A Weekend at Gourmet Magazine's "Gourmet Institute"

It was kind of a surprise to find myself attending the 6th annual Gourmet Institute in New York City.  As a long time reader of Gourmet Magazine, I recall thumbing past advertisements for the event in previous years.  But I guess I had never considered more than just my subscription and looking forward to the photographs, recipes, the latest and greatest on chef-dom and the restaurant scene.  This year was a little different.  I have a food blog, I’m taking my diet and recipe orchestration more seriously than ever, and I’ve been reading the magazine from a completely different perspective because of the integration of raw food preparation into my repertoire. I was already used to “vegetarianizing” recipes, but training the brain to constantly look for realistic raw conversions can make the word “challenge” an understatement.

However, that has never detoured me from paying astute attention to the mainstream culinary world for, among a plethora of reasons, inspiration, learning, and just being aware. Nowadays, more than ever, people are paying attention to the quality of food and its sources no matter what they eat.  It is a movement that I see is bringing the old school vegetarian “hippie” cliché together with discerning epicureans who love their meat.  We all now have at least a few common denominators:  we want non-industrialized, quality food; moreover, we want the finest ingredients; we want to live well, which is to say we want our health and eat it too.  I did run into a very few individuals who were confused as to why my existence at such an au contraire event, once I handed them my card reading the predominant keywords, “raw”, “vegan”, and “vegetarian”.  But no matter.  Two of the three thought what I did was “cool and interesting”, while the third was clearly uncomfortable as if she expected me to crucify her just after she shared with me her love of foie gras.

Through the existence of Julie’s Raw Ambition and my involvement with a local periodical, Gourmet was gracious enough to extend press credentials to my husband and I to cover this year’s Gourmet Institute that took place on October 17-19.  So what exactly is the Gourmet Institute and what is the allure of participation?  How about the opportunity to meet over 50 of the world’s most influential chefs and recognizable culinary professionals, such as Daniel Boulud, Grant Achatz, Anthony Bourdain, Eric Ripert, Masaharu Morimoto, Tom Colicchio, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Charlie Palmer, Michael Symon, Danny Meyer, Dan Barber, Sara Moulton, Todd English, and Jacques Torres?  And not just to chat them up or have them sign your book, but to learn something from them through weekend long back-to-back seminars and cooking demonstrations?  How about getting to mingle with Gourmet’s staff and see where it all comes together at Condé Nast?  Who would like being perpetually fed fabulous food, wine, and cocktail tastings?  Hell yeah, I’m there. I can cover this.

What would become an enriching, indulging, and most hospitable weekend commenced with an opulent cocktail reception on Friday evening at the New York City Public Library’s Celeste Bartos Forum.  The glowing, candlelit room was rimmed with tastings by the popular NYC restaurants Gramercy Tavern, Tabla, 11 Madison Park, Blue Smoke, and The Modern.  Hors d’oeurves circulated, wine and cocktails by Grey Goose and Tommy Bahama freely flowed, and Ruth Reichl, Editor in Chief of Gourmet spoke a few words, blessing the event and sending it off on its official launch.

Of all the restaurant tastings offered in those few hours, it was a delight to see that by far the most popular was Blue Smoke’s “Hickory Smoked Quinoa Vegetable Burgers with Crispy Onions and Mushrooms”.  They far out-shadowed their pork counterparts, continuously flying off the table.  Blue Smoke had the most consistent (long) line and the chefs couldn’t make these scrumptious little sliders fast enough.  I can still taste them now!

As delicious as Friday night was, the real party started on Saturday morning with the demonstrations and seminars everyone came to see, stretching on through Sunday afternoon. The Millennium Broadway Hotel hosted the Good Living Travel Pavilion, a place where guests, event sponsors, and participants could congregate between these demos and seminars taking place just across a parking garage at 4 Times Square, otherwise known as the Condé Nast Building and headquarters of Gourmet Magazine. There were so many events going on, so much to mention, SO much material, it’s frankly not easy to condense all of it into a single blog reading.  So a complete schedule of events is still available here at the Gourmet Institute’s website.

I obviously looked forward to the events as a whole, and having never attended the Institute in the past, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  Naturally, there were those individuals at the top of my list that I was most anxious to meet in person (ahem…Tony Bourdain, Tom Colicchio, Eric Ripert) and then there were those that I met and was pleasantly surprised of their persona or what I learned from them (Daniel Boulud, Jean-Georges, Colicchio) or those that I didn’t really know of before that it was a sheer pleasure to meet (David Pasternack, Floyd Cardoz).  There was a lot of that going on at all times all weekend.  It was pretty damn neat.

After a late start on Saturday and getting acclimated with the travel pavilion, we walked on to Condé Nast to experience our first demonstration that afternoon: Daniel Boulud’s Maine Lobster Prepared 4 Ways.  An audience of about 100 looked on to an Electrolux-sponsored set as Chef Boulud (Chef-Owner, The Dinex Group) and Chefs Jean Francois Bruel (Executive Chef, Daniel), Gavin Kaysen (Executive Chef, Café Boulud), Olivier Muller (Chef de Cuisine, DB Bistro Moderne), and Damian Sansonetti (Executive Chef, Bar Boulud) created signature dishes using live Maine lobsters.  One hour of watching a great group of talent work together and have fun, in perfect synchronicity, led by a very personable Chef Boulud.  And of course, there were tastings being passed of every dish they created.  Despite our dietary limitations, presentation and the other flavor components of each dish was nothing short of fantastic.

Chef Boulud’s demo was the perfect pre-cursor for what was to follow.  Kind of like an opening act for the main event.  Down the hall in a small auditorium was the one seminar I had ants in my pants to see since I first laid eyes on an event schedule.  I knew this one would be popular and we were grateful to learn we’d been granted access since it had been filled so fast by event consumers (the people who paid $1,395 to attend the Gourmet Institute).  This would be Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert:  “No Reservations – In Front of and Behind the Camera”.

I’ve been a big fan of No Reservations since its start on The Travel Channel, and before that, A Chef’s Tour on the Food Network.  Back then, I didn’t know a heck of a lot about Bourdain except that he and his je ne sais quoi sort of bad boy attitude translating to sense of mission and self-searching though his travels were intriguing as hell to watch.  I’m not intimidated by his disdain of vegetarianism or his open ridicule of raw food.  In fact, it intrigues me even more.  Eventually, I’d learn of his background at Les Halles, that he’s a brilliant writer, and to some extent, he’s even come around a little with raw food.

Where there’s one bad boy, there’s another who’s his partner in crime.  So naturally I would also be a bit captivated by Eric Ripert.  But for different reasons.  He’s best known for Le Bernardin, one of only three restaurants in NYC awarded three Michelin stars and holds the longest run of the New York Times’ 4 star adornment.  That’s remarkable in itself.  Unlike Bourdain’s more rugged exterior, Ripert is your poised and polished Frenchman, on the outside.  Beneath that seeps a naughty bit of a rebel.  On that day, he donned a t-shirt under his blazer depicting a silhouette of a nude woman sprawled eagle, the top of the White House situated right over her crotch, with a neon sign reading “CHECKS CASHED”. Yeah, he and Bourdain definitely had their own show going on.

The two of them sustained a completely captive audience while talking about the days at Les Halles, Bourdain’s experience with eating a hog’s rectum (the only thing, he claims, he’s ever eaten that’s made him sick), doing tequila shots and drinking beer.  Notably, Ripert seemed much more comfortable in a public speaking situation while Bourdain’s body language suggested otherwise.  Most of the time he was turned toward Ripert in his seat, directing his speech to him or to the moderator.  Given how he has openly shared his disgust for Chef Rocco Dispirito, I couldn’t help but ask Bourdain when he’d be joining Dancing with the Stars. Actually, my husband asked him, I was too chicken.  It got a good laugh out of him and the audience and he explained he’s actually made his peace with Rocco.  What is he, going soft or something?

That evening, we unfortunately weren’t privvy to the Saturday Dining Experience.  This portion of the Institute was reserved for paid event consumers who had their choice of attending one of New York’s premier restaurants, Fiamma, Picholine, or Union Square Café. There, they would experience a four-course set menu with wine pairings and have direct interaction with the chefs and owners.  I’m sure it was wonderful, but… believe me, we were perfectly happy hanging out at Bar Masa.

Speaking of Japanese cuisine, one of the first familiar faces I ran into at the travel pavilion on Sunday morning was (Iron) Chef Masaharu Morimoto.  What a fine, stately looking man.  He was dressed head to toe in traditional Japanese garb, irradiating a very regal presence.  He made you feel inclined to just bow accordingly – forget saying hello or handshaking.

Tom Colicchio was also in the house, and he was next on my tops list.  Most people know him as a tough, arrogant judge from Top Chef, but he’s quite a bit more accomplished and down-to-earth than that.  I was introduced to him through my visits to Gramercy Tavern a couple of times years back where he was the co-founder and executive chef.  I spent a good while talking to him about his Craft restaurants, the upcoming season of Top Chef (no, he didn’t give away any inside scoop), cookbook writing, and just the business in general.  He’s an absolute gem of a cool dude.

After leaving Colicchio, we headed back to Condé Nast for our final two events.  I was all excited to see Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, not just because I love brunch at Nougatine, but he’d be doing a raw food demonstration.  Now, as I quickly found out, it was not the kind of raw food you would expect to see as per Sarma Melngailis.  It was more like raw proteins such as fish carpaccio style and beef tartare that were dressed in sauces with cooked elements.  They were of course, immaculately done in reflection of true Jean-Georges style.  I have never seen such a pristinely groomed chef, with skin so flawless and smooth as if he regularly visits La Prairie for weekly facials, his chef’s whites pressed as crisp as they had just been dry cleaned for an executive office.  His posture and perfectionism was clearly extended through his hands and his vision.

The concluding dish of the whole raw demo, however, made me very, very, happy: a clean, herbacious soup.  Jean-Georges explained that this was even one of his personal favorites, a feel-good soup that he makes for himself at least three times a week, whether he’s feeling tired and under the weather or just wants a light meal.  No wonder the man looks so good.

It’s ridiculously easy to make and since witnessing the magic, I’ve already done so myself.  I hate to be a tease, but the recipe and method will come in a later post which I promise will come soon.  The best part about it is that it’s a seasonal soup with a lot of flexibility.  Of all the chefs I spoke to or watched their demos, Jean-Georges seemed the most conscientious of the quality of our food supply and the sources and particularities from which he chooses for his own restaurants.  This is not to say though, that others don’t hold the same standards.

Wrapping up our weekend’s events was a seminar on “Ethnic Food in America”, which featured a panel of diverse and influential chefs on international cuisine, Roberto Santibañez (Carlos Santana’s Maria Maria Restaurants), Michael Psilakis (Anthos), Zak Pelaccio (Fatty Crab, 5 Ninth), and Floyd Cardoz (Tabla).  I learned the difference between a very rare (and non-attainable in the U.S.) north Indian saffron and Spanish saffron.  I learned that of the four panelists, Chef Psilakis had the most intense, chiseled demeanor yet his Greek-American background aroused my husband into making a reservation at Anthos.  Chef Pelaccio gave further confirmation that every chef that visits Asia seems to have a professional and life changing experience.

By the end of the weekend, I had two boxes of cookbooks packed and ready to be shipped back home first thing Monday morning.  I had 347 photos, notebooks, press kits, and fact sheets to sort through.  I learned some new techniques, gained new recipes, met some fabulous and talented people, and made new contacts.  And of course, I had some of the best food ever.  I’d gladly return next year if Gourmet will have me.  If you’re a hard-core foodie without press clearance and you’ve got an extra $1395 in your pocket, the Gourmet Institute is worth the splurge.

See more photos of the event here on Flickr.

<3, JMK

FAQ Update:

I’ve received several questions regarding aspects of this event, so here’s a Q & A for those most frequently asked.

Q:  Was Anthony Bourdain cool?  What was he like?

A:  Well, in a nutshell I suppose that yes, he was cool.  I didn’t kick back and share the beer and tequila with him or anything, but he was cordial and funny, and pleasantly tolerant of a couple of audience members who asked him, uhm, “questionable” questions.  The attitude that you’d probably most expect wasn’t around at all.  I got the distinct impression that he is actually a little bashful in a crowd.

Q:  How can I find out more on this event? Is Gourmet doing it again next year?

A:  Well, since this was the 6th annual Gourmet Institute and by all accounts very successful, I don’t see why they wouldn’t continue with it.  I would recommend checking their event website or subscribing to their magazine to find out further info on all the logistics.

Q:  Since you’re a vegetarian, did you feel like you were missing out on a lot of the food?

A:  Not in the least.  There were a surprising number of vegetarian options.

Q:  Where can I find seminar/panel keynotes from the speakers?

A:  At this time, I’m not sure.  I’ve been in contact with Gourmet’s representatives and waiting a response on if/when something like this will be created.

Q:  Was there anyone else you met that you didn’t mention on your blog?

A:  Pretty much every chef I mentioned or have a picture posted is who I met.  There were so many in attendance, and so little time!