SEASON’S GREETINGS
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Here is an selected overview of the past year; flashbacks, films, latest news, things that stood out, predictions and annual restaurant recommendations in Forbes Magazine, brought to you right now from an island within a peninsula on the outskirts of one of the oldest monarchies in the world, Denmark.
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What a year it has been… From mezcal in the back kitchens of Oaxaca to pristine vodka in the steaming banjas of Moscow; from sake with samurai chefs in the outskirts of Kyoto to high times in bustling Bogotá.
All in all, 28 countries were covered in the service of those we represent, creating beautiful culinary moments across the globe. In many ways 2017 ended up being another game changer and with 2018 looking just as interesting.
DINING IMPOSSIBLE
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Dining Impossible was hosted in destinations from Latin America to Europe. The world’s wildest dinner party took another big chunk of the globe and will continue to do so.
That being said, then we’re aware of the usual follow-up by other players in the slipstream of our ideas and creations; what seemed impossible to do 5-6 years ago, increasingly more see the opportunity to do so in a – let’s say – less sparkling way than the original gangster.
We’re happy to inspire – the world is more than big enough. But do to the recent years’ dilution then Dining Impossible will in 2018 become even more exclusive than ever before – and also be a financially greater challenge to be a part of.
Instead of meeting the year to come with the desire to conquer the globe with 6-8 grand three-day dinner parties on a string across the world, then 2018 will be more about handcrafting 3-4 out-of-this-world experiences for the selected few.
Conceived in 2009, originally as a countermove against the financial crisis, Dining Impossible (est. 2012) and its predecessor The Dinner Party, have taken socialising to a whole new level. With 24 and 38 editions respectively, this dining venture continues to prosper all over the culinary world.
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Our first planned gastro-bender will be to even further shining up an epic all-time favourite dazzling classic; DI in Barcelona, to a Dining Impossible Extraordinaire; a 4-day all-in eating extravaganza in Spain’s second city and self-confident capital of Catalonia, by featuring ABaC (***), El Celler de Can Roca (***), Disfrutar (**), Tickets (*) and Lasarte (***).
12 Michelin stars and more than 100 world class servings in 4 days added fun receptions, cocktails and dreams, dancing on tables, tipsy limousines and after parties; the full ambassador treatment.
May 23-26th 2018, late Spring, the perfect time to be in Barcelona. 12 notabilities only with 4 seats left. The world’s best dinner party just got even better.
See also: I Dined with an Armsdealer at The World’s Wildest Dinner Party.
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THE KAMILLA SEIDLER EXPEDITION
Back in 2016 we (in The New York Times) helped highlight a new trend amongst chefs. This trend has been simmering for some years, but culminated last year with the pioneering Diego Muñoz Exploration, where we collaborated with the Peruvian chef and made the world his restaurant through limited time-based projects with the highest possible culinary value in a melting pot of cuisines and cultures.
This opened up a global range of opportunities for chefs of certain calibers – something we further developed into this past year’s even more epic 2017 Kamilla Seidler Expedition, where Latin America’s Best Female Chef 2016 cooked the world like it has never been seen before.
With only 1% mise en place in her chef’s suitcase “The Dane of the Andes” blended her adopted home country’s flavours with local products of a world filled with vastly different cultures and cuisines. Her mission was – and still is – to spread the word of how Bolivia fight challenges through deliciousness, while discovering new colours and collaborations for future growth and expeditions.
So far 26 different projects in 22 destinations and 19 countries on 4 continents since April 1st 2017, with more culinary adventures to come by this culinary conqueror. The blonde Danish female and once very unlikely champion of Bolivian cuisine ended up taking first Latin America, then the world by storm.
Above: Cooking with Elena Arzak and Alain Weissgerber at world premiere of “Michelin Stars” in San Sebastián. Below: With Diego Guerrero, Joan Roca and others in Cappadocia during Gastromasa.
…stay tuned for more flashbacks, future adventures and other updates from
The Kamilla Seidler Expedition
Through a monumental 2017 World Expedition through South,- Central and North America, Europe, Russia, Asia and the Middle East and with only 1% mise en place in her suitcase “The Dane of theAndes” blends her adopted home country’s flavours with local products of a world filled with different cultures and cuisines. Her mission is to spread the word of how Bolivia fight challenges through deliciousness, while discovering new colours and collaborations for future growth and expeditions.
– A World Expedition curated by Bon Vivant Communications
THE MICHELIN FILM
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In 2017 we also presented our long-awaited film “Michelin Stars – Tales from the kitchen”, that was featured as the prestigious opening film of the Culinary Zinema: Film and Gastronomy Section of the 65th edition of the San Sebastián International Film Festival.
The production is a grand documentary, filmed over a two-year period and follows the lives, views and everyday of a long and diverse range of star chefs, global diners, food writers and Michelin management across the world. From New York City to Copenhagen, from San Sebastián to Tokyo.
At a moment in time, when humanity is obsessed with food – photographing every dish, worshipping cooks and flaunting trophy meals on social media, the documentary goes under the surface and offers an in-depth, honest and relevant view into the world and every day of Michelin chefs and restaurants.
Telling tales from a grand menu of culinary temples as well as digging into the greatness and flaws of Guide Michelin in this golden age of gastronomy.
Above: The film’s head production team at the premiere with friends and family. Below: The tantalising trailer for “Michelin Stars”.
Press play.
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With grand chefs such as Alain Ducasse, Daniel Humm, René Redzepi, Andoni Aduriz, Yoshimi Narisawa, Victor Arquinzoniz, Guy Savoy and many more, the head production team of three Danes; Director Rasmus Dinesen, Producer Jesper Jarl Becker and Culinary Producer Kristian Brask Thomsen sat the gastronomy bar at the highest level possible.
This while also managing to illustrate a dark flipside of the shiny coin in creating utter culinary excellence; in search of a realistic understanding of life behind the often airbrushed scenes of what is arguably the most dynamic and creative industry in the world.
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CHEFS MAINLY FEATURED
(in order of appearance)
Guy Savoy, Guy Savoy ***, Paris
Alain Ducasse, Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée ***, Paris
Andoni Luis Aduriz, Mugaritz **, Gipuzkoa
Victor Arguinzoniz, Asador Extebarri *, Atxondo
René Redzepi, Noma **, Copenhagen
Rasmus Kofoed, Geranium ***, Copenhagen
Esben Holmboe Bang, Maaemo ***, Oslo
Mark Ladner, Del Posto *, New York City
Alain Weissgerber, Taubenkobel (**), Schützen am Gebirge
Daniel Humm, Eleven Madison Park ***, New York City
Fredrik Berselius, Aska **, New York City
Benoit Violier, l’Hotel de Ville ***, Crissier
Frank Giovannini, l’Hotel de Ville ***, Crissier
Kevin Fehling, The Table ***, Hamburg
Yoshihiro Narisawa, Narisawa **, Tokyo
Namae Shinobu, L’Effervescence **, Tokyo
Yoshimi Tanigawa, Kichisen ***, Kyoto
Wassim Halal, Frederikshøj *, Aarhus
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The grand documentary has so far been screened at San Sebastián International Film Festival, Napa Valley Film Festival and Istanbul International Film Festival, and is in 2018 scheduled for screenings at various film festivals across continents added it will have both its cinema and TV-premiere in various parts of the world throughout the year to come.
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THE MIRACLE IN SAN SEBASTIÁN
Bon Vivant Communications is now and then still 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 the 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 we in Spring 2017 entered San Sebastián as a task force and all-in assisting with the opening of a trusted chef’s new restaurant in the world-famous, luscious and heavily Michelin-accoladed Basque part of Spain.
Besides assisting with this opening in the most successful way possible, our mission was to explore, integrate and fully understand the DNA of Donostia in order to help our highly ambitious chef partner earn his seat at the coveted high table of grand chefs and restaurateurs in one of the most recognised culinary destinations of the world.
The opening of Amelia in April 2017 was also viewed upon with equal wonder and surprise as no expat had opened a restaurant of this calibre before in San Sebastián; the for decades globally praised food destination and one of the most Michelin-accoladed areas in the world per capita, already filled with world-celebrated restaurants that draw one headliner after another.
But Argentinean-born Paulo Airaudo managed to do so with an impressive dedication, and within just two months he transformed an old timber wood shop into a two-storey full throttle restaurant in the heart of Zona Romantica. A restaurant designed with gray tones and natural materials such as wood stand out and is characterised by its minimalist, almost Nordic approach and flavoured with comics art, Mario Bros figures, Star Wars paintings and gadgets that refer to Pop Art culture and the early 90’s when Paulo Airaudo grew up.
Paulo Airaudo on his way to the stage, accoladed with Amelia’s first star at the Spanish & Portuguese Michelin Awards at The Ritz-Carlton in Tenerife, November 2017.
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An behold…. Just 7 months after opening its doors, this very different offer to the demanding palates of Donostia and visitors was accoladed with a coveted first Michelin star, and with Paulo Airaudo as the first expat chef ever having done so in the Basque Country.
That, combined with the remarkably fast pace in which the star was gained, has already this early cemented Amelia as the obvious dark horse amongst the best restaurants in San Sebastián and the one looking ahead when it comes to creations, restaurant design and organic wine menus.
When opening Amelia, Chef Airaudo stated:
“My family loves San Sebastián. I love San Sebastián. We’re happy here which is the main reason to build this restaurant. At the same time this magical town has the eye of chefs and foodies globally upon it, which in a way makes it possible for me to offer my food to the world.”
Read also: Amelia in San Sebastián Awarded with a Michelin star.
THE MAGIC MEXICAN IN MADRID
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2017 was also the year were our long lasting flirt with Mexican cuisine flourished into a full-throttle collaboration with a dazzling diamond of Aztec culture; Punto MX in Madrid.
In 2012 the restaurant opened its doors betting on authentic Mexican cuisine, showing Spanish diners completely unknown products and elaborations. A tiny but committed team of Mexican lion hearts and fiery souls armed with a vision, exotic flavours and a tight bank account took a chance at becoming the – then – quite risky culinary fine dining exponent of Mexican culture and tradition.
In 2014 it became the first Mexican restaurant in Europe to receive a Michelin star and in May Punto MX reached its fifth year, its 712000th taco, 260000th avocado and 200000th cocktail, and invited four great and very different Mexican chefs to cook in the heart of Spain as a part of a four-month grand 5th year celebration.
The first invitee was the legendary Juana Amaya; the highest representative of traditional cuisine in Oaxaca and considered being the “Priestess of Mole”, the complex sauce that brings together up to as many as 40 ingredients. The second Edgar Nuñez – Chef and Co-Owner of unstoppable Sud777, placed #11 on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants List and an outstanding communicator of Mexican products and cuisine.
The third invitee was Diego Hernández Baquedano of Corazón de Tierra that has been recognized multiple times as one of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants and after 6 years is today’s reference in terms of what can be done when you work closely with on-site gardens, terroir and regional ingredients. The fourth was José Manuel Baños – Chef and Owner of the outmost charming and famous Pitiona situated in a restored colonial house in the historic district of Oaxaca, known for it’s great flavours and indigenous cultures.
The core tricfecta of Punto MX; Roberto Ruiz, Maria Fernandez and Martin Eccius.
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Through these grand events Roberto Ruiz also used the 5th year anniversary as an allround occasion to even further refine his celebrated cuisine and further developed the beloved cellar in the swanky Salamanca-quarter into a highly elaborated tasting menu only restaurant, taking advantage of Punto MX´s position and expertise as being the trendsetters of Mexican cuisine, but with a more fun and playful approach, without compromising their DNA.
In the words of Roberto Ruiz: “Change is a natural evolution. Over the last five years, we have transferred the purest taste of Mexico into our cooking, today in this natural evolution.”
This once local restaurant down the corner became one of the hottest dinner tickets in all of Spain. Punto MX is magic – Mexican magic in Madrid and there are numerous of reasons to love this fun-loving, heartwarming and utterly delicious powerhouse solidifying Mexican fine dining. An absolute must when visiting the Spanish capital.
View also: Ten Good Reasons to Love Punto MX.
THE BELLE ÉPOQUE IN VIENNA
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Taubenkobel did it again and created yet another pop-up experience of another world; this time in one of the most beautiful building in Vienna; the Post Palais where the power couple of Burgenland brought the dazzling Belle Époque back to life in the Austrian capital.
After 200 years of being home to postmarks, stamps and packages, the grand rooms of the Alte Post building located at Postgasse in Vienna’s first district was transformed into the 5-week long “Brieftaubenkobel”; a culinary adventure full of variety and bold authenticity where guests were amazed by Alain Weissgerber’s international cuisine, which at Brieftaubenkobel featured only the finest ingredients from across Europe, while being in arms of the great expert service provided by the sparkling hostess Barbara Eselböck and her experienced Taubenkobel team.
It was unforgettable nights in the dazzling chambers of the Post Palais; whisked away to a world full of old-time Viennese flair, with servers in white livery and white gloves moving gracefully through the handsomely appointed staterooms transported all back to a bygone age.
Things like “Brieftaubenkobel” couldn’t be remade even they tried, but luckely Taubenkobel itself can. Our favourite European hidden oasis opens its dining rooms, unique suites and dazzling gardens again from Easter and the 2018-season.
Dig into this video review: A Hidden Gem for Destination Diners.
THE SECRET MOVE IN COPENHAGEN
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Without another further notice nor Instagram-serialised long stretch promises on a new restaurant then Michelin-awarded “Danish Restaurant of The Year 2016/17” CLOU moved location literally overnight. From the 5-year resided dining rooms of Borgergade in Inner Copenhagen to a rather intimate setting close to the National Gallery of Art and the lakes of the famous capital.
Jonathan Berntsen believes he has found the perfect spot to continue and further enhance CLOU’s culinary journey at the bourgeois-bohemian part of Østerbro Quarter, a javelin throw from the beloved Lakes of Copenhagen; the new restaurant quite has the feeling of a private apartment where Chef Berntsen and team hosts guests with an even more personal signature experience than up to now.
In fact many things has changed, most significantly the menu where CLOU now has gone all-in with a formidable 20 servings set menu paired with cult wines par excellence for 20 guests only per night in taking the allround CLOU-experience up to the next level.
CLOU is a very personal restaurant that desires to make its guests feel at home. To this, the personal touch is important. From own art on the walls, to grand parents’ silverware on the beautiful set tables. The food and wine combinations have been key at restaurant since the beginning. In fact that is what’s most important at CLOU. Highly unusually the starting point is the wine, and then chefs match the food.
Even more unusual; in Copenhagen – the cradle of Nordic Cuisine – CLOU is a local top restaurant with cooking inspired by Southern European Cuisine. Needless to say that it’s is a must try for guests with ‘another zest’ when in Copenhagen.
Read also Ateriet: Jonathan Berntsen on Moving a Restaurant Overnight.
FORBES: THE COOLEST PLACES TO EAT IN 2018
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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 furthermore 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 Eleven Madison or El Celler de Can Roca 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 the only second 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 2018.
Please find all the recommendations in Forbes by following this link.
We wish you a Happy New Year. Eat and drink well and we’ll see you somewhere across the globe in 2018 where we’ll present new surprising partnerships, films and culinary moments you might not have thought possible.
We are at your service as needed.
Bon Vivant Communications 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 600 journalists, bloggers and writers, as well as 3000+ luxury diners around the globe.
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