Last night, Jason and I attended a lecture by acclaimed chefs Jose Andres (above, left) and Wylie Dufresne (above, right) at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Jose Andres directs ThinkFood Group, the team behind DC's Café Atlántico, Jaleo, Zaytinya, Oyamel, and critically acclaimed MiniBar, as well as L.A.'s new The Bazaar restaurant, which was just granted an almost-unprecedented four-star review by the L.A. Times, while Wylie Dufresne heads up his eponymous WD-50 restaurant in NYC, and is widely considered to be a leader of the molecular cuisine movement in the U.S. It wasn't so much a lecture as a discussion between the two chefs, moderated by Colman Andrews, an expert on Spanish cuisine, founder of Saveur magazine and columnist for Gourmet. The conversation focused mostly on the emergence of Spanish Vanguard Cuisine and its influence in the United States and the world, as personally experienced by Andres and Dufresne, both of whom have been heavily influenced by the Spanish avant garde approach to dining. The story begins, of course, with El Bulli restaurant in Roses on the Costa Brava. Adria is the well-known creator of such inventions as "culinary foam" which he employs, among other techniques, in his brilliant deconstructivist dishes. His approach (which is dished out in a 30-course predetermined tasting menu) can be defined by his subversion of familiar dishes, which he accomplishes by toying with the molecular composition of the ingredients. For example, he might serve a "tapioca" of Iberico ham, the flavor of the ham distilled in tiny, liquid spheres, or a dish of frozen polenta shavings. Sound hokey? Check out this photo gallery. I think it's easier to visually comprehend the nuance and beauty of his dishes, which are difficult to describe in words.
Anyway, Jose Andres worked in the kitchen at El Bulli for some time and was an apprentice of sorts to Ferran Adria. During last night's discussion, he joked "he hired me because there was no one else around!" (A pretty modest proclamation for a chef dubbed "the boy wonder of the culinary world" by the New York Times!) So now Andres is bringing Spanish molecular cuisine to American palates; all of his restaurants either focus on or employ its techniques. What really struck me about Jose Andres was how evident it is that he views cuisine as an art form, and as such, a mode of communication amongst diverse people. Throughout the discussion, he referenced Matisse several times, as well as Jackson Pollock, and compared the restaurant experience to a gallery. He talked about how, by employing familiar flavors (which provide a common cultural reference point) in unfamiliar ways, we create a new cultural synthesis with the familiar in dialogue with the unfamiliar. For example, his version of clam chowder (pictured above at right) consists of bowl containing a single raw clam next to a puff of clam juice mousse, potato foam, a drizzle of chive oil, and smears of onion jam and bacon cream. It's all of the flavors of a traditional clam chowder presented in a way that totally subverts our understanding of what clam chowder is and can be. A sort of thesis/anti-thesis that could be compared to modernism/post-modernism in art, except with food.
Wylie, for his part, talked mainly about how he visited El Bulli in the mid-90's and was totally blown away by the way Ferran Adria's food "smashed preconceptions of what a dining experience should be." By this, he meant the destruction of the appetizer-first course-second course-dessert structure so typical of French cuisine (in which he was classically trained). He talked about how Ferran Adria really paved the way for chefs to experiment with many small plates (as opposed to one large entree) that keep the palate in a state of constant curiousity and stimulation. I must say that although Wylie is well-spoken, he was totally upstaged by the charming and outgoing Jose, who was really hamming it up, cracking self-deprecating jokes and generally having a good time with the audience. Jose seemed to sort of dominate the conversation.
It was really an interesting discussion, and I think, a good example of how museums can serve as forums for conversations about relevant, contemporary issues, and move beyond the outdated object repository model. So, thumbs up to NMAH for an awesome event. The place was absolutely packed, and everyone seemed really excited to be there. (This event, by the way, is the first event in an ongoing series called Preview Spain: Arts and Culture, sponsored by the Embassy of Spain, the National Museum of American History, and the Smithsonian Latino Center. Check here for other upcoming events.)
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