For sommelier-chef food and wine are the same

SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) - Sommelier turned Michelin star chef Sang Hoon Degeimbre believes food and wine should not only complement each other but become each other.

Belgium-based Degeimbre, who specializes in molecular or scientific cuisine, constantly seeks to recreate the bouquet of wines in his dishes, which has resulted in unusual combinations such as veal cheeks with dried tobacco, cherries and olives.

"Food and wine are one and the same, they require a refined taste," Degeimbre said during a recent visit to Singapore, where he took part in a global gourmet event.

"Cooking and wine-making is all about preserving the flavors and my training as a sommelier has helped me very much find an association between the two that some might find bizarre."

Adopted as a child from Korea, Degeimbre grew up in Belgium where he worked as a waiter and then a sommelier for several famous venues, such as La Truffe Noire. In 1997, aged 30, he opened his own restaurant, "L'Air du Temps".

Not content with running his kitchen without formal training, Degeimbre threw himself into molecular gastronomy, preferring to tackle food with a scientific, creative approach that earned him a Michelin star in 2000 and several gourmet awards.

Signature dishes include foie gras custard creams, bacon and parsley root mousse, pigeon with a hot jelly of peas and carrot, as well as the liberal use of liquid nitrogen.

Q: Is molecular gastronomy all about the spectacle?

A: No, it is a way of cooking that helps bring different textures out of food, but it does not compromise on quality or taste. We use liquid nitrogen not for show, but to enhance the taste. For example, you can make a meringue at the last minute using molecular techniques that make it taste even more crispy and even more moist.

Q: Has your background in wine helped you as a chef?

A: Being a sommelier refines your taste and this has helped me very much in preserving the flavor of the food. But I also like to enhance this flavour by reproducing the flavors of the wine into the food. If you use wine to cook, the heat makes it lose its flavour, but you can get a better taste by combining the ingredients that give the wine flavour with the flood.

Q: What is your favorite ingredient?

A: I adore versatile ingredients like scallops and beetroot because you can make them salty, acidic or sweet. Scallops especially are a good base for many dishes.

Q: Do your Korean origins influence your cooking?

A: Like all other European chefs, I combine Asian ingredients like ginger and coriander, but I don't feel particularly Asian. My home is Belgium. I love the food of my country, but I also love to experiment and am open minded.

Q: How would you define your cooking style?

A: I respect food. I respect flavors. And even though it is molecular cuisine, my food is more spectacular when it enters your mouth than when you see it."

L'Air du temps

Chaussee de Louvain 181

5310 Nouville sur-Mehaigne, Belgium

www.airdutemps.be