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Wednesday, June 8, 2016

06/06/2016 - A Taste of Chile at the Singular; Chef's Roll


This week, Slow Living Radio firstly takes a trip back to Santiago, the Capital of Chile, to relive some of Sally’s experiences.  Dining at the Singular Restaurant was so memorable we had to invite General Manager, Sabrina Tettamanti, to bring us her story of Santiago, particularly the little enclave, Lastarria, where the hotel is located. 
 
Next we welcome Frans van der Lee and Cindy Lasar of Chef’s Roll to give us the low down on this very successful and entrepreneurial business, bringing together chefs from around the globe to share recipes, passions, compete, comingle and more.  A fascinating story.

Santiago


Sabrina Tettamanti, Hotel Manager
 
The Singular Santiago
The Singular Santiago is a five-star luxury hotel located in the Lastarria Neighborhood in the heart of downtown Santiago. The hotel was designed specifically to fit seamlessly into this iconic neighborhood, which epitomizes the pride and creativity of the people of Santiago.

The history and heritage of Chile are important to our owners; they are descended from the pioneers who traveled to Patagonia to start a new life.  One of the reasons they created The Singular Patagonia was to help capture the spirit of their homeland.  The Patagonian hotel has since been recognized as among the finest in all of South America, so they decided to continue the mission by creating a new Singular hotel in Santiago, to help reflect the proud past of the capital.

Of course, it was important for the hotel to not only reflect the past, but to help protect the future, so sustainability was a major part of the design and construction. In building The Singular Santiago, technologies were used that reduced water consumption by 20% - 30%, as well as measures to help reduce heating energy consumption by using an efficient “wraparound” design to retain internal temperature. Rooms were designed with low-energy LED bulbs and Master Switch technology to reduce electricity use.

 


 
The Singular Restaurant is much more than a place to dine:  It is a complete sensory experience. Its cuisine tempts you to travel through our culinary traditions, inspired by Chile and its different nooks and crannies, produce and modes of harvesting. The freshness, quality and blend of the ingredients are the star players.



The details in the restaurant’s design create an attractive setting that awakens all other senses: antique candelabras, folding screens between tables, an unusual floor style, finely tapestried and delicate furnishings, all conceived to amaze you with a perfect blend of cuisine, elegance and sophistication.

 
 
About Lastaria

Located on the northeast side of Santiago, Lastarria is a classic area loaded with history and culture. Its urban development began with the building of the Veracruz Church in the middle of the 19th century. However, its consolidation lies in the early days of the 20th century with the redevelopment of Santa Lucia Hill and the construction of Parque Forestal and the Museum of Fine Arts.




In 1997, Lastarria was declared a “Zona Tipica” (typical zone), which brings with it strong protection and preservation of its architectural heritage. During this period, the
Plaza Mulato Gil was created, which is home today to an antique and book fair.

Lastarria is an oasis inside bustling downtown Santiago where culture and entertainment converge in a captivating mixture of art, literature, music, film, theater, gastronomy and design.
 
 

 

 
Frans van der Lee, Co-founder and President COO
Cindy Lasar, Director of Strategic Partnerships,
 
Frans van der Lee (left), Thomas Keslinke and Cindy Lasar
 
 
The founders of Chef’s Roll have always been passionate about food and the culinary industry, but it was only recently that they made a rather surprising discovery: the quality of a chef’s online presence almost never matched the quality of their cooking. Working chefs often didn’t have the time or budget to create a customized web portfolio, and existing job sites didn’t have the tools to bring a chef’s unique skillset and experience to life.
 
To solve this widespread problem, Chef’s Roll was born.
 
As professional chefs know, a “chef’s roll” is another name for a knife roll, the one thing that chefs take with them from job to job. ChefsRoll.com is also designed to travel with a chef throughout a career, a single curated destination that evolves with them to reflect their style, job history, and professional accomplishments.
 
As the founders met with seasoned chefs, they found that only a small fraction of even top tier chefs had websites, let alone a really well-designed place that could hold the awards, press, and story of their careers. Working with the head chef in every kitchen is an entire team of culinary artists, and Chef’s Roll is eager to pull back the curtain and help these careers grow too. Many chefs also volunteer countless hours at charity events and Chef’s Roll allows them to capture that sweat equity as an online record through photos and video, links to press and testimonials from organizers.
 
 
Chefs are always looking to advance and explore new opportunities, and Chef’s Roll allows them to be “road ready” when the right opportunity presents itself. Chef’s Roll is not just a place for those currently looking to make a move, however, you can use Chef’s Roll as a place to promote your restaurant and fill up an online trophy case of awards, accolades, and other history that might otherwise remain unseen. Chef’s Roll provides functionality to upload a restaurant’s logo and links to websites and social media. They are working on partnering with culinary schools and the best restaurants in the world to put together the best job and stage (apprenticeship) board the industry has ever seen. Boring emailed resumes will be a thing of the past, and gorgeous, dynamic chef profiles will be the new standard for connecting culinary talent.
 
“Presentation is everything” is just as true for us as it is for chefs, and our mission is to advance the culinary profession by helping to promote the chefs that make it all possible. From Executive Chefs to culinary students, Chef’s Roll welcomes you to the table. Join our culinary community and open a world of opportunity.
 
Chef Jeff Mosher and Chef Chris Stillwell ready the judges' plates.

 

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