Media Contact:
Jan Smyth
Marketing Manager
845-451-1457
j_smyth@culinary.edu
St. Helena, CA – The 16th Annual Worlds of Flavor® International
Conference & Festival welcomed 700 culinary professionals at The Culinary
Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone from November 14 through November 16.
They heard from 70 chefs and presenters from 15 countries who worked through more
than 400 recipes during 53 sessions. Under the theme Kitchens Connected,
the program combined traditions and trends,
fine dining innovations and comfort food memories, Millennial insights
and information technology for restaurateurs. "Today's digital world
offers à la minute glimpses into countless
kitchens—and the culinary geniuses animating them," says Greg Drescher, vice president of strategic initiatives and
industry leadership. "At this year's conference, we pulled back the curtain on
some of the major ideas and dynamics shaping the future of the food world, here
in the U.S. and around the globe."
Highlights from the conference include:
- Nathan Myhrvold, CEO of
Intellectual Ventures and co-author of Modernist
Cuisine, proclaimed in his keynote speech a belief that strong skills in
culinary basics—and a deep understanding of technique—are a prerequisite for
culinary creativity.
- CIA alumnus Enrique Olvera, chef/owner of one of the top
three restaurants in Latin America, compared culinary creativity to the art and
science of architecture and demonstrated his Mole Madre, which is aged for more
than 150 days.
- Josep Roca of El Celler de Can Roca—named the 2013 Best Restaurant in the
World—explained the food, wine, and service principles behind the complete
dining experience of his restaurant, stressing that El Celler is first and foremost a family restaurant.
- Claus Meyer, co-founder of Noma in Denmark and a leader of the new Nordic cuisine movement—and who is now
replicating the experience in Bolivia—spoke passionately of the importance of
using food to advance social imperatives.
- Thomas Keller, renowned chef, restaurateur, and CIA
Trustee, was humble and inspiring with his words about creativity and his focus
on his culinary team.
The final day of the conference included a session on spontaneous
culinary creativity, with audience participation. Four chefs—Maxime
Bilet (chef and artist,
Seattle), Stuart Brioza (State Bird Provisions, San
Francisco), Kyle Connaughton (CIA, St. Helena), and
Elizabeth Falkner (Corvo Bianco, New York City) were asked
to create dishes using ingredients or techniques that had been
suggested by the
audience. Their "black box exercise" included raw milk, pomegranates,
burdock
root, and black garlic. Elizabeth Falkner quickly set to sketching out
her
ideas. Stuart Brioza confessed that he had already
hatched a dessert idea...until he saw the black garlic on the table.
Kyle Connaughton channeled his Asian experiences and expertise,
and Maxime Bilet reached
for the sous vide machine and a blow torch.
Dr. Tim Ryan, president of the CIA, closed the conference by
citing examples of how and from where inspiration derives: Pablo
Picasso
adapted what he saw in ancient African masks to develop his
revolutionary style;
and over time, Bob Dylan continued
to modify and revise "Like a Rolling Stone," one of the top rock &
roll
songs of all time. In painting, and music, as in the culinary
arts—e.g., Paul Bocuse's truffle soup, Thomas Keller's salmon cornets,
and Ferran Adrià 's use of nitrous
oxide containers for savory foams—innovative geniuses find stimulus
for
creativity everywhere. Dr. Ryan encouraged culinarians to have the
confidence
to build on the work of others to ignite inspiration and to try new
things. "We
are all surrounded every day by all sorts of hints and clues about how
we can
innovate," he said, "if we can only open our minds and recognize
them."
The resounding message of the presenting chefs, who hailed
from the best kitchens in Western Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the U.S.,
was the importance of developing a sense of place in one's cuisine, expressed
through ingredients, culinary philosophy, and the relationship between
tradition and innovation in one's culture.
The conference was trending on Twitter throughout the Bay
Area and had a constant stream of photos on Instagram. A live webcast reached
more than 40 countries and will soon be available on www.worldsofflavor.com. Worlds of Flavor: Kitchens Connected truly
brought the world together through food.
Photo Captions and Hi-Res Image
Photo 1: Keynote
speaker Nathan Myhrvold told the audience that he
always had a passion for cooking, but his knowledge of the science of cooking
was the springboard to creativity and Modernist
Cuisine. (Photo credit: CIA/Phil Mansfield)
Photo 2: The
crowd of culinarians was dazzled watching chefs (left to right) Stuart
Brioza (State Bird Provisions, San Francisco), Elizabeth
Falkner (Corvo Bianco, New York City), Maxime Bilet (chef and artist,
Seattle), and Kyle Connaughton (CIA, St. Helena) put
together spur-of-the-moment dishes from the ingredients and techniques
they had
suggested for this "Black Box Exercise." (Photo
credit: CIA/Phil Mansfield)
Photo 3: From the
best restaurant in the world, El Celler de Can Roca,
Head Chef Raül Sillero creates his Squid Parmentier with potatoes and smoked
paprika. (Photo credit: CIA/Phil
Mansfield)
Each year, the CIA presents a portfolio of industry leadership programs and
initiatives. The college's Worlds of Flavor International Conference &
Festival is the premier educational forum in the USA dedicated to the discovery
and exploration of world flavors, cultures, and cuisines. This year's Worlds of
Flavor Conference was made possible in part through the generous support of
Grand Platinum sponsor QUALISOY; Platinum sponsors Chobani,
Foods from Spain, Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, JETRO, Unilever Food
Solutions, and Wines from Spain; Premium Gold sponsors Google, Kikkoman Sales
USA, Paramount Citrus/Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds/POM Wonderful, and
Wood Stone Corporation; and more than two dozen additional foodservice
partners.
About The Culinary Institute of America
Founded in 1946, The Culinary
Institute of America is an independent, not-for-profit college offering degree
programs in culinary arts, culinary science, and baking and pastry arts, as
well as certificate programs in culinary arts and wine and beverage studies. A
network of more than 45,000 alumni has helped the CIA earn its reputation as
the world's premier culinary college. The CIA, which also offers courses for
professionals and food enthusiasts, as well as consulting services for the
foodservice and hospitality industry, has campuses in New York (Hyde Park),
California (St. Helena), Texas (San Antonio), and Singapore.
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