Networking in Action- Russian Gala Success Story

Earlier this year I received the following email:

May 5^th 2008

Hi Matthew,

I wonder if any of our friends have some interesting 5 course Russian Gala Dinner menus.

Thank you- Eduard

As a result I put the request to “Our” Network and received a number of responses from chefs within network. There was one particular response from a chef that had previously worked in Russia that proved to be extremely fruitful.  He was willing to assist Chef Eduard and asked me if I could pass on the relevant contact details. I asked Chef Eduard if I could carry out the request. To cut a long story short I put the 2 chefs in touch and the results were overwhelming. Basically Chef Eduard contacted him and he kindly advised him on a few Russian dishes, tips on preparation, decoration etc.

The input was then used as a foundation as well as inspiration for the menu- it was that simple. 

This is a powerful example of one Chef giving professional input to another – made possible by “Our” Network.

Last week, I received the following email from Chef Eduard

Hi Matthew,

I had asked help for my Russian Gala Dinner a couple of month ago and got in contact with Chef Michael Boehnke who had worked in Moscow previously.

See the result of a very successful event attached!

Regards

Eduard

The actual menu and images from the event follow:

A gala dinner, inspired by Russian art and traditional ingredients was served at the prestigious event. Chef Eduard Betz, the Executive Chef of Hotel Borobudur Jakarta and his team prepared a delicious 7-course modern Russian set menu for the distinguished guests invited. 

The Gala Dinner Set Menu was:

 

Kholodny chilled Duck Borscht with Beets,

Topped with Sour Cream and Caviar Quenelles

***

Coulibiac of Pike Perch and Ural River Crayfish

With Kamchatka Salmon Roe in White Wine Sauce, Cucumber Pearls and Fresh Dill

***

Ukrainian Green Apple Sorbet

Presented in a ice ballet shoe

Russian Casserole of Portobello Mushrooms

With slow cooked Veal Tenderloin and glazed with Novorossiysk Cheese

***

A Faberge style White Chocolate Egg

Studded with Sugar Diamonds and filled with Strawberry Romanoff

***

Petite Fours Prima Ballerina

Presented to the table by the Chefs

***

Coffee or Tea

 

Truly magnificent, special mention must go to Chef Michael Boehnke.

Network and Learn. Knowledge is Power

Chef Matthew J.G.

ProChef360- An Introduction

The Evolution of “Our” Network-

A Web Based Network of Passionate Chefs

Australian Chef- Matthew J.G. is the mastermind/ think tank and/ or brains trust behind the formation of the “Our” Network concept. August 2007 saw the establishment of the ultimate chef network- casually and unofficially known as Global Chefs, Culinary Faculty, “Our” Network and Passionate Chef. Even to this day the network continues to grow at a rapid pace. We as a group of culinary professionals remain global and passionate. The network has evolved, and from this point forward will be known as ProChef360.

A live online presence is presently being established. The domain is hosted, in fact why don’t you visit http://www.prochef360.com. This very blog was initiated to provide an overview of the network from the humble beginnings in August of last year to this very day. The blog itself will be updated periodically. Please feel free to leave your comments at the bottom of the page.

In the short term in addition to the blog and formulating the content for the forthcoming web page I am in the process of establishing a series of 3 subjective weekly newsletters which will be sent via email. If you are not on the emailing list be sure to send an email to culinaryfaculty@gmail.com or globalchefs@gmail.com requesting to be added to the mailing list. I will personally take care of proceedings.

Monday- Travelogue  :- A newsletter geared towards travel ideas, experiences, suggestions, reviews etc etc etc  

Wednesday- Job Focus  

1) Positions Vacant

2) Positions Wanted

3) Career Sleuth- Q&A

4) Get the Goss from the Chefs That Have Been There & Done That

5) Chefs on the Move

6) Monthly Salary Survey

 

Friday- ProChef360 Weekly Wrap

 

We take an in depth look into the week that was in the chef world.

• The Passionate Chef of the Moment
• The Week That Was
• Top 3 “Cheffie” news Stories of the Week
• Cheffie Link of the Week
• Weekly Geeky Link
• And a whole lot more……………

The Vision, Mission, Goals, Core Values and Beliefs are grand- all will be revealed within the coming weeks.

If you haven’t already with the network be sure to send an email to culinaryfaculty@gmail.com or globalchefs@gmail.com and you will added to the growing list industry professionals.

Tastefully yours,

Chef Matthew J.G.

ProChef360

Founder

Cuisine is Art ; Art is Passion

Cuisine Focus- The Mediterranean

From food gathering to an appreciation of fine food

The Mediterranean is the deep, blue heart that provides life to the countries that encircle her. The remarkable geographic and ethnic diversity of the Mediterranean have laid foundations for the regions culinary identity. Drawing on a range of ingredients and cooking styles the culinary minded have infused these influences into a fresh and unique style of cooking.

The Mediterranean is well equipped with natural resources. But for the food lovers the greatest blessing is a range of climates, ranging from alpine to sub tropical. Add rich, ancient soils, some of the purest waters on the planet and guaranteed sunshine and the result is an endless feast of produce.

Combining the rugged flavors of the land with a cosmopolitan sophistication, it is not surprising that Mediterranean cuisine has tantalized the senses and captured the imaginations of those fortunate enough to have experienced it.

From a few simple ingredients such a wonderful cuisine can be presented for even the most discerned diner. Ingredients commonly utilized to produce dishes in this cuisine are as follows:

Legumes- Borlotti beans, cannellini beans, chickpeas, fava beans, lentils

Nuts and Seeds- Almonds, chestnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, sesame seeds, walnuts

Herbs (Dried and Fresh) – Basil, Chives, Coriander, Dill, Lavender, Marjoram, Mint, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon, Thyme

Seasonings- Anise seeds, bay leaves, bitter orange peel, black peppercorns, capers, cardamon, cloves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, ginger, nutmeg, olives, orange flower water, paprika, rose water, saffron, sumac, tumeric, za’atar
Oils- Grapeseed oil, hazelnut oil, olive oil, truffle oil, walnut oil

Vinegars- Balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar

Vegetables- Artichokes, arugula, asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, chili, cucumber, eggplant, fennel, garlic, leek, olives, onions, potato, pumpkin, radicchio, romaine, spinach, tomato, turnip, wild mushrooms, zucchini

Fruits (Dried and Fresh) – Apple, apricot, cherry, currant, dates, figs, grapes, lemon, lime, melon, oranges, peaches, pears, plums, pomegranates, quinces, raisins, strawberries
Meat- Goat, lamb, pork, rabbit, venison

Poultry- Chicken, duck, guinea fowl, quail, squab

Fish- Anchovies, mackerel, monkfish, mullet, sardines, sea bass, tuna

Shellfish- Clams, crabs, cuttlefish, lobster, mussels, octopus, oysters, shrimp, squid

Cheeses and Yoghurt- buffalo mozzarella, feta, fresh and aged sheep and goat’s milk cheeses, mascarpone, ricotta, yoghurt

Sweeteners- Honey

The above list is not exhaustive- there are many other items used to produce Mediterranean menu items.

The following images provide an introduction into the beauty of the Mediterranean region and selected ingredients and dishes that you may find on Mediterranean menus in today’s society:

 

A Few Dish Ideas Mediterranean

Buffalo mozzarella salad with tender asparagus and roasted tomatoes
Rocket and salsa verde add a pleasant crisp to the dish
***
Ravioli of sweet potato and roasted garlic, wilted spinach
with a delicate saffron cream sauce and walnut praline
***
Linguine cooked with Atlantic salmon, slow baked red bell peppers and basil
Finished with cherry tomato vinaigrette
***
Tender breast of chicken filled with spinach mousse, seared scallop,
horseradish crushed potatoes and red wine Jus
***
Fillet steak and king prawn, wild mushroom polenta cake.
Beetroot jam and madeira glaze are the backdrops for this dish
***
Pan seared tapenade brushed snapper fillet
with clams and chickpeas in a herb broth
***
A variety of imported cheeses served with freshly baked bread,
water crackers, candied walnuts and fig salami
***
A Trio of Lemon. Lemon Tart, Lemon Sherbet and Lemon Curd Filled Crepe
***

Cuisine Focus- Cuisines by Region Listing

Europe
• Italian
• French
• Dutch
• English
• Irish
• Scottish
• Welsh
• German
• Austria
• Hungarian
• Swiss
• Scandinavian
• Norwegian
• Danish
• Spanish
• Portuguese
• Belgian
• Greek
• Polish
• Turkish

 
China
• Shandong
• Guangdong
• Sichuan
• Hunan
• Jiangsu
• Zhejiang
• Fujian
• Anhui
• Beijing
• Dongbei
• Uygur
• Huibei
• Hui
• Tibetan

India
• Awadhi
• Mughlai
• Bengali
• Rajasthani
• Konkani
• Udupi
• Malabari
• Punjabi
• Hyderabadi
• Sindhi
• Marwari
• Chettinadu
• Dogri
• Kashmiri
• Marathi

 
Asia- General
• Japanese
• Korean
• Mongolian
• Taiwanese
• Thai
• Isaan
• Cambodian
• Singaporean
• Vietnamese
• Filipino
• Malaysian
• Indonesian
• Balinese
• Nonya
• Pakistani
• Macanese

Other
• American
• Canadian
• Australian
• New Zealand
• Russian
• South African
• African
• Moroccan
• Brazilian
• Latin American
• Jewish
• Lebanese
• Polynesian
• Caribbean
• Cajun Creole
• Cuban
• Hawaiian
• Mexican
• Tex Mex
• Middle Eastern
• Mauritian
• Maldivian
• Persian
• Afghani
• Georgian
• Ukraine
• Kazakh

 
Cuisines by Specification
• Mediterranean
• Modern European
• Contemporary
• New York Grill
• Avant Garde- Molecular Gastronomy
• East meets West
• Fusion
• Californian
• Vegetarian
• Cypriot
• Organic
• Spa
• Historical

The above list was compiled with the valuable assistance of no less than 24 passionate chefs from around the globe.

It is my endeavor to update this section on a regular basis by providing a detailed analysis of selected cuisines from this very listing. Who knows we might very well make our way through the entire list and discover more cuisines to add to the list along the way………

The next cuisine we will feature, or should I say cuisines are the selection filed under the China section within the above listing. You will be provided with a detailed analysis of each particular component of this extremely diverse cuisine.

 

Wenchuan Earthquake, Sichuan, China

I had no idea what the time it was when the monster hit……………… as it turns out it was in fact 2.28pm.

I was sitting at my desk in the pre-opening office working on a kitchen training power point presentation when all of a sudden everything around me started to frantically shake.

I was the last to leave the building- oh by the way my office is on the 6th floor of a relatively aged 8 story building. The stairwell is close by, as it turns out my regular journeys up and down the stairs for health purposes assisted me in my mad dash to escape from the trembling surroundings.

People were gathered in the alley below the building- I began to make my way to the apartment building whereby Maria my fiancée was located. I was desperately trying to get hold of her on the telephone to no avail; the lines were cut and/ or jammed. The city was in a made panic, I was lucky to flag down a taxi, I showed the driver the address, which I have written in the local lingo on a piece of scrap paper. It was a mere miracle that I managed to get a taxi. Chengdu has a major taxi shortage at the best of times. I reached the apartment in limited time, there was ruble scattered all over the road.

I gave the driver the money for the fare and ran into the building and found Maria. She was beside herself- in fact she was talking to her mother on the telephone when the magnitude 8 hit. We gathered some of our important documents and ran out of the building and waited downstairs. The neighborhood was gathering on the footpath area wondering what was going to happen next. After some time waiting and thinking about what to do next, mind you there was no information provided in a language that I could understand. 

We went back into the building and started to arrange the personal belongings, packing a number of bags of essential items and left them nearby the door ready for evacuation.  The electricity was cut, however the gas was still available. I began to prepare some penne bolognaise and there was a knock at the door- the person – in Japanese suggested we should leave the building due to the fact that the tremors would soon arrive. My instinct has got pretty good dealing with the language barrier on a regular basis.

 We ventured downstairs with the previously prepare bags of essential items. At this point it was difficult to know what to expect. Would I see my cookbook collection again? Would I be able to find my collection of documents easily? The mind was racing. 

At the base of the apartment building we were greeted by the English speaking Singaporean Spa Director from the same property I work with. He suggested that we go with him to the stadium- about a 30 minute walk away; we briskly made our way to the stadium with him. We stayed there overnight- afraid to sleep, it started to rain at 4.20am. 

We moved onto the nearby Sheraton Hotel and waited in the lobby. It was at this time that we began to realize the extent of the earthquake via CNN. Devastating, whilst in the Stadium we heard the death toll was 70, CNN were reporting 10,000 deaths. The epicenter was a mere 90 km away- we both realized how lucky we were. So many thoughts were going through my mind during the previous hours. We trekked back to the apartment to gather a few items and went to stay in a fairly new local Hotel. We ended up staying there a couple of nights, all the utilities were available including the electricity.

A number of staff from my place of employment has family members that were directly affected by the tragedy. They seem to be handling the situation quite well under the extreme circumstances. 

There have been some huge aftershocks- some 6.5 magnitude. You could almost call them additional earthquakes. Record has it that more than 7,000 have been experienced. In fact at the time of writing this report a 5.4 magnitude aftershock hit followed 20 minutes later by a 5.7.

The Chinese authorities need to be complimented on the way they have handled this catastrophe from the heartrending outset until this very day. In addition support has come from near and far away destinations- basically numerous nations have rallied together and answered the call for help without hesitation.

To this day the drama is still unfolding – numerous flood alerts have been issued due to formation of the so called “Quake Lake”, 100’s of thousands of people were evacuated from the region, landslides caused by torrential rains, a disastrous helicopter crash with claimed many lives.

The death toll continues to rise- it currently stands at near to 70,000 and is expected to rise to over 80,000. It is said that well over 370,000 people were injured and more than 18,000 are still listed as missing.

It has been stated that the reconstruction will take over 3 years to complete. The quake caused major damage in an area covering 100.000 square km, 19 out of the 21 cities and towns in Sichuan have been affected, a total of more than 5.47 million people have been left homeless.

From a personal viewpoint- Maria and I honestly realize that we are both extremely lucky. 

Matthew and Maria 

Chengdu, Sichuan, PRC

Note:- This is an updated post which was previously submitted on web.