Snorting Cocoa on Day 1 of the International Chefs Congress in NYC

The first big event on the main stage was the highly anticipated panel discussion on Art vs. Craft. Sitting in directors chairs at the center of the stage were David Kinch of the two Michelin starred Manresa in California, uber chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry and Per Se, and farm-to-table chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns. The discussion was moderated by food writer Michael Ruhlman.

 To me, the best part of Day One at the StarChefs ICC were Bernard Lahousse and Dominique Persoone of The Chocolate Line in Brugge, Belgium--the guys who invented the Chocolate Shooter for snorting chocolate. On the main stage, this chocolatier/scientist duo discussed food pairings with chocolate, and demonstrated to the audience how the experience of tasting chocolate, or any food for that matter, is greatly affected by our physical surroundings--the sights, sounds, and smells in our environment at the time we're eating any product. They used the example of eating seafood on the beach versus eating seafood in a restaurant, arguing that the fish will always taste better when it's consumed sitting on the sand in front of the ocean, smelling salt water and hearing waves crash on the shore. In their presentation, the audience sampled their chocolate-Tequila bonbon while they played Mariachi music and filled the main stage with the scent of lime.

Read the full article on The Huffington Post!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/regina-varolli/international-chefs-congress-snorting-cocoa_b_745429.html

Food Trucks Are Hot, But Gourmet Ice Cream Trucks Are Cool

There's something about gourmet ice cream trucks that makes them cool. No pun intended, a gourmet ice cream truck is just more hip than an ice cream shop. Maybe it's the quirky people who operate them, maybe it's their funky flavors, or maybe it's their high quality ingredients. Whatever it is, this new breed of ice cream truck has adults chasing after them, or at least following them on Twitter.

Read the full article at The Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/regina-varolli/food-trucks-are-hot-but-g_b_700546.html

Cesar Ramirez Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare Gets Two Michelin Stars

I just heard it on good authority that the Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare, the one year old home of the talented Chef Cesar Ramirez has been given two Michelin stars in the 2011 Guide Michelin.

Open for just one year, and not holding a liquor license when the Michelin reviewers came to dine, those two stars are be based solely on the talent of Cesar Ramirez and his team at Brooklyn Fare.

Ramirez took a big risk when he left the Manhattan fine dining scene for the borough of Brooklyn, but that risk has evidently paid off, big time.

Congratulations to Cesar Ramirez and his team, Douglas Kim, Christopher Ramos, and Michele Smith, and to co-owner Moe Issa!  I know first hand how hard you have all worked for this, and you completely deserve it!