Daniel Bouley Throws His Own Five-Day Wedding Party

After working on over 400 weddings, chef and restauranteur, Daniel Bouley put all his experience to good use when he hosted his own five-day wedding celebration last week for 80 guests in France's Loire Valley. 

Taking over two chateaus for a week - Château de l'Aubrière and Château de la Bourdaisière - Bouley, 53, and his bride, Nicole Bartelme, 38, played host at Bourdaisière to a moveable feast of unique organic haute-cuisine meals washed down with fine wines that included some from their birth years.

Some highlights included:

• Flying in over 20 of his staff from NYC, including Roger Martinez from Barcelona
• Importing fresh ingredients like heart of palm from Hawaii, Bellota ham from Spain, fresh tuna from Barcelona, and fresh wasabi and green gingko from Japan
• Improvising a dish from the chateau's garden using 55 pounds of heirloom tomatoes
• Hosting one night's meal in a dried-out moat of one of the chateau's (pictured above)

See more wedding images here.

[via The Food Section]

By Robert | September 1, 2006 in Chef News, Parties & Entertaining | Permalink | Comments (0)

Valentine's Recipes from Table 8's Govind Armstrong

One of our favorite restaurant's in Los Angeles is Govind Armstrong's Table 8.  For those of you planning a home-cooked romantic dinner for Valentines, check out two of Armstrong's recipes that won't be found on his restaurant's menu.  How about Chilled Oysters with a Frozen Sparkling Mignonette and Broiled Lobster with Risotto and Winter Truffle to start the night out right?  These recipes are bound to make an impression.  [via DailyCandy]

By Robert | February 10, 2006 in Chef News, Valentine's Day | Permalink | Comments (0)

Food & Wine Classic in Aspen

After ski season is over and the snow melts, foodies and wine lovers from all over will be heading to Aspen for the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. Sponsored by Food & Wine magazine, the three-day event will feature tastings and cooking demonstrations, and will include chefs Mario Batali, Emeril, Bobby Flay, Wolfgang, and more.

The event will be held June 16-18, 2006. Go to www.foodandwine.com for more information.

By Michelle Alderson | February 9, 2006 in All Things Wine, Chef News, Cooking Schools, Education, Food, Food & Wine Country Travel, Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ferran Adria Introduces New Tableware and Chef Gear

Ferran Adria, of Spain's El Bulli, has collaborated with Spanish designer Armand Basi, to create a line of tableware, chef gear and t-shirts called "Couture for the Table".  There are no firm dates for the line's distribution in the US yet.

El Bulli "Wear" Story at Snack Blog  |  via thefoodsection.com

Related:  Special Offer "El Bulli Cookbook" at ecookbooks.com

By Robert | October 21, 2005 in Chef News | Permalink | Comments (1)

Secrets of the Perfect Burger by Nancy Silverton

What better time to have a burger than on a Labor Day weekend barbeque.  Nancy Silverton of Campanile and La Brea Bakery talks about her love of "one of the great American dishes", and shares her recipe and preparation secrets in "The Perfect Burger".

What surprised me was her desired fat content of 20 - 28% fat for her burger.  I knew I always wanted a fattier burger than lean, but 28%?  Sounds delicious, if not a bit higher fat content than I ever would have thought to try.

Read more at "The Perfect Burger" via Los Angeles Times

By Robert | September 2, 2005 in Chef News, Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chef Profile - Shea Gallante of Cru in New York City

Chef Shea Gallante is the Willy Wonka of modern Italian cooking. In his kitchen-cum-laboratory at Cru, in New York City, you'll find an immersion circulator, centrifuge, thermo-circulator, Hold-o-Mat, and Paco Jet—tools Gallante uses to create unique offerings like foie gras with spring onion ice cream or white-polenta-and-olive-oil soup. But don't assume his food is more about experimentation than taste. This young chef's real talent is his ability to make even the wildest-sounding flavor combination seem like the most natural pairing in the world.

Read Shea Gallante Chef Profile & Recipes via Epicurious.com

By Robert | July 25, 2005 in Chef News | Permalink | Comments (0)