He is a fascinating personality, the quintessential chef, entrepreneur and culinary genius, Wolfgang Puck, is one of the world’s most celebrated chefs. A hit with celebrities, royalty and Presidents alike, he has received several Michelin stars and even won a Daytime Emmy Award for his cooking show.
As he celebrates 50 years of his culinary journey, Life N Style sat down with him over lunch at ‘The Cut by Wolfgang Puck’ at the Four Seasons, to talk about his life experiences, his favourite place to eat in Bahrain and his advice to someone starting out as a chef today.
“For someone wanting to get into the cooking business today, I would ask them to go learn how to cook. A lot of young people these days want to become a chef, be on television, or own a restaurant right away. It takes time to learn the basics and to know how to get things right. So learn it at somebody else’s expense and then you can do all that.”
CATERING AT THE OSCAR’S GOVERNOR’S BALL
Wolfgang Puck has been catering at the Oscars’ Governor’s ball for almost 30 years and along the way, he has realised that his chicken pot pie is a crowd favourite, with Barbara Streisand and Prince Albert of Monaco being the biggest fans of the dish.
We asked him to share some of his fondest memories from the event and he revealed something very interesting. “It’s a really great event especially since we know most of the celebrities who come really well. What is really funny this year, is that one of the writers for ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’, used to work as a waitress at the Governors Ball and now she is nominated for an Oscar. So I think they’re going to be fun”, says Puck. (The movie was nominated for nine Oscars including Best Adapted Screenplay)
INCORPORATING LOCAL INGREDIENTS
Wolfgang’s visit to Bahrain during the Formula One season is highly awaited and he has been making the trip for the last eight years. Chef Puck is known for his fusion style where he incorporates fresh local ingredients to elevate his dishes.“We always go to the farmer’s market and the fish market to select the best local produce and ingredients. For example, we do this black sea bass that the people who enjoy fish love – and it’s local. However,we do not have cows running around here so we import the meat from Europe and America, mostly from America because we get the best steaks there”, says Chef Puck.
FAVOURITE BAHRAINI RESTAURANT
A pioneer of fusion cuisine, Wolfgang Puck’s vision and unique creativity bridged tradition and invention, allowing him to create cuisines that transcended culture and conventionalism. The inherent fusion in Bahraini cuisine appeals to him, “I think it is really interesting because it is influenced by several cuisines including Arabic and Indian. They use spices a lot including saffron, and pepper among others giving it a lot of flavours and I love that.”
“My favourite thing to do when I come to Bahrain is to go to Haji’s Cafe and have breakfast. They have all different kinds of dishes, from beans to meat, they have everything. I really like their yoghurt, honey, and the sweet noodle dish they have with the egg on top (Balaleet) then they have the little noodles with the egg on top. So I eat a lot of Bahraini traditional dishes, which is important for me because when I come here, I want to feel like I’m in Bahrain.”
You can enjoy the full video and watch how passionately Chef Wolfgang Puck speaks about his journey, the process of creating new delicacies and favourite spots in Bahrain. Click here to watch the full video
