World's Greatest Chef Says "Love your own!"

"The King of Cuisine was in the building..."

When Alain Ducasse, the world's most celebrated French Chef/restaurateur/hotelier/ teacher and environmentalist arrived at Enderun at the Fort for the Press Conference "before cuisine, there was nature," people knew they were in the presence of a truly iconic man."

As the only chef to have under his belt three 3-Michelin Star restaurants in the gastronomic citadels of the globe  - Monaco, Paris and London - Alain Ducasse is clearly at a league of his own. But more than all the glamour and fame that came with his achievements, his real legacy comes from the contributions he's made as the founder of the Alain Ducasse Foundation (ADF) which trains and molds thousands of students and professionals all over the world in the culinary arts. Today, transcending philantrophic pursuits, he shares even more of himself in his active campaign for promoting the use of local ingredients, preserving culinary integrity, individuality and authenticity, and generally taking responsibility for mother earth and our farmers, the source of all ingredients.  

Admittedly not a big fan of globalization, he stresses on how "Each cuisine should be able to present its local influences in a contemporary manner, but should keep its own personal identity." - Perfect advise for us Filipinos who seem to have difficulty in defining who we really are in terms of cuisine.

He tells the story of how he builds the menu of his restaurants to adapt to their environment. In Osaka or Las Vegas for example, he first looks at what indigenous ingredients the region offers, then tries to adapt French Cooking to what's readily available- adding local flavor to excellent taste.

Stern yet seasoned, old-school yet ahead of his time - these characteristics are reflected in his views in life and cooking. Inspite his generosity with his time, knowledge and savoir-faire, he humorously comments. "A cook is (essentially) a selfish man. He goes to the market, which gives him pleasure, then again pleases himself when he cooks in the kitchen, then again derives pleasure from sharing it with his friends."

Too bad his packed itinerary kept him only here for two short days (in which he regrets not getting the chance to really try out Pinoy food). I would have wanted to wine and dine with him and hear more of his quirky thoughts.

One of his final thoughts i liked the most was actually his answer to the question, "What is the mark of a good dish?" This French man answers, "When you have a desire to drink it with good wine."

To that, this wine and food blogger says "Cheers, Mr. Ducasse!"