The Consultant - Q1 2009 - (Page 24) PERSPECTIVES canada dles. Rather, a cursory inventory would turn up a veritable laboratory of immersion circulators, a single hob induction cooktop, liquid nitrogen tanks, heat guns and a raft of other portable devices that are stowed away in cupboards at the end of each working day. Lepine is one of a small circle of chefs that top the list of molecular gastronomy specialists around the world. Yet despite his recent avantgarde kitchen aesthetics, the road to molecular gastronomy wasn’t an overnight thing for Lepine. He’s been playing around with liquid nitrogen and sous-vide concoctions for years. It’s just that a brand new restaurant provided the perfect opportunity to go all out in putting together the ultimate space. Another practitioner who tops the molecular gastronomy Who’s Who list is Claudio Aprile, the chef/owner of Colborne Lane in Toronto. Yet, he is the first to confess that science is not exactly his forté. “When I was a dishwasher I accidentally created ammonia by mixing cleaning ingredients. Needless to say, I wasn’t much of a scientist. But here I am [as a molecular gastronomist] acting like one.” Having started his career as an engineer, specializing in chemistry and physics Dominique Duby, coowner with Cindy Duby of DC DUBY Wild Sweets in Vancouver, BC is the polar opposite. When he began to study nutrition, he realized that he could apply hard-core scientific principles to new cooking techniques. “The whole idea of science and food has always played a role in how I approach things.” When not experimenting with new taste experiences, the pair spends much of their time consulting with restaurateurs and running workshops to get interested parties up to speed on the scientific aspects of the culinary arts. Dominique, has in fact, devel- MARKET At Colborne Lane, Claudio Aprile pours liquid nitrogen from a dewar to instantly chill food. Ice cream is made tableside using this method. Such unusual “cooking” techniques capture flavour in ways never before approached. INTERNATIONAL oped his own cooking-based program to help chefs become “more critical thinkers” in their work and now works with a number of major hotel chains, independents and even airlines. The real word on molecular gastronomy While it has achieved a certain mystique in foodservice circles, many of those who are engaged in molecular gastronomy are, in fact, dismissive of the label and all the connotations it brings with it. “We don’t like to use the term,” Lepine says. “It provides a good reference point, but really, it simply applies a paint brush for defining new cooking techniques and technologies.” Aprile agrees that what chefs are actually doing in this area is far removed from the term’s true origins. “The name came up when research- ers were trying to raise funds and the media jumped on it. What is really happening is that we are entering a new area of cooking where chefs are exploring all sorts of possibilities. They are scrutinizing traditional methods and ingredients, and figuring out the best way to execute a dish and arrive at a final creation. I think it’s really about exploration and using technology when need be.” What a scientific spin on menu preparation does offer the avantgarde cooking crowd, he says, is the ability to create food at a higher level, capture flavor and manipulate textures and presentation. “It allows you to be a lot more effective, efficient and in control.” As Duby puts it, “[The scientific] aspect is more about new techniques and ingredients that can make food more interesting from a texture per- 24 theconsultant
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