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For many years, Basque chefs did not travel much for the purposes of their professional career. However, since Basque cuisine is now known all over the world and Basque chef Daniel Garcia never says no to a trip, he decided to pack up and take his cuisine to the western United States.

Daniel Garcia, owner of the Michelin-starred Zortziko restaurant, and fellow chefs Xabier Garcia of Boroa Restaurant, Inigo Ordorika of Zallo Barri Restaurant and Sabin Arana of Jolastoki Restaurant accepted an invitation from the County Council of Biscay and Boise's Cenarrusa Foundation for Basque Cultura to take Biscayan cuisine to the capital city of Idaho and take part in a series of culinary events.

"I always say yes to a trip. Then I have a look at my timetable and check whether it is possible or not. I love going places. I like knowing new places, having new experiences, from a personal and professional point of view," Daniel Garcia explains.

Once in Boise and after a 30-hour long trip and a short night's sleep (in part because of the jet lag), the Basque chef could not believe his eyes. "I didn't know Boise, we had talked about what we would find there but I didn't expect to find what I did," he says.

Of Boise, one of the most liveable and likable cities in the United States, Dani Garcia liked its friendly inhabitants and natural environment. "It is a very ecological place, where industry and technology work in harmony with each other. In culinary terms, we would say there is a perfect marriage between industry and the prosperity of the city, and the environment is respected meticulously", Dani Garcia explains.

He also got to meet the famed Oinkari Basque dancers, one of the most visible parts of Idaho's Basque-American heritage, and attend one of their dance practices. "At a practice, you see the real thing. When you see a dance, dancers are somehow acting, to me, practices are much more interesting," the Zortziko's chef reveals.

Back to the origin

During their six-day stay in Boise, Garcia and the three other chefs shared their expertise and went through the basics of Biscayan cuisine demonstrating some of the techniques and philosophies that have made Basque cuisine renowned the world over.

"We tried to teach them some simple cooking techniques that they can use in their homes, but always with a great deal of respect for the ingredients. Basque cuisine is primarily based on a symbiosis of original ingredients and respectful preparation. It is very important that meat and fish taste of what they are, and not of the seasoning," Dani Garcia explains.

"Every time someone opens a sandwich and smears ketchup or Tabasco all over it without having tried the original taste first, I get upset from a culinary point of view. I respect it, but I do not like it," the Bilbao chef adds.

Besides the cookery classes, the Basque chefs held wine tastings with sommelier Pildain, prepared a sold-out dinner at the Basque Center and met the Boise firefighters, for whom they prepared a five-course meal the firefighters really enjoyed.

"Americans do not eat bread with their lunch. But we took with us a special bread that we baked there and one of us wondered whether they had ever tried bread before. They finished all of it. And the same with the other dishes, they really enjoyed the food," the Zortziko chef remembers.

"I would love to go back, it is a very special place," Dani Garcia concludes.