Dutch Representatives of the Alliance between Chefs and Slow Food Presidia at Slow Fish 2013

Four chefs from the Dutch Alliance between Chefs and Slow Food Presidia will participate in Slow Fish 2013 in Genoa, Italy this May 9-12, celebrating their local seafood and fishers by bringing their cuisine to the Alliance Bistrot. The chefs will use fresh seafood caught by the Wadden Sea Traditional Fishers Presidium – one of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity Presidia projects to support small-scale producers and fishers who preserve traditional methods  – who will also be present in the Market. 

The Alliance project began in Italy in 2009 and was subsequently launched in the Netherlands in 2012 and in Morocco this year. It now involves more than 350 restaurants, osterias and pizzerias whose chefs commit to using a selection of Presidia products, which are identified on the menu. In the Netherlands, the project currently involves four restaurants – Merkelbach, Pianeta Terra, Al Bácaro and Caffè Toscanini – all of which will be represented at Slow Fish. 

The Dutch chefs will command the lunch shift in the Alliance Bistrot on Sunday May 12 (12:30 – 3.30pm) in the Piazza delle Feste, preparing a menu based on oysters, smoked mullet and other fish from the Wadden Sea Traditional Fishers Presidium. Overall, around twenty chefs will cook at the Alliance Bistrot over the four days of the event, using a wide range of products from the Presidia of the Sea to offer different enticing fish dishes with each sitting. 

Slow Fish will also be an opportunity for Alliance chefs from the three participating countries to come together during the Meeting of the Alliance cooks – which is open to all chefs from the Slow Food network who are visiting the event – to be held on Friday May 10 at 3pm, in Sala Auditorium – Muma.

The Dutch Alliance chefs attending Slow Fish are:

Chef Geert Burema from Merkelbach Restaurant, situated in the historic Huize Frankendael in Amsterdam. Since 2004, Geert has been able to offer a menu at Merkelbach that truly represents his approach to food: the kitchen uses only seasonal vegetables, meat from local farms and the freshest fish. Geert knows where all the ingredients come from and knows many producers that supply him personally.

Fabio Antonini and Laura Martini from Pianeta Terra restaurant in central Amsterdam. For the past thirteen years they have been committed to using organic products and sourcing products from the local region as much as possible. Fish is sourced from local fishers and they never use species that are at risk of extinction. In addition to the Dutch Presidia, they use a selection of Italian Presidia products including Traditional Cetara Anchovy Extract. 

Chef Vezio Furlani from Al Bácaro restaurant – a small piece of Italy in Amsterdam. Furlani says about his cooking: “I like to cook with few ingredients, simple and fresh. I do not want to prepare expensive food. I aim to keep the prices moderate and offer a wide choice of traditional dishes from the Veneto and Puglia.” His food is simple and extraordinary – a dish of chicory, beans and olive oil or perhaps Kempen lamb roasted to perfection – and features Dutch and Italian Presidia products. 

Leonardo Pacenti is chef and co-owner of the well-known Amsterdam restaurant Caffè Toscanini. His cuisine is Italian, drawing inspiration from the traditions of the country’s regions, but he uses many of the Dutch Presidia products as well as several from Italy, including Tuscan Sea Palamita. Leonardo and his colleagues are committed to the careful selection of raw ingredients and local suppliers.

Representatives of the Wadden Sea Traditional Fishers Presidium will also be attending Slow Fish. The Wadden Sea is a unique coastal environment that stretches from northern Netherlands to southern Denmark. The Presidium counts 35 artisan fishermen who continue to use traditional methods to fish along the Dutch coastline using fixed equipment secured to specific points, such as fish pots, long-lines and nets, rather than mobile fishing gear. Each fisher specializes in one or more techniques and works with a limited number of sea species that include mullet, sea bass, white perch, smelts, bot, crabs and mussels. Presidium products will be available at the Slow Fish Market. 

For more information on the Alliance Bistrot: 

http://slowfish.slowfood.it/en/the-alliance-bistrot/