In today’s episode, we are traveling to Madagascar! I talk with Chef Elizabeth Falkner, Mixologist Shannon Tebay, and Chef Michale Gulotta about our trip to Madagascar. The winners of the Vnlla Extract Co. challenge accompanied me on a tour with the vanilla producer, Symrise.
You’ll hear about their experiences in Madagascar and their impressions of visiting a country still in the process of discovering itself. They share their favorite local ingredients, the creative ways they utilized them, and you’ll hear about the local food and growing cocktail culture.
What you’ll learn from our rip to Madagascar
The vanilla-inspired dishes they came up with before their trip to Madagascar (4:03)
How visiting Madagascar opened the door to new flavors and inspiration (5:36)
Impressions of the vanilla-making process in Madagascar (9:08)
How flavor and fragrance are intertwined (10:25)
The complexities of Madagascar’s colonial past (12:46)
A surprising truth about Madagascar vanilla (14:22)
A comparison between the first and second most expensive ingredients in the world and where they come from (17:04)
How the use of vanilla in Madagascar is changing (19:33)
What the vanilla competition was like (21:08)
Why one restaurant stood out during their trip to Madagascar (25:01)
A spicy Madagascar chili dish Chef Falkner created (27:12)
