New venue and first names for The Flemish Primitives 2011

Peter Monbailleu | The calendars have been checked and marked. The date has been set... A new super edition of The Flemish Primitives is in the making. "This is the moment of truth for The Flemish Primitives," says organiser Bernard Lahousse.

After the first two successful editions, The Flemish Primitives was promptly counted among the three most innovative culinary events in the world, together with Madrid Fusion and Star Chefs New York. For the 2011 edition the goals and the stakes are high. The past few months the team has been working hard to put together a great lineup and event. And it is all taking shape now...

Date & venue
The Flemish Primitives 2011 will take place on Monday 14 March 2011 in Kursaal Oostende. The new venue was chosen because the event outgrew the Concertgebouw. The Kursaal has all the space needed to create a great event for up to 2000 participants.

Themes
In 2010 the "Ten Commandments" were introduced, on which the Belgian chefs want to base the creation of the Belgian gastronomic identity. This work in progress will definitely continue. Next on the list: visualisation. This aspect plays an ever growing part in the development of new recipes. This topic, after food pairing in 2009, will be a hugely innovating step for chefs all over the world. "And there will be more cooking," says chef Peter Coucquyt. "The 2010 edition focussed strongly on technology, because a lot of new technology became available. But for this edition we will definitely include a lot of live cooking and it will be presented in a very special way..." 

3 top guests
Apart from the local top chefs, The Flemish Primitives will once again invite a number of international top chefs to Belgium. The first chefs to confirm for this edition are Rene Redzepi, Michel Bras and Alex Atala. Redzepi and his restaurant Noma are currently ranked as best restaurant in the world. Bras is an authority when it comes to "la cuisine du terroir" and Alex Atala from Brasil is known as a creative chef who explores all the potential of typical Brasilian ingredients.

Registration & practical information
We are still working hard to finish the new web site. Registration fees will be the same as for the 2010 edition: 295 euro (excl. VAT). Until 31 December an early bird reduction of 50 euro applies. Even with the increased capacity, the number is seats is still limited, so don't forget to register in time! Registration will be possible on the web site from 15 October.