Chef's nationality -- does it matter?

[Fat Guy]

[Moderator's note: this discussion was moved from a topic about this New York Times article.]

does a chef have to be Italian (well, at least in Italy) to cook Italian food?

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I'd say the answer is absolutely not. The article demonstrates this as an empirical matter, simply by giving examples of non-Italian-born chefs who are at the top of the field. Top restaurant kitchens the world over -- not just in New York -- are staffed by immigrants. As a theoretical matter, it strikes me as absurd (that's the nicest word I can think of) to suggest that you have to be from a country to cook that country's cuisine. Yet, such views are certainly widespread, especially with respect to old-world cuisines.

[weinoo]

I think in Italy at least, what one might find is that while the food being cooked in restaurants by non-Italians might be considered good (by Italians), and while the food might be two star or three star food, it's never going to be as good as the food cooked at home by Italians. Even if it is.

[docsconz]

There is a natural tendency towards nationalistic bias. I would bet, however, that if one took fine experienced cooks cooking a regional based cuisine and held a blind tasting that there would be no or at most marginal differences based on the cook's nationality.

[jsmeeker]

Is this a bigger problem in Europe than it is in the United States? So many of the "big name" chefs here are from outside the USA. And they aren't always cooking their "native" food. To me, it doesn't seem anyone here seems to mind.

[annecros]

Not only that, so many big name chefs in the US are from the US, and cooking others "native" food to accolades.

[jsmeeker]

Not only that, so many big name chefs in the US are from the US, and cooking others "native" food to accolades.

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Yes.. And some will say better than the "natives". I've heard The French Laundry called the best French restaurant in the world. But is that *truly* a French restaurant?

Really, so much food we see in top restaurants here in the USA is very "Global". It's all mixed up. "Fusion" is another word for it, I suppose. Really, I think it's the best way for cuisine to evolve.

[Mikeb19]

[Moderator's note: this discussion was moved from a topic about this New York Times article.]

does a chef have to be Italian (well, at least in Italy) to cook Italian food?

←

I'd say the answer is absolutely not. The article demonstrates this as an empirical matter, simply by giving examples of non-Italian-born chefs who are at the top of the field. Top restaurant kitchens the world over -- not just in New York -- are staffed by immigrants. As a theoretical matter, it strikes me as absurd (that's the nicest word I can think of) to suggest that you have to be from a country to cook that country's cuisine. Yet, such views are certainly widespread, especially with respect to old-world cuisines.

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One thing to consider, is that someone who grows up eating a certain cuisine, will 'understand' it better than a foreigner. Cuisine isn't just about recipes and techniques, they have a character of their own altogether, without understanding the soul of a cuisine how can you really cook it?

Anyhow, it's not necessarily nationality that matters, but what culture you grew up in. I grew up eating Ukrainian food every day of my childhood, my mother is Ukrainian. And I can cook it very well. Some chefs I've known have tried to cook Ukrainian style dishes, and they're never the same - technically competent, but lacking that certain 'something extra'...

On the other hand, I can't cook Italian cuisine. I don't understand it, I don't like it. Sure, I can make dishes that others might think are tasty, but to me they're still strange and not very good.

I do believe that chefs should work with their strengths to produce the best food they personally are capable of. I've seen many chefs go wrong trying to cook food that they don't understand, and they end up putting out a sub-par product. Why cook poor Italian food if you can cook great (fill in blank)?

One thing I've also found in my experience in higher end restarants, while alot of the food is good, cooked skillfully, it lacks soul, that something extra...

[eipi10]

This article reminded me of the emotional debate in the wine community over "terroir." European food culture can be very provincial. I remember dining at an "Indian restaurant" in Lucca, Tuscany. It was fascinating how far removed the cuisine was from actual Indian food. I doubt I could have identified what cuisine I was ostensibly eating were it served in a neutral context. I have no hesitation saying that the food cultures in European countries generally are far more homogeneous than that in America.

The main inquiry of the article seemed to be whether an a native Moroccan really understand Italian cuisine? Maybe not. I think we will always have a bias for the flavors we grew up with. The more interesting question raised by the article, in my opinion, is whether it is desirable for a refined cuisine to evolve through foreign influences. On one hand, if the cooking of the foreign chefs wins customers, then presumably that is because the results are satisfying, and the cuisine is evolving for the better. On the other, cuisine evolution, like so many elements of culture today, trends toward homogeneity.

Overall, I think a conservative movement in food culture may be a good thing, but with a free market system, it is hopeless.

Edited April 21, 2008 by eipi10 (log)