The American Diner – Reinvented in Berlin by Richard Blais
These days Berlin is hosting a very special guest in the city. Starting his immensely successful career as a Poissonier at McDonalds and climbing the ladder to cooking at 3 Michelin stars restaurant El Bulli, Richard Blais is a force to be reckoned with. Crowned the winner of Top Chef All-Stars, this charming and innovative chef has also been the host of TV series such as Cook Your Ass Off and The Hungry Games. With three restaurants under his wing and a prestigious James Beard nomination for his book he’s not slowing down.
For his latest endeavor he took on a reinterpretation of the classic American diner for the Cadillac Experience that is currently taking place in the underground parking garage at Bebelplatz. Taking his wildly creative approach to cooking, he treats the visitors with burgers, onion rings and milkshakes—all done with an experimental take. We caught up with the star chef before the opening of to talk about bringing the American diner experience to Europe, why we order fries instead of salad with our burgers (it’s more complicated than you think), how to survive naked in a forest, and of course his secret cooking weapon, liquid nitrogen.