Tomorrow is a big day for five chef pairs. February 24th 2016 is the day when five James Beard Foundation Rising-Star chefs together with their Waldorf Astoria Master Chef partners will prepare and present their final dishes to a panel of judges in New York City as the final part of Taste of Waldorf Astoria competition.
Shortly before Christmas last year, I was honoured to travel to Jerusalem to spend a few days in a beautiful Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem hotel, following James Beard Foundation Rising-Star Chef JJ and Waldorf Astoria Master Chef Itzik Barak with my camera.
It was an unforgettable experience and a dream job to photograph and watch two great professionals working their magic in the kitchen and also exploring history and tasting flavours of the region.
After days of cooking, brainstorming, tasting and visiting local markets, the chefs have created their final Taste of Waldorf dish called "The Seven Species". It's Dorade fish cooked with aubergine puree and bread crust served over bulgur salad with homemade tahini and fresh vegetables and herbs. All my favourite ingredients and flavours on one plate.
Needles to say, it was hard to say goodbye to the most comfortable home away from home, serving the best kosher version of the iconic Eggs Benedict (using smoked salmon instead of bacon) and the wonderful team of Taste of Waldorf Astoria. Btw I must have eaten my weight in Eggs Benedict there - this and this are just two of many more I've had! Also there's a short video of the Eggs Benedict by the super talented videographer Tara Sgroi.
Surely, all five chef teams deserve to win, but I truly hope that "The Seven Species" dish will be the new winner.
