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Not a farewell but a pause

Posted by amaia | Fecha: 28-11-2013

Posted in BasqueStage

Since we launched this project in 2009 during Star Chefs Congress in NYC , we have worked on this project with enthusiasm , even devotion – it’s been an exciting task we have strongly believed in.

The different editions of this project have succeeded – with great success. The team that has managed it have devoted body and soul to it. We have introduced slight changes in the scholarship programs to make it even more interesting …

… but the project needs more . Not to survive , but to improve .

To remain a Great Scholarship .

For this reason, we have allowed ourselves a break, during which we are already thinking of new formulas that will allow us to share projects of great interest with culinary students and young chefs from around the world .

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have made this initiative possible : Martín Berasategui , Roberto Ruiz , Xarma Restaurant , Sammic , Ezkurtxerri , Aroa , DeliFunArt / La Salsera , Culinary Schools , all the Candidates and the lucky Winners …

… we will be back soon!

pause

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Basque Cuisine at Xarma

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Posted by marti | Fecha: 01-06-2013

Posted in BasqueStage

Tagged: BasqueStage, Sammic, xarma

You may have been wondering how our Sammic Rising Stars Scholar Justin has been holding up on his BasqueStage experience.  Well, the answer, as you may be able to guess from the ‘tomato salad’ above, is….fabulous.

Justin’s three-month stage is at Xarma Restaurant, in San Sebastián. Xarma’s guiding principles are freshness, color, attention to vegetables as well as proteins.  It’s a youthful cuisine, open to incorporating elements and techniques from other cuisines. It’s playful and vibrant.

The young chefs at the helm, Aizpea Oihaneder and Xabi Díez, bring technique and innovation to the table at their small restaurant. Their combination of commitment to the best Basque produce and their willingness to experiment makes Xarma a very special spot.

For more updates on Justin’s adventures, follow him on his blog. To check out Xarma’s menu, visit their website.

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Aroa

Posted by marti | Fecha: 27-05-2013

Posted in BasqueStage

Tagged: aroa, BasqueStage, getaria

Perhaps you’ve been wondering where Susy, our Sammic Top Chef Scholar, ended up after her stint at Ezkurtxerri, the pork farmers.  Well, she’s been working the fields above Getaria at Aroa, one of Basque Country’s most exquisite farms.

And the verdict? It’s pretty back-breaking, if beautiful work.  Beautiful because the people at Aroa are devoted to producing the finest vegetables, herbs, and fruits. One of their legendary products are their guisantes de lágrima, or tear-shaped peas.

Absolutely beautiful both raw and cooked (as is much of Jaime Burgana’s produce), these peas are sold at premium prices (think 200-300 euros a kilogram).  It’s all in the care, the cost of seeds, and the labor that goes into their collection.

For more details on Susy’s next destination, stay tuned to her blog and follow us on Twitter.

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Ezkurtxerri

Posted by marti | Fecha: 10-05-2013

Posted in BasqueStage

Tucked away in the hills outside of San Sebastián, there is a small family business that is devoted to producing the finest pork products this side of Basque Country: Ezkurtxerri. This is where our Top Chef Sammic Scholar Susy Santos is currently stationed, after her stage at Restaurant Martín Berasategui.

She’s learning the artisan secrets to making traditional products like txistorra, chorizo, and headcheese from the folks at Ezkurtxerri.  They take a special pride in the sustainable way they raise their animals.  Their pigs live free, roaming the hills around the caserío , or country house.  They dine on acorns, herbs, and mushrooms.

After four months in a Michelin-star kitchen, Susy is stretching her limbs and her culinary skills with this very special Basque producer. Two weeks with Ezkurtxerri and then onto another artisan.  Stay tuned!

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Bye to Berasategui

Posted by marti | Fecha: 29-04-2013

Posted in BasqueStage

Our Sammic Top Chef Scholar Susy Santos has finished the Michelin-starred chapter of her BasqueStage: her time at Restaurant Martín Berasategui. A high-pressure kitchen using top of the line equipment and techniques. Expectations were high, and many hours were spent meeting them. Now Susy moves on to the second part of her stage.

She will be working with some of the producers that make the  culinary world go around in Basque country. These will include: a pork producer, a gourmet gardener, and a rural bakery.  Stay tuned for updates on her travels and excursions!

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Where are They Now?

Posted by marti | Fecha: 18-04-2013

Posted in BasqueStage

So what is going on with Top Chef Sammic Scholar Susy and Rising Star Scholar Justin?

In their free time, they’re eating pintxos  and meeting local producers. But make no mistake that they are on the clock most of the week. Justin will be spending his three-month stage in the kitchen of Xarma restaurant, and he’s already dove right in, preparing plates like the foie gras bonbon below:

Susy is in her fourth month at Martín Berasategui, where she is crafting plates like this one:

But crafting them, mind you, from the very start to the very finish.  As Susy and Justin are learning, no chef’s education is complete without an understanding of the faces and the land behind the food.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep closer tabs on the whereabouts of Justin and Susy!

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Meet Justin, Sammic Rising Star Scholar

Posted by marti | Fecha: 17-04-2013

Posted in BasqueStage

Tagged: justin

Our new Sammic Rising Star Scholar, Justin Legaspi, has finally arrived to Basque Country. A graduate of the Art Institute of Seattle’s culinary program, Justin has been working several years at a Spanish/Basque restaurant in Seattle called Harvest Vine.   He will be learning about Basque culture, landscapes and food while staging at the restaurant Xarma in San Sebastián.  Meanwhile, he answers a few questions for inquiring minds:

What are your first impressions of Basque Country?

I’m just in disbelieve like this exists. From the people to the scenery to the food, everything about this place is gorgeous.

What’s the best thing you’ve eaten so far?

Probably either the antxoas con creama de centolla (vinegar cured anchovies with creamy crab sauce) at bar txepetxa. Or the cochinillo (suckling pig) from la cuchara. Both have been the best bites in my life.

 What are your impressions of Xarma?

I am really enjoying it. Chef Xabi and Aizpea are both very talented people that I’m learning a lot. Of course there’s the added challenge of me not speaking a lick of Spanish, but they are actually being really helpful about it!

More on Justin, Xarma, and the Sammic Rising Stars Scholarship to come!

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Goodbye, Clifton!

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Posted by marti | Fecha: 15-04-2013

Posted in BasqueStage

Our I Rising Star Sammic Scholar, Clifton Su, officially finished his three-month stage in the countryside of Basque Country.  After staging at Roberto Ruiz’s Fronton, TPT, and solana.4 pintxo bar, he is off to America to continue his culinary journey.  But not before we fit in a goodbye lunch, at Etxebarri in Bizkaia, Basque Country.

Feasting on all manner of smoked and grilled meats and vegetables wasn’t a bad way to send off one of our BasqueStages.  The goose barnacles, a local delicacy, were gigantic and spot on.

Sea cucumber with fava beans, all grilled to a perfect smoky state. The tasting menu was incredible, and you can read more about it on Clifton’s blog. A great way to say goodbye.

Sammic and BasqueStage will miss you, Clifton. Ondo pasa and come back soon!

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Etxeko Bob’s Beer

Posted by marti | Fecha: 20-03-2013

Posted in BasqueStage

Educating young chefs doesn’t stop in the kitchen. Sure, there’s a lot to learn under any chef, much less a Michelin-starred one. But a well-rounded cook knows his artisans as well as his knife skills.

That’s why we packed up recently to visit Etxeko Bob’s, an artisan brewery in the south of France.  This microbrewery makes about 60,000 liters of rich, flavorful brews.  Bob is an English expatriate who has been brewing about seven years.

He works with local restaurants of the highest caliber, designing beer-focused pairings.  He personally supplies, in his retro blue truck, bars and businesses in the area. His beers range from traditional to experimental, such as his smoked beer.  With labels that rely on Basque folklore, raw materials that include water from the neighboring mountains, Bob’s beer has a distinct flavor that can partly be attributed to the terroir of Hasparren, where the brewery is located.

The stages enjoyed a tour of the small premises, learning about the art of beer crafting and the less art-y side of opening a business in a foreign country. Hard work, but always with a good beer at the end of the day to reward you.

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Susy in the Star Kitchen

Posted by marti | Fecha: 18-03-2013

Posted in BasqueStage

As you probably know, Susy, our Top Chef Sammic Scholar, is well into her stage at Restaurant Martín Berasategui.

So how tough is it to be integrated into this level of restaurant’s kitchen culture? “By week two I’d added about 50 new words to my Spanish vocab. I felt 110% more comfortable on the station and in the restaurant, ” says Susy.

One of the major pluses of working at a restaurant of this caliber is the product that comes through the door. From purveyors that bring their catch an  hour after they catch it to exotic ingredients, there are plenty of opportunities to be impressed.  Check out Susy’s photo of some very rare marine life that came in recently. Anyone know what they are?

Yep. Baby eels, that sell for over $1000 a kilogram.

If that doesn’t inspire a sense of awe at work, we don’t know what would.  And Susy does feel that pride, it appears, about her team on the fish station: “We are the cleanest, fastest, most efficient station in the restaurant. I also think we have the best group of cooks. ”

Read more and check out more pictures on her blog.

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