Recognizing the Gold Standard
But what makes an expert? Where does one find the best of each country? In a Beijing back-alley restaurant where Peking ducks crisp in wood-fired ovens? From a Sicilian cheesemaker who reproduces the historic caciocavallo ragusano? Yes! Jilleba is fearless about introducing a wide range of talents. “We go right to the source, to the person who has been making the dish for 30 years,” he says. And this can mean talking with a third-generation Chinese noodle maker who is known for flawless won-ton soup, or watching an in-depth demonstration of curry goat (Jamaica’s second-most-popular dish) at an 18^th-century plantation. It means venturing to an acclaimed restaurant in Athens, where the chef, Lefteris Lazarou, famous for his fish recipes, shares the secrets of his signature “calamari in pesto.” Jilleba embraces them all. A premier Japanese sushi chef is as relevant as the Hanoi street vendor who serves up steaming bowls of  Vietnam’s national treasure, pho bo, asimple beef soup rich with ginger, beef shank, rice noodles and a bit of chile.

“We try to find the gold standard for the cusisine of each country,” Jilleba says, explaining that the examination of both the expected and the obscure helps provide a deeper understanding of that country’s food culture.

Marketing with Multiple Benefits
As both a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and executive corporate chef for Unilever, Jilleba was able to help foster the project’s idea and follow its fruition. “The concept was about education,” he says. “It is also a sales tool for us. As a food-driven company, Unilever feels it is important to educate chefs, to develop products that help clients improve and grow their businesses, and also promote products such as the bases for soups, liquid concentrated chicken flavor,and mayonnaise [Unilever markets well-known food products such as Knorr, Hellmann’s and Lipton]. This project lets us do all of these things.”

In Jilleba’s position, he and his colleagues are often tasked to design innovative and customized solutions to meet the needs of diverse clients, which can include school cafeterias, major hotels, fast-food chains, caterers, restaurateurs and even the United States Army. To remain creative, Jilleba knows that the ideas they present to clients must be up to date and innovative. The last eight years of travel has enabled Jilleba to observe new trends not only in this country, but internationally. “Exploration is an important part of my job, and travel exposes me to so many different approaches.”

Travel Lessons
Jilleba says that his video travel (eight to nine days in each country) is what is expanding his knowledge these days. This says a lot given Jilleba’s accomplished background. In addition to achieving success in both corporate and private culinary venues, Jilleba has earned master-chef certification from the American Culinary Federation, and has a well-respected record in competitions (winning six gold medals in International “Culinary Olympic” competitions). “Now I learn from every country we go to. I’ve evolved so much. I’m literally getting the best education in the world.”

The preservation of culinary knowledge is important for most countries. Surprisingly, even places like France, where one would expect food traditions to be strong, also face the possibility of losing original and local recipes and techniques. “The reasons are similar,” Jilleba says. “Young French chefs are easily able to purchase indredients from around the world, and they are adapting these different ingredients and preparations to their own food.”

Jilleba wants to be clear that neither he nor the project disapproves of adaptation or fusion. “We aren’t against blending,” he says, “but we want people, especially our future chefs, to understand culinary origins, the authentic impulse that inspired the original flavors. Let’s understand the principles behind the food before we jump in and mix everything together.”

Once the foundation is grasped, Jilleba believes that there is plenty of room for cooks to give a classic dish their own spin. He offers up causa, a Peruvian peasant potato dish, as an example. Legend has it that causa orginated during Peru’s battle for independence from Spain, and that the wives of Peru’s soldiers made and sold the dish for the war effort. Jilleba explains that “causa is layered with tuna and mayonnaise and was a casserole meant for travel. Today, this same dish can be served traditionally or can be reinterpreted with a modern presentation—adapted as a suitable complement to an entrée like octopus, and served in an upscale restaurant.”

We are fortunate that Jilleba and his team are adventurous spirits, willing to explore and safeguard cullinary lessons and practices of the past. This knowledge invites possibility for the future, with much to learn and savor.

For more information visit:
http://www.unileverfoodsolutions.us/promotions/savoring-worlds-flavors-dvds

Lynn Schwartz, a former New York City restaurateur, is a writer and writing instructor/coach (fiction and nonfiction) based in Maryland. Visit www.writerswordhouse.com.