Phaidon's commissioning editor of food Emma Robertson with a copy of René Redzepi's A Work In Progress

Introducing René Redzepi A Work In Progress

Phaidon's commissioning editor of food Emma Robertson on our new three-in-one book with the 50 Best winner

RENÉ REDZEPI
A WORK IN PROGRESS

Three books in one, a journal, recipe book and flick book, A Work in Progress recounts the day-to-day life at Noma – from the trials of developing new dishes to the successes that come with winning the 50 Best Restaurants award. While the journal is the book's heart, it is supported by the recipe book containing 100 brand new recipes and a flick book of 200 candid images which provide a very personal, often humorous, insight into the inner workings of Noma and it's talented team of chefs.

   

 

 

THE CREATION OF THE BOOK

Our senior production controller Vanessa Todd, describes how she helped turn a varied, complicated project into a beautiful, three-volume set.



"This was a great project to work on - a real challenge. The pictures themselves came in a variety of formats. There were some really great atmospheric shots of Scandinavia taken by a brilliant Danish photographer, Ditte Isager, and we worked hard to make sure they were reproduced as faithfully as possible. Many of the more personal, Instagram-style photographs came from iPhones, and the quality obviously wasn't as good. Nevertheless, we ensured the resolution was high enough, and retouched the pictures where we could. Then there were the actual, film-sealed samples of leaves and herbs and so on, that René himself supplied. These were hard to reproduce, and we did a few experiments to see how they would print best. We scanned them, photographed them from behind and from in front. Eventually, we discovered that it was best to photograph them lit both from the front and the back, and scan them, then put a composite image together. All three books are held together with an X-band, and placed in a polybag, which is reseable. We produced them at an Italian printers, which means the standard of work is very high, and I am able to go over there to press pass the work. It wasn't an easy job, but it was fun, and it's certainly among the books I am most proud to have worked on."

 

   

 

SPECIFICATIONS

Hardback & Paperback | 270 x 220 mm

648 pages | 300 images | 1.5 kg

   

 

 

 

WHO IS RENÉ REDZEPI?

René Redzepi is head chef and owner of the two-Michelin star Noma restaurant in Copenhagen, where he and his team create an inventive take on Nordic cuisine with a distinctive emphasis on regional specialities. He is widely recognized as one of the world's most influential chefs. His restaurant was voted the best restaurant in the world in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 San Pellegrino 50 Best Restaurants Awards. Redzepi is noted for his work for the reinvention and refinement of a new Nordic cuisine and food that is characterised by inventiveness and clean flavours. After choosing a culinary career, he trained at the restaurant Pierre André which had just opened in Copenhagen and soon received a Michelin star. He first visited elBulli as a guest in 1998 and subsequently worked there during the 1999 season. In 2001 he spent four months working at the French Laundry, California, and in December 2002 was contacted by Claus Meyer, who had been offered a restaurant at the North Atlantic House, a former 18th century warehouse which was being turned into a cultural centre for the North Atlantic region. Noma was opened in 2004 with Redzepi as head chef. He is also co-founder of MAD, a community of chefs, cooks and farmers with an appetite for knowledge.

Couple A Work in Progress with the books below for a library of modern culinary perfection

 

 

SOME RENÉ REDZEPI LINKS