Chef Cantu mixes food and science

Tag : edible paper

By Irene Kuan
TORONTO (Reuters Life!) - Chef Homaro Cantu works in a kitchen thatlooks more like a science lab. A scientist at heart, the31-year-old worked in nearly 50 kitchens on the West Coast of theUnited States before moving to Chicago and becoming executive chefat Moto.
He is known for his wacky edible inventions and using lasers,particle guns, helium or liquid nitrogen to cook his cuisine.
With dishes such as the edible paper and nitro sushi, the Portland,Oregon native often oversteps the boundary between sight and taste,leaving his diners scratching their heads in bewilderment.
Cantu spoke to Reuters about his newest dish, his goal to getpeople to think differently about food, and revealed why shockvalue is not the only reason for his strange culinary creations.
Q: What new dish are you working on right now?
A: "We're working on this really cool dish ... it's levitatingsmoke bubbles, where these bubbles sort of float around therestaurant and when they pop, they release different aromas andthey're edible bubbles, which make them even cooler. So it's notlike soap, it's an edible product that we concoct."
Q: What will these bubbles taste like?
A: "Anything you can imagine. We can make them taste like caramel... creme brulee ... We made an entire dish out of them. We calledit Mexico and inside the bubble was actually ancho chili, somejalapeno, some cilantro. So when this bubble pops, you get this ...aroma that you can't get any other way." Continued...