subject: Chef Inaki Aizpitarte – Without Biases, He Was Able to Conquer His Craft [print this page] Chef Inaki Aizpitarte Without Biases, He Was Able to Conquer His Craft
Picturesque and charming those are the words that one would use to describe Le Chateaubriand. Those are the words that the restaurant's chef, Inaki Aizpitarte will use to describe his beloved restaurant. Indeed, at first glance, those are the words that will immediately come to mind
The restaurant is positively charming. Its high ceilings, dark-wood bar and retro atmosphere offer a truly remarkable dining experience. The cooking is definitely the icing on the cake and the one ingredient that truly complements its surrounding. Now, if the atmosphere is retro, the cooking is definitely not. Chef Aizpitarte offers modern dishes that are cooked to perfection.
Chef Inaki Aizpitarte definitely knows his craft. He is also fairly open to innovative cuisines and various cooking techniques. He is actually quite open to just about anything. He draws inspiration from many famous chefs like Pascal Barbot and Michel Bras. He studies their techniques and incorporates these techniques into his cooking. He has always been inspired by these chefs, but nobody has ever inspired him as much as his mother did.
In fact, he would probably argue that his mother is a better cook than a hundred world-class chefs combined. He continually draws inspiration from his mother cooking. It is this exact ability that has been allowed him to open himself up to unparalleled heights when it comes to his craft. People respond to this. Critics and customers alike are drawn to Le Chateaubriand's doors in order to experience what Chef Aizpitarte has to offer. And this self-taught chef never fails to impress his customers and critics.
In truth, it is this lack of education or formal training that ultimately defined his cooking. He was not influenced by anyone at the start. He did not have biases or preferences. He was open to just about everything whatever catches his fancy, if you must. Over time, he was able to learn various cooking techniques and tricks that have allowed him to create truly wonderful dishes. It is not surprising why Le Chateaubriand has managed to grab the 40th spot in El Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants 2009. Chef Aizpitarte truly deserves the honor.
A self-confessed autodidactic, he discovered culinary arts by chance. He did not know that he actually loved cooking until after he started whipping up dishes. He discovered that he actually liked cooking and he wanted to do it more and more. He learned that he actually had the knack for it. Without the financial means to pursue a culinary education, he applied himself to learning by studying various chefs at work. Learning was easy for him because cooking comes easy to him. You can probably say that to Chef Inaki Aizpitarte, cooking is as easy as breathing.
