It’s a popular belief among food professionals that “molecular gastronomy” is nothing more than magic and trickery.  Marcella Hazan, commented on Hot From The Kettle that “[c]ooking is what I am interested in, not magic. I can be entertained by magic, briefly, I am sustained by cooking, my life long.”  

Earlier this week I visited with Chef Tre Ghoshal at 77 Walnut Street, the site of Adara, Montclair’s new modern American restaurant.  We sat in the upper dining room and talked while carpenters worked in the lower dining room. From the moment I entered Adara, I was immediately taken by the overall warmth of the restaurant; it was not the super sleek, pretentious, modernist space I anticipated.  The walls are painted in warm earth tones, the floors stained a rich dark cherry, and the new chairs were cushioned and comfortable, creating an atmosphere of refined cordiality.

I read Mrs. Hazan’s quote to Chef Ghoshal, and asked, “So, is it magic?”  According to Chef Ghoshal “it’s just food.”