Inspiration from NOMA
12-11-2013
By Julia Soldic.
Last Thursday, November the 7th, we were at a lecture of René Redzepi (Noma. Copenhagen) about his new book ‘A Work in Progress’. Organized by Babooka, a bookstore in Leiden and LeidsLekkers to herald the Restaurant Week in Leiden. During this lecture René rapidly exchanged reading passages from his diary with images and videos of his restaurant and chefs. Julia Soldic, a Norwegian who recently graduated from the Hotelschool The Hague, has had an internship of a few weeks at Noma in 2012. She was at the lecture with us and writes in her column below of her experience and leaves between the lines a number of ‘learnings’, such as encouraging creativity and the importance of team building and contact with your guests.
Parmesan cheese above the dining table
11-11-2013
A lover of Parmesan cheese over the pasta or risotto? Well, you can hang it above the dining table as a lamp! Curelle and Tom, both Parmesan cheese lovers, were inspired during their visit to a Parmesan cheese maker in Italy. They came up with the idea to make a plastic replica of the Parmesan cheese. The Parmesan Cheese Lamp is available in two variants and it has the same size as a real Parmesan cheese with the same details. The caps are made of plastic material and they only differ from the inside. Funny detail for in an Italian restaurant or as centerpiece in you dining room at home.
Crowd funded supermarket
5-11-2013
The first crowdfund project for a supermarket in France is started. The location is planned in the 18th district in Paris. Shoppers are expected to work in the supermarket for 3 hours per month to keep the labor costs and thus the prices low. A similar project is already set up in Brooklyn, New York. That supermarket has 16.000 members.
Light spectacle in the streets of Zwolle
4-11-2013
On November 1st, the opening of the light project Sassenstraat Allicht took place in Zwolle, the Netherlands. This autumn/ winter the ‘Sassenstraat’ (name of the street) is illuminated with over 300 lights. Business owners, residents, property owners, City Centre Zwolle, volunteers and more have worked in recent weeks to make this lights show possible. The goals is to create a meeting place where living, working and shopping comes together. Especially during the dark winter days, the light show will be very attractive.
Cry like a real wolf for Eristoff
4-11-2013
Cry like a real wolf and win tickets for the ‘I love Techno’ party in Gent, Belgium. Eristoff, ‘vodka from the land of the wolf’ started a partnership with ‘I Love Techno’ this year. The brand has taken the slogan ‘vodka from the land of the wolf’ very literally this time and launched a Facebook campaign. Till 6 November, everybody can send a video of their howling to the Facebook page of Eristoff and collect as many likes. On November 6, at 1 am, the 50 participants with the most likes will be selected. They can sit behind their computer and howl live with wolves in the UK Wolf Conservation Trust. When the wolf cries back within 1 minute, the participant will win 4 tickets for ‘I love Techno’.
Chobani Story about real Greek yogurt
1-11-2013
Chobani, a Mediterranean Yogurt Bar in NYC, has a great slogan; ‘There are two people we’re 100% committed to. Mother Nature and You’. Chobani has been serving the highest quality and authentic strained Greek yogurt since 2005. They combine the yoghurt with only natural ingredients and fresh fruit. Some combinations; Blueberry + Power (blueberries, chia seeds, light agave nectar and walnuts), Cucumber + Olive Oil (cucumber, extra virgin olive oil, Coarse salt and fresh mint) and Peanut Butter + Jelly (peanut butter, concord grape jelly, red grapes and peanuts). Delicious yogurt and great combinations although we as Europeans didn’t dare to try the Peanut Butter + Jelly yogurt. The interior fits great within the philosophy. ^Marjolein
Naughty Stout dinner beer
30-10-2013
Beer sommelier Fiona de Lange has created a dinner beer together with De Leckere brewery from ‘De Meern’. Stout beer and Barley wine are combined for this special brew. Due to the composition the beer is expected to match great with red meat, game and stewed meat. Earlier this year the beer sommelier developed Royal Beer, especially made for the King.
Pop-up cheese store Castello
28-10-2013
Cheese brand Castello opened a pop-up store in New Babylon, The Hague. The pop-up store will be open for three months a culinary cheese experience. Consumers can taste forty kinds of cheese with matching wines. The goal is to surprise consumers and to come in contact with the consumers to get their opinion. Chef cook Joop Braakhekke opened the pop-up store and demonstrated the culinary possibilities with Castello. Soon the Castello pop-up store will open in cities like London, Berlin and New York.
Starbucks tea bar Teavana
25-10-2013
Starbucks has opened its first tea bar named Teavana in Manhattan New York. The tea bar has a simple design with a ‘zen’ atmosphere. A totally different concept than we are used to from Starbucks. The assortment consists of series of artisanal teas and the famous Starbucks sweets, sandwiches and salads. There is a ‘wall of tea’ where you can buy loose tea for home consumption and there is a wide range of tea sets. Starbucks bought the Teavana brand last year to expand to the global tea market. The chain is planning to open more tea bars in the coming years.
Cooking with matching music
24-10-2013
Get in the mood during cooking? The new Spotify-app Supper combines recipes with music. The app provides the difficulty level per dish and it shows for how many people the recipe is. There are two playlists per recipe: one for when you cook and one for when you eat. If you for instance bake a pizza, you will get more in the mood with the matching Italian music. The app is available in Spotify’s desktop program, but the number of recipes is still limited.
