Top Five: MAD Takeaways from Eli Kulp
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
Kulp's Copenhagen observations.
Eli Kulp and Jon Nodler, whose efforts at A.Bar are reviewed in this week's issue, were among the chefs present at MAD, chef Rene Redzepi of Noma's fourth annual Copenhagen food conference, last month.
"Being there amongst the movers and shakers in our industry and many being the best in their specific disciplines was something to behold," says Kulp. "[It was] such a intense concentration of specialist in the culinary world." Chefs like Albert Adria, Roy Choi, Fulvio Pierangelini and Chris Cosentino ("who told a cautionary tail of chasing celebrity in todays industry") gave talks during the multi-day symposium. We asked Kulp for his top five takeaways.
- 5. "The Noma and MAD team are the most thoughtful, badass, creative and hospitable group I've ever encountered. Just an example of it; Rene Redzepi stood at the entrance each day and personally shook each of the 700 guests hands. Just a small gesture that wasn't lost on me or anyone else".
- 4. "[LA urban gardener] Ron Finley is the baddest dude you've never heard of. Making huge strides to combat health issues in the food wasteland that is South Central. He is now taking his show on the road. Would be great to see how his approach could help improve food in impovrished neighborhoods in Philadelphia."
- 3. "How bad the current food chain in conventional farming is and how much food goes to waste at the beginning of the food chain at the farm level. Approximately 40% of the world's food produced is lost at the farm level because it doesn't fit into the 'spec' size and shapes that commercial buyers demand. But there are people out there, like Isabel Soares with Fruita Feia from Lisbon, changing that."
- 2. "Socially, chefs have more responsibility then ever before to be the change that the world needs. We can have an impact . Hearing guys like Roi Choi and Daniel Patterson talk about their new fast food concept, Loco'l; [it] is going to change the fast food landscape by going toe-to-toe with the big dogs."
- 1. "At the end of the day, we are all cooks trying to make people happy by cooking real, inspired food. And that's what cooking is."
