As part of its 85 Years/85 Ideas series, Bloomberg
Businessweek enlisted chef Tom
Colicchio of Craft restaurant and Top
Chef fame to expound on the concept of refrigeration.
Refrigeration technology isn't even a century old, but it has
completely transformed the way we think about food, say
Colicchio.
Certain food courses were invented partially because there was
no commercial refrigeration. "The idea of an intermezzo course,
some sorbet between dishes at a nice restaurant, exists because the
fish would be so rank, the chef would have to get the smell out of
your mouth." Refrigeration solved this problem but created others,
in Colicchio's view.
As we moved away from the icebox and into the era of
refrigerators, we were able to eat food from much farther away.
Even though we appreciate the convenience, Colicchio argues that it
has had a downside. While the farm-to-table trend is an attempt to
address this, Colicchio thinks that it doesn't solve it.
"Everything starts on a farm and ends on a table. What happens in
between is what's crucial; refrigeration and the convenience of
having any food when we wanted it stripped the idea of eating
seasonally." He notes that in New York City, one study found up to
80% of the food is mislabeled - including allegedly "local" items
that are anything but.
Colicchio believes that chefs need to take the lead in relying
less on refrigeration and moving produce more quickly from the
source to the plate. Of course this is going to cost more, and not
everyone will be excited by the concept. Says Colicchio, "You've
also got to get the markets to come along to the idea. But too
often, we're preaching to the converted."
What's your take on Coliccio's views? Do you think we are too
reliant on refrigeration?