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In just one week the city of Venice will be the stage for the 2013 S.Pellegrino Cooking Cup, an event that features a regatta and a simultaneous culinary competition. Ten of the world's most talented young chefs will compete for the prestigous Acqua Panna & S.Pellegrino 2013 Young Chef of the Year award. The panel of judges includes the three Michelin-starred Italian chef Massimo Bottura.
During June 14-15th, members of the public will be able to sample exquisite food and drink at various events through the romantic port city. As the exciting event draws closer, we'd like to introduce you to one of the participating chefs.
Meet Vladimir Mukhin, a 30-year old chef from Russia who enjoys blending tradition and innovation at White Rabbit restaurant in Moscow. Here's his take on food and the future:
Describe your cooking style with three keywords
Traditions, technologies , emotions
Which is the first taste you remember and why?
Chocolate. When I was a child I would melt chocolate in the sun and then eat it. I like to see how texture can change without changing taste.
If you were a dish, which one would you be?
I would be a soup! Because in soup you can combine different tastes and textures at the same time. And this is Russian cuisine, I love Russian cuisine.
Which is the dish you prefer to prepare and the one you prefer to eat?
I like to prepare fish and eat desserts.
Who or what is your main source of inspiration?
A flavor, a situation, a dish, a product... I see a good product and come up with gastronomic story about it. I’m inspired by good products.
Tradition and innovation: which is the relationship with these words, and how is it applied to your cuisine?
In my kitchen I mix my Russian family's gastronomic traditions with modern technologies. As a result we get a new Russian cuisine. Traditions are eternal – innovations are endless.
What is fine dining for you? How do you think new generations are changing this idea and making it evolve?
For me, high cuisine is the way to express myself, every dish is a little gastronomical performance. My returning guests are the best reward for my work. It means that people want to see your performance again and again.
I think new generations of chefs will bring back a trend for local products. New generations are thinking about freshness and the quality and characteristics of products. They will do everything to emphasize its natural properties
Which will be, according to you, the next big trend related to food and conviviality?
I believe than no matter what the future looks like, there will be a lot of delicious food.
If you weren’t a chef, what would you be?
I would be an astronaut.
Year 2050: what food do you think we’ll bring to our table?
There will be an unearthly food.
