Gerry's View ICEX Foods From Spain News

Interview with Chef Alex Ureña, Pamplona, New York City Winter 2008

Starchefs.com Founder Antoinette Bruno Fall 2008

José Andrés & El Salón Internacional de Gourmets, Madrid Summer 2008

Chef Terrance Brennan, Picholine & Artisanal, New York & Spanish Products, Spring 2008

In the Metropolitan New York area, tapas bars are flourishing and seem to be sprouting like mushrooms in many youth-driven areas of the city and even beyond to once staid areas such as Connecticut. Winter 2007

Spain now has an incredible number of prestigious international gastronomy and wine fairs, so many in fact that few Spaniards, even hardened professionals, can keep up with them. Things kick off in January with Madrid Fusión, which has become one of the world’s top gourmet encounters in only five years. Summer 2007

Solera Tapas Bar & Restaurant, Minneapolis & Madrid Fusión 2007 Spring 2007

Spanish Specialty Food Shops & A Personal View of Madrid Fusión 2006

About the author

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.


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

Foods From Spain News Interview with Chef & TV Personality José Andrés at Madrid's Salón Internacional de Gourmets

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(Click to enlarge the article and any image on this post.)

Article and all photographs by Gerry Dawes ©2008.

Telefónica Arena Pavilion, Salón Internacional de Gourmets, Casa del Campo, Madrid

José Andrés stops to toast with a glass of Pomea Aurea rosado sidra at Cata Gourmet in the Asturian pavilion at Madrid's annual Salón Internacional de Gourmets in Madrid.

José Andrés has rapidly become one of the top stars of Spanish cuisine. Just in the past few years, Andrés, chef-partner and creative force behind THINKfoodGROUP, which owns and operates several several restaurants–most of them Spanish (his Jaleo and Mini-Bar by José Andrés at Café Atlantico) in Washington, D.C. He has a very popular prime-time television cooking show in Spain called Vamos a Cocinar and he is the host of American PBS-TV’s new series, José Made In Spain, which focuses on a different region each episode and features Spanish products, dishes from many different Spanish chefs and demonstrations on how to make the dishes. Andrés has published several books, including Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America, two cookbooks in Spain in Spanish and the companion book to his PBS-TV Series.

At the Pérez Pascuas stand at Salón Internacional de Gourmets, Madrid

Marino González Fernández, President of COASA (Comercializadora Asturiana de Alimentos S.A.), which produces high quality Asturian cheeses and owns the Cata Gourmet stores and product line, drinking sidra (Cider) with members of the Trabanco cider group.

This Foods From Spain News article circulated as an insert in Speciality Foods Magazine at the Fancy Food Show in New York, June 29th - July 1st, 2008

Despaña Brands, a Spanish food products shop at 408 Broome St., Soho, NYC

The Ferran Adrià & Santi Santamaria Brouhaha: A Personal Chronicle of the Strange Occurrences Leading Up to the Star Chefs Fight of the Century

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All photographs copyright by Gerry Dawes 2007
Publication without permission strictly prohibited.

Contact: gerrydawes@aol.com

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On the surface it all seemed innocent enough at Grupo Gourmets Salón Internacional de Gourmets at the Casa del Campo, Madrid in May, 2006 . . . .

Santi Santamaría seemed jovial.

The normally pensive and serious Ferran even seemed happy. . . . . .There was much alegría --or is often said, "musha, musha alegría"-- in the espuma, er, air. . . . 

Hell, Santi and Ferran even seemed happy even though they were sitting together.

Arzak was amusing Bocuse, or trying to amuse Bocuse.

What a crew it was at the Salón de Gourmets Annual Gourmet Restaurant Awards that fine May day in 2006. . . . .as I said there was musha, alegría. . . . .musha

Santi, Bocuse, and Toño & José of Átrio, their superb restaurant in Cáceres, all got awards, mas musha alegría. . . .

. . . . . Santi stilled seemed jovial, José Polo seemed half-jovial, but Toño Pérez, José's partner in Átrio and in life, didn't seem jovial, maybe because José had his arm around Santi- -well, part of the way around Santi.

. . . . . Ferran got an award and Arzak got an award, each the size of a doorstop. Juan Mari then amused Grupo Gourmets Presidente Paco López Canís. . . . and the musha, musha alegría continued without pause, flowing like Torta del Casar (also from Cáceres) . . . . .

. . . . well, except maybe for Toño, whom Arzak provided some much needed amusement and way too much pacharán later on at Julián de Tolosa restaurant on Cava Baja. . . .but that's a story for another day, back to this one:

And then, and then, and then the trouble started on "Killer's Row. . . .
 

. . . . Santi, Ferran, Bocuse & Juan Mari were all seated together . . . . .Then Ferran whispers to Santi, "My espumas (foams), mango caviar, encapsulated 'olives' and olive oil drops and nitrogen cocktails are the work of a genius." What have you got to match that? 

Ferran, now pensive again, lets that soak in. Santi is no longer jovial, he is also now pensive. . . .

"So, you think that unhealthy, additive-laced mierda you do is cooking, eh?

Then Santi leans to the right, smiles and says, "How about something really creative, say aromatheraphy. How do you like my hot, smoky espuma laced with the terroir of Montseny?"
 

Ferran, momentarily stunned, tries to steady himself.

Sacre bleu! Bocuse is incredulous!

Juan Mari, not into aromatherapy, is not amused and tries to protect his air supply. 
 
Ferran, stunned and reeling, can't believe what just happened.
 

Ferran, contemplating a retort in his native Cartagena-inflected Catalan-Andaluz (guaranteed to piss Santi off since it is not pure Catalan), turns pensive again. . . .thinking, "Jodé, yo zoy genio y Santi no é. ¿Como es posible que el cabrón hizo esto antes de que me ha ocurrido a mi?". . . . ."F..k, I am a genius and Santi ain't. How is it possible that this cabrón did this before it occurred to me?"
 

Santi, once again jovial, enjoys a moment of musha, musha alegría.

Now, 800 chefs are pissed off at Santi, all over a little hot air!!

Fin de una triste historia.