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WIZZ MAGAZINE
iving up the job of executive chef
on The World, a luxury yacht with
some of the world’s wealthiest
patrons, to focus on a wholly new concept
in Romania is no standard career move. But
that’s what Dutch chef Paul Oppenkamp
did when he and his Romanian wife Mihaela
opened The Artist in Bucharest last year.
“
I could have stayed there and enjoyed a
long career,” says Oppenkamp. ”But after I
met my wife, we frequently visited Romania
on our time off over the next six years.
Increasingly we noticed that the food culture
in the city was changing, expanding, and
taking off in lots of exciting new directions,
especially in terms of foreign cuisine
and fine dining. Bucharest was already
a very cosmopolitan city, and we saw an
opportunity to open a restaurant with a truly
modern and very different concept. Last
year, we decided to do just that. It was a
case of now or never.”
FOOD
C a n
F o o d
b e A r t ?
Paul Oppenkamp, chef at Bucharest’s
The Artist restaurant, believes so
That concept is food as art.
It is a way of taking food a step
further, says Oppenkamp.
“
I see food as a painting or
a sculpture. It takes time,
dedication, imagination
and patience. Creating
dishes is a process of trial
and error. You need to
study cooking techniques
and then go even further
and look at the science behind cooking.
“
For me, a perfect dish is a combination
of its visual appearance, its smell and
its taste. If it’s all done well and you use
enough imagination, then there is no
reason why a dish can’t be as beautiful
as a painting.”
For many local foodies, it’s his ability
to create works of art from the most
traditional, and sometimes simple,
Romanian dishes that has been the
most surprising aspect.
Sarmale
–
cabbage leaves stuffed (usually) with
rice and pork – are transformed by
replacing pork with lobster,
while for dessert, traditional
Romanian doughnuts,
papanasi
,
are given a twist of sour ice
cream and oranges.
“
We also like to interact
with our diners,” he explains.
“
Whether it’s having a guest
G
“
I SEE FOOD AS
A PAINTING OR A
SCULPTURE. IT TAKES
TIME, DEDICATION,
IMAGINATION
AND PATIENCE”
WORDS BY CRAIG TURP
