VIDAL- David Vidal

Photo by:Meto Khazragi 

There are chefs that need no introduction, and i believe that David Vidal is one of them. His Dishes are like the most amazing art on a plate, so innovative and inspiring, and i was lucky enough to interview him and talk a little bit about his work and the man behind this amazing food. ***************

Please tell me a little bit about yourself, how you got started and your background?

My name is David Vidal, and I am a chef who works in Strömstad, Sweden which is a small fishing town on the west coast of Sweden. I was born in Canada but at the age of 12 I moved with my parents back to their home country which is Malta. I lived in Malta till I was 24 and then moved to Sweden since my wife is from there. 

How did you get into the culinary field?

I got into the culinary field from basically the time I moved to Malta. At 12 years old I started to help my uncle at his bakery. From there I decided to do it professionally and attended the Institute of Tourism Studies in Malta. Instead of being a pastry chef I decided to study to become a chef. For the next 20 years or so I had only worked on the savoury side of the kitchen and it has only been these last 5 years that I have been working with pastry.

Photo by:Meto Khazragi 

How do you decide about the dishes you're creating?

Usually when i'm creating a dish, I will usually first think about what is in season at the moment. So for example in the summer i would probably do something with Strawberries. Then from there I will start to think which flavour combinations I would like to use with it being a type of chocolate, spice, herbs, etc. From there when I have all the taste combinations I want to work with I will start to think which components and textures that I am going to use. Next step is to think visually how I want the dish to look.

What is your favorite dish from everything you're creating?

Probably sounds weird but I have a really hard time enjoying anything I make myself. It is probably because I know how it is going to taste as I have been tasting the components before so it's nothing really special when I should eat it myself. I prefer to see what other people think of it themselves. If I would make something for myself I would probably just make a simple creme brulee and that's probably my favourite dessert to eat.

Photo by:Meto Khazragi 

Photo by:Meto Khazragi 

What kind of music do you listen to, while you're cooking?

My favourite music to listen to when I am cooking is Hip Hop. So any time you catch me in the hotel kitchen there is usually anything from Dr. Dre, Jay-Z or Eminem on. I also really enjoy Red Hot Chili Peppers and they are most definitely my favourite band.

Do you have someone you would like to cook and serve a dish you have prepared? Which dish will you serve?

There's probably more than one person but if I was to choose one it would be Sir Alex Ferguson. Reason is because he is someone I have a lot of admiration for. A leader and serial winner, someone who can get the best out of his team and great man manager.  If I was to make him something I would do my dessert with Cucumber, Dill and White chocolate.

Do you have a culinary muse?

There are a lot of chefs who inspire me, but the one who most comes up is Swedish chef Fredrik Borgskog. The tastes he uses are always on point and everything is always original in appearance. He is also a really great guy and always takes his time to talk and spread knowledge.  Another is Antonio Bachour who I assisted one time and learnt so much in those days. He has a great level of dedication to pastry and makes everything look very beautiful.

Photo by:Meto Khazragi 

If you were not in the culinary field, what do you think you would be?

One question that I really have to answer for as the only thing that I think I can do is cook. I would like to be a football player for Manchester United but if you see me kick a football you would soon find out that it's impossible.

What is your culinary dream?

I'd love to have my own pastry shop where I could sell my pastries and also have a studio on the premises where I could hold courses and also bring chefs from around the world to do guest appearances and courses of their own.

How has the Corona Virus affected your business?

The corona virus has affected our hotel like any other greatly. The hotel is still open for guests but it is next to none. The restaurant is closed but we have been refurbishing the restaurant in the meantime. We also try to work from home and try to plan menus for when we open again and think of scenarios that we will have to deal with for when we open.

What are your plans for the future and where can we eat your dishes?

My plans for the future are to first try to get my book done which I really hope i can do this year. I would like to start travelling again and meeting people from around the world but we will have to wait with that for now. Hopefully also it would be nice to get that pastry shop but in the meantime you can eat my dishes at Scandic Laholmen in Strömstad, Sweden.

You can follow: Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/vidal31/

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Photo by:Meto Khazragi 

Photo by:Meto Khazragi 

Photo by:Meto Khazragi