Chef Alex Atala (of Sao Paolo's D.O.M., ranked #6 in the world), continues his global tour to promote 1) his new cookbook and 2) the ingredients of Amazonian cuisine. In this Google Talk moderated by Lucky Peach's Chris Ying (that occurred the same week as Atala's talk with Ying collaborator David Chang), Atala once again addresses the expectations of Brazilian diners, his passionate use of Amazon ingredients, and the importance of letting that passion be known. "We always have eyes for other cultures," Atala says about Brazilians in general. "We never look at our cultures with pride."
Atala also argues that cuisine — especially "high gastronomy" — is "not only for rich people." After all, "creativity is not doing something that nobody's done before. It's doing something that everybody does, better." Go, watch:
Video: Alex Atala, "D.O.M.: Rediscovering Brazilian Ingredients"
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