Setting the Tone in Orlando T
he culinary world needs more chefs like Reimund Pitz, master chef and owner of Orlando's Le Coq au Vin. The fi ve-time Culinary Olympics gold medalist lowers his food quality for nobody and does not kowtow to anyone. As animal rights activists demand he take foie gras off his menu, Pitz contin- ues to fi ght the battle that other chefs have caved in to. "If it's against the law to sell foie gras, that's one thing; but it's not up to me to tell you what you can and cannot eat," says Pitz.
15519 Gran Gala Tasting PNL 1-2 Pg Ad.MECH_Layout 1 10/19/11 11:09 AM Page 1 done." —Fred Minnick
Chef Reimund Pitz.
In the age of celebrity chefs, Pitz is a purist. He helped write the rules for vari- ous culinary competitions and is a former President of the American Culinary Federation. Dedicated to helping less fortunate culinarians and educating tomorrow's chefs, he was recently named the fi rst Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Ambassador for his support to Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. When he purchased Le Coq au Vin from the man who built Florida's top French restaurant, Louis Perrotte, Pitz did not take the classics off the menu but focused on buying from Florida. His chickens are harvested the same day they're served, his quail eggs purchased that morning and his pork comes from a Florida farm. He estimates 70 percent of his food selection comes from in-state. "I'm up every morning buying directly from the producer," he says. "The day I have to jeopardize quality to maintain the profi t in my pocket, I'm
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Please drink responsibly january/february 2012 / the tasting panel / 19
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