ECKART 2014 award winners

Shuzo Kishida, Heinz and Heinz Reitbauer, Mick Hucknall and Jon Rose will be honoured on 22 October 2014 at BMW Museum

Munich. The winners of the ECKART 2014 awards have been announced: A jury appointed by “chef of the century” Eckart Witzigmann revealed that this year’s honours will go to Japan, Austria, England and the United States. The awards will be presented at a gala ceremony held at BMW Museum on 22 October 2014.

Shuzo Kishida, Japan

The young Japanese three-Michelin-star chef Shuzo Kishida from Tokyo will receive the ECKART 2014 for “Innovation”. In its statement, the jury said: “Images of Kishida’s dishes cannot do justice to the revolutionary, poetic and innovative power of his work. It unfolds in his food: French and Japanese cuisine are combined with top-quality products to produce an innovative fusion of two traditional cooking cultures.”

Heinz and Heinz Reitbauer, Austria

Heinz and Heinz Reitbauer are the winners of the ECKART 2014 for the “Art of Cookery”.

Reitbauer Junior is “one of the most committed members of a new generation of top chefs who embrace social responsibility”, the jury stated in its decision. Reitbauer studied with Alain Chapel in Mionnay, one of the pioneers and forerunners of contemporary cooking, with Anton Mosimann in London and with Joël Robuchon in Paris. He has been chef-patron of “Steirereck” in Vienna since 2005. Reitbauer values “authentic products and diversity. Counteracting the global trend towards uniformity, even in the European Union, with its inherent threat to diversity, the jury recognises his commitment to biodiversity." According to Eckart Witzigmann: “He combines the finest ingredients and the highest culinary art to create one of the most modern cuisines in the culinary world today.”

Heinz Reitbauer Senior is a radical. He is transforming his traditional guest house “Steirereck” into a world-class restaurant and passing it on to the next generation by going “back to the roots”. The jury justified the award as follows: “His “Steirereck” restaurant on the Pogusch Pass in Styria is currently the best mountain guest house in the world. Heinz Reitbauer brings to the plate what can be locally sourced: chicken, carp, goulash – simple, natural, coherent – served with a unique hospitality.

Mick Hucknall, England

Singer Mick Hucknall, formerly of Simply Red, will receive the ECKART 2014 for Art of Living. Hucknall not only enjoys a high standard of living himself, but also demonstrates a consistent commitment to it. He has been growing wine on Mount Etna for more than a decade, focusing on local, traditional varieties producing wines that are appreciated by connoisseurs. He is also currently involved with a project in Ireland aimed at preserving a river that supports wild salmon.

The jury was impressed by his convictions as well as his commitment: “There are so many people in the world who need help to take the next step. I help by growing things. I want to give back to society by trying to strengthen communities and improve the reputation of certain regions to make them more attractive economically.”

Jon Rose, USA

World-famous surfer Jon Rose will receive the ECKART 2014 for “Creative Responsibility and Enjoyment” for his “waves 4 water” project, which distributes drinking water filters worldwide. Rose visited some of the most remote regions in the world in his quest for the perfect wave and knows that clean drinking water is often a scarce commodity. The jury wrote in its decision: “Unlike many projects, Jon Rose’s creative solution did not develop its own system, but uses cheap and simple filters. The idea behind his “waves 4 water” organisation is not to send one person out with 100 filters to regions in need of clean water, but to have hundreds of travellers each distribute ten filters. This is modern social networking with thousands of supporters taking responsibility in a creative way.”

ECKART
The International Eckart Witzigmann Award is one of the most prestigious honours recognising outstanding achievements in the art of cooking and fine dining. “Chef of the century” Eckart Witzigmann has awarded the ECKART for unique culinary achievements and special commitment under the broad spectrum of lifestyle since 2004. In partnership with the BMW Group, the Witzigmann Academy presents awards annually in three categories: “Art of Cookery”, “Innovation” and “Art of Living”. The Academy presented its first ECKART for “Creative Responsibility and Enjoyment” in 2013, with a cash award of 10,000 euros endowed by the BMW Group.

Previous ECKART winners include Daniel Boulud (New York City); HRH Charles, Prince of Wales (Highgrove); Elena Arzak (San Sebastian); Anne-Sophie Pic (Valence); Harald Wohlfahrt (Tonbach); Dieter Kosslick (Berlin); Ferran Adrià (Barcelona); Marc Haeberlin (Illhaeusern); Joël Robuchon (Paris); and many more.

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