PostedAugust 28, 2022, 4:27 PM
CuisineRecipes from Hayao Miyazaki’s movies for real
Chef and pop culture expert, Thibaud Villanova uses his two hats to recreate dishes from the most cult films, series and manga. Interview with an enthusiast.
Thibaud Villanova has already released his new baby, “Anime”: 40 recipes from the most famous anime.
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If you’re a fan of cooking or pop culture – and a fortiori of both – it’s hard to miss the phenomenon. Since 2014, chef Thibaud Villanova has drawn inspiration from the most adored films, TV series and manga to bring to life the dishes glimpsed at the bend of a plan, or the space of a drawn box, such as the molasses tart of “Harry Potter”, Asakusa noodles from “Demon Slayer” or even the blue milkshake from “Star Wars”, Luke Skywalker’s favorite drink. He reviewed some of them on his YouTube and Twitch channels, but above all he created the Gastronogeek collection (published by Hachette Heroes), recipe books exploring the culinary worlds of Dragonball, Asterix and Obelix, Assassin’s Creed, or Disney movies.
A little over 2 months ago, he published “The Kitchen in Ghibli”, a splendid work inspired by the meals in the famous Japanese studio’s animated films, in particular those of Hayao Miyazaki, and he has already released his new baby. , “Anime”: 40 recipes from the most famous anime, “Naruto”, “One Piece” and “Attack on Titan” in mind. We grilled the chef.
You explain in the preface to “The Kitchen in Ghibli” that you worked on this book for 10 years. Why so long?
Because I didn’t dare to attack it head-on. It’s one of the very first books I wanted to do at the beginning of the collection, but I always told myself that I had to become a really good cook before dealing with the subject. For certain licenses, such as Dragon Ball, Star Wars or Disney, for which I have a certain mastery of the reference, I did not feel limited in terms of cooking. But with Ghibli, it took me years, especially to immerse myself in Japanese cuisine and understand the philosophy behind each preparation. I went there to taste it, I read a lot of books, followed master classes…
What’s interesting is that you sometimes take liberties with the films, like with “Souvenirs Goutte à Goutte” where you offer a cooked version of a pineapple while it is eaten plain in the film…
My job, first of all, is to link the TV, literary or film reference to cooking. To say in a way to the reader: “Do you remember, at such a moment in the film, such a character eats such a dish…”. Afterwards, with my wife, Bérengère Demoncy, who takes care of all the graphic aspect of the books, we try through the decor to find the atmosphere of the scene as much as possible and bring the reader a certain immersion. In the case of “Drip Memories,” I obviously wasn’t just going to explain how to cut a plain pineapple. But I absolutely wanted to process the film, especially since the pineapple scene is important. As a result, the idea here was above all to remind readers of its existence and to offer a recipe inspired by the flavors of Japan by working the fruit in a different way.
How did you come to cooking?
In my family, everyone is in the kitchen. My grandmother was a cook by trade, my father a baker, I have butcher cousins in Spain… I’ve always been immersed in this. I actually worked in pop culture, sometimes in board games, sometimes video games, and at one point I was deputy manager of a bar in Paris dedicated to imaginary cultures, but which did not offer not a very advanced card in the field. And that’s when I had the idea of extending the immersion of customers through the kitchen. That’s when shows like “Top Chef” developed, but no one was talking regarding imaginary cuisine, that of “Harry Potter” banquets, “Lord of the Rings” elven dishes, or “Lord of the Rings” pizzas. Back to the future”. I got into it and it was really fun.
Among all those you have created, is there a recipe that stands out, more popular than the others?
A few years ago, when I had only written 3 or 4 books, Butterbeer from “Harry Potter” or Lembas from “Lord of the Rings” came up a lot. Today, following 18 pounds, it’s harder to get one out. But in the one devoted to Ghibli, the ramens of “Ponyo” are very popular.
You have official books – Star Wars, Dragon Ball, Asterix and Obelix – and others that are not. Are they made differently?
Not really. The official books only deal with the license in question, while in the others, we will rather approach a theme through different references. But my work remains the same. In the context of the license, it is perhaps a little more laborious because you have to gain the trust of the rights holders, have them validate the photos and texts, explain to them why you choose such a recipe, why such an ingredient… But Anyway, it’s a question I ask myself for each of my recipes.
That’s to say? How do you do it?
Take the Cherry Pie from “Twin Peaks,” which is unlicensed. In the series, Agent Cooper can’t stop feasting on this type of pie. But since he’s also crazy regarding coffee, I wanted to find a way to combine the two elements. So I went with bitter cocoa, which goes perfectly with candied cherry and full-bodied coffee. In the recipe, I therefore add a grated amount of cocoa on the cherry confit before closing the pie dough, which I glaze with egg, in which I have previously diluted some strong coffee. It gives it a particular color; the taste reveals the sweetness of coffee; and we thus link the shape to the bottom with a coffee Cherry Pie, two iconic elements of the series. And for licenses, it’s the same. In the Disney book, I have the recipe for La Crème de la crème à la Edgar, from “The Aristocats”. Edgar, being the butler who kidnaps the cats by putting them to sleep with a vanilla cream doped with sleeping pills. In the movie, the scene where he makes his preparation is well described: he uses vanilla, the cream is white, thick, he simmered it… From there, I have enough information to create a recipe. The license just allows you to specify that you are validated by the creator.
Have you ever been refused by certain licenses?
Sometimes, like with “Harry Potter”. It’s been 6 years since I presented them with a project every year, they always refused and now they have just published theirs this year. But I’m lucky to be published by Hachette, which already owns the Star Wars, Disney and Marvel licenses. They have the means and are not afraid to knock on the doors of large groups.
There are, however, Harry Potter recipes in some of your books…
Of course, but everything is in compliance with the license. I don’t exploit the name of Harry Potter, I don’t use an official logo, I quote the rights holder… And I mightn’t, for example, devote an entire book to the saga. The reference must be diluted in the middle of a whole bunch of others.
You have sometimes been accused of changing a simple ingredient to make a recipe your own… What do you say to that?
You should already know what defines a recipe. In France, it is something that cannot be filed. The know-how is to be able to tell this recipe, to write it down, to modify it and to change it. Indeed, when I work on the omelet with reference to “Daredevil”, and in particular this episode which opens with a scene where the Caïd makes an omelet with chives, how do you expect me to reinvent the dish? In cases like this, I’m talking regarding revisited or reworked recipes, because some dishes – very simple – do not ask to be changed. That’s why I don’t respond to these attacks. So indeed, sometimes I’ll just add a touch of the pepper mill… But what makes the difference is the way I describe the different steps, in particular to roll the omelet and lead the reader to find the even rendered on his plate as in the series.
How do you develop the design of a book, like the one devoted to Ghibli for example? You start by reviewing all the films of the studio?
Exactly. I always go back to the origins. I review everything to immerse myself in the different aspects of the work, making freeze frames on the dishes shown, and then I start to scribble down my recipes. I then test them many times. And then it is then a question of finding different objects capable of sticking to this universe for the photos: crockery, utensils…
Have you ever had the opportunity to have your recipes tasted by one of the people involved in the series, films or manga that you deal with?
Yes, it happened. In particular with Anthony Daniels, the interpreter of C3PO in the “Star Wars”. He had come to Paris for a convention and as I had already cooked for celebrities in events, I had the privilege of being his private chef for a few days. It was the year I released my Star Wars book, so I cooked up some of my recipes for it. He was very happy. I also had the opportunity to be the leader of Giancarlo Esposito, Gus Fring in “Breaking Bad”. So I mightn’t prepare him my French Pollos Hermanos, the fried chickens from his chain of restaurants in the series, which I cover in my book “Cult Series”, but I had offered him the latter. And a few months later, he sent me a photo of himself eating the Pollos he had cooked according to my recipe, with a note saying: “Excellent. Thanks!”
