SEASONAL GREETINGS
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Season’s greetings from the culinary embassy to you.
Here is an overview of the past year; flashbacks, latest news and annual restaurant recommendations in Forbes, right now brought to you from an island within a peninsula on the outskirts of the oldest monarchy in the world.
What a year it has been… From pisco in the back kitchens of Lima to Champagne in the highest penthouses of New York City; from Old Fashioned in the casinos of Macau to filly Viognier by the salted shores of The Dead Sea – not to mention a bit chilly helipad parties in Moscow (see above).
All in all, 26 countries were covered in the service of those we represent, creating beautiful culinary moments across the globe. In many ways 2016 ended up being a game changer and with 2017 looking just as interesting.
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DINING IMPOSSIBLE
Dining Impossible was hosted in Lima, Copenhagen, San Sebastián, Barcelona, Piedmont and New York City. A private jet edition is also in the making,- dining at three of the world’s best restaurants in three different countries in just three days – something to look forward to in 2017.
The dates have been decided upon for this culinary trip extraordinaire through three countries by the Mediterranean Sea, and is set to June 15-17th. Feel free to reach out now for further information if your interest (and appetite) is piqued.
But before DI:JET, we begin next year’s globetrotting dining season with two Latin American culinary capitals; first an extended encore of this year’s marvellous eating extravaganza in Lima, March 9-11, followed by a three-day feast in the best establishments of the mouthwatering metropolis of Mexico City. Expect only top restaurants, oyster parties and taco orgies from May 4-6th.
In general please see this page between announcements and invitations to keep up to date with the progress of the world’s best dinner party.
Dining Impossible – The Globetrotting Dinner Party
See also: I Dined with an Armsdealer at Denmark’s Wildest Dinner Party
THE DIEGO MUÑOZ EXPLORATION
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2016 was also the year where we (in The New York Times) helped highlight a new trend amongst chefs. This trend has been simmering for some years, but this year its full potential was explored.
We instigated, co-created and managed The Diego Muñoz Exploration: taking a world class Peruvian chef and making the world his restaurant through limited time-based projects with the highest possible culinary value in a melting pot of different cuisines and cultures.
At first this was a challenging and time-consuming operation, but through the unquestionable excellence and lion heart of this top chef, combined with years’ of our own collaborations and the goodwill we’ve generated across continents, we managed to create a full-blooded world exploration of 17 concentrated weeks through 19 destinations and projects in Europe, South, Central and North America, Russia, Asia and the Middle East.
This world tour, 100% free of sponsorships and still surpassing its estimated annual profits significantly has meanwhile opened up a whole range of future business opportunities for the chef to follow. Add to this no less than 70 articles (and counting) in 10 different languages – from Eater to El Mundo – which makes Chef Muñoz one of the best portrayed chefs in the world this year.
It’s clear to see that a star chef on tour can have the world’s restaurants and food festivals as venues, just as a rockstar has concert halls and music festivals. This opens up a global range of opportunities for chefs of certain calibers – something we’ll further develop in the years to come through the vast experience, contacts and knowledge that we’ve gathered throughout this adventurous year.
We are aware of the usual follow-up by others in the slipstream of our ideas and creations, and we’re happy to inspire – the world is more than big enough. But when it comes to creating new events, making a global impact and offering true excellence, all-in-one, we believe Bon Vivant Communications is peerless.
Therefore we also welcome serious inquiries on the above matter, which will be handled with the utmost discretion.
THE MICHELIN FILM
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What began as a natural add-on by producing short culinary films representing selected star chefs and restaurants – amongst others this profiled collaboration dinner (press link) between 3*Michelin Chef David Muñoz and 2*Michelin Chef Matthew Lightner at Atera in New York City – has in recent years become a more integrated part of our creative areas of interest.
Lately Bon Vivant Communications has served as culinary producer on a comprehensive three-episode series on the last decade’s success of Nordic Cuisine, aired through Scandinavian national broadcasting networks, as well as reprising this role for a feature documentary on the world within and surrounding the Michelin Guide. This documentary explores both front of house and behind the scenes of the best restaurants in the world.
The documentary is at this stage pre-sold to national TV stations in Denmark, Norway, Germany, France, Switzerland, Israel and Japan as well as to an influential US distributor, and follows a range of the most interesting chefs on the planet, most close up being Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park in New York City, Yoshihiro Narisawa of Narisawa in Tokyo and Andoni Luiz Aduriz of Mugaritz in San Sebastián.
The Michelin Film (working title) is due to premiere in April 2017 and is instigated by Director Rasmus Dinesen, Producer Jesper Jarl Becker and Culinary Ambassador Kristian Brask Thomsen.
Please follow the link below to see a teaser for the film, based on previous scenes shot for the series in 2015.
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MADS REFSLUND MEETS JAMES CORDON
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After five years in New York City, one of our all-time favourite chefs, the uber creative Nordic Cuisine co-founder Mads Refslund is opening his own restaurant in the very culinary upcoming Williamsburg-part of Brooklyn.
In this highly entertaining travel vertical managed by Bon Vivant Communications on Chef Refslund’s behalf, he meets English actor, writer, producer, comedian and television host James Cordon.
The two men talk, forage, prepare and enjoy a meal in the woods outside Los Angeles while discussing the food philosophy of Mads Refslund’s new restaurant, due to open June 2017.
As well as long airtime on the digital platforms of Vox Media, with a base of 170 million unique visitors and 800 million page views per month, the travel vertical is perceived as so innovative that it has been picked up by media across the globe, including The New York Times (press link).
The travel vertical campaign is directed by David Gelb of Chef’s Table on behalf of Chase Sapphire.
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BON VIVANT ENTERS SAN SEBASTIÁN
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Bon Vivant Communications is now and then mistaken for being “just a PR company”. This conventional perception is fair as PR is something we master as well as breaking new ground within the culinary world, but PR is only a fraction of what our culinary embassy does.
The biggest difference you’ll find between us and PR companies is that we’re not overwhelmingly focused on getting new clients all the time and generating launch PR. That’s the easy part. In fact most of our growth comes through existing clients’ recommendations because we recognise operators’ needs to continually drive sales, not just raise awareness around new venues.
In short, we are happy to leave the shotgun press releases and quick Instagram-likes to others; we only enter long-term and strategic partnerships, with the goal of creating a substantial and often global impact.
This is also why, from Spring, we enter San Sebastián as a task force, assisting with the opening of trusted Michelin chef’s new restaurant in the world-famous, luscious and heavily Michelin-accoladed Basque part of Northern Spain.
Besides assisting with this opening in the most successful way possible, our mission is to explore, integrate and fully understand the DNA of one of the most interesting and celebrated food destinations in the world.
Stay tuned for a detailed February announcement on this highly interesting restaurant, due to open around March 1st.
FORBES: THE COOLEST PLACES TO EAT IN 2017
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Last – from all of us to all of you – next year’s restaurant recommendations.
The food world has more than enough best-of lists, and then some. This isn’t one of them. It’s not a definitive statement on whether any place is better than any other. It’s not a reflection of which restaurants have the most hype, meaning there isn’t a Noma, El Celler de Can Roca or Osteria Francescana in sight.
Maybe some of these recommendations will someday reach the echelons of the high profile lists. Maybe they won’t. But they are very worthy of our attention – especially those of us who are looking for memorable and unique eating experiences when travelling.
Again this year and alongside global best-selling food writer and Roads & Kingdom-publisher Matt Goulding, and restaurant critic, gourmet aficionado and, in 2014, the only man in the world to have dined at all 3*Michelin restaurants Andy Hayler, we recommend 10 cool and very diverse restaurants across the globe, under the international radar for now but definitely worth a visit. These are the places we would send our friends to in 2017.
Please find all recommendations in Forbes by following this link.
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Eat well and we’ll see you somewhere across the globe in 2017.
We are at your service in needed.
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Bon Vivant Communication is a culinary embassy representing star chefs and restaurants, chateaux and high-end wineries as well as working close together with various luxury hotels, gourmets festivals and bespoke concierges services.
The diplomacy speaks to a strong network of 500 journalists, bloggers and writers, as well as 2000+ luxury diners around the globe.
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Hungry for more? Have a look Behind the Scenes.
