Best Chefs in the land.

New York, Spain's 10 best Chefs showed their stuff. Each chef showed some of the traditional Spanish techniques and previewed some of their latest work.

They each spoke as they worked about their philosophy and passion for cooking. As they listened attendees had a chance to taste wines, olive oils, Hamon and other Spanish delights.

Juan Mari Arzak

Arzak, San Sebastián

Revered as the father of New Basque Cooking, Chef Arzak’s food bridges the gap between traditional Spanish cuisine and todays fusion cooking.

Chef Arzak he worked on four dishes which are his trade mark as far as his food. While he worked he said, “In my entire life, I haven’t eaten anything I haven’t had fun making.” He went on the say, his work is accessible and can be made by anyone cooking at home.

The dishes included, Steamed Shrimp, Apple Juice and Almond Oil,
Chopped baby squid were covered with a “veil”, Burned leeks and he finished with roasted Pineapple with Piña Colada bubbles.

Arzak's food is diverse and just plain good.

Enrique Martínez

Restaurant Maher, Navarre

In a meat loving country like Spain, Enrique Martínez is the chef with the magic touch when it comes to vegetables.

He speaks about the medicinal properties of vegetables and the importance of supporting the Organic farmers. He stresses the more pure the vegetables the better the flavor. And his food proves him out.

In the area of Spain, Navarre, where Chef Martínez lives and has his Restaurant Maher, the climate is rather arid. But this arid climate not only produces fantastic vegetables, but they grow them with a limited water supply. Martínez respects water and has developed a method of condensing as a form of cooking. He demonstrated his Grilled Codfish and Vegetables in Vitamin Brothmulti-vitamin.

Another trademark technique of Chef Martínez a salt crusted roasted vegetable, such as fennel or carrots. The method leaves the vegetable tender with tender center concentrated with flavor.

Perhaps the Chefs most powerful quality is his smile, which he does allot!

Dani García

El Calima, Marbella

When it comes to energy, Chef Garcia leads the pack> The chef started by bringing out his big toy – a tank of liquid nitrogen.

Loading an emulsion of sherry, tomato water and olive oil into a whipped cream dispenser, and then into a into the liquid nitrogen bath for just a few seconds.

The mixture instantly froze into what he calls “popcorn” which he then serves with oysters topped with olive oil, tomato and cherry.

For an Andalusian, this dish would trigger taste memories of familiar dishes, but be in a completely different form. This is the chefs magic, he plays with your senses!

The chef uses liquid nitrogen to create a frozen "crispy" skin around Iberian ham, which he tops with a mixture of ground dehydrated peas and bread crumbs, covered by a poached quail egg. Using the whipped cream dispenser again to spray a ham-infused cream into the liquid nitrogen, creating a “cloud” with a crunchy skin, which then serves promptly.

The “cloud” rest on top of the eggs, so that when you break through the cloud, you find the soft quail yolk waiting for you. Perhaps this is a new twist on an old Andalusian dish of peas, ham, and eggs.

Chefs Garcia make food an adventure and fun. Well worth the trip to Marbella!

Quique Dacosta

El Poblet, Denia, Alicante

In his restaurant El Poblet, Chef Quique Dacosta plays with the traditional cuisine of his home-region, Alicante. He began his career in Alicante at the age of 17. The city is located on the eastern coast of Spain, giving his food Mediterranean influence with a twist.

Veil with Creamy Parmesan, favored by 6 Basils and Pine Nuts. This dish dispalys teh chef's concept of creating “Landscapes”. By using the local influences in the ingredients he echos the landscape in the flavor and appearance of the dish.

He uses six types of basil – including lemon basil, purple basil, and sweet basil, mixed with pine nuts, diced apple, and Parmesan. The decorations convey a texture and flavor supporting the landscape concept.

The chef's Tea-Lacquered Foie Gras with Aloe Vera and Stevia Rebaudiana is another dish to try. Chef Dacosta is not a fan of seared foie gras, "who likes the taste of burnt fat"? So he put's his own twist on the dish. When the Foie Gras is paired with a powder of aloe vera and stevia leaves, the dish takes on an open and lighter feel.

Chef Quique Dacosta landscapes are something to behold... Try to get into one as soon as possible!

Martín Berasategui

Lasarte, San Sebastian

With almost every international culinary award, including 3 Michelin stars, Martín Berasategui is a force to be reckoned with. Naturally coming from the Basque area of Spain which has the highest ratio of Michelin stars-to-population in the world, Martin has place his restaurant.

Perhaps the concentration of international culinary award winning chefs in this area is partially due to the efforts of Chef Berasategui’s nurturing of young chefs. The list includes, Andoni Luis Aduriz of Mugaritz, and Josean Martínez Alija at the Guggenheim Bilbao.

Berasategui’s starter was Cod Cheeks with Veil of Cockles and Herbaceous Peas. Smothered in sparkling white wine was then decorated with edible flowers.The Veil and Cockles complement each other in a unexpected dance of flavors leaving you wanting another bite. The wine sauce tickles your tongue and refresh the pallet.

Chef Berasategui also specializes in several other dishes, including Sous-ide cooked lobe of Foie Gras with salt and sugar, then served with a "to die for" horseradish cream, seasoned cauliflower all covered with a bath of liquefied Spanish red grapes.

If you ever find yourself in San Sebastian, be sure to visit Lasarte and Chef Berasategui. You will be glad you did!

Paco Torreblanca

Pastelería Totel, Alicante & Madrid

If you considered Chef Torreblanca the best pastry chef in the world you would not be alone. If it's true the fruit does not fall far from the tree, his sons are following in his footsteps.

If you were an American you may not know the name. But within a short time the audience was amazed as this virtuoso went to work. By the end of the Chef's session the crowd applauded openly to what had just transpired in front of them.

His technique was simple and yet stunning as he pressed a rake-shaped mold into a pan of dried cornstarch, which left divots to be filled with combination of simple sugar syrup and liquor. The pan was when covered with another generous helping of cornstarch, and left to rest. The cornstarch beads shined like diamonds.

Then he went to work on the drizzle, melting isomalt sugar and slowly heated. The syrup was then poured over a ring mold and allowed to cool. Chef Torreblanca then carefully picked up the mold and created a gorgeous clear cylinder. He then filled the cylinder with dried fruit or fresh fruit. If one uses the fresh fruit and pulls it without letting it dry, you could create a tear-dropped-shaped candy.

This is the easy and creativity of Chef Torreblanca, simplicity with artfulness.

Alberto Chicote & Paco Roncero

NODO, Madrid & La Terraza del Casino, Madrid

Each of these world class chefs have their own restaurants. Be that as it may they elected to present together. A collabaration on special dishes for this event

Chef Roncero said taking advantage of this opportunity to work whit another creative mind is a treat. He was sure new techniques were soon to follow.”

The chefs began by separating the carotene from juiced carrots and emulsifying it with Arbequina olive oil,they then added methyl cellulose to create a gel.

They then put the remaining juice and water in an drip system espresso pot with smoked tuna powder. Dripping the carrot gel into the pot with a syringe the result was smoky tuna carrot broth. The creation was a wonderful noodle soup top with editable flowers and bits of herbs.

Using the methyl cellulose again the two extracted the liquid from manchego cheese, emulsified it with oil resulting in a smooth butter. They then added carbon dioxide and more methyl cellulose to the butter. Thefoamy butter was then rapped in bok choy leaves, and placed it in molds.The whole creation would than be smoked over grape-vine trimmings for a day.

With the slow heat the methyl cellulose butter forms a spreadable cheese, bursting with but different textures and dynamic flavors. The cheese was then spread on toasted fresh bread with tomato and tuna ham. A familiar tapas with a new twist. Chicote commented, Something, a flavor, you know for your emotions to grab on to.

This dance of the Masters rendered something new with something known.

Joan Roca

El Celler de Can Roca, Girona & Moo, Barcelona

Joan Roca and his brothers Jordi, the pastry chef, and Josep, the sommelier, operate the celebrated restaurant El Celler de Can Roca. Known for his work with aroma and flavor, Chef Roca's avant garde experiments utilize the two with precision and mastery.

His latest experiments included his paprika-scented smoked bowels. The smoke bowels are beneath the main dish which is suspended on top with plastic wrap. As the diner eats, the smoke scent is released in whiffs of aroma.

Is molecular gastronomy spectacle or experiential? . Joan Roca’s thinks both. For instance take his famous “Treasure Island” dish. The chef starts by digging soil from his yard and then places it into a vacuum distiller machine to extract its essence. The resulting scent is clean and direct. He then foams the aroma with CO2, quickly served on top of oysters and a mussels.

And then their is his "Eternity" by Calvin Klein dessert. Jordi Roca creates this dish with all of the notes of the perfume. The scent is launched into a basil sauce, a vanilla cream sause. Also they do a frozen mandarin, orange blossoms, maple syrup and bergamot ice cream scented the same way. The next adventure will use "Carolina" by Carolina Herrera, and Tresor by Lancome. The chef comments they are some good they should be tasted as well as smelled.

So if you smell something wonderful coming from Girona, you now know what is is.

Ferran Adrià

El Bulli, Roses, Spain

El Bulli, has been labeled the home of the world’s best chef. Chef Adrià concentrates on avant garde cuisine, and half of the year off line inventing new techniques and creating original dishes in his laboratory.

Chef Adrià speaks openly about his food and his philosophy. To him Haute Cuisine means that a dish must be sufficiently thought provoking to invite exploration.

The history of a technique nust be known and built upon. Let's take foams, it is important to know their history. If you work with spherification, it is important to know the history of spherification. The most famous application of this technique is Adrià’s liquid olives, a dish which looks like a normal olive but is far more when they explode with flavor in the mouth.

The technique was originally developed in 2003, as a result of industrial application of alginates at a factory down the road. When a puree is combined with sodium alginate, injected into a bath of calcium carbonate magic happens. The resulting spheres remain liquid inside for less than five or six minutes before harding all the way.

In 2005, inverse spherification was developed by adding calcium chlorate to the food and submerging drops into a sodium alginate bath they were able to create spheres that did not harden.

Adrià then demonstrated two of his latest techniques: a thin shell coconut milk garnish for a dessert. Adrià took a metal spoon, dipped it in liquid nitrogen, then coated the back of it with coconut milk, resulting in a fragile frozen shell which was then freeze-dried.

Ferran Adrià appeared to be the draw of the day. Perhaps as a result of being the most well documented.