Chef Days – and the world of wonders
Ok. So the Chef Days are an event that takes place once a year in the wonderful city of Graz in Austria, a two-hour drive from Vienna. But why am I telling you this? The reason is simple: It is the place of excitement for all those who are in love with good food, incredible restaurants and especially get excited about news surrounding the chefs who create the best dishes around the world. The fair is set up to be a place to connect with like-minded people, see new developments in gastronomy and generally having a good time (the after party is the perfect argument for that). For the ticket price you get access to the fair, including drinks and of course lots of delicious food.
BUT… the main reason for me to visit the Chef Days is the incredible opportunity to see and hear some of the best chefs from around the world talk and teach cooking. Not in a general way of “how to cut an onion” but in an inspiring way to open your mind to world of food and the possibilities it holds for each and everyone – amateur and professional alike. And man are the lectures amazing! From the Leonardo Da Vinci of cooking Massimo Bottura (Osteria Francescana – Nr.2 Worldwide), to the hot-shot from Peru – the always enchanting Virgilio Martinez (Central – Nr.5 Worldwide) – to Austria’s best cook Heinz Reitbauer (Steirereck – Nr.10 Worldwide) and the funny as hell and former bad boy Tim Raue (Tim Raue – Nr. 48), and that’s just the highest ranked. A dozen more creatives (like the charming Willem Hiele and his restaurant Gastentafel & Lunch) are giving their heart and soul to show everyone that eating is more than just shoving food in your face….it is and should be passion.
I could go on about all the little cool things there – the teaching classes where you actually watch a chef prepare his signature dish and teach you how to do it at the same friggin time, the relaxed people, the after party, the fair design like the oriental bazar by spice producer Kotanyi, the booths – like the tastiest booth by Visit Flanders who even provided tasty beer from the Beer Lovers and so on….but why bother. At this time either you already started planning to come here next year or you stopped reading ;).
So see you next year! I will be there for sure. Holla!
Chef Days
