Fatih Tutak on revitalising tradition and technique at Turk in Istanbul
The well-travelled chef, and young Turkish culinary talent Fatih Tutak has trained in some of the best kitchens in the world. He shared his food philosophy and insight into his restaurant, Turk, where he is realising his dream to revitalise his home country’s gastronomy. There he combines ancient Turkish traditions and influences with modern techniques to produce dishes that represent months of research, including discovering dozens of new ingredients and working with local artisans to create specific ceramic wear designed for each and every dish. Tutak represents a country that’s on the cusp of becoming a new gastronomy destination, especially with the pending arrival of the new Michelin Guide Istanbul.
Valerio Serino and Lucia De Luca: Tèrra and no-waste cooking
The Italian couple, Valerio Serino and Lucia De Luca from Tèrra restaurant in Copenhagen, presented their gourmet space, where they play with Italian cuisine and the concept of zero waste by presenting the audience with a tasting dish of Celeriac and mussels (a sort of crepe alternating between soft and crunchy layers of celeriac, stuffed with emuslion of local Danish mussels).
“Celeriac is used to the extreme: we wanted to celebrate the vegetable and use it in all respects. The celeriac skin has been dehydrated and we have created a flour with which we make a waffle that we present in the amuse bouche, served on the skins,” explained Valerio.
“Creating a waffle from waste is also a message to people: you can create simple things, even at home. Change can only be implemented if we all take a step, and we want to sensitise people,” said Luca.
Their goal is to become increasingly sustainable as a restaurant, starting with the circular use of ingredients, which are 100% exploited, without waste.
A spirited duo from The Connaught
Agostino Perrone and Girogio Borgiani (director of mixology and assistant director of mixology respectively) presented their world-class bar at The Connaught, delivering three cocktails with Italian flair and finesse, while expressing the months of work that goes into each cocktail as well as their artistic and technical influences and the importance of the human factor in running a succesful team.
