Autumn at Dominique and beyond

Ten top international chefs to appear at Chez Dominique

The chef Hans Välimäki's Chez Dominique restaurant will bring ten top international chefs to Helsinki over the next ten months. In the autumn of 2012, the Chez Dominique kitchen will see visits from the biochemist-turned-chef Anatoly Komm from the Varvary restaurant in Moscow; the hottest chef in southern France, from the Mirazur restaurant in Menton, Mauro Colagreco; the pride of Zurich, Heiko Nieder from the Dolder Grand hotel; and the wizard of Milan, Carlo Cracco. Each visiting chef will create a one-night-only menu named after himself.

"Visits by master chefs have become an honourable tradition at Chez Dominique: our restaurant has, over the years, witnessed glorious visits from people working at some of the world's best restaurants. Our special evenings have featured names such as René Redzepi from Noma, Sergio Herman from Oud Sluisi, Sven Elverfeld from Aqua and many other friends of ours," says Hans Välimäki.
Starting the series of visits on 30 August will be Anatoly Komm from Varvary in Moscow. Varvary has been voted the best restaurant in Russia for many years running – and the establishment has also been cited on the list of The World's 50 Best restaurants. Komm is a former biochemist, who abandoned a promising academic career to concentrate wholeheartedly on culinary arts. We are in store for anything but the traditional Russian melancholy.

The Argentinian-born Mauro Colagreco, whose visit is scheduled for 25 September, has been influenced, for example, by Bernard Loiseau, who is known for his light style of cuisine, and by "the biggest kitchen idol in today's France", Alain Passard. Colagreco is tipped to become the next superstar of French cuisine and to make his mark in gastronomic history.
On 6 October, Chez Dominique will act as host to the German-born Heiko Nieder, who has worked at all German's most prestigious restaurants and was involved in opening the legendary VAU restaurant in Berlin. A few years ago, Heiko decided to shake the dust of Germany off his feet and moved his pots and pans into the Dolder Grand luxury hotel in Zurich. At the moment he is the talk of all Switzerland.

Carlo Cracco is a phenomenon and super celebrity in Italy. His sensitive and unique cooking style is known to appeal to emotions. Despite his gentle appearance, Cracco has a reputation of being a vocal and strict man. Cracco has learned from the best in the world: Alain Ducasse, Gualtiero Marches and Alain Senderens. In Italy, Cracco is also known as a judge on the MasterChef TV programme.
The remaining six chefs will be announced in late 2012.

A nine-course menu, €169
Thur. 30 Aug. 2012 Anatoly Komm / Varvary
Tue. 25 Sept. 2012 Mauro Colagreco / Mirazur
Sat. 6 Oct. 2012 Heiko Nieder / The Dolder Grand
Wed. 10 Oct. 2012 Carlo Cracco / Restaurant Cracco
More information: www.chezdominique.fi

Requests for interviews and photographs:
Anna Kari, Pink Eminence, anna (at) pinkeminence.fi, tel. +358 40 717 8185
Reservations: info (at) chezdominique.fi, www.chezdominique.fi, tel. +359 9 612 7393
Address: Rikhardinkatu 4, Helsinki