited at the prospect of eating food cooked by Rodrigo de la Calle (he was elected chef of the year for 2011 at Madridfusión, the prestigious international gastronomic conference held in the Spanish capital every year). I’m also looking forward to traveling through one of my favorite parts of the country –the fertile fruit and vegetable-growing area beside the River Tagus.  It occurs to me in retrospect that this brush with Nature put me in just the right frame of mind for grasping the essential point of Rodrigo de la Calle’s cuisine, which takes its inspiration from the vegetable kingdom. He is, after all, the inventor (along with biologist Santiago Orts, who runs the Viveros Huerto de Elche plant nursery) of ‘gastrobotanics’, a culinary concept that ushers unaccustomed vegetable species into the realm of haute cuisine.  In the setting of the welcoming restaurant that bears his name, located right in the centre of Aranjuez, Rodrigo de la Calle wastes no time in determinedly getting the message across: “The idea is to reinstate vegetable species and varieties that possess notable qualities yet have been disparaged, left unexplored, or simply never been discovered - products that contribute added value to gastronomy. Some may already be close at hand, possibly having been cultivated by our forebears, while others will be discoveries made in the course of our research – Nature still has plenty of secrets to keep the spirit of enquiry occupied”. But there is more to it than that: the ultimate aim is to endow products that he considers to be of significant gastronomic interest with the sort of status that makes it a financially viable proposition to grow them as a crop. Obvious examples are fresh dates; finger limes (Citrus australasica, little lemon-like fruit with tiny vesicles that look deceptively like Ferran Adrià -type microspheres, that burst in one’s mouth releasing a richly acidic taste); and ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum) and ice lettuce (early leaves of the ice plant).  

Origins

Santiago Orts runs Viveros Huerto de Elche, a family-owned plant nursery that was originally part of the historic Palmeral de Elche, a vast palm grove declared a Heritage of Mankind site by UNESCO. The nursery has now expanded beyond the confines of the Palmeral, having acquired a new role about a decade ago when it was given over to growing dates as a crop instead of ornamental palms. At around the same time, Rodrigo de la Calle took over at La Taula del Milenio restaurant (also owned by the Orts family) armed with experience gained at Madrid’s top flight Lhardy and Goizeko Kabi. 

The day when Santiago offered Rodrigo fresh dates for use in the restaurant proved to be a pivotal one: in fact, fresh dates have since become a signature ingredient. “I still remember that day!” Rodrigo declares passionately. “I’d never tasted fresh dates before. They made such an impression on me that – quite unexpectedly - my professional and personal life took quite a different turn from then on. I still look forward to the start of the date season in October, and I’m always a bit downcast when it ends in January”.

Rodrigo secured a job at the 2-Michelin-star Mugaritz with Andoni Luis Aduriz - not only a big name, but one with a special interest in vegetable cuisine. The experience of haute cuisine he acquired there was further rounded out by subsequent periods working at 3-Michelin-star Martín Berasategui; at Pastelería Totel with master patissier Paco Torreblanca; and at Quique Dacosta’s 2-Michelin-star El Poblet. 

In the course of seven action-packed years, he acquired and mastered cutting-edge techniques and the skills and secrets specific to desserts, patisserie, rice…. Meanwhile, his research work with Santiago Orts continued in parallel. Furthermore, he was able to offer consistent supplies of dates and other protégé products to the chefs with whom he worked. 

Meanwhile, Rodrigo and Santiago were having fun staging their own gastronomic conferences in emulation of the top chefs. It was at one of these, in 2005, that they decided over a glass of wine that the time had come to put a name to their area of research, and came up with ‘gastrobotanics’. 

Passionate about produce; 

Shortly after his thirtieth birthday, towards the end of 2006, Rodrigo de la Calle decided to open his own restaurant, a showcase for his own auteur cuisine and the gastrobotanics concept. “I’d accumulated enough experience to be able to cook in my own way. Our menu includes a gastrobotanic one consisting of 5 dishes: ostra con caviar cítrico (oyster with citrus caviar), huevo con trufa y germinados (egg with truffle and sprouted seeds); two rice dishes featuring different desert vegetables; and a fruit macédoine that celebrates the diversity of citrus fruits now available”. 

“So what”, you may be wondering “is Rodrigo de la Calle’s cooking actually like?” His style of cooking is out-and-out contemporary, at once flavor-packed and subtle. His dishes are cleverly thought out and their cooking is judged to the second so that their juxtapositioning of flavors and textures can be experienced to the full. Ingredients can sometimes be unexpected yet they take their place comfortably among the rest – the influence of Martín Berasategui is discernible here, albeit slightly toned down. 

Rodrigo de la Calle describes his cooking as simple. By this he means that it respects the flavor of the ingredients involved, even when there are three or four elements. 

Top quality prime ingredients are obviously a sine qua non as far as this chef is concerned, and seasonal products are given star billing on a menu that changes with the seasons. When a customer is shown to his table, he finds a little roll of parchment tied with a red ribbon. It contains this message: “Vegetables and their characteristics are the mainstay of our cuisine. We respect fresh produce - we accept its seasonal nature and the fact that it comes and goes. By observing the life cycles governed by the seasons, we are able to present their products at their best and most expressive”. That’s quite some policy statement, and they really do practice what they preach.

 Harmony

 Rodrigo carries perfectionism to the extreme. His dishes are perfectly balanced, each a little concerto of flavors in which every element retains its own identity while playing its part in the overall harmony.

 De la Calle dish allocates top billing to vegetables and consigns animal protein to a supporting role: “Vegetables are the mainstay of the restaurant, and on the gastrobotanical menu, animal protein features as a garnish: meat or fish, it can appear in many guises – little chunks, or even in a broth but always in a minor role”. His filamentos de lombarda con caldo de chipirón (filaments of red cabbage with baby squid broth) is a classic example.

 The citrus fruits grown by Santiago Orts provide a leitmotiv, seasoning every dish, from oysters with citrus caviar through to the complete range of desserts. Rice is another thematic axis in Rodrigo de la Calle’s repertoire. Again in his rice dishes there is that stamp of perfection – grains just the right size, cooked for just long enough.

 Santiago Orts’ plantations in Elche are Rodrigo de la Calle’s greatest source of inspiration: “When I go there and see all the produce growing and developing as the months go by, as I pick and taste them I start to see culinary uses for them in my mind’s eye – sometimes even the final dish”. The creative process may well be triggered in his mind by the sight of something growing in the garden, but a lot of experimenting goes on in the kitchen before the dish is declared complete.

 Rodrigo likes to make a point of declaring that he doesn’t like to be labeled and doesn’t belong to any tendency. His guiding principle is gastrobotanics. Pure and simple.

Quique Dacosta is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

Quique Dacosta (Spain)

Quique Dacosta  is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

 

Quique Dacosta (Spain)

 Young, Mediterranean 'Savoir-Faire'

Text: Rodrigo García Fernández and Celia Hernando /©ICEX

Translation: Jenny McDonald /©ICEX

Chefs, Pastry Chefs & Chocolatiers

The most striking thing about Quique Dacosta (Cáceres, 1972) and one that sets him apart from many of his colleagues is that he is a self-taught cook. Other characteristics are his youth, his endless curiosity, his passion for research, his creativity. All these have made him one of the key names in the recent history of Spanish gastronomy and an important force for the future.

Like many others, it was by chance that Quique Dacosta found himself in the world of food. At the age of 15, he took a job washing dishes in a pizza bar in Dénia, a small town on the Valencian coast and, at 17, also by chance, he started to work in the El Poblet restaurant also in Dénia. And he has never left (in 2009 El Poblet changed its name into Quique Dacosta Restaurant).

As a very young chef de cuisine, he thoroughly transformed the restaurant’s philosophy. From a family-run rice and seafood establishment, he turned it into a three-Michelin-star, avant-garde gastronomic shrine, one that has seen many highly-valued, and widely-imitated, culinary discoveries. In 1997, it was his edible veils, in 2000 edible papers and, later, his landscapes. Two examples of the latter were his Guggenheim Bilbao Oysters which visually reproduce the metallic textures of Frank Gehry's famous construction, and The Animated Forest, which evokes a walk in a Mediterranean wood.

He has revolutionized the world of rice, a subject he has thoroughly investigated and a product he is able to cook like few others. In 2005, he published his book Arroces Contemporáneos, an in-depth review of this iconic ingredient in Valencian cuisine. He also studied the vegetable world in detail "at a time when the only microgreens in the food world were those in the ubiquitous spring rolls of Chinese restaurants". More recently, he has studied the culinary potential of aloe vera, now an essential ingredient in his pantry.

Innovation and imagination

Though a great innovator, Quique Dacosta always respects the essential qualities of his raw materials, the produce of the soil. His restaurant menu pays tribute to some of the best fruits of the Mediterranean, such as the flavorful Red Shrimp from the Marina Alta in Alicante (Valencian Community). But his love of the local ingredients does not keep him from also displaying a universal vocation with creations such as Cubalibre de foie. Since its introduction back in 2001, this dish has become almost the trade mark of his establishment.

It has been said of this chef, who has adopted the province of Valencia as his home, that his cuisine has a soul, that produces an emotional effect on his customers. Quique Dacosta convinces his diners with his highly-polished techniques and the carefully-thought-out presentation of his dishes. He claims to have his own language and, although he has great respect for what he gleaned from chefs such as Juan Mari Arzak, Santi Santamaría and Ferran Adrià, he insists that his cuisine is his, and his alone. "I like many chefs and always learn from them, but what I want is to be myself".

In 2008, Quique Dacosta announced to the press that he had created what he called the "Culinary Ecosystem", concept to define his creative, market-based cuisine, which is marked by its landscape and natural surroundings and takes its inspiration from the natural community of living beings around him and his restaurant. Also in 2008, Quique Dacosta brought out the first-ever Internet book in the history of gastronomy, covering all his work at his restaurant from 2002 to 2006.

At the end of October 2010, Quique reported that his restaurant in Denia would open only between March and October (he and his team need time to research and develope new recipes), following the example of elBulli. Therefore, he announced that he would inaugurate two new tapas bars in the center of Valencia city, a homeage to the Spanish world of tapas. Today both venues are a success: MercatBar and Vuelve Carolina. Next step: Madrid, where Quique is looking for a great place to surprise Madrid foodies...

Alberto Chicote is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

Alberto Chicote (Spain)

Alberto Chicote  is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

Chefs, Pastry Chefs & Chocolatiers

Text: Rodrigo García Fernández /©ICEX
Translation: Jenny McDonald /©ICEX

Happiness. This is what Alberto Chicote seeks in his cuisine. "I want my customers to be happy, to leave the restaurant feeling contented". Without artifice or unnecessary complications. This Madrid-born chef, born in 1968, made his name at the NoDo restaurant first, then at Pan de Lujo, both of them in the Spanish capital. And it is there that he exercises his creativity in crossover Oriental-Mediterranean cuisine.

Alberto studied at the Casa de Campo Hospitality School in Madrid and learnt his trade from Luis Irízar at the Hotel Alcalá and from Toñi Vicente at her first restaurant, Sibaris, in Vigo (Galicia). He worked in Switzerland for two years and on his return to Madrid, he was taken on in two leading kitchens, La Taberna de Liria and El Cenador de Salvador.

With the change of the century, he accepted an offer from entrepreneur Benjamin Calles to work on crossover cuisine between Oriental (mostly Japanese) and Mediterranean styles, and participated in the opening of NoDo. After their success with the Madrid public, this manager-chef team set up Pan de Lujo, their second culinary establishment in the city.

Apart from top-quality ingredients, this chef stresses two important aspects: the degree of cooking, and salt. He is also interested in the harmony between the dish and what goes with it. He always remembers the advice given him by his teacher Salvador Gallego: "Sacrifice your stomach before your pride". That is, taste, taste and taste again. Not a single ingredient or part of a dish can be allowed to turn out any less than perfect, so a constant watch must be kept over all sauces and garnishes.

In March 2012, Alberto Chicote announced that he was venturing out on his own to get involved in new professional projects without Benjamin Calles, his business partner for many years. Calles will remain as manager of the two restaurants where Chicote has spent much of his career, No-Do and Pan de Lujo.

Claude Soliard is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

Claude Soliard  (Switzerland)

Claude Soliard  is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

In 1998 Claude Solliard opened Seppi's, nested in the Parker Meridien Hotel. Chef Claude has worked for many years in Switzerland and New York at restaurants that include Le Cirque, l'Espinasse, and Raoul's. Chef Claude Solliard also cooked at the James Beard Foundation, was featured on the Food Channel, and various magazines including the New York Post, the New York Observer, Runner World, and Crain's.

Nestled in Le Parker Meridien Hotel in New York City, Chef Claude Solliard reigns supreme in the kitchen of Seppi's where the culinary technical demands of his European education shine brightly in this French Bistro. Seppi's is the culmination of a decade and a half of hands-on training, which Solliard attained in his native Switzerland and his adopted New York City, where he's worked in some of the finest establishments.

Lunch or dinner at Seppi's might include such classical French fare as Escargots A L'Ail (snails in garlic butter) and Terrine De Foie Gras (duck liver), or Steak Au Poivre. It's traditional bistro fare—unpretentious, substantial, and deeply satisfying—in the heart of New York City.

Green Pastures

Raised on a small family farm and winery near Sion, Switzerland on the northern Italian border, Claude Solliard experienced a classic gastronomic upbringing—picking fresh cèpes and chanterelles in the dark of early morning and then milking the cows and tending to the demands of operating a winery.

Early on, it became clear to the young Solliard that cooking would be his life's work. What with Italy to the south, France to the east, and Germany and Austria to the north and west respectively, a gastronomic undertaking would be easy to achieve. And so, at the canonical age of 16, Solliard left the farm to work at various French restaurants all across Switzerland. His training began at Restaurant Le Chalet in Valais, Switzerland. From there, he ventured to Hotel Vieux Stand, Apparthotel Rosablanche, and finally to Restaurant du Soleil.

From Switzerland to The Big Apple

At 22, Solliard jumped on an opportunity to stretch his young wings across the Atlantic, landing in Long Island at Berclaz and La Réserve in New York City. New York's food connoisseurs appreciated Solliard's philosophy—food should be left largely untouched and pure. But while French cooking was in Solliard's heart, Italian cookery remained an untapped attraction for him.

It was at New York's San Domenico restaurant that Solliard first satiated his desire to try his hand at Italian cooking. Almost immediately he was offered a position in San Domenico's kitchen. At the same time, Gray Kunz offered him a job at the famed Lespinasse in the St. Regis Hotel. Instead of choosing one over the other, Solliard worked both jobs—Lespinasse mornings, San Domenico evenings. And, he still managed to squeeze in an apprenticeship at Le Cirque under Jacques Torres who was then the executive pastry chef. It was at Le Cirque where Solliard learned the intricacies of chocolate and pastry.

For the next several years, Chef Solliard continued his NYC gastronomic survey spending two years as Executive Chef at Rakel, and then as Executive Chef at Pierre Au Tunnel, before landing at Raoul's Restaurant where he remained for five years.

At long last, in 1998, Chef Solliard became a restaurant owner. At Seppi's, partnering with Paolo Calamary Serge and Guy Raouls in 2001, he became the solo Owner of Seppi's. He was also featured in several magazines such as The New York Post, The Daily News, and Runner's World. He started importing Chef Claude's Kombu Noodle and later partnered in La Saviesanne Dream product with Frank Debond and Donna Hughes. He hosted dinner at the James Beard Foundation, got Two Stars in the New York Observer, and worked on the movie sets of Addicted to Love and Perfect Murder. The boy from Switzerland interweaves 15 years of professional experience with an inseparable attachment to the Swiss mountainside where fresh herbs, mushrooms, and cow's milk are everyday fare. Seppi's is the culmination of a love of food and a chef's dream of owning his own French bistro in Manhattan. He's "newyorksmart."

https://www.facebook.com/claude.solliard?ref=ts&fref=ts

Patricio Calomarde is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

Patricio Calomarde (Argentina)

Patricio Calomarde  is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

Born in Argentina, is a professional in the restaurant industry since 1998. He completed his professional training at the College of Chefs "Gato" Dumas,

He was twice selected for the tournament "Golden Cap" (Pre-selection for the Bocuse d'Or, France) by Nestle Food Argentina.

Participated in the development of books like Sushi, Iwao Komiyama, My Stories and My Recipes, Gato Dumas; My Italian, Donato de Santis, among others.

He was part of television programs as Master Sushi and Asian America, Canal Gourmet.com, Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Morning with Vivi, Viña del Mar, Canal 13, Chile.       

Culinary Institute of Mexico

Mission

patricio_aclomarde With teachers from around the world, the Bachelor of Catering / Chef Culinary Institute of Mexico will give you a global perspective and current knowledge of flavors, culture, invention, logistics and service that is the culinary arts.

Both in its campus in Monterrey and Puebla, The ICUM offers equal parts theory and practice for your student experience during their nine semesters of degree.

In addition, the ICUM has contacts around the world to give you the opportunity to carry out your internship in Mexico or abroad.

Pedro Subijana is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

Pedro Subijana (Epain)

  Pedro Subijana is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

Text: Rodrigo García Fernández /©ICEX

Translation: Jenny McDonald /©ICEX

Photographer: Spanish chef Pedro Subijana

The first impression of Pedro Subijana (born in San Sebastián in 1948) is a big moustache and a smile. His reputation as one of the leading Basque chefs has been gained over 30 years of hard work, leading in 2006 to his third Michelin star.

Subijana works alongside Ada, his wife and the mother of their three children, in a restaurant in a spectacular location. Akelare (a Basque word that has entered the Spanish language, meaning a coven of witches) is on the slopes of the Monte Igueldo, one of the symbols of the beautiful city of San Sebastián, and looks over the Concha bay, the island of Santa Clara and the restless Bay of Biscay.

Pedro started out in Akelare in 1975 but only after extensive travel and training. His decision to become a professional chef was a last-minute one, taken just before he was about to start studying medicine at a prestige university in Pamplona (Navarre). First, he entered the Madrid Hospitality School, then returned to the Basque Country when he learnt that a new school was to be opened in Zarauz, that of Luis Irízar, whom he always names as his maestro.

After marrying, he started working at a typical asador grill restaurant in Tolosa, then moved to the nearby town of Hernani to take charge of the restaurant at a club for the Basque sport of pelota. Hearing how well things were going, Luis Irízar informed his former student about a new French-style restaurant to be opened in Madrid, the famous Zalacain. Subijana worked for one year at what at the time was considered Madrid's top restaurant. In 1974 he was taken on as chef at a restaurant in Estella (Navarra), bringing him close to where he really wanted to be, his home town of San Sebastián. But he did not have to wait long. Twelve months later, he was chef de cuisine at the restaurant perched above the city's spectacular bay.

New Basque Cuisine

Once he was in charge at Akelare, he soon found himself involved in one of the most interesting phenomena in Spanish gastronomy, New Basque Cuisine, which started out in the late 1970s. The seed was sown by a group of local chefs, under the influence of Paul Bocuse and French Nouvelle Cuisine, who decided to give a new look to traditional Basque cooking. In the words of Subijana, "New Basque Cuisine aimed to focus on seasonal products but adding a large dose of imagination and pushing back the frontiers".

This movement, under the leadership, amongst others, of Juanmari Arzak , planted the seed of what was to become the avant-garde of Spanish gastronomy. Pedro Subijana has never looked back. That was when learning new things became a passion. Recipes were updated but always based on respect for Basque tradition and the best possible local produce. Above all, he says, "Throughout the meal, we take care of every last detail to ensure that the occasion is a memorable one".

His continued devotion to his profession leads him to change the menus at his restaurant every two months, to collaborate with several cooking schools, including the one where he himself studied, to participate in TV programs and to publish books on both home cooking and high-level gastronomy.

Saverio Stassi is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

Saverio Stassi (Venezuela) 

Saverio Stassi  is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

In 1997 Stassi decides to work at the Restaurant Emeritus in Venezuela, where Sir Jean Francois Bodin gave him his first opportunity to discover the in depth arts of cooking. However, Stassi was hungry for knowledge; he kept trying to reach a certain goal — that of becoming an international chef. His dream was to work in France.

In 1999 he wins first place in the cooking competition “Meilleur Jeune Commis Rôtisseur”. With this win, Venezuela was able to compete in the 24th final of the “Internationale du Concours de Meilleur Jeune Commis” in 2000, where he won in fourth position. Chasing his dreams, Stassi decided to work in France as an intern in an abundance of restaurants such as Le Menestrels (1996-1997), Le Desirier (1998), Pavillon Le Quere (1998-1999), and the Michelle Rostang (1999-2000). With the experience he gained whilst working in these French kitchens, Stassi decides to return to Venezuela and became in the Executive Chef at the Teconte.

In 2004, Saverio Stassi moves to the Dominican Republic and becomes the Executive Chef of Pat’e Palo.

In 2006 he wins the 7mo Concurso Gastronómico de Carne Americana in Mexico in the area of Nutrition.

Saverio’s personal motivating people in the culinary world are Alain Ducasse and Thomas Keller. He has taken various cooking courses — his passion never ends. In 2005 he takes an antipasti and tapas course by Chef Antonio de la Rosa in Italy. In 2006 he departs to San Francisco in order to master in the Vietnamese, Thai, Spanish and LatinAmerican culinary influences at the Culinary Institute of America. In 2007 he follows his idol’s footsteps — taking Alain Ducasse’s courses in Paris of Mediterranean influences by chef Phillipe Gollino. In 2008 he goes to the city that never sleeps, New York, and visits the Spicy Market in order to learn from Chef Jean Georges.

In 2009, Stassi journeys to Bresia, Italy, at the Castialimenti School to study about Creative Culinary Arts and Traditional Desserts and Pastries. Stassi is considered to being a master at Foie Gras.

All the dishes on the menu display a background of culinary knowledge — Stassi’s view on the culinary world.

Elia Nora Rodriguez is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

Elia Nora Rodriguez (Venezuela)

Elia Nora Rodriguez  is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

Executive Chef, La Jolla Ballroom Coral Gables - Venezuelan chef association President -Author of  Itoons Flavors of Carabobo - Venezuela WACS representative. - Representative of Culinary Associations American Forum for Venezuela. - Venezuelan Fusion Trilogy culinary cup President.Elia Nora Rodriguez

Executive Chef Elia Nora Rodriguez manages all aspects of the culinary and stewarding operations at La Jolla Ballroom Coral Gables including purchasing, inventories, scheduling, banquet production and specializes in personalized menu design for the many high profile events held each year.

Her culinary carrier started in Valencia, Venezuela. Since she was little, she would get excited about any family event where she could practice her passion for cooking. In 1980, she decided to move to London to pursue her Culinary Degree. Elia Nora goes back to her homeland, and from that time, her achievements have become countless.

Some of her outstanding professional accomplishments have been the foundation of the second gastronomic school in Venezuela "Le Gourmet", "Trilogia en fusion" - gastronomy conference in Valencia, Venezuela, and "the Colors of Delicacies" program, teaching technics and designing of new dishes, which was an international success in countries like Ecuador, Peru, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Costa Rica. In terms of media, Elia Nora has positioned herself in major magazines and tv shows such as television Gourmet Magazine, Looks Good, Construarte, Habitad a la Carta, Club Magazine, as well as in newspapers as The Carabobeño, Notitarde and Doral Miami News. She has appeared on TV shows like Asi Cocina Soucy, Tu espacio light and Revista de la Mañana. Moreover, she is the author of the book “Sabores de Carabobo”, in which enhances the wonderful cuisine of the land where she grew up.

The exciting life of this chef does not end here. Elia Nora is an active member in various clubs and organizations in which brings with pleasure all her experience and knowledge. Some of the organizations are: WACS Venezuela (World Association of Chefs Societies),  The Panamerican Forum of Professional Culinary Association, Culinary Academy of the Americas. She has participated as an international judge in many events held by these groups, as well as a Coach for the Venezuelan winning team in the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Show in 2009. Also, volunteering events have been a major part of her life. She has been part of numerous events held by the Voluntary Dividend for the Community, Salecianas Ladies, and Meeting of Governors of Venezuela.

Always on the lookout for new challenges, Elia Nora headed to Miami, Florida, where currently she is the Executive Chef at La Jolla Ballroom, Onoto Catering, and Innova Catering. In 2013, her entrepreneurial spirit took her to create Delirio Fresh Co. a new establishment located in Doral full of color, flavor, and love for food!

César Ramirez is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

César Ramirez (México)

César Ramirez  is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

The only two Michelin stars in Brooklyn were awarded to Chef Cesar Ramirez and his restaurant, Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare Kitchen. Located in downtown Brooklyn is far from Cesar’s culinary path of Manhattan where he was once the Chef de Cuisine at Bouley.

Chef César Ramirez was born 1972 and raised in Chicago, of Mexican origin. He is mostly self-taught even if he has had a great mentor in Chef David Bouley who also was the reason why Chef Ramirez moved to New York when he was offered a job for him at his former Danube and at Bouley. The Chef worked at praised Tru in Chicago before David Bouley offered him a job in New York. César Ramirez married a Frenchwoman when he was 19 years old and they used to travel to France. The Chef learnt a lot about the French cuisine and cooking techniques during his trips to Europe and he also learnt a lot about the Japanese cuisine during his extensive travelling in Japan. Before he started Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare he worked at Bar Blanc in New York City. All his diversified experiences resulted in what today has become one of the absolutely best restaurants in the world when it comes to flavours and how delicious a dinner actually can be when it is only about the taste of the food and nothing else. Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare hits almost our highest score when it comes to the flavours and texture as well as the amazingly high quality of the ingredients, but a dinner today is more than just the food. It is also beverage and so far it is too early for us to say anything about that since no liquor licence has been acquired up till now. So far you simply have to bring your own.

Chef’s Table is not your normal restaurant; Brooklyn Fare Kitchen was just remodeled to accommodate 18 guests instead of 12 and is part of a grocery store in Brooklyn. Cesar Ramirez has kept the concept simple, you eat in the kitchen—Cesar’s work space and only gets the very best ingredients.  Jean-Luc Naret was quoted in GrubStreet New York as naming Ramirez’s Table as one of the best three meals he has had in the world this year.

Cesar Ramirez prefers to be called a craftsman and knows his food speaks for itself. Cesar didn’t start in New York, he made his was from Mexico and began his restaurant experience in Chicago where he worked at Tru. In Chicago he met David Bouley and eventually became chef at Danube, David’s restaurant.

Cesar is available for speaking engagements, corporate endorsements and cooking demonstrations.

APPEARANCES: New York Times, GrubStreet New York

Norberto Eugenio Petryk is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

Norberto Eugenio Petryk (Argetina)

Norberto Eugenio Petryk is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

Norberto Petryk, "I'm Chef de Cuisine, Food Advisor. Currently only'm giving talks, lectures, presentations, opening gastronomic advice to local logistics, installation, marketing, making personnel, training, arming the ala carte menu, cost formulas ".

 Food and good nutrition is a topic that concerns us all culinary professionals, that even today brings to be aware of techniques and products that we provide the global markets which we accessed through this whole mechanism communication brings.

 Norberto Petrik Where did your career in the culinary career?

 Re: My paternal grandmother introduced me to the art of cooking, Ana Cholot, was a great cook in Eastern Europe (Ternopol). After the first world war he emigrated to America with her husband, John Petryk, my father, Eugene and another child. His arrival in Argentina was in 1929, because of language problems only dedicated to serving family was spreading, and to help my grandfather prepared some delicious snacks and sweet treats those who got some extra money. So I was growing between recipes and preparations which gave her life in the kitchen, as my interest and my incessant questions, little by little, I was breaking the silence of ancient secrets which I still have, recipes that were passed from generation to generation , and also some of those stories of elves sometimes even seemed were present within their sweets.

Professionally working for the French embassy.

I started studying on my own and getting people in my house, then I started asking for work for other people and so was developed, followed actualizándome and studying on my own.

So you did not study to become a chef?

Re: I did not study in any school, the chef is a position within the kitchen, "boss", and if you have the proper knowledge of both techniques and products and preparations, as well as the administrative, cost, armed menu card, and personnel management, anyone can develop the task; clear that there are schools that prepare students to thrive in it, but that does not indicate, for example, that a person who enters a school of fine arts be a good artist, you can do, but art is born and one gets refined over time, with the kitchen is the same. My knowledge and professionalism are based on self-education and experience.

Enrique Olvera is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

Enrique Olvera is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

Enrique Olvera (México)

Since his appearance as the only Mexican chef presenter on the roster at the 2008 StarChefs.com International Chefs Congress, Enrique Olvera hasn’t skipped a beat. He has been named one of the ten most promising chefs by Food and Wine magazine, and last year he was a featured speaker at the international gastronomic summit Madrid Fusion. This summer he’s published a book, UNO, which reflects upon modern gastronomy in Mexico and features 100 recipes from his restaurant Pujol. The restaurant, incidentally, was one of two restaurants in Mexico to be voted among the top 100 restaurants in the world by the Sydney Morning Herald this year.

Olvera is widely lauded at home for harnessing the avant-garde techniques of abroad, and with a flourish, unveiling home-style Mexican cooking and straight-shooting street food, rethought.

Born in Mexico, Olvera enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York in 1996. During his studies, he earned various awards, including the gold medal from the New York Société Culinaire Philanthropique, and the Jacob Rosenthal Leadership Award. Olvera’s first job post-graduation in 1999 was at the Everest Room, one of Chicago’s top restaurants.

The following year, with fine dining and classical training under his belt, Olvera returned to Mexico City to open Pujol. His goal: to re-imagine traditional, regional Mexican food, and present its styles, flavors, and techniques in a modern fine-dining setting. As he said, in an interview with Food and Wine, "Why would you make a foie gras dish with apples when you can make it with black sapote?" Since the opening of Pujol, he’s won numerous other awards, most recently GQ Mexico’s Chef of the Year.

Olvera's current projects include the Grupo Enrique Olvera, with his second restaurant La Purificadora, opened in Puebla in 2008, the gastro-deli Eno, and Teo, a workshop dedicated to research and education. Additionally, Olvera heads up food design for Mexicana de Aviación, Mexico’s largest commercial airline.

Jamie Oliver is one of "The World's Most Influential, creative and important Chefs"

Jamie Oliver (United Kingdom)

Jamie Oliver is a phenomenon in the world of food. He is one of the world's best-loved television personalities and one of Britain's most famous exports. Jamie has had huge success with television series The Naked Chef (BBC), Jamie's Kitchen, Jamie's School Dinners, Jamie's Great Italian Escape, Return to School Dinners, Jamie's Chef, Jamie at Home , Jamie's Ministry of Food , Jamie Does.... and more recently Jamie's 30 Minute Meals and the Emmy Award-winning Jamie's Food Revolution (ABC), as well as the one-off specials Jamie's Fowl Dinners, Eat To Save Your Life, Jamie Saves Our Bacon and Jamie's Fish Suppers (all for Channel 4).
Jamie has inspired people to spend more time enjoying being in the kitchen – and even start growing their own food! His programmes have now been broadcast in over 100 countries including the USA, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Japan and Iceland. Having been translated into over 30 languages, the accompanying cookbooks are bestsellers not only in the UK but across the world. His 2010 book, Jamie's 30 Minute Meals, became Jamie's first million-selling book in the UK as well as being the fastest-selling non-fiction book since records began.
The high street restaurant collection 'Jamie's Italian' is hugely popular across the UK and the Fifteen restaurant group which he founded in 2002, provides training for young people in three locations around the world as well as producing food of the highest quality. Jamie's newest restaurant, Barbecoa in London, is a partnership with American chef Adam Perry Lang. Jamie lives in London and Essex with his wife, Jools and his kids, Poppy, Daisy, Petal and Buddy.
In more detail.........
Born on 27 May 1975, Jamie took an early interest in food. He grew up in Essex, where his parents Trevor and Sally still run their own highly respected pub/restaurant The Cricketers in Clavering and was frequently found helping out in the kitchens. His fascination for food continued to grow and at 16 Jamie left school and completed his training at Westminster Catering College. After spending some time working in France, followed by a stint at Antonio Carluccio's Neal Street Restaurant, London Jamie joined the acclaimed River Café where he worked for three and a half years alongside Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers.
In 1997, Jamie was featured in a television documentary about the River Café. Soon after the documentary was aired, Jamie was offered his own television show and The Naked Chef was born. The concept behind The Naked Chef was to strip food down to its bare essentials and Jamie's hands-on style and general laid back outlook was like a breath of fresh air, inspiring everyone to cook and winning himself a BAFTA Award for the best television series in the Features Category in 2000.
The Naked Chef book, published by Penguin Books accompanied the first television series and it became an instant bestseller. A second and then a third television series were commissioned by the BBC, along with the second and third tie-in books: The Return of the Naked Chef and Happy Days with the Naked Chef, with Happy Days with the Naked Chef becoming the official Christmas No.1 in 2001 in the non-fiction chart.
Jamie spent the autumn of 2001 taking his cookery show on the road – the Happy Days Tour was a huge success with over 17,000 people packing theatres in the UK. The tour then took in Australia and New Zealand, where Jamie played to sold out crowds in seven cities. He had become a global phenomenon. 2001 also saw Jamie cooking for the Italian Prime Minister at Tony Blair's invitation at Downing St and also writing various columns in magazines including GQ and The Saturday Times magazine, bringing his recipes to another eager audience.
By the end of 2001 Jamie needed a new challenge; he wanted to 'give something back' to the catering industry, so he decided to open a training restaurant for young people who were not in full time education or employment. Followed by cameras that documented his every move he spent the year setting up a training scheme, the restaurant and the charity into which all the profits would be channelled. The series, Jamie's Kitchen, broadcast by Channel 4 in the UK, became one of the biggest hit shows of the year. It has now been shown in over 40 countries and the tie-in book, also called Jamie's Kitchen, became a runaway success. The triumph of the restaurant was shown when it won Tatler Best Restaurant Award 2003, and the Academy Award of Excellence at the Tio Pepe Carlton London Restaurant Awards in the same year. Jamie was awarded an MBE in 2003 for his contribution to the hospitality industry. The Fifteen Foundation charity now owns Fifteen London and continues its work, recently recruiting the eighth year of students for training in London. The first Fifteen franchise opened in Amsterdam in 2004 and subsequent Fifteens have opened in Cornwall, UK and Melbourne, Australia in 2006.
In 2004, motivated by the poor state of school dinners in UK schools, Jamie embarked on one of his most ambitious ventures to date. He went back to school with the aim of educating and motivating the kids and dinner ladies to enjoy cooking and eating healthy, nutritious lunches rather than the processed foods that they were used to. Jamie launched a national campaign called Feed Me Better (www.feedmebetter.com) and launched an online petition for better school meals. As a result of the 271,677 signatures on the petition, which Jamie took to 10 Downing Street on 30th March 2005, the government pledged an extra £280 million to improve the standard of school meals, to provide training for dinner ladies and equipment for schools. Over seven months of hard work and constant filming culminated in the award-winning series Jamie's School Dinners, shown on Channel 4. The series prompted a public outcry for change to the school meals system and was awarded Best Factual programme at the UK National TV Awards. Jamie also received a special award for his contribution to television at the National TV awards.
A follow-up documentary, Jamie's Return To School Dinners aired on Channel 4 in September 2006 and as a result of Jamie's new findings the British government made further investment in school meals and food education for school children.
Between these two documentaries, in 2005, Jamie took a break from schools with Jamie's Great Italian Escape, a series based on his travels around Italy and his love of Italian food. This was accompanied by Jamie's sixth book, Jamie's Italy which instantly went to number one in the UK and sold more copies in the week before Christmas than any other non-fiction book has ever done. The book was also nominated for the British Book Award 'Book of the Year' in the UK.
In addition to Jamie's television programmes and books, Jamie works with top UK supermarket chain, Sainsbury's, advising them on how to further improve the quality and variety of supermarket food. He has also designed a number of ranges of quality tableware and serveware with Churchill China. Working with Tefal (T-Fal), Jamie has launched a number of ranges of cookware including the Jamie Oliver Professional Series. Jamie has also launched an Italian food range and has a wide range of gift foods, which are distributed internationally. Jamie has also turned inventor and developed a great kitchen gadget called the Flavour ShakerTM, which launched in the UK in 2005 and then internationally.
Jamie's seventh book, Cook With Jamie was published in the UK in October 2006 and quickly became a massive best-seller. All of Jamie's profits from this book go to the Fifteen Foundation to help more young people to start a career in the catering industry.
Through 2006 and early 2007, Jamie filmed a series and wrote a book both called 'Jamie At Home'. He had been successfully growing fruit and vegetables and herbs at his Essex farmhouse since 2004 and the book and series reflected his new love of gardening organically as well as featuring delicious recipes inspired by the produce of his garden. The series 'Jamie At Home' quickly became a hit in the UK and in a variety of international markets while the accompanying book 'Jamie At Home' also proved to be one of Jamie's biggest sellers both in the UK and overseas.
In autumn 2007 Jamie announced a new chain of "high street" Italian restaurants called 'Jamie's Italian', the first of which opened in Oxford in May 2008. Restaurants in Bath (Oct 08) and Kingston (Nov 08) followed that first year and subsequent Jamie's Italians have proven to be firm favourites with the people of Brighton, Cardiff, Guildford, London's Canary Wharf, Cambridge, Reading, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London (three restaurants), Birmingham, Nottingham and Bristol – www.jamiesitalian.com for more info. Jamie's Italian also has a restaurant in Dubai.
Jamie began 2008 with a burst of activity fronting two major TV programmes in the UK. Eat To Save Your Life used expert analysis as well as an autopsy by Dr Gunther von Hagens on a 25-stone man who literally "ate himself to death" to try to change the dietary habits of a group of malnourished Brits. Meanwhile Jamie's Fowl Dinners was an in-depth and challenging look at the British poultry industry with a message that unless British consumers were prepared to trade up to a higher welfare chicken and egg, the British poultry industry would suffer irreparably. Groups ranging from the RSPCA to farmers' organisations praised the programme and the immediate result was an increase in sales of free-range and organic chicken of up to 50%.
In 2008, Jamie as usual worked on a number of exciting projects including appearing in The Big Give, the prime-time Oprah Winfrey-fronted hit show on ABC in the States which aired in the spring.
Jamie's major project for 2008, however, was Jamie's Ministry of Food, a Channel 4 TV series which showed how people who couldn't cook could be inspired to cook with just a little encouragement and information. The series, filmed in Rotherham, explored how friends, family and work-mates could be inspired to pass on recipes to each other and cook using fresh ingredients. Additionally, a Ministry of Food centre set-up by Jamie in the town centre has been providing information, cooking lessons and advice to the townsfolk who want to move away from take-aways and ready-meals. After the success of the Ministry of Food centre, Rotherham Council announced it would continue to fund the running of the centre and in 2010, the Rotherham Ministry of Food centre is so successful that its classes are booked many weeks in advance. A second Ministry centre opened in Bradford in November 2009 and a third in Leeds in April 2010. Many other UK councils are seriously looking at opening similar centres to try to halt Britain's growing obesity problem.
A book, Jamie's Ministry of Food was published by Michael Joseph in October 2008 and quickly became one of Jamie's most successful books both in the UK and internationally.
In early 2009, Jamie was typically busy. On television he tackled the issue of pig welfare and the need to champion British pig farmers in the Channel 4 one-off programme Jamie Saves Our Bacon. He also announced a new high street cooking shop project called Recipease, the first of which opened in Battersea/Clapham Junction in February quickly followed by a second shop in Brighton in May.
The year also saw the launch of Jamie at Home, an exciting direct selling business which empowers people to start their own businesses by selling Jamie's quality products through holding parties for friends and colleagues. For more info – www.jamieathome.com
On April 1st, Jamie had the great honour of cooking at 10 Downing Street for the third time in his career, this time for the assembled world leaders in advance of the G20 talks. He and a group of graduates and an apprentice from Fifteen London cooked a menu showing off the best of seasonal British food. Just over 24 hours later, Jamie was celebrating the birth of his third daughter – Petal Blossom Rainbow.
Jamie spent much of 2009 in the USA, first making a series for Channel 4 (and overseas markets), Jamie's American Road Trip, during which he visited Los Angeles (meeting Mexican ex-gang members who are being rehabilitated through food and cooking), Wyoming (where he spent time with cowboys living in a wilderness that has barely changed for centuries), New York (where he strayed from the typical tourist areas to discover delicious food from the Peruvian, Colombian, Egyptian and Chinese communities), Louisiana (hunting alligators and helping to get a restaurant damaged by a hurricane back on its feet), Georgia (investigating soul food and the southern of barbecuing) and Arizona (where Jamie spent time with the Navajo people and learnt about their food and culture). An accompanying book, Jamie's America, became Jamie's 10th best-seller.
Late in 2009, Jamie launched an iPhone app called 20 Minute Meals which quickly became a best-seller and a huge hit with the app-loving public in the UK and overseas as well as winning the much coveted Apple Design Award for apps.
Later that year, he returned to America, this time to West Virginia, to start his first major network series for America television. "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" premiered on ABC in America in March 2010, winning its slot each week with ratings peaking at 7.5 million. Jamie appeared on Oprah to launch the campaign and also carried out high profile interviews on Letterman, Leno and Nightline as well as press interviews in The New York Times and TIME magazine. Jamie became the recipient of the prestigious TED award for 2010 (previous winners have included Al Gore and Bono) at a ceremony in California. http://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_oliver.html and in August 2010 the Food Revolution series received an Emmy Award for Best Reality Series.
If that wasn't enough, back in the UK Jamie launched a new book and TV series: Jamie Does… early in 2010 which saw Jamie seeking out fresh inspiration from countries he visited on cheap short hall flights from the UK, to discover authentic recipes and flavours.
Autumn 2010 saw Jamie's first foray in UK "daytime television" with the launch of 30 Minute Meals, a daily TV series at 5.30pm in the UK which aimed to show cooks of all levels that by simply using their kitchen kit cleverly, they could get not just one dish but a whole meal on the table in half an hour. The accompanying book, "Jamie's 30 Minute Meals" became Jamie's best- selling book to date and the fastest selling book of all time in the UK, passing the one million mark just before Christmas 2010.
In addition, Jamie's fourth child, Buddy Bear Maurice Oliver, was born on 15th September.
On November 3rd, Jamie and renowned American chef Adam Perry Lang opened Barbecoa restaurant at the One New Change development next to St Paul's Cathedral. The restaurant specialises in traditional cooking methods using wood, charcoal and smoke – www.barbecoa.com for more info.
Early in 2011, Jamie and his family upped-sticks and moved to California for two months where Jamie filmed the second series of 'Jamie's Food revolution' for ABC.