Delicious NO 21

A MASTER OF MODERN GASTRONOMY

Interview with HEINZ BECK

Known for its contemporary take on modern gastronomy, Chef Heinz Beck is a chef and restauranteur of undoubted greatness. A magician in the kitchen who is always ready to pull out of his hat something amazing. It is by no coincidence that he is considered by many food critics as a true exponent of the global food industry. Indeed, Chef Heinz Beck is a culinary artist with a unique ability to transform simple ingredients into highly evocative dishes. Delicious sat down with Chef Beck to discuss his culinary journey.

20 October 2021 DELICIOUS

You are often defined as the master of the modern kitchen. To what extent do you agree?I’m flattered to be considered a master of the modernkitchen, I’m just doing what I love most with passionand dedication.

You are originally from Germany, but you’re known for your Italian cuisine yet you consider yourself European. Why?

I have always said that you can’t choose where to beborn but you can choose where to live. From the firstday I landed in Rome, I totally fell in love with theItalian history and its gastronomy culture and I cannotbe happier with my choice.

Why should a culinary experience go beyond presentation and taste?I believe that it has always been like this in the historyof humanity, today it is just more emphasized. I thinkabout the emotion of the simple warm bread of thefarmers’ tables to the obsessive care in producing itand in presenting it on the table with oil or butter. Theculinary experiences start from the simplest tastes’stories but certainly very significant, so that today theyare perhaps a rarity and therefore a real luxury.

In what way do you describe your cooking as “a light cuisine of Mediterranean flavours”?We are so lucky to live and to cook in Italy, we have atour disposal the best variety of products with a greattaste and quality. It would be a shame not to use them inour dishes. The Mediterranean diet is much more thana food recommendation is considered world heritage sowe have to learn from it.

So, what drives Beck? My curiosity always played a fundamental role in my kitchen.

How important are Michelin stars? The Michelin guide makes evaluations and we must listen and learn from them.

DELICIOUS

October 2021 21

What role does a happy kitchen play in the final product?It has a very important role. In a kitchen, a strong teammeans everything; having a happy team is the key toproduce something good that will give emotions to ourguests.

Why is tradition the foundation of the modern kitchen? We, as humans, now eat guided by our memory. The things we like most are the ones we liked most in the past; anyway, if we find new interesting tastes, we try and appreciate them. Therefore tradition, certainly, is a good teacher but not the only one. On a solid foundation, a house can always be renovated.

How has the culinary industry evolved over the past decades?

The food world, over the centuries, has beentransformed by the change in our lifestyles and thetransformations of our habits. We have always been thekey to change. In recent years we have seen “speed” asa decisive factor, recently, due to the pandemic, othertransformations have been activated and are still notdefined. We must be able to adapt quickly, not suffering,but managing the change.

We are coming out of a pandemic that has hit hard on the restaurant industry. How can the restaurant industry get back on its feet?

I believe that, in this specific case, we must not look atthe past. There is a world after the pandemic that, forseveral reasons, is different from the previous one andwould take a very long time to explain. The clearestsynthesis is expressed by the concept of resilience, whichmust be an operational model at least for a while. Thechallenge is in the ability to understand the concept andorganize resources according to its rules.

What’s next for you?I’m working on different projects around the world…so stay tuned.

22 October 2021 DELICIOUS

DELICIOUS

October 2021 23