SF Bay Area Star Chefs Do International Kitchen Swap In The Grand Gelinaz! Shuffle

Photo Credit: Instagram/David Kinch

You’ve heard of and maybe even watched ABC’s popular Celebrity Wife Swap television show. Not to be outdone, three San Francisco Bay Area chefs, all with two Michelin-stars each—Dominique Crenn of Atelier Crenn, David Kinch of Manresa and Daniel Patterson of Coi—were part of a group of culinary superstars who swapped lives with one another as part of a one-of-a-kind culinary event, S.Pellegrino Presents The Grand Gelinaz! Shuffle.The unprecedented event, held on July 9, challenged 37 culinary leaders to swap places with colleagues from around the world and orchestrate this one-night global dining event.

Each participating chef was transported to an unfamiliar location and restaurant, where they were tasked with creating an eight-course menu for the July 9th dinner. The “chef swap” was a fully immersive experience, with visiting chefs swapping kitchens as well as daily lives, residing in their colleagues’ homes and even dining with their families. The dinner events were open to the public and the names of the visiting chefs kept completely secret, revealed only at the completion of the meal.

Patterson went to Willows Inn, in Washington, Crenn to Le Chateaubriand in France and Kinch to Narisawa in Japan.

In the U.S., the eight restaurants and visiting chefs were as follows:

Momofuku Ko, New York, NY | Visiting Chef: Massimo Bottura, Italy
Mission Chinese, New York, NY |Visiting Chef: Davide Scabin, Italy
Blanca, New York, NY | Visiting Chef: Alex Atala, Brazil
The Willows Inn on Lummi Island, WA | Visiting Chef: Daniel Patterson, USA
Coi, San Francisco, CA | Visiting Chef: Andoni Luis Aduriz, Spain
Atelier Crenn, San Francisco, CA | Visiting Chef: Claude Bosi, France
Manresa, Los Gatos, CA | Visiting Chef: Jock Zonfrillo, Australia
McGradys, Charleston, SC | Visiting Chef: Paul Cunningham, Denmark

The full list of participating chefs is as follows:

• Dominique Crenn, USA — Atelier Crenn (San Francisco)
• Sean Gray, USA — Momofuku Ko (New York)
• Andoni Luis Aduriz, Spain — Mugaritz (Errenteria)
• Massimiliano Alajmo, Italy — Le Calandre (Padova)
• Magnus Nilsson, SE Sweden — Faviken (Jarpen)
• Daniel Patterson, USA — Coï (San Francisco)
• Petter Nilsson, Sweden — Sprit Museum (Stockholm)
• Colombe Saint-Pierre, Canada — Chez Saint-Pierre (Le Bic)
• Mehmet Gürs, Turkey — Mikla (Istanbul)
• Yoshihiro Narisawa, Japan — Narisawa (Tokyo)
• Jock Zonfrillo, Australia — Orana (Adelaide)
• Ben Shewry, Australia — Attica (Melbourne)
• Bertrand Grebaut, France — Septime (Paris)
• David Thompson, Thailand — Nahm (Bangkok)
• Inaki Aizpitarte, France — Le Chateaubriand (Paris)
• Sean Brock, USA — Mc Crady’s (Charleston)
• Alex Atala, Brazil — D.O.M. (Sâo Paulo)
• Mauro Colagreco, Argentina — Le Mirazur (Menton)
• Rodolfo Guzman, Chile — Borago (Santiago)
• Ana Ros, Slovenia — Hisa Franko (Kobarid)
• David Kinch, USA — Manresa (Los Gatos)
• Riccardo Camanini, Italy — Lido 84 (Gardone Riviera)
• René Redzepi, Denmark — Noma (Copenhagen)
• Albert Adria, Spain — Pakta (Barcelone)
• Yannick Alleno, France — Alléno Paris (Paris)
• Alexandre Gauthier, France — La Grenouillère (Montreuil s/ Mer)
• Carlo Mirarchi, USA — Blanca (New York)
• Alain Ducasse, France — Le Plaza Athénée (Paris)
• Virgilio Martinez, Peru — Central (Lima)
• Paul Cunningham, Denmark — Henne Kirkeby Kro (Henne)
• Davide Scabin, Italy — Combal Zero (Rivoli)

“Gelinaz! epitomizes the daring culinary innovation that S.Pellegrino is so strongly committed to supporting,” said Grant McKenzie, Vice President and General Manager, Sanpellegrino brands. “We are honored to have played a part in realizing this truly unique and ambitious project, working with some of the most talented and creative chefs all around the world.”

Gelinaz!, a collective made by chefs and for chefs, was originally founded by chef Fulvio Pierangelini and Andrea Petrini in 2005. Gelinaz! aims to bring together artists, musicians, scientists, thinkers, producers and chefs and is renowned for constantly pushing the boundaries of their collaborations. The idea for the ‘Shuffle’ was originally put forward by Chef Blaine Wetzel, of The Willows Inn on Lummi Island, WA, and 2014 James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year.

Wondering what Zonfrillo, the chef and founder of Orana in Adelaide, Australia, whipped up for the diners at Manresa? We’ve got the menu here:

Course 1: CULTURED MOTHER DUCK
Geoduck, Kombucha and its mother, broccoli & winter savoury
Course 2: CARROTS & CURDS
Smoked pickled carrots cooked in whey, sheep curds, almonds, tomato leaves & mint
Course 3: ABALONE & CUSTARD
Local abalone, set abalone custard, seaweeds & all their juices
Course 4: ROAST LAMB, MASH & MORELS
Mashed potato, rendered lamb roast, morels & sorrel
Course 5: LOCAL BLACK COD & HALIBUT
Black cod head, halibut fillet, beach succulents, Meyer lemon & coriander
Course 6: BEEF, EUCALYPTUS & BEETS
Grass fed wagyu beef cooked over madrone wood, spelt, beetroot, spinach & eucalyptus
Course 7: ‘FUN DIP’ TOASTED MARSHMALLOWS WITH STONE FRUIT
Ember kissed soft marshmallow – white peach, nectarine & blood plum – ‘Fun Dipped’
Course 8: CALIFORNIAN FRENCH TOAST
Brown bread ice cream – cinnamon cured egg yolk, yerba buena infused maple syrup