I can’t help but wonder if London’s food scene will capture the world’s attention as the next explosive international gastronomic playground. What with Jamie Oliver attaining the 2010 TED Prize with a continued goal of combating childhood obesity in the U.K. and a new goal of similar merits for the U.S. beginning in 2010, a robust, thriving city farmers’ market system, gastronomy, farming and community-inspired creations sprouting across the city plan, restaurants in uncommon locales: http://www.root-master.co.uk/, a family of shops dedicated solely to the art and joy of artisan cheese production and procurement–just spend 30 seconds sampling a cheese, such as Montgomery’s Cheddar, in the climatized shop-that-should-be-more-aptly-called-showroom complete with actual dripping waterfall to maintain proper humidity, and finished with cheese enthusiast slicing your taste behind the counter, just oozing elation at rinds, curing technique, moisture content, and personal vocabulary to relay stink-factor. Better yet, snag an internship with the company next time you have a quarter free in your life schedule to dedicate to fermented dairy.

Finally, worth a trip alone: Sarah’s Bakery @ Queen’s Park Market for a slice of beetroot hazelnut cake . . .

Browse here for a list of locales and discoveries when in London… cheers!

Le Fooding, smart Parisian gastronomic critique organization who produces an annual guide to eating in style in France (style ranging from chic interior design, creative a/o complex menu, keen use of sustainable ingredients and operation practices, innovative concept) hosted its annual week of food, La Semaine du Fooding, the first week of December. This year’s extravaganza unofficially highlighted the year of dining in unconventional locales, exemplified by hosting the festivities in an abandoned, colorful graffiti-tagged swimming pool.

For an idea of what the inaugural evening was like: http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/in-paris-politically-incorrect-dining/?emc=eta1

My hat is off to Ms. MarmiteLover.

How one woman can prepare a 4-course dinner party for 30 guests including accommodating a handful of last minute vegetarian requests, organize and dedicate regularly one-half of her house, scrap an expensive, labor-intensive dessert hours before a weekly dinner only to scrounge up an ample recipe and rush out to the market to collect ingredients, return and prep thirty desserts de nuevo, and raise a teenager mystifies me. It also inspires. If you find yourself in London anytime soon, dinner in her charmingly quaint and welcoming home is worth a spot at the top of your list: http://marmitelover.blogspot.com/ She even sports–and triumphantly puts to use–an Aga in her English kitchen. Now that’s an underground restaurant worth patroning.

When in Paris I suggest the following, and above all, follow the wise compass of your own palate and nose….

Veronique Mauclerc : Rue de Crimee : 75019 : Paris   quite possibly one of the best boulangeries in Paris

Blé Sucré : Square Trousseau : 7 Rue de Antoine Vollou : 75012 : Paris   perfect baguette, impeccable pain au chocolat, great setting alongside small neighborhood park just a stone’s toss away from the Marche d’Alligre

La Grande Epicerie de Paris : 75007 : Paris   extravagant food center sensory overload!

Art Home, Palais du Tokyo : 13 Avenue du Président Wilson : 75116 : Paris   working urban dining experience art installation through summer 2010  

Poilane : 8 Rue du Cherche Midi : 75006 : Paris   classis French boulangerie. Shipped all over Europe

Merci : 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais : 75003 : Paris   new concept store including flowers, home, entertaining, clothes and bookshop cafe; fair trade

Pierre Herme : 72 Rue Bonaparte : 75006 : Paris   delicious macaroons

Marche d’Alligre   bustling morning covered and street market. some organic.

Spring Boutique : 52 Rue de l’Arbre Sec : 75001 : Paris   hats off to this expat team. look for restaurant to be opening across the street in the springtime!

Du Pain et des Idées : 34 Rue Yves Toudic : 75010 : Paris  truly artisanal bread and only place with pain au chocolat avec banane

L’As du Falafel : 34 Rue des Rosiers : 75004 : Paris   quite possibly the best falafel sandwich ever to cross my lips

Rose Bakery : 30 Rue Debelleyme : 75003 : Paris   trendy British petite restaurant. all organic.

Yomal delights locals and tourists alike in his centrally located French-inspired eatery and take-away. A transparent cold case showcasing freshly baked apple and fruit of the forest tarts, carrot cake, dark chocolate tortes, half a dozen varieties of seasonal quiches including spinach and onion with Emmental,  traditional ham and cheese, and squash…among other mouth-watering sundries.

He bakes everything himself and runs the entire operation, always sporting a smile.

If your eyes don’t catch the tiny outpost on a casual stroll by the café, your nose most certainly will.

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Chef! Traiterie | Raamsteeg 1 | Amsterdam

Latest tapas concept bar to open in Barcelona? Yours truly went in opening night, Thursday.12.November.2009 to sample the international flavors creatively woven through both the cocktails and pica-pica, just a petite blackboard list long menu of small plates. Chilean chef Jaime has worked the globe in restaurants ranging from New York to Berlin and there must be  a little of his home terrain thrown in there along the way too, thanks to the Pisco Sour cocktail, which, ahem, in my book hails from Peru. The chef knows his fish, carne, and yucca chips. He even offers fried green tomatoes coated in Panko and filled with feta beneath the most delicate of drizzles of a sauce made of fresh corn. Although seasonality may not be at the top of the priority list, one can be sure the chef is creative with what he chooses to offer.

Cocktails include Pisco Sour, Pear-infused Caipiriña and Cava infusions. Likely more to come as they’re still experimenting with the menu…

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Hours until closing mid-December for renovations: Thursday – Saturday 19′00-02′00 | c/Comerç 1 | Barcelona

When in Barcelona one will find that ecologically produced bread and pastries are not common, nor is the art of artisanal baking from wholesome and unrefined ingredients. Thanks to three-year-old bakery BarcelonaReykjavik, whose original location in the city center has recently added a sister store in the heart of the commercial district of popular barrio Grácia, the city now has an alternative. http://faircompanies.com/videos/view/slow-bread-from-barcelona-reykjavik-let-it-ferment/

Walking down Asturies one day the bakery immediately caught my attention. With its characteristicly striking black and white checkered tile interior and contrasting choicely placed popping fire engine red hued objects, one can’t help but take a double glance. Beyond the smart interior design I immediately noted that their pastries and loaves of bread were unique and exceptional; trays of whole wheat cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip brioches, and loaves of bread with ingredients ranging from kamut, spelt and oat flours, seeds, nuts, seaweed, herbs and honey lined the display shelves. I won’t begin to describe the aromas gently perfuming the air–it will make you want to board the next plane or hop on the next bus–whichever pertains to you–and head there immediately, which, actually is what I suggest you do anyway.

The bakery was founded by then baker-apprentice, full-time carpenter, David Nelson, who had no prior baking experience, and partner Gudrún Margrét, who had an intolerance to wheat. From here on, I’ll let Leonora Oppenheim of TreeHugger fill in the remaining details, as they recap nicely what David explained to me last month in his shop: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/08/barcelona_reykjavik.php

notta bene**When I asked where the inspiration for making cinnamon rolls derived, I was shocked to learn the answer–Cinnabon!! Well, not entirely. Albert, the current pastry chef, had his first experience near an oven while working for Cinnabon in Hawaii before moving to Barcelona. If one would bring anything from that experience, I suppose it would be a passion for cinnamon, dough, and sugar!!

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BarcelonaReykjavik  (RAVAL) c/Doctor Dou, 12 – (GRÀCIA) c/Asturies 20  Barcelona  http://www.barcelonareykjavik.com/

Hailing from Kirkcaldy, Scotland, Katherine McLaughlin is the finest Spanish farmhouse cheesemonger Spain has seen. In her tiny shop, Formatgeria La Seu, tucked away on a stone-lined street that I imagine could barely fit a horse-drawn carriage in past centuries, she carries cheese from local cheesemakers with whom she has direct contact and purchasing ability. Her selection is petite yet varied, selling only what she likes and ensures to have been crafted with care, quality, patience, and skill. Katherine has been highly influenced by a stint she had working for a Scottish cheese shop in her hometown several years before moving to Barcelona as well as the work and philosophy of London’s famed Neal’s Yard Dairy.

La Seu hosts tastings of 2 or 3 cheeses paired with wines and liqueurs by both reservation and walk-in. In warmer months Katherine stocks three varieties of locally-made cheese ice cream—always, respectively, one made each from the milk of goats, cows and sheep. Yum! And, just six weeks ago and right next door to La Seu, Katherine opened an intimate wine bar, Zim, deriving its name from “enzyme” and the properties it holds in wine. Zim has on hand a sampling of a dozen or so Spanish wines, and as one would deduce, all sourced from small vintners and available for pairing with a selection of Spanish farmhouse cheeses.

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Formatgeria La Seu : Carrer Daqueria 16 : Barcelona : www.formatgerialaseu.com : closed Sunday and Monday

Perhaps one of Barcelona’s most creative, authentic, and sustainably-minded chefs, Santi, delights citizens and tourists alike with his daily vegetarian and organic specials. Centered in the heart of Barcelona’s El Raval neighborhood and located a mere stone’s throw away from the famous Mercat de la Boquería, Organic, the restaurant—and more appropriately, the kitchen—over which chef Santi presides bustles with vibrant energy, mastered flow, and fragrant aromas spilling forth from the open kitchen.

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Santi has served as chief culinary genius for the past six of the restaurant’s seven years, creating seasonal and colorful dishes to order. Sourcing most of his products directly from the Boquería market and the remainder from local natural food shops and distributors, nearly all of the products used at Organic come from within the Catalunian province, including even the wine served. Although Santi possesses no formal kitchen training, he pulls polenta and chard cakes from the oven, enriches a butternut squash soup with a swirl of a spoon of curry powder, and adds the finishing touch of hijiki (seaweed) to a tasting plate of a mixture of legumes and vegetables like a seasoned professional. IMG_0770

Interestingly, the majority of his clientele is not vegetarian, nor is he. “People are increasingly searching for healthier options for dining out in the city,” he explains. He caters to many mothers and women, though the numbers of males customers are increasing compared with past years.

“From where is much of your inspiration derived,” I asked. “When I was first learning to cook, a creative chef in the city took me under his wing, and from there I learned the basics—bases, sauces, soups, etc.—and I began to experiment, to investigate new flavors and work with different combinations of ingredients, and got really creative,” Santi responded. “What I enjoy most is the contact with the people, serving them their plate of food through the open kitchen window, and being able to see their reactions to the different flavors, textures, and aromas,” he added.

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A usual day for Santi begins when his wife wakes him up, usually just 15 minutes before he leaves the house to head to Organic, and just enough time to take his first espresso of the day (he averages 4 or 5 per day at the moment). He finishes his espresso while sitting on his couch with his cat, then mounts his motorcycle and heads off to meet the morning produce purveyor at the restaurant. Come 8:30 AM Santi is in the kitchen, prep list in hand, eyeing the fridge to see which ingredients remain from the day before. During this time he whips eggs, prepares a dessert or two, ignites the fire on the large gas stove and gets the ovens cranked up to temp. Next it’s time for his second espresso of the day which he is served at a nearby café. Everyday he picks up a newspaper along the way and reads it at the bar. Santi is back at Organic by 9:45 AM where he finishes the prep for the evening and the next day until service begins at noon.

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Although he doesn’t find the time in his schedule currently to pursue other interests, Santi would like to start offering cooking courses and to be able to incorporate internship and apprenticeships in the Organic kitchen. Until then, however, he passes the few spare moments he finds in the day trading on Wall Street and making an occasional trip to the gym.

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Organic : c. de la Junta de Comerç : Barcelona  http://www.antoniaorganickitchen.com/home.html

If you go…make sure to try the vegan orange sauce from the salad bar, any of the desserts from the cold case (mousse du chocolat and the crema catalana are especially good), and of course you can’t miss with any of the specials. All pizza dough is made in house and hand tossed to order.

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Keeping it Fresh in the Family: Four generations within a family of market merchants keep access to fresh produce alive and thriving in Barcelona’s Mercat de la Boquería

In Barcelona’s bustling Boquería Market, just off the famed La Rambla flooded with tourist and local pedestrians alike, Eduard Soley, third-generation market stall operator and produce purveyor begins his day at the market at 7 AM, arriving just in time to make the morning deliveries from area producers and distributors. He greets each one as though an old friend and judicially hand selects each item he will stock for the day at his market stall. For the next hour he arranges the produce, ranging from crisp, sage-hued fall pears to bountiful varieties of wild and domesticated mushrooms, a coveted ingredient on many a Catalán menu. Artfully displaying the colors of fall, Eduard aligns rows of plump orange persimmons, deep-purple tinged figs, and terra cotta shaded sweet potatoes. He’s also preparing for Catalunya’s regional celebration of La Castañada, coinciding with All Saints’ Day on November 1st. It’s typical to see moniatos—sweet potatoes—roasted streetside along with chestnuts and panellets, traditional petite pastries made with a marzipan-like dough that’s rolled into a ball and covered with toasted pine nuts, coconut, and other tasty sundries.

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Eduard’s family has been in the market business for over 140 years. Starting the business in 1864, Eduard’s paternal grandmother and mother were both farmers and women of agriculture. They labored on area vegetable farms learning the land, the seasons, and variety. Raising Eduard with the knowledge of farming, they also taught him the business of operating the market stand. He’s managed the business for more than 45 years, which now also includes both his wife and son.

“What motivates you most to manage this business,” I asked him. “Hay un montón de vida en este mercado. La Rambla famosa lleva la energía hacia el mercado y se inspira su presencia,” Eduard replies. “This market is full of life. The famous Rambla exudes its magnificent energy towards the market and inspires it.” The multi-cultural nature of the market also invigorates Eduard. “Toda la cultura viene por la boca. Siempre cambiamos por ruta de la boca, por la gente que viene por todos lados buscando algo de su propia cultura y así viene el cambio, la integración. Se incorpora todo junto y llegas a una harmonía. Si el estómago no ha lleno, no va bien nada,” he concludes. “Culture arrives via route of the mouth. We’re always changing things [at our stand] incorporating new items that people request who have come from other countries, seeking familiar foods. This is how change arrives, and integration. When you incorporate everything together you arrive at a harmony. If the stomach isn’t full, nothing goes right.”

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“What inspires your displays and the products you carry,” I asked. “Cada año viajamos a los mercados de Londres, dónde se puede encontrar cualquiera cosa que quiere.” “Each year we travel to London’s markets where you can find anything you want,” he explains. The majority of Eduard’s products come from within Spain and are either grown regionally or in the southern towns. He does carry products from overseas to meet consumer tastes and preferences. With Spain’s current “el crisis” economic environment he’s not able to carry any ecological products.

When asked what he likes most about this business, this lifestyle, there’s a twinkle in Eduard’s eye as he beams and responds,“A mí me encanta estar con la gente, a saber a nuevas culturas, cosas. Cada día es diferente.” “I enjoy being with people, learning new cultures, new things. Each day is different,” he continues. “¡Se puede escribir un libro de todo que ves…todos los carácteres!” “One could write a book with all he sees, all of the characters,” he adds enthusiastically.                 IMG_0752

Eduard, his wife and son eagerly await new faces and new flavors at their produce stand in the Boquería Market. Go for a visit and a chat and maybe pick up a tip or two on people, food, and culture while you’re there. You’re guaranteed to be enthralled.

Mercat de la Boquería : La Rambla 91 Barcelona : España    http://www.boqueria.info/