A COCKTAIL OF CURIOSITY AND SONDER

“When I realised I had ten dishes left, there was something inside of me that was like;
“this is gonna end” … it never actually occurred to me that I would finish it…”
: noted Allen Hemberger

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Curiosity… following what naturally sparks your imagination and intrigue,
can lead you to some fascinating places…
to discover feelings you never knew…
and the awareness of sonder;
that others have taken that leap of faith,
tried something without knowing where it would take them,
and where that could take you too.

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After eating at Alinea in Chicago,
a restaurant that, under the creative culinary direction of Grant Achatz,
specialises in Molecular Gastronomy,
Allen couldn’t get his fascination for the food out of his head.

A little while later, his wife bought him the cookbook.
His curiosity turned his hand to creating one of the dishes…
and then another… and another…
It became an obsession.
Having ‘never made the decision to stop’,
and deciding to write a blog about the process,
the obsession became a project,
and the project became a book;
The Alinea Project

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Alinea was founded by Nick Kokonas and Grant Achatz
after Nick experienced the emotion that
Grant infuses in to his exquisite culinary skills.
Born out of a passion for innovation and challenging the status quo,
and created with the approach to question everything;
from the meaning behind candles being on a table,
to the process of booking a table…
Each aspect of the restaurant crafted with a different perspective.

The Aviary calls

When Hemberger finished his book, he sent a copy to Nick and Grant.
The attention to detail and the passion showed in creating each dish.
Thinking the creation of the book itself was ‘nuts’… in a good way.
And when it came to them creating a new book of their own,
to compliment their new cocktail bar called The Aviary
– a bar where they wanted to bring the sense of Alinea to the cocktail world;
they called Hemberger.
And The Aviary Cocktail Book was created.

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Fascinating chat with Nick Kokonas and Tim Ferriss podcast here

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“Don’t dress for others, dress for yourself.
Clothes should be an extension of what you represent
and what you feel inside.”
: Marco Pierre White

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