Molecular Gastronomy

The introduction of molecular gastronomy into modern cuisine took the culinary world by storm
and started a movement that has become an international revolution. Using groundbreaking
technology and molecular techniques pioneered by Ferran Adria, the chefs that followed in his
footsteps have become the leaders of innovation in modernist cooking today.

Molecular gastronomy includes the study of how different cooking temperatures affect eggs, and their viscosity, their surface tension, and different ways of introducing air into them.

Molecular gastronomy or molecular cuisine is the science of cooking but it is commonly used to
describe a new style of cuisine in which chefs explore new culinary possibilities in the
kitchen by embracing sensory and food science, borrowing tools from the science lab and
ingredients from the food industry and concocting surprise after surprise for their diners.



Spherification of juices and other liquids is a technique of molecular gastronomy

Molecular gastronomy seeks to investigate and explain the chemical reasons behind the
transformation of ingredients, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of
culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general. The term Molecular Gastronomy was born in 1992
by late Oxford physicist Nicholas Kurti and the French INRA chemist Hervé This.

Many modern chefs do not accept the term molecular  gastronomy to describe their style of
cooking and prefer other terms like "modern cuisine", "modernist cuisine", "experimental
cuisine" or "avant-garde cuisine". Heston Blumenthal says molecular gastronomy makes cuisine
sound elitist and inaccessible, as though you need a BSc to enjoy it. In the end, molecular
gastronomy or molecular cuisine refers to experimental restaurant cooking driven by the desire
of modern cooks to explore the world's wide variety of ingredients, tools and techniques.

Molecular gastronomy science research starts in the kitchen and the learnings of how food
tastes and behaves enable these chefs to cook with it and discover new sensory pleasures with
it.

When people hear molecular gastronomy or molecular cuisine for the first time they often
mistakenly view it as unhealthy, synthetic, chemical, dehumanizing and unnatural. This is not
surprising given that molecular gastronomy often relies on fuming flasks of liquid nitrogen,
led-blinking water baths, syringes, tabletop distilleries, PH meters and shelves of food
chemicals with names like carrageenan, maltodextrin and xanthan. The truth is that the
"chemicals" used in molecular gastronomy are all of biological origin.

If you are passionate about cooking, have a creative mind and at the same time you are

analytical and logical, molecular gastronomy is most likely going to become your passion.

 

If you are not a professional chef with a fully equipped kitchen you can still enjoy molecular

gastronomy at home and without spending too much money. Many molecular cuisine recipes don't

even require especial equipment or "chemicals".




Ferran Adria

Some of the best Molecular Gastronomy Chefs are:

Ferran Adria, Barcelona, Spain
Heston BlumenthalBray, United Kingdom
Andoni AdurizDonostia-san Sebastián, Spain
Grant AchatzChicago, Illinois
Jose AndresWashington, District of Columbia
Yoshihiro NarisawaTokyo, Japan
Seiji YamamotoTokyo, Japan
Paco RonceroMadrid, Spain
Quique DacostaDenia, Spain
Rene RedzepiCopenhagen, Denmark
RJ CooperMclean, Virginia
Yoshiaki Takazawa, Tokyo, Japan

sources:
molecularrecipes.com wikipedia Worlds-Best-Molecular-Gastronomy-Chefs

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Joint promotion of Med Diet and local “authentic” gastronomy in tourism, by Alpine Center and Authentic Greece Ltd.

Alpine Center, the prestigious Swiss Business School for Hotel and Tourism Management, Switzerland and Authentic Greece Ltd, the innovative Network of Local Producers and Gastronomy Hotels in Greece, join forces to promote Greek gastronomy, authentic products and Mediterranean Diet principles within the tourism sector – in Greece and beyond.

 

Alpine Center, the Swiss Business School for Hotel and Tourism Management, Switzerland, is the pioneering leader of international hospitality and tourism management education. With a diverse student body and faculty representing over 45 nationalities, Alpine has been preparing students for management and leadership positions in the service economy for over 27 years. Alpine Center offers a rich portfolio of courses preparing students for careers in all segments of the industry; it offers programmes of study in various countries.

 

Authentic Greece Ltd, is the innovative food company that brings together the local producers with the hospitality sector, offering an opportunity for cooperation between them. Started in Peloponnese, Authentic Ltd offers a range of authentic delicacies from selected artisanal-food makers, who use recipes rooted deep in the history of Greek rural life. Furthermore, Authentic Ltd develops a Network of associated hotels and restaurants, that share the same values for "authentic", genuine Greek-Mediterranean food; there authentic products can be tasted at their local place of produce, either on their own or, even more appetizing, cooked as part of a delicious local specialty.

 

Now, Alpine Center and Authentic Greece Ltd join forces in order to promote local Mediterranean Cuisine in the hospitality sector in an integrated way, by helping hotels to incorporate authentic, healthy, nutritious, local produce and Greek regional cuisine with related recipes, within their operations and promotional activities.  

According to Sybil Hofmann, President of Alpine Center - Switzerland, “we are active in many countries, but we were most impressed by the innovative approach of Authentic Greece Ltd to combine local products with hospitality; through that, we show an opportunity to contribute seriously to SETE’s effort to make local gastronomy as one of the key reasons for tourists to choose Greece as their holiday destination”.

Dimitris Vassiliou, General Manager of Authentic Greece Ltd, added that “we were inspired by the Marketing Plan for Greek Gastronomy of SETE to build up our network of producers and hotels and asked Alpine Center to bring in its vast international experience, in order to help Greek hoteliers to adopt our local gastronomy solutions, products and recipes, in an organized manner”.

Both Alpine and Authentic Ltd recognize that it is important for the basic ingredients of a meal within a hotel, to be authentic but also standardized. Whenever possible, this authentic cuisine could also be combined with local recipes available at the place where the products are produced; at the same time, the authentic meals should being served in a way suitable to cover the needs and expectations of tourists.
 

In order to achieve these goals, Alpine and Authentic Ltd have agreed for a common set of activities: 

• Examine the perspectives of specific local authentic, standardized, produce for use in the hospitality sector and help Hotels to use them; the Mediterranean Food Center of Alpine and the network of Authentic Ltd producers will cooperate closely for this purpose.
• Authentic Ltd will support Alpine’s tutors and students to demonstrate the correlation of product origins with healthy nutrition and the potential for tourism (destination management, gastronomy / special forms of tourism, sustainability of Greek rural areas etc); information on geographical regions, local economy and customs will be provided - starting with Peloponnese.
• Alpine will contribute recipes demonstrating the use of the authentic gastronomy within culinary business, through the participation of the staff in the Mediterranean Food Center.
• Alpine  and Authentic will offer a variety of seminars and training, including trips, to chefs and F&B professionals to use authentic local Greek products and indicate their contribution to healthy nutrition and promotion  of various Greek regions. Events and competitions, addressed to professional associations, consumers and other target groups are also planned.
• Furthermore, Alpine Center and Authentic Ltd join forces to promote the local, authentic Greek gastronomy in tourism at the communication level. For this purpose, Authentic’s Newsletter and website, along with Alpine’s Alumni Network will be used to communicate the common activities, but also best practices, ie promoting, without cost, participating hotels and restaurants that are committed to this effort.

For more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview either with Sybil Hofmann or Dimitris Vassiliou, please contact Anastasia Konstantinidou at: +30-210-83 89 022, or e-mail:  Sybil at shofmann@swissalpinecenter.com /  Dimitris at dvas@apelop.gr

 

ALPINE and HO.RE.CA

Alpine Center supports events that contribute to the growth and professionalism of those entering or already working in the hospitality industry. We welcome opportunities that expose our students to innovations and updates in the field of hospitality. One such event is HO.RE.CA.

This year, HO.RE.CA will take place in the Metropolitan Expo from 8 to 11 February 2013. HO.RE.CA, at its 8th edition, has been already established as one of the most successful professional fairs in Greece. The high international standard of the exhibition center Metropolitan Expo, the innovative design, the excellent organization and the right product grouping along with the extensive advertising budget, and the numerous innovative events contribute to HO.RE.CA’s success. Hence HO.RE.CA has been instituted as the single most important commercial forum – decisively contributing to the improvement and modernization of the infrastructure and the services of Tourism and Food service in the wider Balkan region.

HO.RE.CA contributes to the development of products, services and trends and plays an active role in parallel events. Few of such events are:

Future Hotel on the Web

"The future hotel on the web" is an innovative event where you will learn how to drive customers from the web to your door. During the exhibition, numerous workshops, interactive applications and lectures will be presented.

“Greek Breakfast” will be served at the 8th HO.RE.CA

The project “Greek Breakfast” is an initiative of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (HCH) focused on the Greek culinary tradition, aimed at the promotion of the wealth and the authenticity of local products and gastronomy bringing together hoteliers and local producers.

1st Bartending Show at the 8th HO.RE.CA!

This is an unique show for professional Bartenders, bar managers and bar and café owners will take place at the 8th HO.RE.CA 2013, offering a wide range of events and competitions under the auspices of the Hellenic Barmen Association (HBA).

Greek Gastronomy Marketing Plan by SETE

Greek gastronomy marketing plan by SETE is aiming to promoting and establishing Gastronomy as one of the key reasons for tourists choosing Greece as their holiday destination, HO.RE.CA offers SETE (Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises) the chance to present all the latest developments concerning the “Greek Gastronomy Marketing Plan”.

6th International Gastronomy Forum

Hellenic Chef’s Association for one more year will organize at HO.RE.CA its highly successful Gastronomy Forum which has already been recognized as a tradition.

For more additional information please see Ms Sevi at reception or the HO.RE.CA site

Ozvalto Valdi Dollija

Hotel School Operations Manager