Chef Daniel Schreiber, founder of Alchemy Hospitality, received the prestigious Academie Internationale de la Gastronomy Award as the nation’s top Chef of the Future at a gala gathering and presentation at the Shore Casino in Atlantic Highlands Friday evening.
Schreiber received the award from the Academy’s president of the East Chapter, Sevi Avigdor of Rumson. Avigdor is also a founder of the American Academy of Gastronomy which began in 1999 after Avigdor met with Rafael Anson, president of Honour of the AID in Madrid, Spain.
Also on hand for both the presentation and the formal assessment of the dinner Schreiber and his team prepared for the occasion, was Steve Kraneisen, formerly of New Jersey now of Charleston, SC, Kraneisen is the delegate of the South Carolina chapter for the Academy. Several other Academy members, industry leaders and Alchemy’s clientele were also present to see Schreiber honored.
Schreiber’s sward, the highly prized “Prix Au Chef de l’Avenir” (Chef of the Future) recognizes him among the global culinary world’s most selective and prestigious personages. It recognizes him as a leader in the future of culinary arts, a rapidly changing world of culinary hospitality.
The AIG is a private, not-for-profit association headquartered in Parish and registered in the Hauts-de-Seine district. Member countries, in addition to the two chapters that cover the United States, are in the Middle East, Japan, North, Central and South America and Africa, gaining it international recognition. Its budget is funded by contributions from Member Academies and grants from corporations and individuals.
Formerly of Ocean Township, Schreiber got his first culinary education at Brookdale and went on to study under universally recognized chefs before founding Alchemy Hospitality last year.
“We’re redefining what innovation in culinary hospitality means,” Schreiber said, in accepting the certificate amid a standing ovation and applause. “For us, innovation isn’t just about using modern cooking techniques or trendy ingredients; it’s about completely rethinking hospitality as a whole.
We’ve built a culture around the simple but powerful idea that if our team is genuinely happy, inspired, and passionate, that energy naturally flows into everything we create.” Schreiber pointed out many times that chefs are recognized as being intense, highly frenetic and hyper which creates an unpleasant environment in the kitchen. I, on the other hand, ” he added smiling, “I am happy cooking, I love to explore a variety of tastes, and I am happy. I want everyone to be happy while enjoying what I prepare as well.”
The International Academy of Gastronomy, comprised of 30 national academies across four continents, selects only one chef per country annually for this distinction. Previous recipients have gone on to reshape culinary landscapes in their respective regions and globally.
Schreiber continued that his mission in creating Alchemy Hospitality is to design extraordinary culinary experiences that seamlessly blend innovation, craftsmanship, and personalized service. The company does that through providing presentations in all venues or residences. Among some of his clients have been Ralph Lauren, Nutella, EY, Forbes and Fortune 500 executives.
“This award doesn’t change our direction, but it does validate it,” Schreiber noted. “We’ve never been about following culinary trends; we’ve always been committed to actively shaping them. This recognition simply strengthens our confidence to stay true to our path, keep personalizing, and keep setting the standard.”
Part of the history of the Academy of Gastronomy is its foundation on the knowledge that the gastronomy of the United States is derived from the many ethnicities, cultural development and migration of people from throughout the world that brought their own ways of life to America.
The American Academy seeks to improve the knowledge of American cuisine and to maintain traditional heritage and culture in all aspects of gastronomy. It traces history back to the Native Americans meeting Pilgrims and introducing each other to an abundance of products as well as improvement in culinary techniques.
Schreiber’s innovation, creativity, coordinated excellence and love for seasonal produce was evidenced the evening of the event, as he hosted both a cocktail hour for approximately two dozen guests in the Galleon Room of the Shore Casino while at the same time as hosting and serving a cocktail hour and three course main meal for the American Academy officers and guests in the adjacent ballroom.
“It’s spring,” the chef smiled, when asked how many different vegetables he used for the evening’s preparation, indicating his choice for fresh and locally grown produce. As a result, he offered eggplant, tomatoes, varieties of greens and vegetables of all colors in no fewer than eight different hour d’oeuvres using 20 different fruits and vegetables.
In addition, choices also included striped bass and littleneck clams, tuna Crudo, a blend of tuna fish, avocado, radishes, and yusu, a citrus fruit grown in Australia and New Zealand as well as in Europe, crab cakes, scallops and bacon and salmon in unusual coned presentation as hors do’oeuvres. He introduced a variety of flowers and herbs both for décor and to enhance or accent tastes and presented spring lamb as a main course along with strawberry and rhubarb Panna Cotta with ginger cream for dessert.
Kraneisen called for the formal assessment and critique of the dinner at the end of the evening, introducing Schreiber and his entire staff, a well as Shore Casino owner Kathleen Sweeney to receive the standing ovation on their excellence.
Academy members marveled and expressed awe at the unique presentations together with the variety and Shreiber’s blend of flavors in his recipes. Shreiber accepted the applause with thanks., but pointed out it is his wife Suzanne together with his staff, who make it possible for him to present his internationally recognized award winning excellence.
