Chef Adam Handling has created a new dining experience with Ruinart in time for the Frieze Art Fair in collaboration with Brazilian artist Vik Muniz. As partner of Frieze, Ruinart has collaborated with Handling on a five-course menu inspired by ‘Shared Roots’, a series of six photographic works created by Muniz that will be on display at the Ruinart bar at Frieze throughout the art fair from 3 to 6 October. The ‘Shared Roots’ menu will be available at Adam Handling Chelsea at the Belmond Cadogan Hotel from now to 13 October and focuses on the chef’s commitment to zero waste and sustainability.

Both the artist and chef looked at the relationship between art and nature. Working with art and artists is something that both Handling and Ruinart are very familiar with. ‘I’m often inspired by art, whether that’s through the dishes we’re creating or as part of the wider dining experience,’ Handling says. ‘Being a bit of a ridiculous art collector myself, I actually commissioned Katy Jade Dobson, a contemporary oil painter, to create a bespoke series of paintings for Adam Handling Chelsea. That’s why it felt like such a natural fit to create the “Shared Roots” experience with Ruinart, given they’ve been commissioning artists to deliver their vision of the Maison since 1896.

‘It was fascinating to work with Vik [Muniz] and take inspiration from his “Shared Roots” commission. I’m passionate about sustainability and how we can work better with nature, so felt like I could really understand how Vik focussed on the relationship between winegrowers and vines and the challenges they face.’

The menu uses organic ingredients taken from Ruinart’s vineyard, including grapes and vine leaves, and each course is paired with the Maison’s delicious blanc de blanc or exquisite rosé champagne. Dishes include celeriac with truffle, cream cheese, confit egg yolk and apple; turbot with broccoli stems, vine leaves and caviar, duck with wild herbs and a Ruinart champagne vinegar; and a dessert of ‘Grapes, Grapes and More Grapes’ featuring grape granita paired with a goats’ cheese mousse and a panna cotta covered in fine grape slices.

Adam Handling’s menu with Ruinart is priced at £120 per person, paired to Ruinart blanc de blancs and Ruinart rosé throughout, and can be booked via Adam Handling Chelsea, 75 Sloane Street, Chelsea, London, SW1X 9SE between 23 September – 13 October 2019. To book, call 0208 089 7070 or email reservations@adamhandlingchelsea.co.uk