The Gelinaz! x Choco Love Story
Highlights from the loudest dinner on earth celebrating the Silent Voices
On August 29th, our teammates participated in different Gelinaz! events with more than 200 chefs remixing, playing, performing ideas, menus, and recipes in over 20 locations worldwide. From the lively courtyard service at Michelberger Hotel in Berlin putting the spotlight on regional producers, to the intimate dinner at the brand-new Brooklyn (NY) location of Fulgurances / Laundromat which then moved to a dessert extravaganza and after-party at Nightmoves.
The Gelinaz! community was able to come together again and against the odds - in two different phases in December 2020 and August 2021, in line with the pandemic restrictions.
MEET THE SILENT VOICES
For this edition, Gelinaz! was all about giving a voice to the Silent Voices, AKA those chefs whose creativity and daily work have been silenced due to the latest shut down of their restaurants.
Here to read more about the foundations and event concept of the Gelinaz!
The matrixers - meaning, the chefs preparing the menu concepts that are randomly sent to and remixed by other groups of chefs at the different venues - were in fact selected among chefs that were dealing with the discomfort of closing and opening, of being stuck at home, and of not being able to express themselves. These included chefs like Gabriela Camara, owner from Contramar in Mexico City and CALA in San Francisco, or Paul Carmichael from Momofuku Seiobo in Sidney.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU FROM THE CHOCO TEAM!
We want to wish the entire Gelinaz! Community the very best of luck and share our Choco-love especially to the chefs who are just getting back on track and are looking for new ways to renovate themselves in the upcoming industry. Our hope is that the future restaurant scene will be more sustainable, resilient and efficient for everyone. We cannot wait to see more of that inspiring creativity, dedication, and mutual support that makes up the Gelinaz! community.
Not only were we delighted by the artistry and tenacity behind the mindful dishes and the spirit from the community during the dinner, but we were also able to touch on the shared sentiment from chefs during such a year. Here is what Chef Bea shared with us at Michelberger in Berlin:
“I think what most of my colleagues learned during this year is to come up with quick solutions, although none of them were that happy about doing takeout. Many of us are even more grateful about being here than feeling sad for what we have lost. But many of us are also really scared because so many people have left the industry. Now the problems are even bigger because many customers are here, but also we are lacking staff.”