Inside The S. Pellegrino Cooking Cup In Venice, Italy

by Elyse Pasquale on

VENICE, Italy – Ink-black clouds gather over the iconic Floating City, poised to roll across the lagoon. From our aquatic position, somewhere between the Lido and Giudecca islands, we can see the approaching wall of water.

“Everyone, below decks. Get below decks…Now!”

I’m aboard the Timoteo, a traditional Venetian burchio, a medieval wooden barge owned by fashion executive Vittorio Missoni. With me is a jury comprised of ten of the world’s leading chefs. We’re in the middle of the S. Pellegrino Cooking Cup, a combination sailing and culinary competition, and we’ve just been hit by a storm.

On Saturday, June 24, 2012, the 12th edition of the S. Pellegrino Cooking Cup took place along an exhilarating 12-mile course from the Lido of Venice to S. Giorgio Island.

As accomplished sailing teams raced their boats toward the finish line, ten young rising culinary stars battled below decks – against time and gravity with limited ingredients – to create a winning dish. Imagine “The Amazing Race” meets “Iron Chef” in a unique gourmet regatta set against the stunning backdrop of Venice, Italy.

The Cooking Cup

Here’s how the scoring works: the S. Pellegrino Cooking Cup Trophy is presented to the boat with the best combined sailing time and culinary performance. The dishes are judged on four criteria: presentation, difficulty of execution, taste and proper pairing with wine and water.

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The Chefs:

Richard Ousby, Quay Restaurant, Australia
Martin Volkaerts, L’Air du Temps Restaurant, Belgium
Cai Chen, The Langham Xintiandi Restaurant, China
David Frenkel, Pronto Restaurant, Israel
Lorenzo Cogo, El Qoc Restaurant, Italy
Jöel Schaeffer, Jöel Schaeffer Restaurant, Luxembourg
Dennis Van Dop, Hofstede Meerzigt Restaurant, Netherlands
Anatoly Kazakov, Bon Restaurant, Russia
Jacob Holmström, Gastrologik Restaurant, Sweden
Jouni Ibrahim, Li Beirut Restaurant, United Arab Emirates

Chefs are limited to the ingredients selected by ALMA International School of Italian Cuisine – presented as a “mystery basket” and revealed just three days before the race. Four ingredients (rice, blue fish, legumes, fresh herbs) are obligatory. Four more items are selected from a list of eight, including eggs, breadcrumbs, celery and wine. Basics like salt, pepper, oil, garlic and onions are deemed “free use.”

Given only three days to strategize, the chefs must take into consideration uncertain weather conditions and a cooking time dependent on wind speed. With a volatile ingredient like rice dominating the dishes, this year’s Cooking Cup was designed to put the chefs’ skills to the test.

Race Day

7:30 a.m. – Venice is quiet; the city is suspended in a peaceful stillness. An early morning sun casts pools of golden light onto the Grand Canal as our water taxi passes beneath the majestic Rialto Bridge.

We’re on our way to the Rialto Market – a collection of covered stalls specializing in local produce and fresh, line-caught lagoon seafood – one of Venice’s go-to destinations for food lovers, with a history dating back to the 11th century.

Here, the chefs – paired with Italian translators/crewmembers – have less than one hour to purchase all competition ingredients before heading directly to the boats.

Once docked, a mad dash ensues. Teams speedily navigate the market’s narrow alleyways and aisles stacked with silvery fish and pyramids of brightly colored fruit.

Sweden’s Jacob Holmström, coached by his crewman, wraps his mouth around the Italian word for tarragon, “draaaagon-cello,” while gesturing at fresh bundles of the spiky herb.

The Australian team, led by chef Richard Ousby, finishes early. I catch them at a corner bar, gathered around a table littered with empty espresso cups, drinking Venetian Spritz – a bright orange, fizzy cocktail made with prosecco and Aperol.

The chefs grab their grocery bags and head to the island of S. Giorgio where they’ll board their boats and proceed to the starting buoy.

12:30 p.m. – The race begins. Today the winds are strong and the sea is rough. The boats hurtle around the length of Lido Island, expertly guided by their crews, tipping dramatically into the turns.

Down in the galleys, the chefs face the challenges of a moving kitchen. According to multiple crews, pots and pans went flying as the boats tacked into the wind at 45-degree angles. Israel’s David Frenkel later described how he managed to slice his fish – with one leg up, braced against a wall.

From start to finish, the entire race takes less than an hour. In the past, the race has taken up to three hours to complete. Across the finish line, the sails are dropped and chefs plate their dishes, to be passed directly to the awaiting jury.

The Jury

The 2012 Cooking Cup jury is a veritable “who’s who” panel of international culinary heavyweights, headed by Italian television personality, Francesa Barberini (Gambero Rosso food channel). Members include 2011 Acqua Panna & S. Pellegrino Young Chef of the Year, Daniel Berlin, and World’s 50 Best Restaurants chart toppers: Massimo Bottura, Sergio Herman, Mauro Colagreco, Luke Dale Roberts and Dmitry Shurhsakov – ranked #5, #21, #24, #74 and #99, respectively. Rounding out the jury are China’s Johnny Gu and Italy’s Davide Scabin and Franco Favaretto.

One by one, the sailboats pull alongside the Timoteo. Members of the jury crowd around a table, digging into each meticulously plated dish with gusto.

“This is [expletive] terrible!” The shout is accompanied by grimaces and followed by the swishing and spitting of wine.

It’s evident that rice is the make-or-break factor in this competition. Where some chefs fall short with gluey risotto, others excel by focusing on fresh seafood and creative flavor combinations.

A black veil suddenly drops over the city. All boats are called into shore; judging is temporarily suspended. Soaking rain slams the Timoteo. We dive below deck, climbing down steep, slippery stairs. The wooden boat lurches from side to side back to S. Giorgio Island, where the remainder of the judging occurs behind closed doors.

The Winner

With a strong finishing time and a dish that wowed the jury, 29-year-old Australian chef, Richard Ousby crushed the competition. Not only did Australia’s boat win the S. Pellegrino Cooking Cup, Ousby was separately awarded as the 2012 Acqua Panna & S. Pellegrino Young Chef of the Year.

The winning dish: charred mackerel with garlic custard, roasted onions and split peas served with a rice-infused tea.

Elyse Pasquale is a food and travel writer on the adventure of a lifetime. The objective: to fly 100,000 miles for 100 of the world’s best local meals in one year. With a philosophy that food is “living history,” Elyse believes the best way to understand and experience a new culture is through the cuisine. With two years of more than 50 food-filled journeys to 25 countries and counting, she takes culinary tourism to a new, mouth-watering extreme. Follow her adventures online at http://foodieinternational.com.

Growing Number Of Tourists Stealing Artifacts In Rome, Italy

by Jessica Festa on

For those who love admiring ancient artifacts, you may want to visit Rome while they’re still there. According to police, there has been an outbreak of tourists stealing mosaic pieces, marble mile markers, cobblestones and other pieces of the city’s history.

Luckily, airport security has been vigilant and is on the lookout for the items. In fact, they’ve been able to return a large amount of artifacts stolen in the last six months. Moreover, they’re finding the majority of the thieves are travelers coming from Britain and northern Europe. These people are not arrested, but instead given a stern warning.

Says Police Chief Antonio Del Greco, “I can understand the legend and splendor that is Rome but that does not mean bits of it should be stolen … If they want a souvenir of their visit then they should buy something from a shop.”

[photo via agoodfella]

A Few Mediterranean Sidewalk Cafés Can Make Travel Personal

by Chris Owen on

In popular cities of the Mediterranean, mobs of tourists come by bus, train, air and cruise ship. Looking to see famous destinations with their own eyes, perhaps fulfilling lifelong dreams, they clamber for the best view. During the summer, many visitors point and shoot only the top of iconic destinations to avoid photos that include the herd. But on a recent trip to the Mediterranean, we found some of the best shots at ground level while sitting in a sidewalk café.

The sidewalk cafés of Mediterranean cities are a great way to create lasting memories that may never be repeated again. Breaking away from the throngs of tourists visiting Dubrovnik in Croatia and Rome in Italy along with other must-see locations, time spent at local cafés was precious.

If we really want a good look at any of these places, we can Google just about any destination for uncluttered images of whatever we want to see without even going there. Get off a lucky shot during peak tourist season and that’s all the better.

Taking the time to sit and drink it all in at a sidewalk café has made for a more personal experience when traveling, an experience that photos can also capture.

Check this photo gallery that has many of the sidewalk cafés we enjoyed.

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[Photos- Chris Owen]

Study Shows Travel Can Increase Your Sex Appeal

by Jessica Festa on

According to a study done by Intrepid Travel using the online dating site RSVP.com.au, people who travel a lot are seen as more attractive than their non-traveling counterparts. The study found that daring travelers are seen as the sexiest, while 23 percent say adrenaline seekers make their heart race. Moreover, off-the-beaten-path travelers were most attractive to 22 percent, while culture buffs got 16 percent of the votes.

Says Intrepid spokeswoman Jo Stewart, “The attitudes of singles show that a bi-product of travel is that it adds to your sex appeal.”

The study also looked at the behavior of single travelers. Data showed that 96 percent of singles who were passionate about traveling, were also looking for a partner with the same interests. Many single travelers – 72 percent – also dream of meeting someone special on their trips. Ever fantasized about a romantic picnic in Tuscany? Twenty-six percent responded this was their perfect first date, with a sentimental stroll in Paris being their second.

[image via permanently scatterbrained]

Travel Bloggers Unite: A Profile Of The Conference From Umbria, Italy

by Grant Martin on

Assisi, a small town in Umbria, Italy, stands about a mile south of the city center on a quiet country road. I walked here this morning on the gravel shoulder, declining to take the shuttle service in lieu of some exposure to nature. Now I sit on the back patio of this small resort that plays host to the Travel Bloggers Unite conference, quietly jetlagged with a group of weary bloggers.

I’ve come to TBU for a couple of reasons this year, primarily to compare the conference to the American competitor that everyone knows as TBEX and, additionally, to tap into the current psyche of today’s travel blogger. Up next: a talk on how brands can work better with independent bloggers in the main lecture hall of the resort. Later this afternoon: the value of storytelling. There are pre- and post-conference tours scheduled for the attendees as well, but my time only permits a visit to the educational tracks.

It is a small conference this year, with maybe 200 attendees (exact numbers were not available at publication) eagerly scurrying between workshops and networking events. For the size, the resort is a great fit – small enough to house the bloggers and most of the workshops and yet large enough to find a quiet corner. And it’s remote. The bus ride from Fiumicino airport outside of Rome took just under three hours while the journey back will take even longer.

Most of the workshops and talks take place over the course of two days, with networking events and other activities sprinkled in between. Prior to my arrival, for example, there was a workshop on photography with mobile phones, while afterwards, bloggers broke out in groups to explore the rich surrounding area.

Since I arrived too late for the prologue, my first contact with the conference comes at the dinner planned for the group on opening night. It’s a dinner that’s hosted by the resort and the tourism board of Umbria, and like many of the activities this weekend there’s a strong component of local culture that is carefully being presented to the group. As TBU and other conferences grow, I expect more influencers to take larger roles in hosting bloggers, and though there’s an earnest engagement from the attendees, I wonder how many people will write about Assisi only because of this planted seed. Admittedly, however, one cannot expect a conference to run without sponsors, and the interaction between the organizers and the financiers seems to be well respected.

Bloggers, for their part, seem eager to engage with the sponsors, and it’s apparent from the workshops that much of the conference focuses on how to build a marketable site. And that seems to be the difference between TBU and TBEX. Here, their focus lies in enriching one’s personal brand and leveraging the product to work with sponsors. There was plenty of that at TBEX last year as well, but there was also a heavier focus on narrative writing and development. Conversely, TBU only had one workshop on the art of travel writing.

In a way, however, it seemed that most travel bloggers at TBU were comfortable with that ratio. TBEX focused more on the writing side of the equation in 2011, “and that’s where they failed,” one blogger told me. Indeed, as TBEX 2012 starts to take shape, I’m told from several people that the focus will dramatically shift away from writing and over to the business of travel. Those looking to build their writing skills, I was told, should look elsewhere.

For many, however, the value doesn’t really come from the proper workshops or the talks but rather from the networking. In the volumes of criticism produced from last year’s TBEX, one prevailing theme was that it was good to see the broad spectrum of travel personalities in real life and sit down for a few drinks and brainstorming. It’s the reason that I go to TBEX and TBU and the reason that I’ll continue to attend.