In recent years, critics and jaded diners have deemed the multi-course tasting menu dead. It’s gotten repetitive, the argument goes, with chefs serving luxury courses like caviar at the expense of any point of view. But recently, our host Lilah Raptopoulos had a meal that felt extremely alive, at Victoria Blamey’s restaurant Blanca, in Brooklyn. Victoria is from Chile and worked at Michelin-starred restaurants around the globe before becoming Blanca’s executive chef. Today, she tells us what she’s doing differently (“We want to slap someone's face, like hey, wake up!”) and why restaurants should take bigger risks.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at lilahrap@ft.com. And we’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– For some background on the current state of fine dining, listen to our interview with restaurant critic and chef Tim Hayward, which we called “Why fine dining isn’t fine”: https://www.ft.com/content/4ad8f359-396c-4867-af42-5a11d770f3ef

– Victoria is on Instagram at @victoriablamey

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Original music by Metaphor Music.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Chef Victoria Blamey is giving the tasting menu new life

Life and Art from FT Weekend