| “It’s very
symbolic,” says Chef Josh DeChellis of Sumile in New York
of the cherry blossom festivals. “A sort of shaking off
of the cold weather.” Chef DeChellis has taken Japan’s
beloved bloom and made a cherry blossom tasting menu at Sumile,
fusing the flowers’ “wonderful cherry perfume”
with other traditional Japanese ingredients, creating very
non-traditional, but exquisite, dishes.
Using blossoms and leaves cured from last season, DeChellis’
menu is both sweet and savory. Starting with a blossom-garnished
Champagne cocktail, followed by flavor-rich and delicate fish
and duck dishes, and finishing with a cherry blossom panna
cotta, the chef’s application of the edible flower is
as refreshing as a spring stroll under a promenade of cherry
trees.
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