Kitchen Kaizen

Perfect! The only interjection that will do for an artist, a workman slaving over his creations, cultivating his art to a level where he rises above and beyond the humdrum of daily life and the limitations of unfair competition and transforms his mundane craft into art.

For me, perfection is transitory, a moment of unity when the universe aligns all its puzzle pieces to create an out-of-this-world experience. It is like a season, like a summer breeze that comes and goes at whim, a momentary feeling of pure joy and satisfaction that cannot last, that should not last. Its very brevity gives it an inspirational tone, teasing yet encouraging the slaving workman to try harder to recreate the magic, maybe even dare to improve upon it.

And yes, be it painter, chef or ballerina, to me, they are all workman, constantly striving to attain perfection, that one, fleeting moment of artistic nirvana that transforms their rituals to an art form. The labor of the hand is so much more, an amalgamation of the senses both external and internal, an effort to bring together the limitations of the sensual, physical realm and the boundless meanderings of the imagination. And nowhere is this union captured more poetically than in the kitchen.

The chef's domain is probably the closest representation of Hedon in the artistic world. Cooking implies immersing yourself in the taste, touch, and aroma of myriad ingredients and coming up with increasingly interesting combinations and techniques of the different classes of fruits, vegetables, herbs, grains, and meat that amuse your senses as much as they do your audience's palette. The ideas inside your head can seem fantastic, maybe even unachievable compared to the reality you think you can turn out of your kitchen. But the satisfaction of finally achieving that dream, when it happens, can stay with you for a long, long time.

So to celebrate that quest for the hedonistic perfection of a well cooked, well-imagined meal, I want to create a space where these culinary wanderings can find a home to come and mingle. Let the games begin!