There are journeys that nourish the spirit. Others that educate the taste buds. And then there are experiences like Quenelle & Zen: a journey out of time, where contemplation meets gastronomy, temperature becomes language, and the perfect shape of a quenelle is transformed into meditation in motion.
Born out of the encounter between Zen aesthetics and the art of gourmet ice cream, Quenelle & Zen is an exclusive retreat-or perhaps a daydream-for those who have learned to seek the balance between texture and presence, between spoon and consciousness.
The retreat takes place in the countryside of Taichung, Taiwan, among tranquil hills, light rains and ancient temples. The beating heart of the experience is Minimal, the first ice cream shop in the world to receive a Michelin star. But forget cones and cups: here, every taste is a ceremony, every course a variation on temperature, every dish a haiku.
The essence of cold
Over the course of the six days, participants will be invited to let go of the superfluous, starting with a gesture that is as simple as it is essential: the formation of the quenelle.
Shaping, rotating, listening. The spoon as an extension of the breath. The moment when the cream takes shape, without forcing.
The daily practice alternates between moments of walking meditation in pine needle forests, guided breathing exercises in cold storage, and blind plating sessions on chilled basalt stones. Learners learn to distinguish the seven stages of cold, from the -20°C of resistance to the -6°C of sensory openness. Each temperature corresponds to an emotion. Each texture, to a memory.
Minimal, the culmination of the journey
The culmination of the trip is the tasting dinner at Minimal, where flavors are told in a balance of tradition and surprise. Sake and wild ginger blossom. Pu’er tea with camphor wood. Variations of lychee, sweet potato, pine needles and matcha served with surgical precision and ritual grace.
Every dish, a pause. Every sorbet, a question.
During the “cold” tea ceremony, served at -6°C, the master invites silence. “Taste is the echo of the time we give ourselves.” No one responds. But many nod, slowly.
The inner quenelling
There is no shortage of more intense moments, such as the group quenelle-making, in which participants-arranged in a circle-form a collective quenelle on a sheet of ice while reciting the mantra of the three consistencies: “welcome, mold, let go.”
At the end of the course, each person is awarded a 1st Dan diploma in the Art of Inner Quenelling.
But more than an acknowledgement, it is an invitation to bring to the world that fragile and luminous balance that only well-tempered cold can teach.
To participate
The retreat is open to those who have completed at least 108 mindful plantings and own a personal spoon (steel, wooden or titanium zen).
To apply, you must leave a comment explaining why you feel ready/and for the inner quenelling.
- The mathematical secret of the perfect quenelle: OQP - 15 March 2026
- March 15 is Quenelle Day: you have no excuse on Sunday - 11 March 2026
- Gelato Project v10.3 - 30 November 2025
