World of Design: Global Foodies and What’s Cooking in Their Kitchens
http://www.decor-ideas.org 09/18/2015 20:13 Decor Ideas
When it comes to the love of food, there are no international borders or territorial restrictions. The great cuisines travel effortlessly around the globe, letting us discover new cultures and gain a better understanding of one another through flavors, colors and aromas. So whether you’re slicing a chili in Sydney or baking baguettes in Moscow, enjoy one of life’s great pleasures and share generously — as these international Houzzers did with their kitchens and recipes.
See these food lovers’ recipes
1. Vietnamese Family Favorites in Australia
Cook: Nahji Chu
Location: Sydney, Australia
Occupation: Chef, restaurateur and businesswoman behind the popular Vietnamese eateries Misschu
How she became a foodie: Growing up in Laos and being of Vietnamese descent means being born into a culture of food. My mother and grandmother taught me everything I know about Vietnamese cooking and encouraged me to grow herbs and veggies from the age of 5. By the time I was 9 and had arrived in Australia, we were growing everything we needed in the backyard of a tiny terraced house in Richmond, Melbourne.
Her kitchen: It’s a bright and open space with all the original fixtures still intact. I love the sheer size of it — it’s really rare to find something like this in Sydney. The layout is so good — I can move around, grab things easily and entertain in here. I grew up knowing that the kitchen is where the party’s at — everything happens in the kitchen.
Where she shops: Thainatown in Haymarket, Sydney. Vietnamese food culture is all about shopping for fresh ingredients daily. That’s why there’s a Chinatown and Asian fresh markets all over the world — it’s because Asians are into nutrition, not dieting. We are about longevity and healthy vitality.
Her cooking style: At home, the simplest and fastest meals are what I like to cook. I’m actually also a trained Italian chef, so pasta and osso buco are also part of my repertoire.
I even eat two-minute noodles, but I use the Asian variety (Wei Wei brand) and I add one cracked egg, a handful of bean shoots and some choy sum and fresh chili. I take it off the stove after two minutes and squeeze a quarter of a lemon over it to serve.
Favorite restaurant: When in Sydney, it has to be Rockpool.
Read more about Nahji Chu
2. Recipes From Around the World in Italy
Cook: Lucas Mignorelli
Location: Vicenza, Italy
Occupation: Cooking instructor and private chef
How he became a foodie: Since I was a kid, I’ve been interested in different cultures and traveling. For me at that time, the best way to travel without leaving my home was trying to make food from other cultures, so I was always researching recipes from all over the world to taste a different cuisine. Now I can travel more, and the best thing for me is eating in local restaurants and tasting regional street food.
His kitchen: It’s an old house and the kitchen and combined living room is the biggest room in the flat. Lots of copper pans and pots hang all over the walls, and there’s a huge glass chandelier over the table. From the kitchen, you access a small balcony with a little statue on it facing the garden.
I also use the kitchen for cooking lessons, showing foodie students of all ages how to make traditional food from the Veneto region, in the notheast of Italy. My favorite tool is the bigolaro [a stool with a grinder attached for making bigoli pasta].
Where he shops: I buy all my ingredients in the market or little stores. Even if it would cost less, I avoid shopping at the big supermarket.
His go-to recipe: I don’t have a particular one — it depends on the season and my mood! It also depends on my guests. But recipes almost all my friends really adore are for focaccia genovese [a special bread typical of the city of Genova] and bigoli pasta with duck sauce.
His cooking style: I tend to use a lot of local ingredients and cook local food. But as my food reflects my personality, I’m not traditionalist at all; I tend to change recipes or add a personal twist. I do like traditional dishes and I think we should preserve them, but this doesn’t mean we can’t change them or make them better.
Best food memory: There are so many, it’s hard to choose one. But recently I tasted a secret recipe from the nonna [grandmother] of the owner of a restaurant in Bologna, All’Osteria. It was a curious dessert, but I could travel two hours just to eat it again! It was a pudding made with milk, cream and Amaretto, very simple but delicious.
Favorite restaurant: As a lover of pizza, I do have a favorite place in Vicenza to eat. It’s a very simple pizzeria in a working-class area and it’s called Fantasy Pizza [Via Carlo Poerio, 4, Vicenza]. The guys are from Naples and they make the pizza taste just as if you were in southern Italy.
3. Sister Act in Sweden
Cooks: Minna, left, and Julia Torstensson
Location: Near Norrtälje, Sweden
Occupations: Students and food bloggers
How they became foodies
Julia: We’ve both been interested in cooking (and eating!) since we were children, and have a couple of kids’ cookery books with sticky and stained pages that we still love.
Minna: Some people are into art or music, while we are really into food. And you can always spot a fellow foodie. Recently at a party I started talking to a guy about the art of eating well, and he leant over, looked me in the eye and said, “Can I show you my spice rack?” It was full of the most amazing spices he’d picked up in Morocco.
Their kitchen
Minna: We live in separate flats during the week, but at the weekend we like to cook in our family house in the country. There are always a lot of people trying to slice and dice at the same time. The house is almost 100 years old, and we have an original iron stove left in the kitchen, but thankfully also a modern hob and appliances. It’s a bit cramped, but that’s just how it’s always been. In the winter it’s handy, as this is the room that warms up first.
Where they shop
Julia: The Paradiset food market on Brännkyrkagatan in Stockholm is just that, a paradise. They have such unusual ingredients and a lot of locally sourced products. It makes us want to kneel down in awe every time we go in.
Minna: But when we go to stay with our family in the country, there are great farm shops to explore, full of fresh vegetables — one of the mainstays of our cooking.
Their cooking style
Julia: We tend to focus on what raw ingredients are available rather than the cuisine. In our food blog, we want to make people realize that cooking is easy and fun. There is no excuse for eating bad food.
Minna: You just need to be brave and experiment a bit with the ingredients. For instance, our favorite chocolate cake is made with beets. It makes you feel fantastic.
Favorite restaurant
Julia: It has to be Lilla Ego, on Västmannagatan in Stockholm — superb and simple.
4. Home-Baked Bread in Russia
Cook: Alexander Udalov
Location: Krasnodar, Russia
Occupation: Director of a logistics company and a budding baker
How he became a foodie: The only cooking I used to do was a barbecue once in a while. But then one day a book written by a French baker fell into my hands by pure accident. Everyone was surprised when I decided to bake a baguette following his recipe. The first attempts were all crooked, only vaguely resembling classic baguettes, but we all enjoyed eating them. Then I tried another recipe, bought a baking stone, and then an oven.
His kitchen: The actual kitchen is 15 square meters [161 square feet], but the bakery room is 30 square meters [323 square feet]. My favorite place is the kitchen island that has a rack hanging above it. There’s always someone from the family crowding around it, though we have a big dining room.
Where he shops: The search for ingredients never stops. There’s some great flour from St. Petersburg called Predportovaya; a friend of mine sends me some over to Krasnodar. Flour is all about the right grinding: It needs proper stone millstones. I’d really love to have my own flour mill and do some grinding as well.
His cooking style: We have a great recipe for Easter cakes from my wife Lena’s great-grandmother. This recipe is more than 100 years old. When the leaven is prepared, we have to make sure Great-Grandmother is happy with it and supports us, so we talk to her in our thoughts and ask for her support. Bread needs a personal approach — the dough is alive, remember.
Favorite restaurant: There’s a great place called Bellini in the center of our city. Its windows look out onto the fountain on one side and, on the other, probably the most beautiful buildings in Krasnodar: the former Central hotel and the museum. It’s really nice to come into your favorite restaurant in winter, when it’s snowing, enjoy its coziness, and have some great pasta with cuttlefish ink and good wine while watching the passers-by.
5. Relaxed Local Cuisine in Spain
Cooks: Celia Montoya and Kike Keller
Location: Valdemorillo, Madrid province, Spain
Occupations: Designers who make custom kitchens and interiors and run Kikekeller, a design-art gallery and bar in Madrid’s downtown
We spoke to Montoya:
How they became foodies: Since we were kids, we’ve been told about the importance of taking care of ourselves by eating well. You are what you eat. Moreover, cooking helps us to relax and forget the stress and the daily grind. It allows us to create and explore something that we can see the result of instantly. It’s like magic!
Their kitchen: It’s a new kitchen designed by us in an old, fully renovated house. Every corner and space has its function, such as the “breakfast corner,” with its toaster, coffee machine, etc. — we like to start the day with good-quality coffee, so we bought a good one.
Where they shop: We live on the outskirts of Madrid, and on weekends there is still a local street market where small producers sell seasonal fruit, vegetables, cheese, olives…. We like to do the shopping there.
Their cooking style: We tend to go for traditional recipes with a twist, based mainly on introducing ingredients from other cuisines. We invite our family and friends over almost every week. We like to compete between ourselves to see who cooks or plates up best!
Best food memory: I fondly remember the breakfast my father used to prepare for me before going to work: Chocolate milk with a chorizo sandwich. Now I think I would feel unwell to have chorizo that early, but at that time it was delicious.
Favorite restaurant: La Candela, Amnistía, 10, Madrid.
6. Memories of Family Cooking Sessions in the U.S.
Cook: Stacy Sodolak (with husband Adam Comer and their dogs, Rosco and Squirrel)
Location: Austin, Texas, United States
Occupation: Lifestyle-wedding photographer and food enthusiast
How she became a foodie: I would help my mom and oma — my German grandma — in the kitchen growing up and fell in love with spices, flavors and the joy of making something delicious to eat.
Her kitchen: I had the dated kitchen gutted and renovated eight years ago with all new appliances and Ikea cabinets — concrete countertops were my splurge. The blue backsplash tile took me forever to decide, but I couldn’t be happier. One of my favorite things in the kitchen is a wooden cutting board — nothing fancy. My mom made it in her woodshop class and after she passed away, I cherish it so much. It makes me feel connected to her today. My other favorite thing is a recipe book Adam made as his first Christmas gift to me, titled Dee-Lightful Recipes, which features some of my mom’s recipes as well as childhood photos.
Where she shops: Most of the time Central Market, but some of my favorite specialty stores in Austin are the Asian markets on North Lamar. I just went to the Indian market, Man Pasand Grocery, for the foods that we cooked tonight. I will definitely be going there more.
Best food memory: We made a lot of Chinese food as a family when I was growing up. My grandmother made egg rolls, my dad always made hot and sour soup, my mom and I would make shrimp toast, dumplings and other dishes, such as imperial shrimp and shredded pork with garlic sauce. My aunt and other family and friends would come over and make dishes too. Everyone started the night before with soaking dried mushrooms and finely slicing the bamboo shoots and all the other ingredients. Plus, leftovers were a big bonus!
Her go-to recipe: I love to make new things, and one of my new favorites is gobi aloo (Indian-style cauliflower with potatoes). It also depends on the occasion. I’ve done a pot roast dish my mom made a few times, along with steak Diane and sauerbraten for friends and family. I love Yorkshire puddings during the holidays and I often get requests to make the shrimp toast — we love Chinese food in my family.
Favorite restaurant: Bamboo Garden for its spicy tofu dish; La Fuente’s for its perfect carne asada — ask for a side of the carrot-habenero sauce. Adam and I love Uchi for date nights; Lenoir is great for a girls’ night out. Austin has so many new restaurants, it’s hard to keep up!
7. Worldwide Dishes With a Local Twist in Japan
Cook: Yumiko Shindo
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Occupation: Cooking teacher and specialist
How she became a foodie: My mother was a real foodie and a great cook of traditional Japanese cuisine. I started to learn how to cook local food from her when I was only a little girl. In my high school days, I was keen on reading food magazines instead of fashion magazines, and it was natural for me to be a food editor and a cooking stylist for magazines and books in the early stage of my career.
Her kitchen: It’s 27 square meters [291 square feet], and I had it remodeled three years ago. I renewed the island counter and equipped it with an IH cooking heater, changed all the doors on the cupboards, as well as the dishwasher and fridge. My kitchen has to be very functional because I usually hold six cooking lessons a month (for six to 12 people at a time). So it’s necessary to have the high-powered gas stove and range hood.
Her cooking style: I do love to cook traditional local dishes. But my greatest passion is to explore new dishes from all over the world and to make them my own recipes by giving them a kind of Japanese twist. The savory custard pudding with gorgonzola shown here is a Western version of Japanese traditional chawanmushi, using fresh cream and Gorgonzola instead of dashi soup and vegetables. I believe cooking is a harmony of cultures and there are no borders in the cooking world, just as in music.
Favorite restaurant: Arbace in Ginza, Curioso in Hiroo, Golosita in Ebisu and Nakano in Sangenjaya. I recommend the last one especially for wine lovers!
8. Creative Recipes With an American Flavor in Germany
Cook: Cynthia Barcomi
Location: Zehlendorf area of Berlin, Germany
Occupation: Deli owner and cookbook writer
How she became a foodie: I used to bake a lot with my mother, grandmother or aunt. I always liked it, as I got to eat the results! What could be better than such a great, tasty finale? Later, in the 1980s, when I moved from the U.S. to Berlin — I used to be a professional dancer back then — the baking was mainly a way of coping with my homesickness. I suddenly saw myself becoming an ambassador of American food culture.
Where she shops: Any ingredients I used for my baking books were purchased in an average supermarket. I like to make it easy for my readers to work with my recipes — it shouldn’t be complicated. Privately, I also like to shop at a wonderful small farmers market around the corner and let myself be inspired by whatever’s on offer. Occasionally, you’ll also find me in a pick-your-own garden in Potsdam, where you can pull vegetables out of the ground yourself.
Her kitchen: The heart of our 1960s house is our Bulthaup kitchen. At approximately 40 square meters [431 square feet], it’s everything I need for cooking and baking. It’s quite functional, but has nice elements. I like it clean so nothing can influence my flow of ideas. I like working with my KitchenAid — it’s functional, but also has an eye-catching design.
Her go-to recipe: Good dishes are often those that are created spontaneously, when creativity runs wild. My husband claims the best meals are those when I simply use what I’ve found in the refrigerator. Maybe that has something to do with my background as a dancer: It’s like a choreography, one and one comes along and, in the end, there is a wonderful ensemble of flavors. But things that always taste good, and are quick to make, are my cheese and nut scones.
Her cooking style: As a native of the U.S., of course, I love bagels, cookies and cheesecake. My culinary home now sits between America and Germany, and there are also things from the German kitchen that inspire me. But my American culinary culture always shines through.
Best food memory: So wonderfully typically American is our Thanksgiving dinner with the whole family. The turkey is a highlight for me, year after year! And I’m already looking forward to next time.
Favorite restaurant: I’m biased, of course, but I’d like to recommend my own: the Barcomi’s coffee roastery in Kreuzberg and the Barcomi’s Deli in Berlin-Mitte. Whether sweet or salty, we pamper our guests with creative pastries, salads, soups and bagels. And, of course, our own coffee.
See more of Barcomi’s home
9. Inventing Flavor-Packed Dishes in a Mini Kitchen in the UK
Cook: Pip McCormac
Location: London, England
Occupation: Food and interiors journalist and author of The Herb and Flower Cookbook
How he became a foodie: I used to get so bored in my school holidays — none of my friends lived near me — so I worked through my mum’s dated 1970s cookbooks. Blancmanges, profiteroles, Mary Berry rock cakes — I crafted them all. It gave me the basic cooking skills, such as how to make a white sauce, that I use when writing recipes today.
His kitchen: The flat was built eight years ago, and we bought it off plan. It has no period features or natural charm, but I love the location and the size of the balcony. The only sticking point for me is the size of the kitchen — it’s tiny! By the time I’ve used two chopping boards, I have no worktop space left. But I’ve realized you can make big dishes in small kitchens — you just need punchy flavors.
Where he shops: I try to get all my vegetables and fruit from Bermondsey Market in South London — so affordable, and right from the stallholder’s allotment.
Best food memory: I once interviewed British chef Jamie Oliver at his house in the Essex countryside, and his dad cooked us lunch, which we all ate together. There were nasturtiums in the salad, and Jamie took me around his edible garden, picking leaves off plants and feeding them to me. Career — and life — highlight.
His cooking style: I cook a lot of local food — those vegetables at the market are from within two miles of my front door — and I always buy British veal and steak. Veal is such a thorny issue, but the rose veal, reared by British farmers, is totally ethical, and takes well to strong flavors such as sage and anchovy. Seek it out.
Having said all that, my holidays, of course, revolve around food, and no trip comes without a spreadsheet filled up with reservations at the most acclaimed restaurants in the area. I always bring flavor ideas back with me: The roast chicken with basil and peaches in my book, The Herb and Flower Cookbook, was inspired by a very memorable lunch in the verdant hills of Cyprus.
Favorite restaurant: For a wonderful, memorable and dream-inspiring dinner, it has to be Spring at Somerset House. Chef Skye Gyngell whips the very finest flavors out of all her ingredients, and understands that when people come to a table over good food, magical things can happen.
10. A Passion for Chocolate in Denmark
Cook: Anne Moltke Dahl, aka Anne au Chocolat
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Occupation: Food blogger who specializes in chocolate recipes
How she became a foodie: It has its roots in my childhood. Ever since I can remember, food has been our main topic at the dinner table. My parents cooked so many wonderful meals and taught my brother and me to appreciate and love all kinds of food. My 7-month-old son, Kaj, already has a big love of and curiosity towards food and eats everything I serve him. Yay!
Her go-to recipe: Being the author of both a chocolate cookbook and an ice cream book, I have to serve you a sweet dish. Brownies are just divine, perfectly fudgy and very chocolatey. But ripe cherries dipped in good chocolate are also a fast and luscious treat.
Her kitchen: It’s modern and light, with a general white theme going on. The kitchen is within a newly built apartment, with modern appliances — a typical new set of flats with a clean and structural architecture that you see in many places in Denmark.
Where she shops: My favorite place to shop for ingredients for cooking and baking is at the food market Torvehallerne in the heart of Copenhagen. It has more than 60 stands selling everything from local veggies, fresh fish and meat to exotic spices, cheese, coffee and gourmet chocolate. A playground for foodies!
Her cooking style: I try to use a lot of local and organic ingredients in season when I cook; it just tastes better and makes more sense, in my opinion. However, the most important ingredient in my kitchen is chocolate, and unfortunately we do not grow cocoa trees in Denmark.
Best food memory: Eating my mother’s raisin buns straight out of the oven with a spread of cold salted butter.
Favorite restaurant: One of my favorite restaurants in Copenhagen is Kadeau for its excellent food, beautiful surroundings and great ambience.
11. Building on a Provençal Heritage in France
Cook: Yannick Boutit
Location: 3rd arrondissement, Paris, France
Occupation: Direct sales at food website 750g
How he became a foodie: I owe my best food memories to my grandmother, who cooked essentially Provençal meals: pesto soup, aioli, beef casserole…. I loved to go to her place to have lunch when my parents didn’t fancy cooking. I was the only kid in school who enjoyed lunch in the canteen!
His kitchen: My 15-square-meter [161-square-foot] kitchen has just been renovated, along with the rest of the flat. I created the kitchen of my dreams, with a large workshop window and a mix of Scandinavian and industrial styles. It has a lot of pale wood shelves, Parisian metro tiles on the walls and black concrete on the floor.
Where he shops: Mainly in the markets, including the Enfants Rouges market, next to my flat, and the Bastille market. Also, since Maison Plisson opened in my area, I can now find a lot of delicatessen products I couldn’t find before, and most of them come from small French producers.
His cooking style: I am very influenced by Mediterranean food (fish soups, salted quiches, ratatouille) but also traditional French food, such as blanquette de veau, pot au feu and seven-hour lamb.
Best food memory: Tasting food is my passion! I remember eating an incredible grilled pork sandwich with tarragon sauce in Borough Market, London.
Favorite restaurant: If I have to select only one, I would say Le Chateaubriand, with chef Inaki Aizpitarte.
See these food lovers’ recipes
Tell us: Are you passionate about food and cooking? Please share your favorite foodie adventures in the Comments and be sure to tell us where you live.
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