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36. Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel gerrydawesspain.com

"My good friend Gerry Dawes, the unbridled Spanish food and wine enthusiast cum expert whose writing, photography, and countless crisscrossings of the peninsula have done the most to introduce Americans—and especially American food professionals—to my country's culinary life. . .” - - Chef-restaurateur-humanitarian José Andrés, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee and Oscar Presenter 2019; Chef-partner of Mercado Little Spain at Hudson Yards, New York 2019

12/20/2009

Escaping the Snow in New York by Fleeing to Images of Summer: A Slide Show of El Encontro de Viño de Autor (Artisan Signature Grower-Producers) in Galicia This July


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Slide Show of El Encontro de Viño de Autor (Artisan Signature Grower-Producers)
(With captions and photos of winemakers, regional dishes, a pizza maestro who sings, and more.)

 


(Double click on image to go to larger image, once in Picasa web album push F11 for full screen view.)
____________________________________________________________________________

About Gerry Dawes

Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel

Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.

In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés.

". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table.  Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009. 
 




Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series
on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.

 

12/19/2009

Another Reason I Love Spain: Who Needs Splendor in the Grass, When There is Pleasure Is in Your Hands?

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From The World Time magazine, November 30, 2009:

What They're Teaching in Spain

"Officials in the Extremadura region are facing an outcry over taxpayer-funded sex-ed workshops for teen--including tips on masturbation--unfortunately named Pleasure Is in Your Hands.  While organizers say conservative and Catholic critics have distorted the campaign's purpose, an instructor admitted, "The title might have been a mistake."
___________________________________________________________________

About Gerry Dawes

Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel


Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.

In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés.

". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009. 




Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series
on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.


12/16/2009

To Hell with Michelin! I Have the GeralDalí 'Persistence of Memory' Watch Awards and I am Bestowing Five Watches, My Top Rating, on Restaurante Quique Dacosta (formerly El Poblet), Chef Quique DaCosta and Quique Dacosta's Staff


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Gerry Dawes's Geraldo-Dalí Persistence of Memory* (Salvador Dalí)  Melting Watch Awards.

(The opinions in this post are entirely those of Gerry Dawes.  Quique Dacosta was not consulted.)

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Quique Dacosta. Photo by Gerry Dawes©2008.
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Video of Quique Dacosta's Restaurant in Denia (Alicante).



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Quique Dacosta is probably the brightest culinary star of his generation and this year, he and his stunning restaurant and stunning state-of-cocina de vangaurdia food were yet again royally screwed by the Michelin Guide (2010), who failed to give Quique (and others) a deserved third star. 

Let's get it straight, at one point restaurants in France had received around 1,700 Michelin rosettes while Spain, in the same year, had less than 200.  The ratio is roughly the same this year.  Let's be gracious and call it eight to one in favor of France over Spain.

Taking into consideration that Spanish restaurants and Spanish cuisine--vanguardia, modernized traditional and traditional--have been recognized by far more credible judges than the Michelin Guide as among the best restaurants in the world and that France is in mortal competition with Spain for gastro-tourism Euros, why is anyone giving any credence to Michelin's shameful French-centric judgement any more?

In addition to the long-vaunted modern cuisine restaurants like Ferran Adrià's El Bulli, Arzak, Can Fabes, Martín Berasategui, San Pau, Can Roca and many others, Spain has a slew of traditional cuisine restaurants that merit one and two rosettes (usually called "stars") from Michelin, some of them three.  If Elkano and Kaia in Getaria in the Basque Country alone (Not to mention a slew of other Basque restaurants) don't merit two stars for stellar food, stellar service, ambience, wine cellar, etc., who does?  I go on on listing restaurants all over Spain worthy of Michelin's lofty ratings, but it is futile, since even the vociferous protests of Madrid's culinary press corps who have voiced their displeasure to the faces of Michelin representatives who invited them to press luncheons in Madrid to present each year's new Red Guide, apparently have had little effect. 

If I were the Spaniards--and I often feel like I am--I would get Michelin's attention quick. 

"Señores (Monsieurs y Madames), is it not true that the Michelin Guides originated as a way to help your company sell more tires?" 

"In that case, would you prefer to sell rubber or paper?  Because we intend to organize a boycott against your pneumaticos if you don't manage to award Spain at least, at the very least, 1,000 more rosettes by the next time your guidebook to Spain and Portugal is published." 

Yes, we know there are Michelin tire factories in Spain.  Do you know how many people restaurants in Spain employ, how many farmers supply food to Spanish restaurants, how many wineries and winery employees provide them with wine?
_______________________________________________________


About Gerry Dawes

Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel


Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.

In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés.

". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009. 



Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series 
on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.

About Gerry Dawes: Writing, Photography, Tours to Spain, Public Speaking

 

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(Profile written by José Andrés)

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Guide to Gerry Dawes's Spain:

 

 Customized Culinary Tours, Epicurean Ways Scheduled Tours, Photography, Articles and Archived Posts


From James A. Michener, Ferran Adrià, Thomas Keller, José Andrés, Terrance Brennan, Norman Van Aken, Mark Miller, John Mariani, Karen Page/Andrew Dornenberg, Rozanne Gold
______________________________________________________________________________

 About Gerry Dawes



Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.

". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009. 



Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series
on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.

12/13/2009

MADRID FUSIÓN 2010, THEATRE OF IDEAS: Preview of the International Summit of Gastronomy Coming Up in Madrid, January 26, 27 & 28


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For more information on the event, tickets, hotels, etc. 
e-mail gerrydawes@aol.com 
 

 or go to MADRID FUSIÓN 2010


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MADRID FUSIÓN 2010, THEATRE OF IDEAS:


26 January Tuesday

TRENDS, CREATIVITY AND TALENTED NEW CHEFS

09:30 - 10:30  AUDITORIUM – Oriental Magnetism. Introduction by Benedict Beaugé


A trip to the sources.  Cheong Liew

The provocation of the senses. David Muñoz

10:30 - 11:45  AUDITORIUM – Concept review

The universe of grills. William Ledeuil

New sauces. Schilo Van Coevorden

11:45 - 12:30  AUDITORIUM - THEATRE OF IDEAS

Journalist summit. Introduction by José Carlos Capel.



             José Carlos Capel
      All photos by Gerry Dawes©2009.


Marco Bolasco, Jean Pierre Gabriel, Rafael García Santos, Nick Lander, Ruth Reichi and Jeffrey Steingarten.





Gerry Dawes, Jose Maria Pisa (De Re Coquinaria), Ruth Reichl, 
Jeffrey Steingarten (Vogue), Arthur Lubow (NY Times).

-What's the future of haute cuisine?
-The eco wave: reality or fiction?
-New restaurant models
-International chef classifications?





             Rafael García Santos

12:30 - 12:45 AUDITORIUM – Tribute

12:45 - 13:30 AUDITORIUM – elBulli 2009.




                 Ferran Adrià

13:00 - 13:30 BAR-SHOW. Premium Beverage area.
 

Martini Cocktail the classic way; What makes a good bartender. Salim Khoury

13:30 - 15:00 Lunch - Food tasting

15:00 - 15:45 AUDITORIUM

Technique and minimalism. Mark Best

15:45 - 16:15 AUDITORIUM

Talking with Grant Achatz

16:15 - 16:45 AUDITORIUM – Acidity as a trend.





                    Joan Roca

Vinegars with tradition. Joan Roca

16:45 - 17:45 AUDITORIUM – JAM SESSION: Nature and Design.

Rene Redzepi , Paul Cunnigham, Mads Refslund and Torsten Schmidt

17:00 - 17:30 BAR-SHOW. Premium Beverage Area.

Stanislav Vadrna.

18:00 - 19:00 MULTIPURPOSE HALL

The red gold from the sea, red prawns from Denia.





               Quique Dacosta

Quique Dacosta, Daniel Frías and Miquel Ruíz

19:00 - 20:00 MULTIPURPOSE HALL

Cheese… in haute cuisine. Paco Ron, Pepe Rodríguez Rey and Jesús González

27 January Wednesday

09:30 - 12:15 AUDITORIUM

THE EDIBLE FOREST:

The flavour of pine forests: pine cones and pine kernels. Miguel Ángel de la Cruz





                Rene Redzepi

Raw cooking.  Rene Redzepi

MUSHROOMS AND TRUFFLES

Micology R & D: Freeze-dried mushrooms.  Carlos de Pablo and Dr.Ramón Cacabelos

From harvest chef to the iconoclastic mycologist.   Aitor Basabe y Mikel Zeberio 



            Mikel Zeberio
 
Environmental sensibility.  Igles Corelli

12:15 - 12:45 AUDITORIUM - TALKING WITH A GENIUS

The elegance of Alain Ducasse.  Alain Ducasse

12:45 - 13:30 AUDITORIUM
 

Caviar, an eco-sustainable luxury. Introduction by Philippe Barbier.
 

Michel Troisgros.

13:00 - 13:30 BAR-SHOW. Premium Beverage Area.

Charles Schumann.

13:45 - 15:00 Lunch - Food tasting

15:00 - 15:45 AUDITORIUM

The spirit of nature: Earth, wind and fire. Yoshihiro Narisawa

15:45 - 16:15 AUDITORIUM





            Andoni Luís Aduriz

Ecological Intelligence: Second skin. Andoni Luis Aduriz

16:15 - 17:15 AUDITORIUM - THEATRE OF IDEAS

The myth of natural food products. Francisco García Olmedo

Transgenics exposed the risks from new crops. Juan Felipe Carrasco

17:00 - 17:30 BAR-SHOW. Premium Beverage Area.

Johnny Schuler.

17:30 - 18:30 Conferences

17:30 - 18:30 BAR-SHOW. Premium Beverage Area.

ROUNDTABLE; Javier Mariscal, Loquillo, Carmen Chaparro.

18:30 - 19:00 BAR-SHOW. Premium Beverage Area.

Nahuel Frúmboli (Flair)

18:30 - 19:30 MULTIPURPOSE HALL

The best ecological olive oils from all over the world.





                   Paco Roncero 

Kisko García, Ricard Camarena y Paco Roncero

28 January Thursday

GASTROECONOMY: MANAGEMENT + IMAGINATION = PROFITS

09:30 - 11:00 AUDITORIUM - New business opportunities


                   
Dani García

Haute cuisine low cost.  Dani García

Singular food: "Prêt-à-porter" creativity. Íñigo Lavado

Street cuisine. Mobile restaurants. Thierry Marx

11:00 - 11:45 AUDITORIUM

Informality in Urban haute cuisine "Modern English Style." Jason Atherton

11:45 - 12:15 AUDITORIUM

Thirty years on the Podium. How to adapt to change.

Juan Mari Arzak and Elena Arzak








              Juan Mari Arzak & Elena Arzak
 

12:15 - 13:00 AUDITORIUM

Management of the proximity. Ben Shewry

12:30 - 13:00 BAR-SHOW. Premium Beverage Area.

"New Orleans, the birthplace of the Cocktail bar." Ángel San José.

13:00 - 13:30 BAR-SHOW. Premium Beverage Area.

"Return trip to the world of the cocktail." Carlos Moreno.

13:00 - 13:45 AUDITORIUM

Gin & Tonic's evolution. Javier de las Muelas

13:45 - 15:00 Lunch - Food tasting

15:00 - 15:45 AUDITORIUM

Nomadic chefs ("Private Kitchens", imaginative solutions, unusual catering).

Carl Borg and Pedro Monge

15:45 - 16:30 AUDITORIUM- THEATRE OF IDEAS

"The José Andrés case" in IE Business schools.

Luis Solís and José Andrés

16:30 - 17:00 BAR-SHOW.

Premium Beverage Area. Bitters. Diego Cabrera

16:45 - 17:45 MULTIPURPOSE HALL

The Mediterranean Sturgeon: the recovery of a millennium species.

Elena Arzak, Alberto Chicote and Ramón Freixa

17:00 - 17:30 BAR-SHOW. Premium Beverage Area.

Taste the Art. Drink with all your Senses.

Junior Merino.

17:45 - 18:30 MULTIPURPOSE HALL

Tiki cocktails and fashion mixed drinks. Javier de las Muelas

18:30 - 19:00 SALA POLIVALENTE

Amazing harmonies chocolate and red wine. Paco Torreblanca

 
               Paco Torreblanca

19:00 - 20:00 MULTIPURPOSE HALL

Icons of a prodigious decade in Spanish cuisine







Juan Mari Arzak, Ferran Adrià, Martín Berasategui, Manolo de la Osa



Ferran Adrià, Sergi Arola, Juan Mari Arzak, Martín Berasategui, Quique Dacosta, Manolo de la Osa, Dani García, Andoni Luis Aduriz , Joan and Jordi Roca, Carme Ruscalleda, Marc Singla, and Pedro Subijana

________________________________________________________________________________


About Gerry Dawes

Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel


Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.

In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés.

". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009. 




Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series 
on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.


Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com


12/11/2009

Spanish Grape Varieties: A Photographic Encyclopedia (A Work-in-Progress, More to Come)


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(Double click on image to go to larger image, once in Picasa web album push F11 for full screen view.)

* * * * *
__________________________________________________________________________________

About Gerry Dawes

Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel


Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.

In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés.

". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009. 



Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series 
on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.

12/10/2009

Spanish Chefs Star at Star Chefs Conference 2009 in New York City: Juan Mari Arzak, Paco Torreblanca & José Andrés (Slide Show)


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Star Chefs International Chefs Conference, New York City, Sept. 20-22, 2009

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(Double click on image to go to larger image, once in Picasa web album push F11 for full screen view.)

_________________________________________________________________________

About Gerry Dawes



Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.

In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés.

". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009.

 


Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series 
on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.



12/09/2009

Looking Back: At the Barcelona Futbol (Soccer) Riot at the Top of the Ramblas, May 2006


* * * * *

Michael Whiteman of the Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman Co. (International Restaurant Consultants) and I were on a memorable trip through Spain, trying to raise dinero for a big Spanish restaurant complex that I had concocted.  We had finished dinner and were heading back to our hotel when we encountered the great Barcelona Club Futbol Soccer riot when Barcelona clinched the Spanish league title on May 3, 2006 (shades of Goya's famous 3 de Mayo. painting).  Since I am seldom without my cameras in Spain, and especially in Barcelona, I managed to capture these scenes without too much risk to life and limb.   All photographs in this slide show are copyrighted by Gerry Dawes 2006.



(Click on lower right corner to go to Picasa, click on 'slide show', push F11 for full screen view.)

_________________________________________________


About Gerry Dawes


Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.

In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés.

". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009.

 

Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series 
on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.


Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com

12/08/2009

World Wine Crisis Series (Ten): "$100 bottles of wine gather dust." - Michael Whiteman / "US wineries must adjust to new $50 ceiling" -- Decanter


* * * * * 
(Click on link above to read the whole report.)


". . .$100 bottles of wine gather dust." -- Michael Whiteman, 
President Joseph Baum &Michael Whiteman, Co, Inc.,  
International Restaurant Consultants http://www.baumwhiteman.com/


  Michael Whiteman cutting through the bull in Barcelona.  
At Hotel Arts, for whose original restaurants the Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman, Co. was the consultant.
Photograph by Gerry Dawes©2006.
 

"#3 UPSCALING THE DOWNSCALE: No question that consumers are trading down.  Steakhouse sales slipped 25%-30% since last year, and $100 bottles of wine gather dust. Predictably, hamburger and hot dog sales are on the rise but not because they’re cheap. What’s important is that consumers are using these vehicles as trade-up treats! That’s what’s behind the explosion of “gourmet” hamburgers smothered in the likes of manchego cheese and Iberian ham; or fanciful hot dogs served with goat cheese and guacamole; or french fries revved up with parmesan cheese and truffle oil.  

Consumers are trading down in order to trade up! That explains why operators are success -fully playing one-upmanship with these items, why they’re labeling them like categories of steak: brisket burgers, short rib burgers, grass-fed burgers. It’s why lamb burgers, which you couldn’t give away three years ago, are selling. It’s why you find hand-made artisan hot dogs and Kobe dogs smothered in home-made relishes and condiments (Show Dogs, San Francisco; Bark, Brooklyn; Hot Doug’s, Chicago).
 

Danger: At low price points, there’s little economic risk in experimenting; but when people finally have more money in their pockets, will they forsake these humble things and rush back to steaks and chops?"

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US wineries must adjust to new $50 ceiling: report

November 24, 2009
Richard Woodard, Decanter Magazine

The era of the US$100-plus bottle may be over as the US recession takes its toll on Baby Boomers' wealth, according to a new report.

In the preliminary findings for its 2010-11 Annual State of the Wine Industry Report, Silicon Valley Bank warned that wineries need to adjust to a 'new normal' of reduced spending power – among the very consumers who have driven recent growth in the market.

'For that segment of Baby Boomers who have seen their net worth drastically reduced and who have been the prime target of wine marketing for nearly 20 years, a US$50 bottle of wine is now permanently out of the question for a normal purchase,' said Rob McMillan, report author and founder of the bank's Wine Division.
  (Click on link above to read the whole article.)
____________________________________________________________________________

About Gerry Dawes

Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel


Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.

In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés.

". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009. 



Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series
on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.


12/07/2009

Spanish Cinema Now Festival at Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center Dec. 4-20, 2009


* * * * * 

Spanish Cinema Now (From the Festival press release).
 
December 4-20, 2009

A TASTE OF SPAIN
Saturday, December 12 

Three feature films, seven shorts, Spanish wines & cheeses ~ all for one affordable price: $30 (public)/$25 (senior)/$20 (member/student). Info & Tickets  



Spanish filmmakers know how to mine classic film genres in new and provocative ways--this year's catch is exceptional in that regard. See familiar faces and bright new stars light up the screen in the series that has brought us many of Spain's cinematic treasures including Pedro Almodovar, Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem.

Special guests expected to appear during this season include: directors Jaume Balaguero ([Rec]2), Daniel Monzón

Cell 211), Daniel Sánchez Arevalo (Gordos) and actors Elena Anaya (Hierro), Unax Ugalde (The Good News), Antonio de la Torre (Gordos).



See every film in the series - at any screening that fits your schedule - for one affordable price with an All Access Pass: $99 public; $89 senior (62+); $79 member/student. Purchase the pass online or at the box office. Certain restrictions apply.

For more information about the films in the series click on the Read more... link. To purchase single screening tickets online click on the SHOWTIME under Buy Tickets.

Location and Directions: 

The Film Society of Lincoln Center
Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65th Street, upper level
between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave.

- Subways: 1 to 66th Street Lincoln Center
- Buses: M5 M7 M104
- More options available at nearby Columbus Circle.
- Walk west on 65th Street, look for the FILM banner on 65th Street. For access to the upper level use: the new public staircase on the north side of 65th St near the mid-block crossing, the elevator in the Juilliard School, the elevator or the escalator directly beneath the theater.

____________________________________________________________________________

About Gerry Dawes

Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel


Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.

In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés.

". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009. 



Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series 
on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.

Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Culinary Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain

Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com


12/06/2009

Kitchen Arts & Letters Bookstore Fall 2009 List: New Books (Including a couple related to Spain) From Friends & Acquaintances

* * * * *

(Text from the Kitchen Arts & Letters Fall 2009 e-mail list of new books.  I just picked out those from friends and acquaintances and added a few photographs, none of which appear in any of these books.)


Kitchen Arts & Letters is the country's largest store devoted completely to books on food and wine. With more than 12,000 titles in English and other languages and access to thousands of out-of-print titles, we help food professionals, scholars, and the food publishing community, as well as the general public, discover books--older and recent--that represent serious contributions to the world of food and drink.

This is a highly selective list of new titles published during the fall of 2009, as well as some other recent arrivals. Most will be available when you receive this list; others are forthcoming and will become available later. All information for unpublished titles is tentative, including price.



Ferran Adrià, et al. COCO.



Ferran Adrià in the kitchen at El Bulli.  Photo by Gerry Dawes©2008.
 

Ten world-famous chefs were asked to each select 10 rising talents whose work deserved wider recognition. The selection committee included not only the likes of Adriá and Ducasse but Shannon Bennett from Australia, Rene Redzepi from Denmark, Yoshihiro Murata from Japan, and Jacky Yu from Hong Kong. The resulting 100 names contain a few predictable choices, but they are far outnumbered by obviously talented chefs who deserve attention, working in locations as far-flung as Moscow, Sao Paolo, Queens, and Taipei. Each chef is represented by a short profile and a typical menu with recipes. Very worthwhile. color throughout. cl. $49.95


Coleman Andrews. THE COUNTRY COOKING OF IRELAND.


It is pleasing to see that Ireland is casting off a reputation for desultory cooking and is reconnecting with some of its best local traditions. Andrews, cofounder of Saveur magazine, does a superb job here demonstrating how fine ingredients are being produced and prepared in Ireland, from meats and seafood to fruits, breads, and cheese. There's an appealing aura of romance over this handsome book, and it's easy to be drawn into Andrews' amiable prose. color throughout. cl. $50.00

Lidia Mattichio Bastianich. LIDIA COOKS FROM THE HEART OF ITALY.


This regionally organized book skips over some of the more written-about parts of Italy to provide entrancing coverage of such places as Sardinia, Liguria, Lombardy, Molise, and Basilicata. Bastianich, bless her, treats her readers' interest in her subject very seriously, and one feels one is being given a tour by a passionate local who is confident of her homeland's charms. color throughout. cl. $35.00


Rose Levy Beranbaum. ROSE'S HEAVENLY CAKES.


It's been twenty years since Beranbaum changed the way Americans baked with The Cake Bible, a remarkably thorough and inspired manual for the serious baker-home or professional. Now she presents the wisdom of a few more decades spent baking and learning, and readers will find her just as inspired, just as interested in the best possible result, but perhaps a little more at ease and more playful. Although she offers many cakes intended to be served without decoration, she can still produce some true showstoppers, including a selection of delectable wedding cakes. A very welcome book. color throughout. cl. $39.95


Heston Blumenthal. THE FAT DUCK COOKBOOK.



Scenes from Madrid Fusión 2009:  Molecular Cuisine, Does It Exist?  
The Fat Duck's Heston Blumenthal ponders the question.  
Photo by Gerry Dawes©2009.

All the content--text and illustrations--of The Big Fat Duck Cookbook is here, just in a smaller format: 9 ½ x 11 inches. This is far more practical and affordable than the 2008 original edition, although some of the sheer seductiveness of that lavish production has been lost. Still, the book remains jammed with unparalleled information and imagination from the chef of the celebrated Michelin three-star restaurant in Oxfordshire. color throughout. cl. $50.00


Lourdes Castro. EAT, DRINK, THINK IN SPANISH.


This English-Spanish, Spanish-English kitchen dictionary has the great advantage of offering descriptions as well as translations, so one learns, for example, that while "fiambre" is "processed meat," it is specifically "precooked or preserved meats that are served cold or at room temperature." Quite helpful. p. $18.99


David Chang and Peter Meehan. MOMOFUKU.


David Chang of Momofuku (NYC) and Gerry Dawes on stage during Madrid Fusión 2009. 
Photo by John Sconzo©2009.

Chang's pan-Asian fusion with American ingredients has made his mini-empire of East Village restaurants a destination for visitors worldwide. Fortunately for readers of his book, he has not attempted to water down his approach in pursuit of a mass audience: this is hard-core, blue-streaking Chang, who's happy to share his recipes as long as you understand you won't get the same results without working as hard as he does. This is the real thing. color throughout. cl. $40.00


Rozanne Gold. EAT FRESH FOOD.


Writing for teenage cooks, Gold offers a collection of serious, engagingly presented recipes that (unobtrusively) place an emphasis on vegetable-centric dishes in such a way that teens and parents alike will both be satisfied. Gold is so accomplished at creating flavor and simplifying technique that adults may be borrowing the book for weeknight dinners: onion soup with apple cider and thyme; sun-dried tomato and carrot meatloaf; olive oil-chocolate chip cookies. color throughout. cl. $21.99




Thomas Keller. AD HOC AT HOME.



Ad Hoc is Keller's family-style restaurant in the Napa Valley, an eatery inspired by American home cooking and the generous improvisational style of restaurant staff meals. The offerings here are seductive and surprising, and technique pointers abound. The section on preserves is worth the price of admission alone. But keep in mind that a culinary talent like Keller's is not bound by same limits as the average home kitchen and cook, and Ad Hoc will offer challenges along with many very attractive rewards. color throughout. cl. $50.00






 Thomas Keller, Madrid Fusion 2009.  
Photo by Gerry Dawes©2009.       




Max McCalman and Dave Gibbons. MASTERING CHEESE.



                 Max McCalman.
        Photo by Gerry Dawes©2007.

We've been feeling a dearth of introductory cheese books for the seriously motivated reader, and we're pleased to see this very handsome effort from the somewhat augustly designated Dean of Curriculum at the Artisanal Premium Cheese Center in New York. Despite that mouthful of a title, McCalman has been one of the foremost advocates of fine cheeses in the US, and his detailed and methodical (nearly 400 pages) guide is very useful for understanding cheesemaking as well as cheesetasting. color throughout. cl. $40.00


James Peterson. BAKING.


With a list of definitive books under his belt (Sauces, Vegetables, Fish and Shellfish), Peterson, a highly respected teacher, now tackles baking in this clear, detailed, and most useful guide to classic techniques for everything from almond cream to yeast cakes, with stops along the way at brownies, lemon meringue pie, and whole wheat bread. Strong step-by-step color photography. cl. $40.00


Paula Wolfert. MEDITERRANEAN CLAY POT COOKING.


Paula Wolfert in The Culinary Institute of America-Greystone 
kitchens at the Worlds of Flavor Conference, Nov. 2009.  
Photo by Gerry Dawes©2009. 


Although the trusty Romertopf is included, Wolfert's latest book encompasses cooking in clay vessels of all types and sizes: cazuelas, tagines, bean pots, even slow-cookers (which use a ceramic liner). Her sources of inspiration are equally broad: she has adapted a pork belly dish which Joan Roca prepares sous-vide, presents a chard and toasted corn dish from a Turkish seaport, and she even slips in mushrooms cooked in the style of a Chinese sandpot. color insert. cl. $34.95


HOW TO ORDER From Kitchen Arts & Letters.  We'd love you to come to the store, chat with us, and see our full selection, as well as (in many cases) publishers' galley proofs and other material on upcoming books. If you must order by mail or fax, please let us know which titles you want. If the books are current and available, we'll ship them right off. If they are not available, we'll let you know when they arrive and notify you of the costs.


SHIPPING COSTS. We ship by UPS or USPS, whichever is least expensive for your location. Shipping is minimum $7.25 in the New York metro area, $8.00 east of the Mississippi, and $9.00 for southern Florida and the rest of the United States. For multibook orders, we will notify you of shipping costs. For overseas orders, we'll calculate costs by country.


PAYMENT. Mail order payments by Visa, Mastercard or Discover. On telephone orders, we can also give you a total and you can send us a check. For foreign, we'll take credit cards on all orders. For Canada, credit cards are fine, but no Canadian checks, sorry. US$ money orders are accepted.


THE STORE is located at 1435 Lexington Avenue in New York City, between 93rd and 94th Streets. Our hours are Monday, 1-6; Tuesday to Friday, 10-6:30; Saturday, 11-6. During the summer months our hours are less regular and we are closed on Saturday. It is best to call in advance of a visit.


HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO VISIT OUR HANDSOME NEW WEB SITE?


http://www.kitchenartsandletters.com   
 ____________________________________________________________


About Gerry Dawes

Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel


Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.

In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés.

". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009. 

 


Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series 
on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.

Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Culinary Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain

Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com

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