Memphis on the Rise As born and bred Memphians who grew up in large Italian families, it only makes sense that chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman cook a soulful fusion of Southern and Italian cuisines at their restaurants Hog & Hominy and Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen. This happy mash-up has garnered lots of rave… Read More →
Condiment Makeover Onion Crunch creator Nick Loeb talks about the inspiration behind his crunchy condiment, his favorite Onion Crunch pairings and date night with fiancé Sofia Vergara. AndrewZimmern.com: How did you go from working at Universal Studios to developing a condiment company? Nick Loeb: Well, there was a lot in between, a 12 year gap from… Read More →
Minnesota’s Blue Ribbon Bakers When it comes to prize-winning cakes, cookies, muffins and breads, Candy Freeman and Lois Thielen are the women to beat. The Minnesota natives jumped into the competition baking circuit nearly 20 years ago, and have since won too many ribbons to keep track. This year, Freeman’s orange bundt cake won Grand… Read More →
Embracing a Proud Culinary Tradition Representing his adopted home town on the current season of Bravo’s Top Chef, Justin Devillier is the chef and owner of New Orleans’ fantastic neighborhood bistro, La Petite Grocery. Since taking the reins in 2007, the California-native has focused on traditional Louisiana flavors and ingredients in his contemporary cuisine – think turtle bolognese… Read More →
Celebrating Family and Food A multiple James Beard Award winning writer, chef and pioneer of American food, Judith Choate’s impressive culinary career spans more than 50 years and 100 cookbooks. Choate’s latest book, An American Family Cooks, is a prolific volume of recipes and kitchen memories from the Choate family archive. Below, Choate talks about… Read More →
Eating Queens Queens-based food writer Joe DiStefano has been covering the borough’s ethnic food beat for more than a decade. When it comes to ethnic diversity, some estimates name Queens as number one in the world – it’s so rich that DiStefano has made exploring the borough his life’s work. He’s our go-to guide for… Read More →
Kings of Dude Food As chef/owners of the widely acclaimed restaurants Animal and the seafood-centric Son of a Gun, Jon Shook & Vinny Dotolo are anchors of the Los Angeles food scene. These rockstar chefs turned successful restaurateurs also recently opened Trois Mec with pop-up king Ludo Lefebvre, plus another project in the works. Dotolo… Read More →
Divulging the Food Network Allen Salkin’s new book From Scratch: Inside the Food Network is a fascinating chronicle of the evolution of a television network, from a scrappy start-up to an influential powerhouse that turned food into a cash cow and chefs into celebrities. The former New York Times reporter paints a behind-the-scenes picture, including… Read More →
Boston’s Pastry Perfectionist A Harvard-educated consultant-turned-pastry chef, Joanne Chang is an empire building restaurateur with four acclaimed Flour bakeries in Boston, and the popular pan-Asian Myers+Chang. Not making a trip to Boston any time soon? Try your hand at making the infamous, Throwdown-winning sticky buns at home from her cookbook Flour, Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery+Cafe (or… Read More →
Music City’s Most Innovative Chef After honing his skills at The French Laundry, Noma and Sea Change, Erik Anderson moved to Nashville to helm the kitchen at The Catbird Seat, a restaurant where free expression is encouraged and interactivity is the norm. Scoring a reservation may be a challenge, but once you’re in, you won’t… Read More →
Living the Sweet Life in Paris A veteran pastry chef who spent 13 years working for Alice Waters at Berkley’s famed Chez Panisse, David Lebovitz has written six cookbooks including the best-selling The Perfect Scoop and The Sweet Life in Paris (stay tuned for the upcoming My Paris Kitchen, due out in 2014). After choosing the expat life in Paris… Read More →
PDX’s Leading Lady She gained street cred from her placement on Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs list in 2012, a stint on the current season of Top Chef Masters and a couple James Beard nominations, but Jenn Louis’ incredible farmhouse fare need only be tasted to win you over. The chef/owner of two of… Read More →
Inspired Cuisine From South of the Border Highly regarded for his avant garde desserts at modernist temples Alinea and wd~50, Alex Stupak surprised the culinary world when he opened a Mexican restaurant in 2010. Once the critics got over their bewilderment and tasted his creative take on this rich culinary tradition, most realized he’s just… Read More →
Exploring the World Through Food Naomi Duguid is a culinary anthropologist, translating her cultural encounters abroad into stories, photographic essays and recipes for the adventurous cook. A writer, photographer, traveler and cook, Naomi has co-authored six award-winning books including Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through South-East Asia and Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Stories from… Read More →
Bringing Thai to the Twin Cities Supenn Harrison introduced Minnesota to the flavors of her native Thailand when she opened her first Sawatdee restaurant in 1983. Thirty years later her story is one of great success – she’s the owner of seven acclaimed Thai restaurants, a cooking class instructor, the recipient of numerous awards and… Read More →
San Francisco’s Pastry Star Melissa Chou has presided over pastries at San Francisco’s Michelin-starred Aziza for the past five years, creating impressive desserts that wowed the folks at the James Beard Foundation (she was a finalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef in 2012 and 2013) and San Francisco Magazine, which named her Pastry Chef of the Year… Read More →
Indian Cooking in a Midwestern Kitchen Raghavan Iyer’s new cookbook, Indian Cuisine Unfolded, opens up the world of Indian cuisine for the American home cook by recreating some of his favorite dishes with ingredients found in the typical American grocery store. The Bombay native also narrated a Twin Cities Public Television documentary called Asian Flavors based on… Read More →
Advocate for Healthy Kids Already an accomplished cookbook author and entrepreneur, Sally Sampson decided she wanted to address obesity by inspiring kids to cook and eat real food. In 2010, she launched ChopChop, a nonprofit quarterly magazine that features nutritious recipes, as well as food-related fun facts and games, and in 2013 ChopChop was named Publication of… Read More →
The Man Behind the World’s Best Burger Josh Capon, the executive chef and partner of New York City’s Lure Fishbar, B&B Winepub and El Toro Blanco, talks about the importance of consistency and quality in the restaurant biz, how to make a great burger and his favorite Manhattan eats. AndrewZimmern.com: You’ve worked in several esteemed kitchens… Read More →
Celebrating a Time-Honored Classic Mindy Fox, cookbook author, food writer and food editor at La Cucina Italiana magazine, shares her tips for the perfectly roasted chicken, ways to reinvent the iconic dish and her favorite picnic-ready recipes. AndrewZimmern.com: As the food editor of La Cucina Italiana and author of several cookbooks, you obviously have a… Read More →
Budding Restaurateur Celebrates His Roots Harold Dieterle, executive chef/co-owner of three outstanding New York City restaurants, Kin Shop, Perilla and The Marrow and champion of Top Chef season one, talks about his love of Thai food, how his heritage inspired the menu at his new restaurant and his favorite NYC eats. AndrewZimmern.com: You studied Thai cuisine… Read More →
Uncommon Honesty When Gabrielle Hamilton opened her acclaimed 30-seat bistro Prune in New York’s East Village in 1999, she had worked in the catering biz for more than 20 years, but she had never been a restaurant chef, nor could she imagine that her winding culinary path would lead to successful restaurateur. Fast forward a… Read More →
Obsessed With Cheese Laura Werlin is the country’s foremost expert on cheese. She’s written six cheese-centric books, including the James Beard award-winning All-American Cheese and Wine Book, is the president of the American Cheese Education Foundation and a teacher at The Cheese School of San Francisco. Laura explains why the U.S. is the most exciting… Read More →
Latin Flavor Ingrid Hoffmann has built a large following around her Delicioso brand – she’s the lovely host of a popular TV show on the Cooking Channel and Univision, the creative director of a Latin-influenced cooking line and a best-selling cookbook author. Ingrid shares her go-to recipes for entertaining, tips for healthy eating habits from… Read More →
Bravo’s Golden Boy You may recognize this handsome Aussie as the host of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters, but Curtis Stone is also a classically trained chef and best-selling cookbook author with his own line of sleek kitchen products. His latest book, What’s for Dinner?, is packed with flavorful, unfussy recipes for the family on the… Read More →
Southern Charmer John Besh is one of the most celebrated chefs in the American South, with nine acclaimed restaurants (including his ever-popular flagship August), two award-winning cookbooks and a beloved cooking show. The James Beard award-winner is New Orleans’ biggest advocate, not only playing a crucial role in helping the city rebuild after Hurricane Katrina,… Read More →
Southern Charmer John Besh is one of the most celebrated chefs in the American South, with nine acclaimed restaurants (including his ever-popular flagship August), two award-winning cookbooks and a beloved cooking show. The James Beard award-winner is New Orleans’ biggest advocate, not only playing a crucial role in helping the city rebuild after Hurricane Katrina,… Read More →
Hunter Gatherer A few years ago, Georgia Pellegrini traded in her high heels for cowgirl boots and a shotgun, foregoing a cubicle on Wall Street for a “field-and-stream-to-table” life in Texas. The hunting enthusiast decided to get back to her roots, attending culinary school and cooking at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, before writing Food Heroes, which… Read More →
Hunter Gatherer A few years ago, Georgia Pellegrini traded in her high heels for cowgirl boots and a shotgun, foregoing a cubicle on Wall Street for a “field-and-stream-to-table” life in Texas. The hunting enthusiast decided to get back to her roots, attending culinary school and cooking at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, before writing Food Heroes, which… Read More →
The world’s live music capital has a gourmet side. Austin’s quirky vibe and come-as-you-are attitude seems to attract a lot of creative talent, especially when it comes to food. From barbecue and tacos to food trailers and world-class Japanese restaurants, the Texas capital has a place for everyone. Here are just a few reasons I… Read More →
