SEDUCTIVE INNOVATION
It is the books you notice first. Artfully placed on trestle tables, some pedalling the latest food trend or proclaiming the next big thing in the already crowded world of celebrity chefs. A smorgasbord of literary culinary cornucopia.
I could “glimpse into the mind of the brilliant chef behind Mr Wong, El Loco & Ms’G (Hong, 2014), or with the help of The Ultimate Insider’s Guide, I can learn, Where the Chefs Eat (Warwick,2015), to confirm my membership with the in crowd. Renee Redzepi has prewrapped his three books into one easy carry box with a deftly tied bow, entitled a A Work in Progress (Redzepi, 2013). I ponder if this ongoing series may precipitate the need to build my own library- just to hold his collection. Failing a desire for culinary indulgence I could purchase Gut – the inside story of our body’s most under-rated organ (Enders,2016). Let it not be said that all food genres were not covered. I spare a thought for my stomach lest it be feeling underrated. Admittedly this does seem unlikely at a food festival.
The Essential Ingredient, who are running the bookstall, swipe credit cards and bag books with deft skill and impressive speed. Common marketing wisdom advises to fish where the fish. A masterclass at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival with Grant Achatz from Chicago’s Alinea reveals great fishing is to be had here. Lavazza, a festival sponsor, is serving coffee on the terrace whilst another sponsor San Pellegrino hands out water. Patrons can only access the theatre below by walking past the pop-up bookstore, and they chatter and purchase books before making their way to their seats in the amphitheatre or for the– paying for the privilege– few to the tables at the front of the stage where food from the demonstration will be served. Siting in the theatre is akin to being sheltered under a cut crystal umbrella. The geometric glass ceiling floods the space with light, beyond stretches the Yarra River, the MCG and the Arts Centre Spire.
Grant Achatz has been running Alinea restaurant in Chicago since 2005. Achatz inveigles the packed theatre with tales of the early days of molecular gastronomy and his philosophy of holding onto the core identity of innovation whilst allowing the idea to develop. He begins making mozzarella balloons with tomato and basil. A dish he first started developing in 2004 stretching the curd with NO2 to a paper-thin veil, transforming its texture and the eat. Achatz had taken a classic Caprese salad and made it new again, without altering the flavour profiles that made it great the first time around. In 2007, he decides that the inflated should now float, underpinning his philosophy that an idea can involve. All he had to do was work out how? The green apple balloon was the result. A sugar syrup made elastic and smooth with agar agar and xanthan gum, inflated with helium and tied off with string, made from dehydrated granny smith apples. Staff hand out the balloons, laughter erupts around the theatre as people attempt to eat them. The balloons burst over faces and voices turn from deep throated timbres to versions of Mickey Mouse or even Minnie. Whether it is reinventing an old favourite or connecting to the emotions of childhood Achatz beguiles the diner into his world. It is not so much a masterclass in food but a masterclass in seductive innovation
True, the corporate tone of sponsorship imbues the event, accompanied by the sharp scent of culinary haute couture yet Achatz reminds us all the joy food can bring. All it takes is a balloon and a master of innovation.
