Taking a five-week break from my demanding professional life provided a rare kind of mental space. Although I brought my laptop to Thailand and continued to write, being away from the daily pressures of my job allowed me to look at stefangourmet.com with fresh eyes, to reflect on why I do what I do.
I started to look for the common thread that connects a simple Italian pasta, a high-end sous-vide experiment, and a three-star restaurant review. The result of that reflection is what I am calling the Stefan Gourmet Manifesto. It is not a sudden change in direction, but a codification of the logic I have used since the beginning. It is a guide built on the four pillars of evidence, experience, efficiency, and enjoyment. Whether you have followed me for a decade or just joined recently, this philosophy explains the why behind every recipe and wine pairing I share.
You can read the full manifesto here.
Which of these twelve principles resonates most with your own approach to cooking? Or perhaps there is one you find particularly controversial—the dishwasher spatulas, perhaps? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
In addition to the manifesto, I have also fully updated my About Me page to better reflect this philosophy and provide more background on my culinary journey. I invite you to check it out here.
Stefan's Gourmet Blog 
I particularly appreciate the extraction of every bit of flavor and avoidance of food waste. That’s so important in how I cook, and being conscious of what goes in the compost is vital to our tables and the environment as well.
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Number 10!!! They all make perfect sense, of course, but I do enjoy a good pub and bistro as much as a fine dining experience. Sometimes more, depending on the ambiance. Love this, Stefan! Richard would be impressed.
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I could not agree more across the board. Keep doing what you do, especially if it gives you fulfillment. Happy to have been a “friend” of yours in this blogosphere for over 10 years at this point.
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Dear Stefan,
I couldn’t agree more with the statements in your Manifesto! They are all very valid, obvious, and straight to the point in describing what brings joy to cooking and eating as a hobby-“chef.” You did a great job defining them and expressing exactly how I feel when preparing food for family and friends (though not at the professional level you operate at 😉).
After experiencing sous-vide techniques during my one-day/night internship at De Librije in 2006, I immediately bought a sous-vide machine and soon discovered your blog. Since then, your recipes have guided my experiments and have consistently resulted in perfectly executed dishes when following your instructions.
What I truly admire is how quickly you respond to questions. Even when I’m in doubt on a busy Saturday afternoon while preparing a serious dinner, you reply (probably busy as well). Many thanks for that!
Very often during preparation and cooking, there are decisive moments when I find myself wondering, “How would Stefan think about this?”
What I find truly extraordinary is that you don’t just share your recipes and experiences as another blog post, but that you genuinely do it—as you write—for your readers and followers, to help them and enable them to learn and grow.
Thanks again!
Best regards,
Frans
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