What does it mean to be in the Michelin guide? In short, a LOT.
The Fridge: Episode 8
But to really understand the importance of a Michelin Star you need to know that it is awarded for outstanding cooking and that it is the highest award one can get. The quality of ingredients, the mastery of techniques, the harmony of flavors and the personality of the chef expressed in their cooking are all taken into account.
For us the honor was the chance to work together with incredible chefs, talented enough to earn a collective of three Michelin stars. Head chef, Laurent Eperon and his sous-chef Maximilian Muller, earned two Michelin stars at the Pavilion Restaurant of the Baur au Lac and Head Chef, Philipp Heid, earned one Michelin star for the Restaurant Prisma of the Park Hotel Vitznau. All three of them worked together with our chefs here at Madame Sum, to develop a collective of four luscious dumplings available at their respective restaurants and directly on our website!
The challenge from the very start was to bring forward the vision of these incredible chefs and their idea of how products should be used to make such elegant dumplings. Our chefs Pau, Peter and Patrick found a new home in their kitchens, working side by side to design the perfectly balanced bites.
Partnering up with Michelin star chefs is one of our biggest accomplishments to date. It is not often that a company as young as ours gets to create something with the highest and the best players of the game. It is especially not often that a company is able to put frozen food on a Michelin Starred menu. Yes, because those dumplings are the same we deliver to everyone's home! Of course, the work to be able to ensure the quality standards for these chefs was a lot, but deeeeefinetely worth it!
However, this accomplishment was not only one sided. These partnerships allowed for these outstanding chefs to do something new, think outside of the box and more inside a dumpling. Asking Chef Eperon, Muller and Heid to create a full course that is in perfect harmony, that encapsulates their cooking style and that is a true flavour bomb, all in ONE bite, was exhilarating. They had never done something like this before and that is exactly why it is so exciting.
Another reason why this is so exciting is because this has never been done before. When we look at the tradition of the Michelin Guide, it used to be unthinkable to begin delivering your perfect dishes, especially not frozen. So what changed? Well, as bad as COVID-19 was, it did open a couple of doors to culinary exploration. As we were all stuck in our homes, Michelin star restaurants and chefs started experimenting with the delivery scene. What also added to this exploration was the increasing amount of high quality food concepts that were delivering, offering the convenience of takeout and the elegance of a restaurant (like us). In full, COVID-19 paved the way to make deliveries as gourmet as a restaurant and allowed these Michelin Starred chefs to be able to collaborate with companies like us and create something unique that anyone can try.
If you would like to read more about our Baur au Lac special click here, and to learn more about our partnership with Philipp Heid click here.
This is just the start of new age culinary out-of-the-box thinking. What could possibly be next?
Stay cool, stay steamy
Love,
Anna and Tobia