6.12.2016 | Restaurants

Finding our roots

Chatting with Dmitri Rooz and Dimitri Demjanov about the upcoming Bocuse d’Or culinary competition, the changing face of Estonian gastronomy, and food as tourism.

Dmitri Rooz, Chef de cuisine at Farm restaurant (Müürivahe 27 /Viru 11, Tallinn Old Town) is Estonia’s finalist in the prestigious Bocuse d’Or culinary competition. Rooz placed among the top 12 in the European semi-finals back in the spring in Budapest and will now go on to compete with 24 chefs representing 24 countries from around the world. It’s not Rooz’s first attempt at Bocuse d’Or glory. In 2010 he missed the finals, but since then has worked hard at his second chance. Practicing for this competition is not unlike training for the Olympics. Hours upon hours go into cooking. I asked Rooz if he was tired of cooking Bresse chicken and crayfish, the main ingredients for the platter he has to prepare in Lyon. He replied with a smile: “we’re almost nearing the end of training”.

Rooz went off to the kitchen to prepare his take on some classic Estonian and Christmas dishes, while I continued to talk with Estonia’s best-known chef and promoter of Estonian gastronomy, Dimitri Demjanov. Estonia has been competing at Bocuse d’Or since 2008, when they received their first invitation and every year Demjanov has been coaching Estonia’s culinary talents through training and the final competitions.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Bocuse d’Or and to celebrate the occasion, Bresse chicken and crayfish will be the theme of the platter to be presented to the judges. “It’s both a tribute to the origins of the contest and to see the development of culinary innovation over the past 30 years”, explains Demjanov. While the theme is a play on the famous recipe “Chicken and crayfish” from Lyon where the finals take place every two years in January, chefs can choose other shellfish like lobster or langoustine.

“In the beginning, Bocuse d’Or was very French centric. It wasn’t until 2006 when Nordic countries started winning, setting the stage for the development of New Nordic cuisine. To start a new cuisine, it begins with new ideas, to take what’s old and reconstruct it. New cuisine is not improv, it starts with a solid foundation, the right combination of flavours and the search for the best ingredients”, continues Demjanov.

“While we have many talented young chefs here in Estonia, food culture starts at home, something that hasn’t quite developed here in Estonia. In 2010 the conference Food is Future, was held in Estonia and this is where we learned that Estonian cuisine belongs to Nordic cuisine and less to Baltic cuisine. There is a strong seasonal influence in our food and the short summers boast preservation of the what’s grown in summer”. The next step, according to Demjanov is to find the ingredients that reflect each season, as well as different regions, much like AOC does in France, or DOCG in Italy. This will not only promote food domestically, but will promote culinary tourism to Estonia as well. The question remains, how do we choose which food or ingredients?

Gastronomy is constantly evolving, from molecular gastronomy seen at El Bulli to New Nordic cuisine at Noma. Estonia is not France, nor will it ever be, but it can adopt some of the same philosophies, teaching proper, healthy, seasonal eating from an early age at home and at school, according to Demjanov. While we can’t all be top chefs, the Bocuse d’Or gives young chefs something to work towards, a place to showcase their talents on an international stage. Estonia’s improved rankings each year at the competition show that Demjanov’s hard work is paying off.