METALLICA's LARS ULRICH Pens Foreword To Cook Book

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich has written the foreword to "A Work in Progress: Journal, Recipes And Snapshots", a three-book set by René Redzepi, head chef of NOMA restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark. Featuring a 60,000-word journal written by René himself, as well as a hardback recipe book featuring over 100 new recipes from NOMA, this trilogy of books explores complex and fascinating themes such as creativity, ambition and collaboration providing a unique look behind the scenes at NOMA and into the mind of its master, René Redzepi.

Beginning with reflections and realisations about the successes of NOMA, the journal explores all areas of René Redzepi's professional career and provides an unprecedented glance into the triumphs, tribulations and effects of creating, maintaining and enhancing the world-renowned restaurant.

With images by acclaimed photographer Ditte Isager, the hardback recipe book brings together a huge range of brand new recipes demonstrating the creative flair of René Redzepi and his highly skilled team of chefs.

In his foreword, Ulrichwrote: "In the past when I have been asked to contribute forewords or other thoughts in the written form as a way to fill up a page or two before the main event, it's always been about a person or a body of work closely associated with a particular person. When René reached out to me to write this intro, he asked me to write about creativity. Not about food, not about NOMA, not about René himself or any amalgam of the above. René wanted my 'ruminations' on the following question: what is creativity?

"Like I said, I've been invited to partake in many creative shenanigans over the years, but never to write an essay about a single word. Being unafraid is a good start...

"Creativity is as much about exploring what you don't know as embracing what you do know. Having the courage to wander into your own ignorance, armed only with base knowledge, can be a powerful way to true creativity. When you truly go out there and create something, it's as much a product of what you don't know as a product of what you do.

"I've been circling these sound bites for some time now. They all sound rather slogan-like. Actually, some, or most of those would make pretty cool bumper stickers."

Read more of Ulrich's foreword at Phaidon.com.

"A Work in Progress: Journal, Recipes And Snapshots" will be made available on November 11 via Phaidon Press.