THE GRAND GELINAZ! SHUFFLE
Beyond food & evil
Thursday July 9 2015 will herald the first ever, global collaboration of 37 of the world’s chefs as they participate in the 2015 The Grand GELINAZ! Shuffle. From San Francisco to Melbourne, 37 of the world’s most acclaimed, pioneering and creative culinary talent will participate in an unprecedented international restaurant ‘swap’.
The brainchild of creative directors Andrea Petrini and Alexandra Swenden, GELINAZ! on a local level has been in existence since 2005. Never repeating itself, GELINAZ! at core was solely created to give something back to an ever-evolving industry, adapting to unpredictable situations and charting new territories to sharpen creativity. Petrini and Swenden are, in essence, curators of a culinary hub that brings together artists, musicians, scientists, thinkers and producers with chefs and are renowned for constantly pushing the boundaries of their collaborations. 2015 however, sees them surpass their previous achievements and secure a who’s who of culinary talent on a world tour, from A (Adria- Spain) to Z (Zonfrillo-Australia).
In a heavily populated world of food events and congresses, GELINAZ! uniquely takes the chefs back into the kitchen to celebrate and explore their individual creative culinary identities. Personally selected by Petrini, each chef was chosen for his or her unique approach to cooking, “It was an impossible task and I would have been happy to double the number of participating chefs, but logistically it was not tangible. The line-up for this performance is a family of chefs, who take risk as a starting point, that are neither fearful of creativity nor driven by ego, but are fuelled by a desire to explore. The result has been incredible. A coming together of legendary names of the gastronomic world, side by side with some lesser known, but equally exciting ‘indie’ talent“.
GELINAZ! Shuffle celebrates the very core of the hospitality industry: sharing knowledge, exposure to new ingredients and learning new practice – creativity without fear. There is no voting system, there is no number one and there is no judgement. Instead, a collaboration that will offer the diner a unique and exciting experience and leave each kitchen and participating chef with a fresh understanding of a different culinary culture, in an international exchange of knowledge.
Ducasse, Redzepi, Atala, Aduriz, Aizpitarte, Bottura, Brock, Narisawa, Shewry, Kinch, Ros, Camanini, Grebaut, Saint-Pierre, Gürs, Wetzel, Crenn and so many more are among the line-up. GELINAZ! Shuffle transports chefs from the comfort of their home environment and routine and delivers them into a different culture and country. In an intense, adrenalin-filled few days it will submerge them into the unfamiliar and from that elegant chaos and vulnerability, unprecedented dishes will arise in a creative environment born of learning.
Logistics
From Japan to Chile, from Brazil to Slovenia, France, Turkey, Sweden, Thailand, Australia, UK, Italy, Peru, Spain, Canada, Belgium and Denmark and throughout the United States – 37 of the best chefs on the planet will be swapping lives, identities and restaurants.
Each chef has willingly participated in a global lottery and will today know (embargoed) of their country and restaurant destination.
On July 9th – the day of the dinner – the information will be made available to the public and to those who have reservations at the restaurant. The event is not exclusive and open to the general public. Reservations will open May 13 and be available to purchase from www.gelinaz.com
Each chef will travel to the country of destination three days prior to the event to prepare his or her unique eight-course menu. They will not take ingredients from home; they will prepare dishes combining their culinary approach with the energy of their location.
The staff in each restaurant will receive instructions to welcome the new chef and provide full access to the restaurant know-how. That chef will have three days to learn the ropes, grasp an understanding of the restaurant’s style and develop/experiment with ingredients to begin the rigorous constructing an 8-course menu.
On July 9th every participating chef, in different kitchens, on different continents will simultaneously be serving their unique 8-course menu in a fellow chef’s restaurant.
Visiting chefs will not only cook in their new kitchen, but also have a glimpse of their colleague’s life. Living in their home, walking their dog, watering the plants, having breakfast with their family. They will be immersed in their culture and location. A true family collaboration.