Archivi tag: Modena

Jennifer Massier, the emotional Chef

Smiling and spontaneous, Jennifer Massier has thrilled him -Massimo Bottura- with her dish taking home the podium in the competition “The chefs of tomorrow”. Her energy exploded when she was announced as a winner and we could not let this girl run out of talent and inspiration.

 

Would you tell us more about you, your background and when did your passion for cooking start? 

 

IMG_0637Chef has always been my dream job, but as God always guides us humans, the path did not go straight, but in retrospect, it all had its good meaning, because I still needed the school of Jesus here for my healthy development. I first trained at McDonald’s, but I always enjoyed cooking at home and especially sauces have always been great fun because I think a good sauce makes a good cook. Yes, and then, through divine guidance, I landed at the Posthotel of Alexander Herrmann, just over a year ago, where I was now able to find the best job in the world. At that time, I started as a kitchen helper, but Tobias Bätz, my Headchef, quickly saw my passion for cooking, and helped me find a way to cook my apprenticeship. About the training I had the opportunity to win the second competition of the Jeunes Restaurateurs in cooperation with the European Authentic Pleasure 🙂

 

 

DE. Würdest Du uns mehr über dich erzählen, deinen Hintergrund und wann deine Leidenschaft fürs Kochen begonnen hat?

 

IMG_0508 Köchin war eigentlich schon immer mein Traumberuf, aber wie Gott uns Menschen da immer so führt, ging der Weg nicht direkt, aber es hatte im Nachhinein alles seinen guten Sinn, denn ich brauchte die Schule Jesu bis hier her zu meiner gesunden Entwicklung noch. Ich habe erst eine Ausbildung bei McDonald’s gemacht, aber ich habe immer super gerne Zuhause gekocht und besonders Soßen haben mir schon immer super viel Spaß gemacht, weil ich finde, eine gute Soße macht einen guten Koch aus. Ja und dann bin ich durch göttliche Führung vor etwas mehr wie einem Jahr im Posthotel von Alexander Herrmann gelandet, wo ich jetzt den besten Arbeitsplatz der Welt finden durfte. Damals habe ich als Küchenhilfe gestartet, aber Tobias Bätz, mein Küchenchef hat sehr schnell meine Leidenschaft für’s Kochen gesehen und hat mir einen Weg gebahnt die Ausbildung zu Köchin zu machen. Über die Ausbildung hatte ich dann auch die Möglichkeit jetzt schon den zweiten Wettbewerb der Jeunes Restaurateurs in Kooperation mit der European Authentic Pleasure zu gewinnen 🙂

 

At what point you thought you wanted to participate to this contest, in Italy? 

 

a655a95e-03dd-4084-a1a6-e34835c0d82aI first participated in a competition from the Jeunes Restaurateurs in cooperation with the European Authentic Pleasure in Germany and the first prize was the trip to Italy and participation in the competition in Modena from the European Authentic Pleasure and from the start I had an extreme joy for the competition and, of course, Massimo Bottura. He is a great role model for me and the idea of ​​meeting him was so incredible, but cooking for him is of course much more!

 

 

 

 

DE. Wann hast Du entschieden, an diesem Wettbewerb in Italien teilzunehmen?

 

0189d01e-8408-451a-92e6-5e937ddfbe47Ich habe zuerst an einem Wettbewerb der Jeunes Restaurateurs in Kooperation mit der European Authentic Pleasure in Deutschland teilgenommen und der erste Preis war die Reise nach Italien und die Teilnahme am Wettbewerb in Modena von European Authentic Pleasure und ich hatte von Anfang an extreme Lust auf den Wettbewerb und natürlich für Massimo Bottura zu kochen. Er ist ein großes Vorbild für mich und die Vorstellung Ihn zu treffen war so unglaublich, aber für ihn zu kochen natürlich noch viel mehr!

 

What’s your favorite food, the one that most represent you?

 

I have many favorite foods, but if I had to choose one, it would be spinach and potatoes.

DE. Dein Lieblingsgericht?

 

Ich habe viele Lieblingslebensmittel, aber wenn ich mich auf eines festlegen müsste, dann wäre es Spinat und Kartoffeln.

 

Zampone and Cotechino! Was it a challenge to integrate this typical Italian (from Modena) food into your recipe?

 

IMG_0651No, it was not very difficult to find a recipe for the Zampone! I love to work creatively, so I quickly found the right recipe where the Zampone also worked great.

 

DE. Zampone und Cotechino! War es eine Herausforderung, dieses typisch italienische Essen in deinem Rezept zu integrieren?

 

Nein sehr schwer war es nicht ein Rezept für die Zampone zu finden! Ich liebe es kreativ zu arbeiten und so habe ich sehr schnell das passende Rezept gefunden, wo die Zampone sich auch super integriert hat.

 

 

Jennifer Massier was chosen by Massimo Bottura. What is your feeling about Mr. Bottura and how this will  impact on your career or studies?

 

IMG_0756 Yes Mr Bottura is a very great man and I had a very close relationship with him in the competition, which put a lot of pressure on me. He confirmed myself to be on the right track. And he called my dish very emotional, which is avery big compliment to me as I cook very emotionally and he tasted it out, which is just great!

 

 

 

DE. Jennifer Massier wurde von Massimo Bottura ausgewählt. Was ist Ihre Meinung zu Herr Bottura und wie wirkt sich dies auf Deine Karriere oder Dein Studium aus?

 

IMG_0508Ja Herr Bottura ist ein ganz toller Mann und ich hatte an dem Wettbewerb ein sehr vertrautes Verhältnis zu ihm, was mir ganz viel Druck genommen hat. Es hat mich selbst bestätigt, auf dem richtigen Weg zu sein. Und er hat mein Gericht als sehr emotional bezeichnet, was für mich ein sehr großes Kompliment ist, da ich sehr emotional koche und das er das raus geschmeckt hat, was einfach großartig!

 

 

 

Where do you see yourself in two years ?

 

In two years, my apprenticeship is over and I wish to be a cook who breaks culinary rules, who creatively cooks creatively with passion and love.

 

DE. Wo siehst du dich in zwei Jahren?

 

In zwei Jahren ist meine Lehre vorbei und ich wünsche mir, eine Köchin zu sein, die kulinarische Regeln bricht, die ungezwungen kreativ kocht mit viel Leidenschaft und Liebe.

 

Thanks Jennifer, we wish you all the best for your sparkling career and we’re sure you will be that kind of Chef!

 

Zampone IGP & Chefs of tomorrow

On Saturday December 8th, the “Final of Chefs of tomorrow” competition was held during the 8th Zampone and Cotechino Modena IGP festival, where young students from Italian and foreign schools created new Zampone based dishes. Contestants were rewarded and selected by a jury led by the special one, Chef Massimo Bottura.

For the occasion we have interviewed Marco Buccianti, enogastronomy professor- from the school Istituto d’Istruzione Superiore “Bernardino Lotti” di Massa Marittima (http://www.islotti.gov.it/-) who guided his team with pride and passion to the third position.

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IT. Si è svolta sabato 8 Dicembre, durante l’ottava Festa dello zampone e del cotechino Modena IGP la finale del concorso per gli Chef di domani, in cui i giovani allievi di scuole italiane e straniere hanno elaborato piatti a base di Zampone, premiati e selezionati da una giuria guidata dallo special one della cucina Massimo Bottura.

Per l’occasione abbiamo intervistato Marco Buccianti docente di enogastronomia, che con orgoglio e passione ha guidato al terzo posto gli allievi provenienti dall’ Istituto d’Istruzione Superiore “Bernardino Lotti” di Massa Marittima (http://www.islotti.gov.it/), scuola che si trova nel territorio della Maremma grossetana immersa sulle colline metallifere.

Marco, prima di tutto, congratulazioni dal team di DM. Come ci si sente ad essere stati premiati dal n°1 al mondo?

 

Grazie, è stato un risultato assolutamente inaspettato, arricchito da i complimenti di uno dei più grandi chef stellati del panorama della ristorazione internazionale. Essere premiati da Massimo Bottura non è cosa da tutti i giorni, un’emozione unica ed indescrivibile che gratifica dell’impegno e del lavoro svolto in questi mesi. È stato un piacere poter ascoltare i suoi consigli e le sue parole d’apprezzamento al nostro piatto. Ci ha colpito la sua spontaneità ed il suo entusiasmo, è stato un incontro unico nel suo genere. Un professionista che con semplicità ha tirato dritto al punto mettendo a fuoco il senso della nostra ricetta e del valore che gli abbiamo dato. Impagabile.

 

ENG. Marco, first of all, congratulations from the DM team. How do you feel getting an award from the number one chef in the world?

 

dm03Thank you, it was an unexpected result, enriched by the compliments of one of the best star chefs in the  international restaurant panorama. Being rewarded by Massimo Bottura is not an everyday occurrence, it is a unique and undescribable emotion, a gratifying honour for all the hard work done in these last months. It’s been a pleasure listening to his tips and his words of appreciation toward our dish. His spontaneity and enthusiasm impressed us, it was a special encounter. A master who with simplicity focused on the meaning of our recipe and comprehended the value we have given to it.

 

IT. Il vostro piatto, la RIZAMPBOLLITA è una fusione di tradizioni fra Emilia e Toscana, l’ideazione è stata immediata?

 

L’ ideazione del piatto non è stata immediata, tutta la classe ha partecipato con idee e suggerimenti. Abbiamo scartato molte idee prima di arrivare ad una ricetta che fosse condivisa da tutti e rispecchiasse un sentimento di tradizione e cultura che volevamo trasmettere.

Il nostro è un concetto di Ribollita evoluta, piatto povero della cucina Toscana, dove l’eccellenza dello Zampone di Modena IGP entra in abbinamento con gli altri ingredienti caratteristici della zuppa. È nata così una ricetta completa dal punto di vista nutrizionale, attenta agli sprechi e piacevole al palato con l’inserimento di prodotti tipici del nostro territorio, come il pomodoro a grappolo da coltura idroponica, la cipolla di Maremma, l’olio di olivastra seggianese DOP e il “Pane del Sole”, prodotto da filiera corta recuperando le coltivazioni di grani antichi quali Senatore Cappelli e Grano Verna.

 

ENG. Your dish, the RIZAMPBOLLITA, is a fusion between traditions from the Emilia and Tuscany regions. Was its conception immediate?

 

dm05The conception of the dish was not immediate, the whole class participated in giving ideas and suggestions. We discarded a lot of ideas before getting to a recipe that reflected a common sentiment of tradition and culture we all wanted to transmit. Our dish is a concept of  advanced Ribollita, originally a poor dish from Tuscan cuisine, where the excellence of Zampone di Modena IGP (PGI) merged with the other characteristic soup ingredients.

 

 

IT. Credete che questi eventi/ competizioni arricchiscano gli allievi? Quale aspetto del concorso vi ha particolarmente colpito e stimolato ?

 

dm07Assolutamente sì! Questi eventi arricchiscono dal punto di vista personale e professionale gli allievi, sono occasioni uniche che li stimolano dal punto di vista creativo e innovativo, ad impegnarsi per dare il meglio di sé stessi e a mettersi in gioco. Inoltre permette agli studenti di confrontarsi con altri coetani appartenenti ad altri istituti di tutta Italia ed entrare più a fondo nel mondo della cucina. Creano motivazione e appassionano, generano curiosità e determinazione. In questi momenti suona ancora più forte la citazione del filosofo e scrittore Plutarco la quale dice “i giovani non sono vasi da riempire ma fiaccole da accendere”.

In generale tutto il progetto è stato molto stimolante, ci ha incentivato ad un approccio diverso, quello dell’esplorazione delle caratteristiche di tante materie prime di qualità che prima non pensavano potessero essere unite insieme per l’elaborazione di nuove ricette. E poi la possibilità di far assaggiare una nostra creazione ad uno chef di altissimo livello parlandoci di persona nel cuore di Piazza Roma a Modena, sotto una tensostruttura studiata ad hoc con la diretta Tv e tantissima gente che ci incitava, applaudiva e ci faceva continue domande complimentandosi per l’allestimento che avevano creato.

 

ENG. Do you think these competitions enriched the culinary students? What aspect of the competition has particularly impressed and stimulated you?

 

dm 06Absoloutely, yes! These events enrich the students personally and professionally, these are exclusive occasions that stimulate creativity and innovation, pushing them to give their best and meet challenges. Additionally, it’s an opportunity to confront their peers from all over Italy. In these moments, the most appropriate quote which I applied to young people, comes from philosopher and writer Plutarch who said “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” Generally, the project was really exciting, it pushed us to experiment the characteristics of high quality raw materials we never thought could be associated together for new recipes. Then, we had the chance to have Massimo Bottura taste our dishes in the heart of Modena, under a tensile structure created specifically for the event, on live TV, with many people cheering for us appreciating our work.

 

IT. Che cos’è l’arte culinaria per questi giovani chef? Cosa credi sia cambiato nella loro percezione di “creare piatti”  in quest’era dove il settore food è stato portato in risalto dai media?

 

dm 02L’arte culinaria per i giovani d’oggi è il saper cucinare qualcosa di buono con un tocco di sana bellezza, saper trovare il giusto bilanciamento tra gli ingredienti e un equilibrio di sapori. Un’arte che si impara studiando fin dalla scuola alberghiera, stando in cucina tanto tempo a provare, sbagliare, riprovare fino a creare un qualcosa che rappresenti un’identità personale e culturale, nell’ottica anche di nuovi sapori e abbinamenti. Ci vogliono passione, sacrificio e dedizione, valori che con la visibilità dei media rischiano di perdersi in un’idea romantica e superficiale della cucina.

In un’era dove il cibo e le ricette sono messe continuamente in risalto dai media, il modo di creare piatti è sicuramente cambiato, ora c’è maggiore attenzione all’aspetto estetico, alla decorazione, con un’importanza rilevante all’intero dressage. È un fatto di tendenza che mette in risalto quella parte artistica che ogni chef porta con sé, però non bisogna mai dimenticare la sostanza, quella che fa provare un’emozione mangiando un piatto, ovvero il gusto e il piacere che rendono unica l’esperienza con il cibo.

 

Chi vuol vivere felice deve saper cucinare.

 

ENG. What is culinary art for these young chefs? What do you believe has changed in their perception of “creating dishes” in this new era where the food industry had been brought to the attention of the media?

 

dm 04Culinary art for the youth is being able to cook something delicious with a touch of beauty, being able to find balance between the ingredients and their flavours. You learn this art while studying at a professional catering school. You need passion, sacrifice and commitment, values that are at risk of being forgotten because of the massive visibility generated nowadays by the media, resulting in a hyper-romantic and superficial idea of cooking. Every chef has an important artistic side that should be emphasized, but the essence should never be forgotten; this is what creates an emotion when eating a dish. The flavour and pleasure are what creates a unique food experience.

 

Whoever wants to live happily, needs to learn how to cook.

 

LILLE FERRARO MAISON

“We have a whole life to draw beautiful clothes and to sell them. But we have only a few moments to sew and print our emotions on them.”

 

Let’s discover more about LILLE FERRARO MAISON and the project behind it, above all about Luana Ferraro, the brain and fashion designer of it.

“I could write for hours about it, I really love to write and maybe it depends on my genetic (there is a poet in my family!) but time is running out, that is why I will try to describe myself in a few words. I am curious, stubborn, capable, and ingenious.
I live my life full of passion: I strongly believe that the work in this sector has improved myself and elevated my spirit, giving me the opportunity to develop many and different points of views and thousands artistic sides.

At this stage in my career, commitments are many, but the thing that I continue to love the most is to sit on the lawn of the Place des Vosges in Paris with pencil in the hand and a breathtaking view, just me and my art. Yes, I love Paris, it leaves me breathless every time.”

How was the idea of LILLE FERRARO MAISON born?

It is a concept of different ideas that encompasses the brand of Lille Ferraro Maison and Lille Ferraro “Fatto in Italia”. For me, advising as a wardrobe consultant was only a little hobby and a great passion that later became a beautiful and challenging job. I created outfits for my clients, and through email, social media and the website, they can send their requests and budget. It is incredible how with a small budget you can still create a wonderful outfit! 

Do you remember when you had the flash of inspiration and you thought that your dream could become true?

I did not understand it exactly, but I think that it was always inside me.

My brand has an identity or leitmotiv, if we want call it that, and it is well-structured and clear for the final consumer. A minimalist style and bohemian at the same time: because I am a lover of fabrics, I prefer and choose only natural fibers and plants, my collections are small treasures of haute couture guarded throughout time. My woman smells of lavender flowers and cotton, keeps her hair natural, and wears silk, cashmere and angora socks. It’s a strong woman, sensitive, cosmopolitan who has taste and style and likes to mix vintage pieces with clothes from Lille Ferraro.

How to you find the inspiration?

Part of my inspiration comes from deep within me and from nature, traveling, colors and a thousand shades of everyday life.

What is your philosophy?

The brand was born from the creative mind and the pencil of Luana Ferraro – fashion stylist and wardrobe consultant, creator of the company “Lille Ferraro Maison” and designer of it. The brand embodies sophistication and attention to everything that is natural.

The strength of the brand is the authenticity of the materials used in the creation of every collections. Plant materials and organic fibers make this label a perfect combination of art and passion for fashion. Completely handmade in Italy, the Lille Ferraro relies on the expert hands of artisans and competent professionals for the realization of each piece.

The extreme attention to detail combined with the creativity makes the brand up- to- date, sophisticated and “Ecologically Friendly”.

What are the biggest difficulties that you found on your way?

Unfortunately there are many difficulties: first of all the market, which because of the crisis became divided in two categories, luxury and commercial products of low-end. For creative talents and emerging designers the road is very rough. But I am pleased to have found my niche.

What do people like most of your job?

I think first and foremost the quality, extreme attention to details, high fashion with regard to the brand Lille Ferraro.

My clients say that I am able to understand savvy their tastes: I have a lot of patience, I love to listen to women and girls who need help to rebuild their wardrobe, but underlying it is all about the great love and effort that I put into making my work.

Do you want to spread a message with your art?

“WE HAVE A WHOLE LIFE TO DRAW BEAUTIFUL CLOTHES AND TO SELL THEM, BUT WE HAVE ONLY A FEW MOMENTS TO SEW AND PRINT OUR EMOTIONS ON THEM.”

My personal impression? At the moment Luana is talking as you’re listening, you can think that you now know something about her, but she is already taking steps forward; she is continuously changing and evolving. Today we learned something about her… lets see how she will surprise us down- the- line!

LILLE FERRARO handmade collections, made with heart, in Italy (Reggio Emilia, Emilia Romagna)

If you want to get more information you can have a look here:

LILLE FERRARO OFFICIAL WEBSITE

LILLE FERRARO FACEBOOK PAGE

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