The secrets from the Chef & Sommelier

 Well its this time again to visit Belgrade and open Balkan competition 2024 and I cant wait to see all the competitors, my jury members, organization committee members, friends and all the other crazy bunch that I love so much. Open Balkan and wine vision is a great opportunity for people to sample the best from the region and really discover what is happening and the progression in Wine and food that are leaving a trademark for the whole of Balkan, a trade show at its best and I hope to catch up with some of you there. 22-24 November and some pictures from last year

 When the world was different and the Warsaw pact was still something people talked about and the cold war was in its heydays I started my 5 years apprenticeship it was in August 1980 and I really did took the devil in hand and promised to stay put for 5 years or leave now!! I got a small 1 bedroom apartment, food at work, chef cloths (I didn't need any civilian) no salary ,  12 hours workday and free only on Sundays but still needed to serve lunch for the owners.  I created a perfect environment and routine for myself during these years and my days was like this for 5 years. 12 h work with 1 hour break between service where I hade wine training 1 h running around the neighborhood as exercise 2 h cookbook reading (mandatory) 8 h sleep 1 h  divided in shower and cleaning apartment All of this was strictly controlled and monitored  but I had no problem to adapt, in my mind I was sure that this would make me a stronger cook and push me way ahead of my same age grou...

 As a chef I love different plate designs that actually trigger my food design and I strongly believe that the right food on the right plate makes a hell of a difference both aesthetic, visual and taste, nice food always taste nicer for most people. Having fun in the kitchen and to elaborate new textures , colors and visual aspects is great for the creative mindset and its so much fun, here are a few samples

 Master Chef, what a title to reflect on, what does it mean and who is it for? I get this question all the time and I always thing thru my answer very carefully depending on who is asking, a armature or a young student or a young aspiring chef or a senior cook or a very senior and experienced chef, so here is my 5 sec. Master chef the tv show have nothing, NOTHING to do with real live Kitchen production and the contestants are for sure very good home cooks and the food is most of the time delicious but to be a chef in a professional environment are something very different and you need to have 1. Its a passion not a hobby 2. consistency 3. endurance, mental and physical  4. strong and crazy mindset  5. focus out of control 6. live the life of a chef 7. say goodbye to your social normal life 8. To search for the culinary holy grail 9. Know your craft and how to execute 10. follow instruction  This points have nothing to do with whatever TV show you are watching, but u...

 ZOOBA is a local restaurant with multiple outlets and even one in new York, absolutely amazing Egyptian cuisine where they serve the dishes with pride and a history lesson if you ask, I had the privilege to visit them now many times and It always blows me away how tasty and delicious the food are and the on the spot baked Arabic bread is fantastic. There are a lot to say when you talk about specifically Egyptian food, actually very few dishes is from here, and many more are imports from Lebanon, Syria and rest of the meddle east but at ZOOBA they are trying to showcase the soul of Egyptian cuisine, thank you Chef Mostafa with team and I will see you soon again. PS they have a outlet at the new grand museum and a perfect stop for lunch)

 Its always a great pleasure to be invited as a judge and a humble approach to all the young chefs competing, this year was much better and the quality over all was very much higher and I am sure that this is part of the feedback that we gave the competitors last year, "listen habibi" The big problem are all of this "I know everything master chef from Egypt" mentality that I still find all the time, the old boys dont know shit and there is a reason why all the big hotels have an expat chef,  To keep your secrets and not share to the young chefs is a big no no for me, sharing is caring and I wish that more of my fellow Egyptians could understand the benefit of this, especially when it comes to young female chefs that are always harrassed and pushed a side, how I wish to train an all female team to beat the crap out of the boys !! any ladies out there who would like to give it a crack?  Anyhow thank you Egyptian chef association for having me onboard also this year.

 Have you ever been in Venice? yes actually a few times and I must admit that there is some magic in this city and the history really hits you when you walk along the narrow streets and the canals, romantic ? yes, would I like to stay there for a few days in a nice hotel, / Hell yes!!  How about the worlds most expensive coffee at Café Florian or the ridiculously expensive Bellini at Harrys bar. In 1956, an extraordinary event took place in Venice, Italy, when the famous canals of the city were drained and cleaned for the first time in centuries. This remarkable undertaking was known as the "Svolte di Popolazio," or the People's Revolution, and it was a massive civic project aimed at improving the sanitation and infrastructure of Venice's historic waterways. Over the centuries, the canals of Venice had accumulated layers of silt, debris, and waste, leading to unsanitary conditions and posing a threat to the city's architectural heritage. The decision to drain and ...