Chef Jose Luis Gonzalez OF VASK Demonstrates at The Maya Kitchen

This March 15 2014, Saturday, The Maya Kitchen and Chef Jose Luis Gonzalez of Vask Restaurant will be showing us some of the well known recipes of the northern Spain specifically the Basque Country.

Chef Gonzalez, the executive chef of Vask, Modern Tapas & Gastronomic Cuisine in Bonifacio Global City is a native of Santander, Northern Spain. Been practicing his culinary expertise at a very young age.

Chef Chele, as he is fondly called, finished his degree at Artxanda, Bilbao. His culinary acumen and attention to detail earned him a referral at the restaurant of Juan Mari Arzak, acknowledged as the Father of Modern Spanish Cuisine. He went on to work in the world’s most respected restaurants, such as El Bulli, El Celler de Can Roca, Mugaritz, and Nerua-Guggenheim.

Chef Gonzalez will be preparing known Basque seafood recipes like:

Pulpo a la Gallega Tradional or Galician Octopus is the signature dish of Galicia in the North of Spain. Octopus and potato are boiled and then garnished with paprika, rock salt and olive oil.

Pulpo a la Gallega Modern is a dish where the octopus is boiled, then smoked and grilled. The paprika is made with bread crumbs giving it a crispy texture. Instead of boiled potato, the potato is made into a foam.

Bakalao al Pil Pil with Pipperada is a traditional dish from the Basque Country (el Pais Vasco) and is well known all over Spain and popular with Spaniards and tourists alike. It is made with salt cod, garlic and olive oil. It is “sabroso” or tasty with the pil pil sauce, which is an emulsion sauce made with olive oill and natural gelatin of the fish. Piperrada is a typical Basque dish prepared with onion, green peppers, red bell peppers and tomatoes

Scallop Black Ink Risotto. In the Basque Country they do not have paella, they have risotto instead. The dish is a modern risotto where the flavors are traditionally combined but cooked with a modern twist.

For more information on this event, you can log on to www.themayakitchen.com or e-mail [email protected] or visit The Maya Kitchen Culinary Center every Tuesday to Saturday at 8F Liberty Building, 835 A. Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road), Makati City or call 8921185 / 892-5011 local 108.

If you are interested on the works of Chef Gonzalez, his restaurant, Vask Modern Tapas & Gastronomic Cuisine is situated at on the 5th Floor, Clipp Center, 11th Avenue Corner, 39th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. You can also check their facebook page here.
Anyway, this cooking event is sponsored by Vask seafood supplier, Mida Food Distributors, a leading supplier of seafood to major hotels and restaurants. Maya Kitchen and Chef Gonzalez prepared this event for the recipe ideas for coming Lenten season.