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Charlie Trotter cont. Chef Trotter went on to talk about how creativity evolves with time. Specifically he spoke about how dishes he has prepared over the years have evolved with time such that though he might prepare a dish with the same ingredients toady as he did when he opened the restaurant it is essentially a different dish as a result of changes in preparation and presentation. He stated that creativity happens in so many ways. It can happen in a vacuum, it can happen in a group and it’s oftentimes unpredictable. He has a new cookbook that is about revisiting a number of dishes that they did 15-18 years ago. They reproduce the dishes with the exact same ingredients, and study the differences between the time periods. The results tend to be entirely different , at least aesthetically. The process generally occurs yearly, as ingredients go in and out of season and fashion, and year after year the small changes have added up. Trotter referenced "Stella by Starlight," by Miles Davis, and how it had evolved year after year from its inception to its final cut. Trotter's first cookbook goes back nearly 20 years. He wanted to document the dishes in the restaurant rather than have recipes and such. Ten speed press out of Berkeley, Calforniai came to him after he had been denied by just about every other publisher, saying that he had a wonderful idea (pictures of the dishes from the restaurant, no recipes, etc.). However, he had to pay for everything: photography etc, except the actual publishing. By the time it came out, he noticed just how dated the book seemed to him - some of the dishes had evolved so much in such a small amount of time. Trotter asked, "how does a chef adapt to missing ingredients and make sure that it still tastes alright?" They tweak tiny bits and pieces, and the dish changes with time. Sometimes changes happen spontaneously, and the chef has to be willing to allow that. As he spokes, he is cooked a plate of salmon, with dashi with hajiki seaweed, shiso, ginger and leeks. “Cooking to me is about how much you can do at the last possible second.” The dish he did was modeled on one from 18 years ago. to be continued...

In the boom times bad restaurants started to charge similar prices to good ones, demand outstripped supply and lots of restauranteurs exploited us poor diners. Good value restaurants (those generally recommended here) will probably stand the test of time and survive with a loyal clientele. Those which fail to provide good value in terms of quality and price will fall by the wayside, or rapidly adjust their price points to reflect the value they deliver - simply supply and demand economics. IMO a much needed correction. We (personally) are probably eating out less than we have in the past, but that isn't economics it is simply that we are getting pissed off with the rip offs and lack of value. I prefer to be more selective rather than leave a place feeling exploited. I remember when restaurants in Sydney went through this a few years ago. Prices had risen a lot and price was no longer a reflection of quality. The market did correct with new restaurants pitching at lower price points for simpler, better quality food. I am certain Paris will go through the same process, the good will survive, the complacent will hopefully get a wake-up call and the bad will go. We can also hope that some of the three stars get a dose of reality. Their priceing is simply a rip off - it says something when it is cheaper to eat in London...! ← I think that you are to a large degree correct, however, it is not just the over-priced bad restaurants that are likely to succumb. Plenty of places with good food and reasonable value will also likely succumb, the mitigating factor being the level of business acumen possessed by the restaurant's chef and/or business manager. There will be very little tolerance for not running a tight ship business wise.

Charlie Trotter - Chef Responsibility & The Evolution of Creativity The beginning of Chef Trotter's presentation focused on a video documenting the first twenty years of his eponymous restaurant as well as his approach towards the responsibility of a chef. According to Chef Trotter, all who are in the world of service/food+wine/hospitality are the luckiest people in the world. Use of the terms "industry" or 'business" in combination with food/service/hospitality should not happen, because hospitality is “such a great calling.” He stated that he grew up in a place where food was not a big deal nor particularly special. In college, his roommate would shop all over town and cook good wholesome food. Eventually food became more important than academics to Trotter, and after he graduated from college he decided to become a cook. He felt that he could always pursue law or medicine after a few years if he wanted to. Working in restaurants, he took every job to heart, and he said that "ever since he was blessed enough to walk into the world of food" he has done the same with even the smallest jobs. It’s important because one is doing something that is one of the most intimate things that a person can do for another. At his restaurant, if he spends even more than 4-5 minutes at a table in the dining room, he wants to comp the table, so his staff does all they can to keep him from the dining room!. Trotter says doesn’t like doing it for the money because it is such an intimate action. At the same time he loves to make money. Chef Trotter agrees that cooks/chefs can indeed be artists, but it is essential that they make money and are able to extend their positive reach in the community. Trotter outlined a 3-tiered goal. The first is to make an aesthetic contribution (beauty for its own sake), such that there should be no difference in the appearance of separate areas of the restaurant: "the dumpster or changing area should be as pristine as the front of the house"The second tier is to make a cultural contribution. He asked, "what enhances our lives in modern times?" and answered, "opera, great books, ballpark, restaurants - a special location" etc. The third element is to make a social contribution, to help with the community, to provide something that money can’t buy - to show what goes on behind the scenes in a high-powered restaurant. Ten years ago they started a foundation which has given about $1.5 million to young students going to culinary school. is even more important to him. Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night an area school chooses 20 students to go to dinner, where they discuss excellence over a 10 course meal. according to Trotter, “the beauty of it is that you get what you give. if you want a lot you gotta give a lot.” A member of the staff comes in and introduces a dish and discuss what they do to strive for excellence. Trotter doesn’t motivate his staff, because if they are unable to find motivation themselves, then they do not belong in the kitchen. He feels that the greatest thing anyone can do is create leaders. to be continued...

There is no point in emailing yet. I think Duncan's advice is pretty good, though sometimes the date is a bit (but not much) earlier than the 15th. If I remember correctly it is the weekend around or just before the 15th during which they start accepting requests.

no clue. I didn't ask about the Eater report of his absence. ← I had heard rumors independent from Eater that he is no longer associated with the restaurant, though I do not know it is fact.

Is Gray Kunz still there?

Before the next presenter got underway, I managed to return to see the end of Paul Liebrandt's sous-vide workshop. Applying the finishing touches. The finished lamb dish.

A View From Above

The Next Presenter

eGullet Society member and Professional Culinary Photographer harlanturk photographing the mis-en-place.

Mis-en-Place for the Next Presenter

Clearly this is a global issue not limited to any one country. At the recent International Chefs Congress in NYC, I talked to a number of chefs from a number of countries lamenting the economic downturn. While people are still filling their establishments, they are having a harder time making ends meet as people are scaling back on what they order. In particular, the pinch has been felt with the relatively high profit margin of wine. Most customers have scaled back on the lavishness of their wine purchases as well as the quantity. As for the Unesco designation proposal, as wonderful as French food is, many countries have their culinary wonders as well. Perhaps the variety of Peruvian potatoes should also receive the designation? The argument can be taken to absurd lengths. I appreciate the intent behind the proposal, but perhaps there are other ways such as the Slow Food Ark of Taste that can achieve the same result?

Interesting thought, Judith. I think that it is a double-edge sword. On the one hand, it raises the profile of cooking which is a good thing. On the other hand, it sometimes raises expectations, especially of young cooks to be something that they may not or can not be as relatively very few rise to this status. I think it is good to give people their due who deserve it. Sometimes, however, in the rush to celebrity, things can get sidetracked and careers or more can derail. The nice thing about the "star" chefs at the ICC is that they have indeed earned their "star" stripes through actual cooking in real kitchens and not celebrity for celebrity's sake. One possible exception to that rule is Tony Bourdain, who although by all accounts a fine chef, really made his mark through his writing and television rather than directly through his cooking. Even there though, I think anyone would be hard-pressed to say that he hasn't earned his celebrity status as he is extremely good at what he does. Toby's workshop was definitely one that I would have loved to just absorb as I consider my knowledge of cocktails to be rudimentary, although I do enjoy and appreciate a well made one and am learning more and more about them as my own interest continues to wax. I have to say, though, that there wasn't a single workshop offered that I wouldn't have loved to fully partake of.

Marco Pierre White signed copies of his classic book White Heat including weathered copies brought by admiring chefs.

Another extremely well-attended workshop was the Pastry Workshop put on by Pop-Sci gurus and FCI Faculty members Dave Arnold and Nils Noren using the Randell's FX Refrigerated Drawer Chilling System (see here for more info.) to effect changes in familiar foods based upon their levels of coldness. An array of ingredients to play with. Nils Noren passing a plate. This is something that looks pretty interesting and in retrospect I wish I had paid closer attention to.

The renaissance of mixology and the world of cocktilia has not been lost on the organizers of the Starchefs International Chefs Congress. It has earned and been given ever more prominence with each ICC. This year was no exception as a number of cocktail heavyweights once again took part in this Congress. Another hands-on workshop that I would have loved to just partake of and absorb was Toby Maloney's (aka Alchemist) treatise on Bitters. Instead, I managed to smell a few different concoctions and enjoy the lighting in this wonderful, old wood-paneled room being careful to not disturb those who were concentrating on the tasks at hand. The students... ...and the teacher.

The lunch period was brief, especially as the Congress was delayed starting and the schedule was already off-track. The next set of events was a group of simultaneous hands-on workshops covering a variety of topics and a few interactive seminars. Being that I did not have a space in any of the workshops, I made a point of wandering amongst them and getting a taste along with some visual impressions of what was going on. Unfortunately, I am unable to provide anything more than that here. Even with that, somehow I completely missed a couple of cool events taking place within the labyrinthine space of the Armory such as a Chef/Producer Panel moderated by Dan Barber, The Rising Stars: How to make it Career Panel and a blind tasting of wines with Madeline Triffon of Detroit's matt Prentiss Restaurant Group emphasizing common qualifiers and reference points in good wines irrespective of price. I did get to pop in on a workshop with Paul Liebrandt on cooking sous vide. Lamb was the principle ingredient used for this workshop. Popping into this area was no mean feat as the interest level was extremely high and the area was quite crowded with people just wishing to watch Paul and listen to his sous vide experience as well as those signed up to be at the workshop stations. Each work station was set up for approximately four people and had a cook from the Corton kitchen as a resource. At this station Gabe Quiros handled those duties. Lamb let out of the bags. Paul Liebrandt leading the charge. A water bath in action. I would have loved to have stayed and kept a spot to play and learn, but I had other things to check out as well. I returned a bit later on...

Chef Blumenthal's talk was great, but I think I would have given it to have been at that Christmas dinner! ← Yeah, that would have been awesome to experience. I already had my round of jealousy over that one when I watched that episode of "Perfection". I guess that episode and the "Fish Pie" episode (which discussed the sound thing) pretty much covered the topics but it would still have been fun to hear his thoughts on it now, a couple years down the road. I haven't figure out why he's still so secretive about using the word "gellan" though... it's not like nobody knows about it. Regardless, he's still one of my food heroes despite not having tasted his food. I just like the way he thinks. ← He actually did use the word "gellan." It was I that was being secretive.

Ah, Bauscher Silhouette. I can't find any prices, but perhaps that's a good thing. The last time I coveted dishes I saw on eG, they were almost 200 euro per plate! ← Bauscher was indeed a sponsor. Was the 200 Euros per plate with or without food on it?

Chef Blumenthal's talk was great, but I think I would have given it to have been at that Christmas dinner!

While I am not certain, I suspect they were from one of the sponsors of the ICC.

After Enrique Olvera's presentation there was a break for lunch. Here are some photos from that time. Daniel Boulud being interviewed. George Mendes enjoying some jamon. Box lunches representing Foods from Quebec were passed out. The lunch menu. Preparing the box lunches. These delightful lunches prepared by chefs including Stelio Perombelon and Patrice Demers had nice Quebec ingredients like maple syrup, pork "cretons", Quebec cheeses, apples, crab and other delights. Washed down with some Unibroue, this was a lunch I would enjoy any time. Iron Chef judges Akiko Katayama and Ted Allen having a chat in the press room. Edited to add two photos.

Enrique Olvera continued Olvera next showed a video demonstrating how to make tamales from the south of Mexico. These were wrapped in banana leaves and combined green tomato leaves, star anise, corn masa, black beans cooked with water and salt and pork fat. When cooking the lard, it is important to brown it to give it the necessary depth of flavor. again, using traditional techniques and ingredients,they try to keep it as simple as possible. They mix in some whole beans into the hot pork fat and puree, let the whole thing rest until it gets cold, and then form the tamales. After their formation, the tamales are cooked in a steamer and wrapped in a banana leaf that has been burned a little bit. The tamal should feel a bit moist before wrapping, indicating the correct consistency. For best results the banana leaf must be fresh and smell like banana. If necessary one may also use avocado leaf. The tamales are then steamed for about 15 minutes. As opposed to a traditional Mexican restaurant, he does not serve tamales wrapped. Instead, he unwraps them and serves them with some sour cream and grated cheese, along with a green sauce made from tomatillos, onion, garlic, cilantro and serrano peppers. The ingredients are combined and pureed, and then heated and served on the side. The cilantro sprouts are served on top of the tamal.

I believe that I heard that the injury was accrued in the line of fire, though I am not certain of it. I agree that it seems like fun is such an enormous component of his art. I feel that the same is true for most if not all of the great technoemotional chefs like Adria, Achatz, Dufresne, Andres, etc. Thanks for reading and commenting!

Thanks, Judith. The Heston Blumenthal presentation was certainly a rousing start to the party! Getting a feel for what he does in person gave me a new appreciation for what he does and renewed a desire to get to the Fat Duck someday. I also got a sense that the oft-joked about ipod is not really too far out there afterall. I would certainly like to hear (and taste) for myself. The baby smell wafer really was sensational and fun even if it was not of the utmost classic gastronomic value.