[BALI] Discovering Taste by Cuca

19 Mei 2013. Gw en hubby ikutan event yg diadakan oleh pasangan Virginia Entizne dan Chef Kevin Cherkas. Event ini bertema: discovering taste. Event diadakan di 1 Park Residences di function room tower C. Gw en hubby udah register en berkesempatan datang, jadi kita abis rayain ultah Egen di PP, meluncur deh ke Gandaria situ. Gw pernah sih ke sana waktu acara foodtasting Starbucks. Tapi waktu itu naek taxi, jadi gw ikut ke mana pun supir taxi nyetir lewat mana hahaha.. Tapi berkat GPS gw yg canggih, gw inget juga jalan ke sana :D

Begitu sampe, gw lgs kenalan sama Virginia dan Kevin. And I love both of them. They are very cool couple. Mereka adalah pemilik Cuca. Cuca adalah resto baru milik mereka berdua yg akan dibuka sekitar akhir Juli 2013 kalo gak ada halangan di Jimbaran, Bali.

Berikut biografi singkat mereka:

Kevin Cherkas – Chef/Restaurateur
Chef Kevin Cherkas has an enviable track record developed in some of the world’s most outstanding restaurants.
In Spain, he honed his skills at Michelin three-star Arzak Restaurant in San Sebastian, Michelin three-star El Bulli in Roses, and Michelin two-star La Broche in Madrid. He also left his mark in New York City during his tenure with Daniel Boulud at his highly regarded Michelin three-star Daniel.
As testament to his culinary talent, he is the recipient of numerous awards. These include gold and silver medals at the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs national and regional competitions in 2003, a gold medal at the USA Chicago Culinary Salon Team Canada 2001, and three gold medals at the British Columbia Chefs Association Hot Culinary Competition in 2000, to name a few. Most notably, he joined the Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine Contest 2001 as an apprentice representative and achieved a fifth place finish.
Most recently, Chef Kevin helmed BLU at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore and prior to that Restaurant Lafite in Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

Virginia Entizne – Restarauteur
Coming from the beautiful city of Salamanca in northwestern Spain where she obtained her degree at one of the oldest and most prestigious Universities in the West, Virginia’s obsession with learning and discovery has taken her on a journey eastwards for the past 12 years. After completing a Master’s degree in Business Administration, she experienced the fast pace of working in several fast-growing companies in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and subsequently put it all to the test when she moved to Singapore and found herself driving the exponential growth of Las Lilas School, Singapore’s premier language school.
Her success at managing and enriching customer’s experience has naturally led her to the land of hospitality: Bali. Bringing along the memories of her childhood from a country where gastronomy is a way of life and where dining is an amazing emotional experience, Virginia has fused her vision with the talent of a chef to give Bali and the world a new culinary destination.

Jam 2:30. Kami semua duduk di tempat yg udah disediain. Ada sebotol air mineral, kertas sertifikat dan pulpen khas Cuca.

Dan dimulailah sesi menarik dari Kevin, menjelaskan apa sih Cuca itu. Cuca di sini berarti dear, darling, sweet heart, sayang. Ibu dari Virginia memanggil Virginia dengan Cuca :) So sweet yak. Dan nama itu yg dipakai mereka untuk resto baru di Jimbaran. Konsep yg mau mereka bikin di Cuca gak neko2 loh. A casual sharing experience and it's all about taste. Kevin memberikan contoh, kita makan itu untuk menikmati makanannya. Jadi, apakah dengan memakai gaun superstar dan jas yg mahal akan menambah rasa enak di makanan kita? Kalo tidak, no need to dress-up like that. Jadi, mau datang ke Cuca hanya dengan kaos lengan buntung dan celana pendek plus sandal jepit pun, mereka tetep welcome. Asal bayar. hahahahahahha.. Untuk sharing experience, mereka mengalami sendiri, melihat sekeliling pd saat makan. Apa yg kita makan kadang kita share ke pasangan atau ke teman makan kita. Jadi, mereka akan menciptakan menu yg sesuai dengan sharing experience itu :) Cuca mau bikin menu tapas, cocktails dan desserts. Menarik banget kaaaaaan. Gak sabar deh mau ke sana nanti :D

Gak ada yg bosen dengan seminar ini. Kevin is a very good speaker. Contoh2 yg diberikan juga menarik. I think he is my favorite chef now hahahaha..

Suasana di Cuca nanti akan seperti ini:

Food bar: an interactive and exciting space where wooden chairs run along one impressive 8-meter-long teak counter. Slightly elevated, guests directly face the open kitchen, as if they were front-row spectators attending a performance. Action takes over while dishes are crafted before their eyes and chefs interact and serve the guests directly. The show is guaranteed. Sit back and enjoy.
Dining room: a relaxed and intimate space ideal for guests to enjoy the company of each other. Spacious tables amid floating curtains provide casual privacy while still conveying the mood of the natural surroundings of our coconut grove.
Cocktail Bar & Garden lounge: a chilled out space gently touched by the ocean breeze and surrounded by the undisturbed beauty of nature. Among towering coconut trees, Cuca lounge tempts guests to let the hours pass by while sipping well-crafted cocktails, sharing delicious tapas and tasting distinctive desserts.

Apa sih yg mau ditawarkan Cuca? Sharing. Exciting. Appetizing all the time. Refreshing. Creative. Memorable. Affordable. Nah, penting banget kan tuh. Mereka bener2 bakal bikin kita betah di Cuca. Nyok dibuktikan ah nanti kalo ke sana :D

Setelah itu Kevin baru masuk ke Discovering Taste. Kita diajar tentang merasakan manis, pahit, asam, asin dan aroma. Seru banget nebak2an taste apa2 aja. Semua itu dilakukan Kevin krn dia mo ajarin kita how to create dishes without using recipes. En, asli keren banget. Nanti di Bali mereka juga akan buka Cuca Sessions: Tasting Classes. Jadi, buat yg penasaran, sana ke Bali, ngikut kelasnya nanti :D

Selesai tasting classes, kita dijamu popcorn rasa ayam betutu dan sangria. Enak banget. Pedes2 en beneran berasa ayam betutu.

Ada penjualan artinasal salt juga. Waktu kemaren itu gw dpt kiriman yg rasa ayam. Ternyata banyak rasa lainnya loh. Lengkapnya: Pork, Poultry, Meat, Seafood and Veggie. Seru banget kan.

Masi ada sesi ngobrol2 dan foto2 hahahaha

Selesai sudah acara discovering taste kali ini. Thanks Virginia, thanks Kevin, thanks for the class, the popcorn, the sangria, and especially your hospitality. Happy to know both of you. We'll see u soon :)

Cuca
Jalan Yoga Perkanthi
Jimbaran, Bali
Telp: +62 821 8999 1977
FB Fan Page: Cuca Flavor
Blog: Cuca
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/CucaFlavor
twitter: @cucaflavor