Experimental Cuisine Quotes

At wd~50, we have carried on, I think, a very honest, legitimate European tradition of messing with foie gras.

What makes the food that we do at Alinea so interesting on the outside is that we really don't let ourselves say no to an idea.

I tried a robin heart once. It wasn't very good.

The 'Maverick Chef' is one concept that I would really want to do again because I am traveling from country to country taking from what is in that country that is iconic, special, funky, weird and doing it my way. That is something I really enjoy.

I don't know exactly what a black Chinese restaurant would be, but I would sure love to see one.

Molecular gastronomy is not bad... but without sound, basic culinary technique, it is useless.

In an avant-garde cooking restaurant, it's the experience that's the difference.

The new revolution in cooking can be viewed in two ways. One is that you can take any traditional food and apply modern techniques. The other approach is to create food that is quite different than anything that has existed before.

I didn't want to do just another set of recipes. I think that's useless.

It is critical to have a sound understanding of traditional culinary principles before attempting to push boundaries in cuisine. Larousse Gastronomique helps me execute the progressive cooking we do at Alinea.

There's a freshness to the approach of teen chefs. They're lighthearted, and they're not afraid to take risks.

Amuse-bouches are an opportunity to push boundaries.

I will eat anything, at least once. For better or worse.

[Molecular gastronomy] was a great trend, because it experimented with food. The benchmark was [former elBulli head chef] Ferran Adrià, and now he is no longer there it is harder to gauge.

A lot of chefs are traditional and do it very well. But the ones who are the most successful are the ones who change things. That is why someone like Heston Blumenthal is a genius.

Spaghetti is good with ranch, and spaghetti is good with sugar. You put all of that together and make a sandwich out of it, and you get greatness. People shouldn't judge unless they try it.

El Bulli was created by 2,000 people that passed through it. And we didn't know that something big was happening. It was like a game in a way. You didn't really know how it was going to end up, and people who would leave, they would take a piece of it with them, but they would leave another piece behind.

A lot of young chefs today get carried away by trends, by influences, by movements.

You can deep-fry anything, and I would eat it.

I honestly feel the term 'molecular gastronomy' is mostly misunderstood. It is not a style of cooking. Rather, it is a philosophy which encourages chefs to be more creative.