The decision of traveling to Vietnam and becoming one of the judges in the professional cooking contest “The Golden Spoon” was not easy for Eckart Witzigmann – “Chef of the Century” who is always busy.
Mr. Eckart Witzigmann was grading at The Golden Spoon contest 2016 finale in HCMC on Dec 6th – Picture: Quang Dinh
Eagerness
and curiosity were the main motivations for Eckart to accept the invitation. He
admits that his discovery after staying in Vietnam is more than expected.
Compared
with other Asian countries’ cuisine, what makes Vietnamese foods more
distinguishable? Do you like the Vietnamese tastes?
There
is a variety in Vietnamese flavors. I am amazed by the strong ingredients and
its rich tastes such as the sour or bitter leaves.
The
fact of creating several dishes by combining these special ingredients really
inspires me. If Japanese cuisine has an image of elegance, and sophistication
along with standardized high-quality products, Vietnamese cuisine on the other
hand specializes on multiple flavors.
Sometimes,
not everyone can stand the strong and unfamiliar flavors. Fish sauce for
example is not always a favorite seasoning for foreigners. However, in my
opinion, that is the distinctive feature of Vietnamese cuisine. In the end, it
depends on how the chef can balance out the ingredients.
Vietnam
is on its way to include traditional dishes in 5-star menu. How do you think
about this?
Fusion
(an combination of traditional and modern dishes) has become an international
culinary trend. Vietnam is not excluded from the list when promoting
traditional flavors. A successful fusion dish requires several factors
including presentation, tastes, etc. Hence, it is the chef’s duty to emphasize
the distinction.
When
being a judge, I have seen the contestants preparing traditional Vietnamese
dishes with a bit of contemporary twist using traditional ingredients. Sometimes,
simple and sophisticated dishes are easy to get attention.
Vietnam
possesses an absolute advantage in terms of ingredients and local spices. I
have seen fresh vegies, fresh fish, and unique seasonings in most of Vietnamese
family kitchens. The freshness in these ingredients plays a crucial role in
preparing excellent and high-quality dishes.
The
developments in your culinary career are worth to become a remarkable story for
anyone who is pursuing career as a chef. Which qualities have most impact on
your success?
Heavy
work volume forces me to keep trying. Looking back at my career path, I realize
traveling is important. Give yourself an opportunity to travel.
I
have travelled all around the world and learnt, discovered a lot of things.
Famous German poet – Wolfgang von Goethe has stated from 200 years ago: Don't
stop your curiosity! You “lose the game” when you say: “Oh I know what it is”.
A person who claims that they know everything actually know nothing.
A
professional chef has to keep learning, looking for new solutions in order not
to repeat himself/herself in the dishes. I enjoy the feeling of successfully
preparing a new dish using new seasonings. My restaurant changes its menu on a
daily basis. Tablecloth, spoons and folks are also changed accordingly. Thus,
the customers won’t feel bored when visiting many times.
Mr. Eckart Witzigmann savors different Hue dishes in a Vietnamese restaurant in HCMC – Picture: Quang Dinh
What
are your advices to the current Vietnamese chefs, who want to internationalize
Vietnamese cuisine?
In
order to win any contest, a chef must win others’ heart. Beside factors such as
cooking experience and creativity, I highly evaluate the sense of humor.
I
have seen a lot of potentials in young Vietnamese chefs because of their young
ages, hard working, etc. I am confident that they can compete with other chefs
from different countries. Time is the only factor they need. I have spent 10
years to practice. After that I have my own 3-star Michelin restaurant in
Germany. It was the toughest time for me and also for my colleagues and
volunteers.
It
is not easy to give advices within 3, 4 sentences because each chef is an
independent individual in different restaurants and in varied situations. You
should practice a lot in order to participate in international cooking contests
such as Bocuse d’Or, which gathers the best chefs on the world.
I
highly encourage you to place your creativity in traditional Vietnamese dishes.
Mr.
Eckart Witzigmann, one of the four most popular chefs on the world with the
title “Chef of the century”, has come to Vietnam as a judge of The Golden Spoon
2016 finale in the beginning of December 2016. The contest is co-organized by
Minh Long I and Business research & Business.
“I
am impressed by how the contestants bring the fineness to the table by using
Ly’s Horeca from Minh Long I” Mr. Eckart shares.
*** Eckart Witzigmann: “Vietnamese dishes have a variety
in flavors, which are totally different from European foods. I’d want to
emphasize that Vietnamese foods need more advertising since the foreigners
haven’t had a chance to discover and savor the Viet-tastes”.
By Nhu Binh/ Tuoitre
Translator: Thu Pham