who’s cooking dinner?

What do you get when you throw 20 of London’s hottest, most esteemed chefs in one kitchen for one night, each cooking a four course meal for 200 diners? A mess? yes probably. A dose of healthy banter? definitely. A flurry of cutting edge culinary activity showcasing the stonking gastronomic finesse at the core of London’s restaurant scene? Without a doubt.

The lowdown: On Monday evening an extraordinary foodie event Who’s Cooking Dinner ? 2011 took place in aid of the charity Leuka. The night featured exceptional culinary talent from leading chefs like Marcus Wareing from Gilbert Scotts, Mark Hix from Hix, and Rainer Becker from Zuma to name a but a few. The highlight of the event was the chef auction, where diners were given the chance to bid for their preferred chef to come and cook for ten guests in their home. Rainer Becker of Zuma attracted a top bid of £26,000, whilst legend Pierre Koffmann of Koffmann’s took £20,000 for the charity.

We caught up with Chef Peter Gordon, the inventor of Fusion food and co-owner of The Providores and Tapa Room in Marylebone (he also owns a vineyard in New Zealand), and organiser of Who’s Cooking Dinner to chat about the unique dishes of faraway lands.

How did you become involved with the charity, Leuka?

My sister Tracey was diagnosed with acute myeloid Leukaemia in 1994 in Melbourne. My family who lived in Australia and New Zealand at the time were all tested to see if anyone was a match for a bone marrow transplant but no one was. I was living in the UK at the time … so I gave up my job and moved to Melbourne for 10 weeks for the procedure. Tracey is still alive and well. In 1998 I was asked to donate a cookbook to the Hammersmith Hospital fundraising and I asked what they specialised in – as it was Leukaemia I said that I had a much better idea that I’d been thinking about- And so Who’s Cooking Dinner was born.

You’ve been hailed as the ‘father of fusion’ food, which cultures inspire your cooking?

I love new ingredients, food history, and the idea of regionality, traditional Eastern food and culture, spices, textures, flavours and everything and anything around food. But to cook one type of cuisine with limited ingredients would drive me mad.

Where are your favourite food destinations?

My all time favourite foodie destinations would have to be Malaysia, Japan, Turkey and Spain.

Where are you next hoping to travel to?

I’d love to explore Venezuela, it’s an untapped region I think.

Where in the world was your favourite meal?

I would have to say Japan – at Mr Nakahigashi’s Restaurant in Kyoto on my 45^th birthday. You can’t get a seat there, but luckily I have a friend chef who snuck us in. It was truly inspirational and mind-blowing- totally regional, seasonal and delectable.

Can you recommend a hidden restaurant that you’ve come across off the beaten track, in London or further afield?

Aronia Takazawa in Tokyo: my chef friend  Yoshi Takazawa runs it with his wife Akiko , who is an old friend of mine. It only has two tables, is quite pricey but incredible, totally worth it.

It’s Sunday at 6pm. You have an onion, a tin of tomatoes and some rice in the cupboard. What do you make?

Tough question, probably a tomato soup, with some toast, if I can find that.

Find out more about Who’s Cooking Dinner? here