Chef's Story

This week on Chef’s Story we have John T Edge, who actually, (for the first time in this show’s history) is not a chef! Nonetheless, Mr. Edge is known throughout the food industry as a writer and educator, especially within southern culture. Edge holds an MA in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi, and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College. He is director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, an institute of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, where he documents, studies, and celebrates the diverse food cultures of the American South. His magazine and newspaper work has also been featured in ten editions of the Best Food Writing compilation. In 2009, he was inducted into Beard’s Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America, and in 2012, he won the James Beard Foundation’s M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award. Edge talks about a variety of topics in today’s episode, ranging from the history of the South and the Civil Rights Movement, the r

Today on Chef’s Story Michelle Weaver comes to us from Charleston Grill in Charleston, South Carolina to talk with us about her chef’s story! A native from the south and growing up in Alabama, Chef Michelle Weaver was raised with a passion for cooking, from learning at an early age the importance of farm-to-table, to growing up cooking with the freshest ingredients from her mother’s extensive garden and farm, and experiencing the true taste of the soil. Upon receiving her formal training from the New England Culinary Institute which taught her the intimate, hands on approach, Chef Weaver first began her journey as an intern in the French-style kitchen of Chef Daniel Bonnot. Following school, Chef Weaver began cooking in the kitchen of Chef Bob Waggoner at The Wild Boar restaurant in Nashville and subsequently moved with him in 1997 when he took over at Charleston Grill. Working as the Executive Sous Chef, Chef Weaver eventually stepped into the spotlight as the hotel’s Executive Chef, part of the Charleston P

Today on Chef’s Story, Matthew Lightner comes in to talk about his journey to becoming an executive chef at Atera, New York City. Together with host Dorothy Hamilton, Matthew takes us through his journey growing up in the Midwest, moving to Portland, Oregon at the age of 18, looking for work in various restaurants in Spain and San Diego, and eventually opening his restaurant, Atera, in New York City. Beginning as a dishwasher in Oregon, he talks about learning his craft at Noma in Spain, and gaining experience from working in restaurants around the world. At Atera, Matthew’s culinary excellence is displayed in his influences from L’Auberge Del Mar (Del Mar, California), Mugaritz (Errenteria, Spain), and Noma (Copenhagen). In 2010, Matt was named one of Food & Wine’s “Best New Chefs in America”, received nominations for Rising Star Chef by the James Beard Foundation in both 2010 and 2011, and was included in Restaurant Hospitality’s list of “10 Chefs to Watch” in 2010. Tune-in to learn more about his style

Sean Brock is the executive chef of Husk, based in Charleston, South Carolina, with a new location also opening in Nashville, Tennessee. Born and raised in rural Virginia, the experience of growing his own food with his family sparked his interest in becoming a chef. Growing and cooking everything he ate, Brock explains that he really saw food in its true form. Beginning his career as a chef tournant under Chef Robert Carter, Brock quickly rose up the ranks to become an executive sous chef at Lemaire Restaurant in Richmond, VA, then an executive chef at the AAA Five-Diamond Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, TN, an executive chef at McCrady’s Restaurant, and finally his second restaurant with Husk, just down the street from McCrady’s. His appearances include being on the “Next Great Chef” episode of “Food Network Challenge,” (in which he was the winner), and battling it out on “Iron Chef America” in December 2010. Learn from the award winning chef himself about what it really means to be a chef, such as learning t

Sara Moulton, a once reluctant on-air personality, is now one of the preeminent chefs on television. From behind the scenes with Julia Child, to being Gourmet magazine’s in-house chef, and correspondent to Good Morning America, Sara has shaped the way of our American palate, both visually and viscerally. Hear her culinary journey on this week’s episode of Chef’s Story, as Sara recalls her experience working under Lydia Shire at The Harvest Restaurant, volunteering with Julia Child and interviewing with Andre Soltner before finding her career path in broadcast media. Hear her thoughts on why women are hard wired to be successful in the kitchen and how food television has helped revolutionize the way we eat and cook in this country. This program was sponsored by Fairway Market. “Women are hard wired to multitask and to take stress. I found women to be far more even keeled under pressure than men [in the kitchen].” [24:00] ‘”Being alone in front of a camera is hard!” [32:00] “My mission [with food television] w

Chef Marc Vidal is bringing a history of Catalan and French food to Boqueria. On this week’s episode of Chef’s Story, Dorothy Cann Hamilton is joined in the studio by Marc to talk about the original Boqueria- a vibrant market in Barcelona. How did the market influence Marc’s culinary senses at an early age? Hear about Marc’s training in France, and how French cooking differs from the Spanish tradition. Why did Marc come to the United States, and what did he learn through working in Miami kitchens? Hear Dorothy and Marc discuss tapas culture, and the idea of small plates in the New York City restaurant scene. Learn all about Iberico ham, bread and tomatoes, and other traditional Spanish tapas. This program has been brought to you by Whole Foods. “Every single day I work in the restaurant business, I fall more in love with it.” [8:45] “I would say from my experiences that the French are more focused on the product than the technique.” [19:00] “In Spain, tapas are a way of life. They’re fun, and they’re easy t

Alexandra “Alex” Guarnaschelli is an Iron Chef, Food Network celebrity chef and the world-renowned executive chef at both New York City’s Butter restaurant and award-winning The Darby restaurant. She is also a television personality on the Food Network shows Chopped, Iron Chef America, All Star Family Cook-off and The Best Thing I Ever Made. She hosts Alex’s Day Off and The Cooking Loft on Food Network and Cooking Channel In 2012, she was crowned America’s Next Iron Chef on Iron Chef America, currently the only woman with that distinction and only the second female ever to obtain that honor. On this week’s episode of Chef’s Story, hear Alex’s story – from growing up as the daughter of esteemed cookbook editor Maria Guarnaschelli to culinary education across the world, to eventually finding her own style in the kitchen. This program was sponsored by Fairway Market. “Everybody has a culinary identity that they base on their childhood and the repertoire of dishes they were exposed to.” [04:00] “I do think a big

Daniel Boulud is a world renowned chef and restauranteur hailing from a farm just outside Lyon, France. He is chef and owner of several of the top restaurants around the globe, including Daniel, the 3 Michelin Star New York City restaurant. Daniel has been in the restaurant industry since he was a teenager, learning and apprenticing in France. He left his home at 14 to become a chef and moved to the city of Lyon to live with his uncle. He did a three year apprenticeship in Lyon before moving to Paris, and later coming to the States. In 1980 he took his first job in America in Washington D.C. as a chef, and later moved to New York City to be a part of the restaurant culture here. On this weeks episode of Chef’s Story, Daniel Boulud relays to us an overview of his culinary journey, beginning in France and through his move to Washington D.C. to New York. He lets us in on the secret to the success of ‘Daniel’ and the importance of being mentored and trained, as well as the rigor and dedication needed to become a

With summer quickly approaching, get into the spirit of the barbecue season! Hear the story of pit-master Kenny Callaghan of Blue Smoke, one of the premier BBQ restaurants in New York City on this week’s Chef’s Story. Kenny’s story is an unconventional one: after starting work at the age of 14 cooking fast Italian food, Kenny found himself in Florida where he learned the true nature of Barbecue and gained a true passion for it. Then moving to New York, he worked a series of jobs in fine dining, moving up the line in the kitchen and in the world of chef’s, earning credibility and experience that would eventually land him a job at the Union Square Cafe. After eight years of running a kitchen, Callaghan became a known name, and he joined up with a team of BBQ enthusiast’s to see if they could bring the spirit of this southern cuisine to New York City. Blue Smoke was the result. Their goal is to pay homage to all the different regional styles of southern BBQ, and bring the knowledge of fine dining into the BBQ wo

Chef Francois Payard is one of the most highly regarded and critically acclaimed pastry chefs in the world. Hear him recount his culinary journey this week on Chef’s Story. After moving to New York City in 1990 from traveling around Paris honing his skills in three-star Michelin rated pastry kitchens, chef François Payard began his New York City career at Le Bernardin and Restaurant Daniel where he earned recognition in the kitchen as the 1995 recipient of the James Beard Association “Pastry Chef of the Year” award, honoring him for his unique pastry designs and high attention to flavor. In 1997, Payard opened his first Pâtisserie and Bistro with Payard Pâtisserie and Bistro on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Currently, Payard has locations in Brazil, Japan, Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, and New York. Tune in and get to know the endearing French-born pastry mastermind on an insightful episode of Chef’s Story. This program was sponsored by Hearst Ranch. “Our business in pastry is almost like a florist. If you

Meet Chef Dale Talde, a first generation Filipino American who made a splash on Top Chef All Stars and is the chef/owner at TALDE, Pork Slope and Thistle Hill Tavern. Chef Talde has been named Food & Wine’s 2013 People’s Best New Chef for New York City, and is one of the most talked about chefs in the industry right now. On this week’s episode of Chef’s Story, hear about his rise to stardom from cooking pancakes as a kid to cooking at an Outback Steakhouse in Chicago and messing up chicken entrees horribly. From cultural identity to multi-tasking in the kitchen – get some serious insight from a world-class culinary talent. This program was sponsored by Whole Foods Market. “You have to work on the things you’re not good at.” [15:00] “Cooking is like the stock exchange – you multitask, hear something being barked in your ear, continue to work and remember what was yelled in your ear – it’s a skill set school never fully teaches you.” [22:00] “If you don’t empower your staff to be creative – you’re doing a

Tony Maws is a non-traditional chef – an “idealist with a kitchen” might be a more appropriate job description. His ideology: that local, seasonal and sustainably sourced ingredients are intrinsically better, and that these ingredients form the most significant part of what makes great food great. Tune in to this week’s episode of “Chef’s Story” and meet the Cambridge, MA based chef. Learn about his restaurant, Craigie On Main, and hear his culinary influences and the journey he took to become the renowned chef he is today. This program was sponsored by S. Wallace Edwards & Sons. “My mom is my harshest critic in a very loving way.” [07:00] “I love my restaurant -this will always be my baby – but I’d love to do something more rustic, casual and louder.” [19:00] “I get to cook for people every day and put smiles on their faces – I never take that for granted. It’s powerful.” [21:00] –chef Tony Maws on HeritageRadioNetwork.orgSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at h

Joaquin Baca is the unsung hero behind the Momofuku empire. After answering a Monster.com ad, he met David Chang and went on to become co-owner of Momofuku, opening Noodle Bar, Ssam Bar and Ko with Chang. Years later, he has gone on to open Brooklyn Star, a family-style Old American restaurant in North Williamsburg that offers comfort food in the best way possible. On this week’s episode of Chef’s Story, chef Baca sits down with host Dorothy Cann Hamilton and shares his culinary journey – from growing up in different countries across the world to opening his own restaurant with his own two hands and a barebones staff. This program was sponsored by Hearst Ranch “All we wanted [at Momofuku] was for somebody to pat us on the back and say ‘you’re not terrible.’ ” [18:05] “I learned in the opening [of Brooklyn Star] that I don’t ever want to do anything by myself again.” [25:40] “Brooklyn Star was my chance to do what’s near and dear to me in a less filtered fashion.” [31:50] –chef Joaquin Baca on Chef’s StorySee

Seamus Mullen is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. He is the chef/owner behind Tertulia. Tune in to this week’s episode of Chef’s Story as Dorothy Cann Hamilton chats with Seamus about his homesteading Vermont upbringing, his time spend ex at Mugaritz learning the Basque Cuisine, and the opening of his first restaurant, Tertulia. Find out how the communal, fun-first culture of Spain was his inspiration behind Tertulia and learn how he did everything he could to make his New York City restaurant feel uniquely Spanish. Learn more about the inspiration behind his book Hero Food: How Cooking with Delicious Things Can Make Us Feel Better, which highlights 18 ingredients (“Hero Foods”) that help him manage his symptoms of arthritis. This program was sponsored by Cain Vineyard & Winery. “Food is not a product – it’s a part of our culture. We’ve lost our way at some point and we’re starting to find it now. We’re at a crisis point.” [14:00] “There are some people who still expect a gumbo s

Get to know Judy Joo on this week’s episode of Chef’s Story! Judy is one of the four Iron Chefs for the UK and the Executive Chef for The Playboy Club London, which launched in all of its 1960’s glamour this summer. Judy went to Columbia University where in addition to earning a Bachelor’s of Science degree in engineering, she explored New York’s diverse culinary offerings and whet her palate for gastronomic adventures. For several years, she embarked on a career on Morgan Stanley’s fixed income trading floor, but Judy still felt the lure of the kitchen and decided to pursue her true passion and enrolled at the French Culinary Institute. She went on to work in Saveur magazine’s test kitchen developing recipes, researching food traditions and writing. Judy also started Slow Food USA’s first inner city Slow Food in Schools project in Harlem at The Children’s Storefront School, where she was a math tutor. Tune in to hear her culinary journey in her own words, and find out why Iron Chef is still one of the most s

Acclaimed Chef George Mendes opens up on an intimate conversation with Dorothy Cann Hamilton on this week’s episode of Chef’s Story. A first-generation American born to Portuguese parents, George Mendes has fond memories of the elaborate, festive meals his family would prepare while he was growing up in Danbury, Connecticut. Hear his culinary journey in his own words, from culinary school to Bouley to San Sebastian in Spain and eventually, many restaurant jobs later, opening Aldea in New York City. Find out how the lessons he learned working the back of the house with some of the most seminal chefs in the world helped shape his cooking style and turned him into the chef he is today. This program was sponsored by Whole Foods Market. “I grew up around a lot of good cooking and that’s what planted the seed. My mom made home cooked meals 5-6 times a week.” [04:00] “Having a really sharp knife is the start of everything. Too many cooks come in the kitchen with expensive knives that aren’t sharp. To me – that’s us

Discover the fascinating world of high-end catering on a unique episode of Chef’s Story. Tune in as host Dorothy Cann Hamilton is joined by catering chef Jenny Glasgow of Oliver Cheng Catering & Events. Find out how restaurant cooking and catering cooking are completely different and how events can be stressful, hectic and miraculous. From fashion events to two person wedding parties, hear some incredible stories from a woman who has seen an enormous variety of culinary and logistical challenges. Hear how problem solving, shipping, plating and staffing all come into play for catering and why Jenny tries to stay away from dishes with pasta or risotto due to their time sensitive nature. This program was sponsored by Cain Vineyard & Winery. “I try not to serve pasta. To do it to the standards I’d like for 500 people at once [is impossible.]” [14:04] “Last year alone I did somewhere from 250-300 custom menus for events. No two events are alike, we don’t want to do cookie cutter events.” [22:22] “When you

Michael Lomonaco has NYC and Brooklyn in his blood, and he’s here to share his culinary journey on Chef’s Story with Dorothy Cann Hamilton. Tune in and hear what it was like growing up in Bensonhurst in an Italian American family and cooking things like zeppoli and cranberry beans at home. Hear how Michael quit acting to pursue cooking by attending culinary school, and eventually going on to cook at Le Cirque and the 21 Club. Listen in as he recounts his experience as the Executive Chef at Windows on the World at the World Trade Center during 9/11, and describes his current position as Executive Chef/Partner at Porter House NY. This program was sponsored by Brooklyn Slate. “On the job training is great – but it’s not the full immersion that you can get in an academic setting.” [19:28] “Food has become entertainment. Today people don’t buy tickets to a show – they go to a bar or a restaurant and that’s the show.” [27:00] “In order to be free as a creative person – you need to really know your instrument. The

Who needs knead? We’re talking bread on this week’s episode of Chef’s Story as Dorothy Cann Hamilton is joined by the one and only Jim Lahey. Jim is the founder of Sullivan Street Bakery, New York’s premier bakery, where he has become renowned not just for his bread, but for his Roman-style pizza, rustic Italian pastries and cookies. Jim is also the author of two cookbooks, My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method and My Pizza: The Easy No-Knead Way to Make Spectacular Pizza at Home. Hear Jim’s incredible story of bouncing around schools in Long Island, going to art school, living in Italy, dealing with health issues and eventually finding his way to Sullivan Street to pioneer bread in New York City. This program was sponsored by Route 11 Potato Chips. “I think of bread as a living blob and a living colony that has its influences and factors.” [22:00] “When it comes to using yeast, obviously the fresher and more viable the inoculate is, the better or more predictable your result will be.” [26:00]

This week on Chef’s Story, we get the chance to hear from Amanda Cohen, the young talented chef/owner behind Dirt Candy, the breakout “vegetable restaurant” that was recently awarded 2 stars in the New York Times. Amanda grew up in Ontario, and through travel and experimentation she found her way to cooking school in New York. She fell in love with camaraderie in the kitchen and never looked back – eventually taking a huge leap of faith and opening a tiny East Village restaurant to bring her vision of modern vegetable-focused cooking to life. Hear what makes Dirt Candy stand apart from other “vegetarian” restaurants that are focused on lifestyle instead of ingredients. Find out how clever dishes like Portobello Mousse emulate the flavor and texture of foie gras, and how the Dirt Candy menu hardly feels vegetarian. Amanda’s vision is a unique one – and listeners are sure to fall in love with her on Chef’s Story. This program was sponsored by 360 Cookware. “Surprisingly for somebody who loves vegetables, I’m n