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Food Think Tank

15/10

Michał Czekajło Food Think Tank and “Forest– Installation”

Dining with Michał Czekajło at “Forest – Installation”

The chef of Browar Stu Mostów collaborates with one-of-its-kind craft cooperative: Food Think Tank from Wrocław. As a talented chef, Michał coordinates a team consisting not only of culinary experts but also professionals from many various fields. It’s all about food, cooperation and dialogue. Each project is crowned with an outstanding dinner that provides an unforgettable experience for its guests and inspiration for wider audiences. Each FTT project has been widely commented globally. In the culinary world, FTT protects natural and traditionally produced foods while adopting an open-minded attitude. No wonder, we get on so well and support the project! 🙂

As the title suggests, the core of the installation has been the forest. The FTT experts have completed thorough research as part of individual or team projects. The idea was to look at the forest not only in the context of nature of the 21st century forest has been created.

As the culinary tradition has it, the central point of the dinner was the table. This time, however, it took a highly unconventional form. Much to our surprise, guests interacted with the table not only by tasting the dishes, but also by means of modern IT technologies. On top of the serving order, the element of surprise was provided by light, motion and sound sensors which enriched sensory experiences of the guests. Initially, detached from nature, the forest was gradually recreated and brought back to life thanks to the cooperation of specialists, guests, latest IT and “analogue” technologies.

Seated on stumps around an installation imitating a bonfire, 30 guests were surrounded by layers of the forest installation. With no utensils being available, the guests were given white gloves and wet wipes to clean hands. Each layer of the installation served a new dish corresponding to a specific forest layer. The dishes were served with an excellent pairing of home-made wines by Aleksandra Pawlik and natural wines selected by a Japanese expert, Hirotaka Ikeda. What stimulated the senses were also the smells and sounds of the woods. Each dish had its story and creators:

  • Wild bird egg in a beechwood shell; scones with pine and spruce seeds; root pickles – Justyna Słupska-Kartaczowska (Hotel Monopol)
  • Amanita” cake baked with shitake, boletus and gypsy mushroom flour filled with morel and nutty cream caramel with mastix glaze – Luiza Trisno (Ramen Girl of Yellow Dog)
  • Deer tongues with wild herbs; glazed leaves– Adrian Klonowski (Metamorfoza)
  • Marinated larvae of superwarms served with acorn flour and resin cotton candy – Werda and Karol Karpiak (Szajnochy 11)
  • Liquorice-coated hazel grouse served with acorns – Tomasz Trąbski (VINO E CULTURA) and Semi Hakim (Gastronomika)
  • Blood pancakes; hazelwood jam; cloudberry; raspberry – Krzysztof Klimaszewski (Vju Restaurant) and Natalia Wojtkowska (Szklarnia – The Greenhouse)
  • Wild boar broth cooked with rowan and forest groundwater – Michał Czekajło, Browar Stu Mostów.

The idea behind the FTT collective is equality and collaboration. Each member is an expert in their field and develops their own talent at they own pace. Nobody is forced to master what they don’t specialize in. Food Think Tank is a platform for cooperation. The outcomes of their work revive our culinary identity.

We are really impressed by their work. FTT are not a copy of anything, not of a molecular cuisine, Nordic Food Lab, or Cook it Raw. Although the press is still struggling with naming their culinary movement, the Food Think Tank calls it ROOTS. The name symbolizes traditionally Polish practices: fermenting, making preserves, drying, smoking, or cooking underground. In short, tradition and experience gained throughout 21 centuries, not the 21st century alone. This symbolizes a fresh approach to the roots, rich culture. This is what the ROOTS CUISINE is about. Ask Michał Czekajło for more details. He’s at your disposal at Browar Stu Mostów every day from 12:00 p.m.

We’re publishing a list of specific dishes created by experts of “Forest – Installation” available in selected restaurants. Feel invited to visit us at Długosza Street. We’ve used the FTT press release and an excerpt from the Gault&Millau Polska guidebook. Visit the project at: http://www.foodthinktank.pl/pl/projekt/las-instalacja More information available at: https://www.facebook.com/foodthinktank?fref=nf