Shifts to Shuffles

Stardom does not come easily in the culinary world. Endless shifts on the kitchen counter, chopping and cutting all day long, toiling over the stove for hours, aching feet, cuts and bruises, not to mention deep burn scars, are all part of it. No chef is exempt from this agony. In the glittery world of celebrity chefs, the road to success is paved with pain; all the glamour is tainted with blood, sweat and tears. 

The recent few decades have been the golden era of celebrity chefs. Many are treated like rock stars enjoying global fame. They tour around the world, having their work admired and appreciated, but seldom tasted by a wider public. To dine in one of their restaurants often costs a fortune, let alone if one can get a reservation, even if the travel and dining budget can be cast aside. Actually, many may even be absent from the kitchen, traveling elsewhere to appear at a culinary event. Most of us hear and read about their food, but do not have the opportunity to taste it. Our only choice is to keep imagining the experience in our wildest culinary dreams. Maybe the myth around them is about their elusiveness. This is part of the game; most of the hype is about virtual reality. 

The secret hidden in the chickpea

At this point, the concept of a dish becomes more important than the actual taste of the food itself. That is how I feel, and I kept repeating this to myself when I tasted the infamous "passatina di ceci," a purée of chickpeas with a single "gambero rosso," red shrimp. This was the signature dish of controversial chef personality Fulvio Pierangelini. My verdict was better to imagine it than taste it, but though I did not find anything particular in the taste itself, I admired the thought behind it and tried to imagine and even...