Julia, thank you for another enjoyable sojourn into our interconnected world of food. As I read I wondered, what about Alice Waters? As an American I always had the impression that she had a huge influence on food here in the US at least. I’ve considered her a food game changer and chefs from her restaurant, who moved on to open their own places, have had equally strong impacts. I ate at Square One years ago in San Francisco, run by an Alice Waters alumna from Chez Panisse, Joyce Goldstein, and it blew my mind. Probably the best meal of my life (And probably one of the most expensive too! I still remember the shock when the check arrived!)
Her philosophy did turn her into a US game changer. She has said she opened her restaurant because she wanted to feed her friends the French food she'd fallen in love with when she went to Paris in the early '60s. Her influence evolved as one of the earliest promoters of the principles of local, sustainable and seasonal ingredients, collaborating with her chefs, most significantly Jeremiah Tower, to create recipes that he then brought to the table.
Really enjoyed this one! Though even though most of the recipes that appear under his name are ghost written by cooks, Jamie Oliver himself is a chef, discovered working the line at The River Cafe (an excellent example of London restaurant pricing if ever I've seen one!)?
You are absolutely right! He was a sous chef at The way-beyond-my-wallet River Cafe when the producer of a TV show filming Ruthie Rogers and Rose Gray saw just how much the camera loved him and that was that.
My mother took me there once when I was living within walking distance. It was fantastic, but I also knew even in the same city the same quality food, ingredients and service was happening for way less elsewhere!
Hola , Estoy De Acuerdo Con Todo Lo Que Se Menciona De Ferran Adria Y Jose Andres , Pero Como Espanol Y Mejor Dicho Como Buen Valenciano Qué Soy , A Toda Persona Extranjera Que Visite España Y Quiera Conocer De Donde Viene La Paella Y Su Historia , Tiene Que Ir A La Ciudad De Valencia Y Tiene Que Visitar El Parque Natural De La Albufera , Allí Entre Arrozales Y La Inmensidad De La Naturaleza , Descubrirá Pequeños Pueblos Cómo El Palmar , Donde La Paella Es Uno De Sus Platos Favoritos. Un Saludo.
In English:Hello, I agree with everything that is mentioned about Ferran Adria and Jose Andres, but as a Spaniard and better said as a good Valencian that I am, to any foreign person who visits Spain and wants to know where paella comes from and its history, you have You Go To The City Of Valencia And You Have To Visit The Albufera Natural Park, There Among Rice Fields And The Immensity Of Nature, You Will Discover Small Towns Like El Palmar, Where Paella Is One Of Your Favorite Dishes. All the best
Wonderful mix of interesting stories I didn't know- especially the field kitchen. And as always great photos- very yummy looking food. Definitely time to change my boring breakfast habits!
And on prices- I ordered a cappuccino in Camden waiting for a friend - only to find it was £3.40. Obscene.
I've long thought that London prices are beyond ridiculous. Those dishes look far too pretty to eat! And as usual, some fascinating snippets - as one with a great interest in things military, I was delighted to learn of the development of the field kitchen. I must delve a little deeper! Wellington's officers in the Peninsula (not to mention the hapless rank and file) would have been overjoyed - one Rifles officer is on record as complaining that British camp kettles 'took half a barn door' to bring their contents to the boil; the French equivalent was a great prize.
I don't suppose there's any chance of a promotional tour of North-east Scotland for 'Bruno's Cookbook'?
I think we've paid too little for good food for too long. But now we have to pay for the exorbitant hike in rents restaurants are asked to pay by greedy landlords plus increased wages for staff who jump from job to job because they too have rents to pay and their salaries aren't glittering. So much of what the total on the bill covers is not about the food. What does now has to reflect big tax increases in imported ingredients and the cost of transporting them into the UK. And still those involved in the restaurants barely make a profit.
What a delightful article. I love thé way you weave together food history & current trends in the culinary world.
Thank you! I'm glowing
Julia, thank you for another enjoyable sojourn into our interconnected world of food. As I read I wondered, what about Alice Waters? As an American I always had the impression that she had a huge influence on food here in the US at least. I’ve considered her a food game changer and chefs from her restaurant, who moved on to open their own places, have had equally strong impacts. I ate at Square One years ago in San Francisco, run by an Alice Waters alumna from Chez Panisse, Joyce Goldstein, and it blew my mind. Probably the best meal of my life (And probably one of the most expensive too! I still remember the shock when the check arrived!)
Her philosophy did turn her into a US game changer. She has said she opened her restaurant because she wanted to feed her friends the French food she'd fallen in love with when she went to Paris in the early '60s. Her influence evolved as one of the earliest promoters of the principles of local, sustainable and seasonal ingredients, collaborating with her chefs, most significantly Jeremiah Tower, to create recipes that he then brought to the table.
Really enjoyed this one! Though even though most of the recipes that appear under his name are ghost written by cooks, Jamie Oliver himself is a chef, discovered working the line at The River Cafe (an excellent example of London restaurant pricing if ever I've seen one!)?
You are absolutely right! He was a sous chef at The way-beyond-my-wallet River Cafe when the producer of a TV show filming Ruthie Rogers and Rose Gray saw just how much the camera loved him and that was that.
My mother took me there once when I was living within walking distance. It was fantastic, but I also knew even in the same city the same quality food, ingredients and service was happening for way less elsewhere!
Hola , Estoy De Acuerdo Con Todo Lo Que Se Menciona De Ferran Adria Y Jose Andres , Pero Como Espanol Y Mejor Dicho Como Buen Valenciano Qué Soy , A Toda Persona Extranjera Que Visite España Y Quiera Conocer De Donde Viene La Paella Y Su Historia , Tiene Que Ir A La Ciudad De Valencia Y Tiene Que Visitar El Parque Natural De La Albufera , Allí Entre Arrozales Y La Inmensidad De La Naturaleza , Descubrirá Pequeños Pueblos Cómo El Palmar , Donde La Paella Es Uno De Sus Platos Favoritos. Un Saludo.
In English:Hello, I agree with everything that is mentioned about Ferran Adria and Jose Andres, but as a Spaniard and better said as a good Valencian that I am, to any foreign person who visits Spain and wants to know where paella comes from and its history, you have You Go To The City Of Valencia And You Have To Visit The Albufera Natural Park, There Among Rice Fields And The Immensity Of Nature, You Will Discover Small Towns Like El Palmar, Where Paella Is One Of Your Favorite Dishes. All the best
You're so right. The paella in the opening photo I ate in a restaurant on the canal in the Albufera National Park. It was delicious!
Wonderful mix of interesting stories I didn't know- especially the field kitchen. And as always great photos- very yummy looking food. Definitely time to change my boring breakfast habits!
And on prices- I ordered a cappuccino in Camden waiting for a friend - only to find it was £3.40. Obscene.
For the effort and ingredients that go into a cappuccino, that seems extreme. Probably it was the foam that cost the most...
I've long thought that London prices are beyond ridiculous. Those dishes look far too pretty to eat! And as usual, some fascinating snippets - as one with a great interest in things military, I was delighted to learn of the development of the field kitchen. I must delve a little deeper! Wellington's officers in the Peninsula (not to mention the hapless rank and file) would have been overjoyed - one Rifles officer is on record as complaining that British camp kettles 'took half a barn door' to bring their contents to the boil; the French equivalent was a great prize.
I don't suppose there's any chance of a promotional tour of North-east Scotland for 'Bruno's Cookbook'?
I think we've paid too little for good food for too long. But now we have to pay for the exorbitant hike in rents restaurants are asked to pay by greedy landlords plus increased wages for staff who jump from job to job because they too have rents to pay and their salaries aren't glittering. So much of what the total on the bill covers is not about the food. What does now has to reflect big tax increases in imported ingredients and the cost of transporting them into the UK. And still those involved in the restaurants barely make a profit.