A textbook definition of inspiration will read something like: an arousal of the mind or the product of one’s creativity.
A chef is creative, therefore, he or she must be inspired.
So what inspires a chef?
I myself am inspired by cultures, seasons, ingredients, places, and memories.
The dish above was created by a chef named Adoni Aduriz at a restaurant in Spain’s Basque country called Mugaritz. It may look simple on the surface, but just like a beautiful painting this dish was created by an inspired artisan, and it has a complex story.
While the dish above was the product of one chef’s inspiration, it also is an inspiration to me. Some people wonder why I take so many pictures of food and plan my vacations around it, and that is why.
In fact, I think I can get more inspiration out of a lunch than many people get on a tour of the Louvre. You do have to know where to look, but to be inspired you have to look beyond the surface.
