Unbridled Inspiration and Modernist Cuisine

Inspired by the recent launch of Modernist Cuisine, I started thinking about motivating passions in the food industry. I think it’s fair to say that anyone in the food service industry is in some way passionately connected to what they do, scratch that….or rather, let me re-phrase. I think it’s fair to say that anyone in the sustainable, artisanal, small farm oriented, upper echelon of the food service industry is in some way passionately connected to what they do…or at the very least a large majority are. Because let’s face it, there are easier and far less risky ways to pay the bills.

Polenta & marinara cooked in mason jars & garnished with micro basil opal micro basil Italian & micro basil blossom, supplied by Mikuni.


Being deeply entrenched for the last ten years in both the front and back of the house culture in this industry, I’ve come to realize that most of the characters are in this industry for some strong sense of passion or desire, and with varied motivating factors. It could be to evoke joy through heartfelt and personal service, or as a means to express creative ingenuity, or maybe to try and alter the perception and culture of a complacent population addicted to industrialized foods…or maybe it’s simply because they fell in love with food. Either way, a melting pot of passionate, dedicated and highly creative people can produce some really interesting results.

Mushroom omelet steamed in a combi oven, wild mushrooms provided by Mikuni.


Recently our company got to play a very small role in the manifestation of just one of these passion filled and creatively inspired results. The Modernist Cuisine has been in the making for almost 4 years, during which time Mikuni Wild Harvest humbly supplied a vast array of remarkably fresh & tremendously unique ingredients to the book's team of chefs. We like to imagine that in some small way these ingredients helped to color the pages, inspire the minds, and satiate the pallets of the dedicated, passionate and talented group of chefs who gave birth to this Magnum Opus of a cooking book. It is with great honor and respect that we at Mikuni had the ability to share, albeit in a most finite manner, in the development and evolution of this remarkable work. On the really hard and stressful days, which are many in this industry, we can remember this truth and be motivated in knowing that it’s important and worthwhile work, which in a multitude of capacities has the ability to inspire a ripple effect of change and growth in our world, or at the very least, feed it tastier food.

Clips from the ICE Launch Party for Modernist Cuisine

Here's a clip of an informal chat between Tyler Gray of Mikuni Wild Harvest & Maxime Bilet, co-author of Modernist Cuisine. The two had been in touch once or twice a week for the last 3 years regarding ingredients for recipe testing for the book, but they met for the first time in person at the Institute of Culinary Education book launch party in New York City on March 23. They were both pretty excited but Tyler had a little too much Champagne. We apologize for the terrible audio, but hopefully Maxime’s passionate expressions will be enough to tell some of his story.



And here's a clip from the Q&A period after Nathan gave his overview of the Modernist Cuisine at the ICE in New York, with much better audio.

Mikuni Wild Harvest is live!

With an ever-evolving range of products, Mikuni Wild Harvest always has something new to play with. Recent favorites include miner's lettuce, spring garlic, and some of the most fabulous tangerines you've ever seen. In coming days, we'll be doing dedicated posts on some of our favorite ingredients, including recipes and how-tos, and profiles on a few of the dedicated foragers who bring us these amazing finds.  Follow us on Twitter for updates on new products and check out our Flickr page for more great photos.