Fusion Food: Fusion vs. Confusion

Fusion is not without controversy among food critics, historians, and culinary luminaries. Not surprisingly, the strongest proponents are fusion chefs: once ethnic food became acceptable for fine dining, the way was opened to combine elements of various cuisines in one dish. Simply focusing on one culture was too restrictive to creativity. Cross-fertilization allows for a highly personal style based on the “chef’s odyssey.” Multicultural chefs create food for multicultural diners. For example, the chef Marcus Samuelsson of the Aquavit restaurants in New York and Minneapolis was born in Ethiopia, was orphaned at age three, and then was adopted by a Swedish family who taught him traditional Scandinavian cooking techniques and sent him to culinary school in Sweden. Samuelsson later studied pastry cooking in Switzerland, worked at a three-star restaurant in France, and traveled widely. At Aquavit Samuelsson combines Swedish cuisine with flavors from Asia and Africa. Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who has six restaurants in New York alone, was born in Alsace, France, and attended culinary school there. He then worked his way through the ranks at a series of three-star restaurants before cooking French food at a hotel in New York City. Vongerichten’s turning point came when he opened a French restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand. In Thailand Vongerichten became fascinated with local flavors such as lemongrass, fish sauce, ginger, curry pastes, and coconut milk. This experience changed his food forever. When he opened Vong in New York, Vongerichten served his signature “Thailoise” Franco-Asian cuisine.