The Malaysian Insider :: Food

Catering 2.0 meets underground, pop-up dining in ‘Kitchensurfing’

Posted: 13 Nov 2012 05:05 AM PST

Kitchensurfing is a new concept for food lovers. —shutterstock.com pic

NEW YORK, Nov 13 — You could call it catering 2.0, a concept that pairs a community of online chefs with dinner party hosts looking to throw an intimate meal for friends and family.

Based out of New York, Kitchensurfing launched this spring as a way to connect chefs without kitchens with gourmands looking to host an intimate, authentic, restaurant-grade meal.

Less than a year after its launch, the concept has been exported to Berlin where it launched this fall, in a city filled with adventurous expats and a young, dynamic food scene, said company co-founder Chris Muscarella in an interview with food blog Fine Dining Lovers.

It's a win-win situation: chefs who may spend their working days preparing the same repetitive recipes get to exercise their culinary creativity while prospective hosts can choose from a roster of chefs with different specialties and different price points ranging from $45 to $100 an hour.

Hosts can look for chefs who specialize in everything from breakfast and brunch menus, vegetarian fare, Spanish to Senegalese menus.

In addition to providing a more intimate and quieter venue for larger dinner groups, the concept also works well for diners with specific food intolerances, allergies or for those looking for specific, customizable menu requests, says Kitchensurfing.

Once the event is over, hosts then leave a public review for other users to see.

Another interesting digital dining experience is to pair menus with musical soundtracks. From celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, to wineries and websites, playlists inspired by menus or vice versa are being created to help set the dining mood.

For example, both Oliver and California winery Concannon Vineyard used free digital music service Spotify, while husband and wife music writer and chef team at Turntable Kitchen pair use their respective expertise to come up with food and music pairing suggestions, not unlike matches made for food and wine. — AFP-Relaxnews

Obama to get re-election gift weighing more than a kilo

Posted: 12 Nov 2012 11:25 PM PST

Acqualagna's mayor Andrea Pierotti (right) holding in his hands a 1,012kg white truffle together with the head of Eataly Brno Urbani (centre) and Bruno Urbani, November 10, 2012. — AFP/Relaxnews

ROME, 13 Nov — A small Italian village renowned for its white truffles announced Saturday it would give US President Barack Obama a record specimen weighing in at more than a kilo as a re-election present.

"A 1.012-kg truffle from Acqualagna will be gifted to the President of the United States Barack Obama to celebrate his re-election," the local authorities said in a statement.

The truffle, a rare subterranean mushroom prized in haute cuisine, is to be delivered to the United States on November 18 and Acqualagna officials said they hoped Obama would show up in person to pick up his gift.

"The first American president to receive an Acqualagna truffle was Harry Truman in 1956. The latest dignitary to have received it was Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh," the town's mayor, Andrea Pierotti, said.

The price per kilo of white truffles has recently shot up to around €3,000 (RM11,670).

In 2010, a South Korean wine critic bought a 900-gramme truffle for €105,000 at a charity event.

Macau billionaire and casino baron Stanley Ho in 2010 paid more than US$300,000 for two pieces of the precious tuber at another charity auction.

Local legend has it that the largest-ever find came in 1668 when a man by the name of Filippo Cortesi unearthed a pair of truffles weighing 13 and 18 kg respectively. — AFP/Relaxnews

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Rabu, 14 November 2012

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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