Behind The Curtain
Filed Under Shower Curtain | Posted on November 5, 2008
It’s mid-October, and Alinea’s Grant Achatz is far from home. The molecular chef is in New York City for the Gourmet Institute, a weekend focused on food.
Early in the event, a smartly dressed woman describes the Institute as “a science fiction convention for foodies.” If it’s a con, then it’s an upscale one, with top chefs dishing out game, artisanal cheese, chocolate and charm.
When the door opens, attendees enter a space with neatly ranked chairs. Each seat bears a large black envelope holding one sealed plastic bag with a vanilla bean; another fresh rosemary, garlic and black pepper; and a third, a gingerbread cookie. A travel sized spray bottle promises to contain a Christmas tree.
At the front of the room, Achatz stands behind a workstation. Before him, a tray is piled with branches of oak leaves.
Achatz is a peculiar not strange, but distinctive combination of benevolent dictator and underground anarchist. He would like nothing more than to cloister you and your companion within a pod where he could adjust each aspect of your environment and then he’d want you to collaborate in the creation of your experience.
He has people pinch their noses and insert vanilla beans into their mouths.
Tags: alinea, anarchist, artisanal cheese, attendees, benevolent dictator, black pepper, christmas tree, curtain, distinctive combination, foodies, garlic, gingerbread cookie, grant achatz, mouths, noses, rosemary, science fiction convention, spray bottle, vanilla bean, vanilla beansRelated posts
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