José Andrés at Mercado Little Spain May 21 for the New York Launch of Vegetables Unleashed (An Anthony Bourdain book imprint), with Co-author Matt Goulding, Jefe of Roads & Kingdoms

 * * * * *

May 21, 2018 At The Spanish Diner at Mercado Little Spain with José Andrés for the New York launch of his new book, Vegetables Unleashed (An Anthony Bourdain book imprint), with co-author Matt Goulding, who is also Jefe of the excellent Roads & Kingdoms food & travel website, a venture that was backed by the late Anthony Bourdain. 

 

 Former New York Times Restaurant Reviewer Bryan J. Miller and Matt Goulding, co-author of Vegetables Unleashed and Jefe of Roads & Kingdoms.

 Mercado Little Spain mural in the passageway between the Spanish Diner and Mercado Little Spain.

Kay and I had a terrific time, along with the friends I had enlisted to come with us, cookbook author Rozanne Gold, her husband Michael Whiteman of the Joseph Baum / Michael Whiteman Restaurants Consultants, former New York Times Restaurant Reviewer Bryan J. Miller and Kay´s son, poet Robert Balun. We also ran into my long-time friend and one of my Chefs From Hell charter members, Tom Colicchio. 

 José Andrés, Gerry Dawes and Bryan J. Miller (Photo by Robert Balun)

 

After José--along with Matt Goulding and moderator Bon Appetit's Adam Rapoport (how do you "moderate" José?)--entertained a paying crowd of a couple hundred people (José had front row seats for us!) at The Spanish Diner at Mercado Little Spain, the six of us, helped along greatly by General Manager Charlotte Robertson, moved on to a terrific dinner at Leña, Mercado Little Spain´s livefire restaurant, which will be in my next report. 

 After José--along with Matt Goulding and moderator Bon Appetit's Adam Rapoport (how do you "moderate" José?)--entertained a paying crowd of a couple hundred people for more than an hour.

 

José Andrés regaling some admirers at the Vegetables Unleashed book launch last night at Mercado Little Spain.

 

Bryan Miller and Tom Colicchio.

Kay Balun with her son, poet Robert Balun. 

 

 

Michael Whiteman of the Joseph Baum / Michael Whiteman Restaurants Consultants.

Margarita with espuma at The Spanish Diner, Mercado Little Spain, Hudson Yards, New York City.

 José Andrés and Phillip Baltz of baltz & company, publicist for José Andrés and Mercado Little Spain, at the Vegetables Unleashed book launch at Mercado Little Spain.

Vegetables Unleashed, our copy signed by José Andrés and Matt Goulding.

* * * * *

  Shall deeds of Caesar or Napoleon ring
More true than Don Quixote's vapouring?
Hath winged Pegasus more nobly trod
Than Rocinante stumbling up to God?

 

Poem by Archer M. Huntington inscribed under the Don Quixote on his horse Rocinante bas-relief sculpture by his wife, Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington,

in the courtyard of the Hispanic Society of America’s incredible museum at 613 W. 155th Street, New York City.

 _______________________________________________________________________________________

 

About Gerry Dawes

My good friend Gerry Dawes, the unbridled Spanish food and wine enthusiast cum expert whose writing, photography, and countless crisscrossings of the peninsula have done the most to introduce Americans—and especially American food professionals—to my country's culinary life." -- Chef-restaurateur-humanitarian José Andrés, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee and Oscar Presenter 2019

Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià. 

In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés. 

". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009. 

  

Pilot for a reality television series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.

 

Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Customized Culinary, Wine & Cultural Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain  

Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com