Explore every episode of the podcast flavors unknown podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shota Nakajima Talks Top Chef, Taku, and Japanese Food | 24 Sep 2024 | 00:50:56 | |
In this episode of Flavors Unknown, we sit down with Chef Shota Nakajima, the culinary force behind Seattle’s acclaimed restaurant Taku and a finalist on Top Chef Season 18. Shota Nakajima shares how his family cultivated his passion for food and hospitality from a young age, and how his career has evolved from his early days in Japan to becoming a well-known figure in the U.S. culinary scene. We dive deep into his experiences training under a Michelin-starred chef, his reflections on the Top Chef experience, and the lasting impact it had on his leadership style. What you’ll learn from Chef Shota Nakajima
I’d like to share a potential educational resource, “Conversations Behind the Kitchen Door”, my new book that features dialogues with accomplished culinary leaders from various backgrounds and cultures. It delves into the future of culinary creativity and the hospitality industry, drawing from insights of a restaurant-industry-focused podcast, ‘flavors unknown”. It includes perspectives from renowned chefs and local professionals, making it a valuable resource for those interested in building a career in the culinary industry. Get the book here! Links to other episodes with Japanese influencesDon’t miss out on the chance to hear from these talented chefs and gain insight into the world of culinary techniques. Conversation with chef Masako Morishita Interview with Chef Chris Kajioka from Honolulu Conversation with Chef Nando Chang in Miami Links to most downloaded episodes (click on any picture to listen to the episode)Chef Sheldon Simeon Chef Andy Doubrava Chef Chris Kajioka Chef Jacques Pepin Social media Chef Shota Nakajima Social mediaTaku restaurant Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| AI in Kitchens: James Passafaro and Opsi.io Lead the Way | 10 Sep 2024 | 00:46:59 | |
In this episode, I’m joined by Chef James Passafaro, co-owner of the revolutionary app Opsi.io, which is changing the way restaurants manage their operations. Opsi.io is a cloud-based tool that streamlines recipe management, food costing, inventory, and more—eliminating the need for old-school binders and paperwork. James shares his incredible journey from working alongside some of the most renowned chefs in the industry to becoming a tech entrepreneur, spearheading a game-changing solution for kitchens. He opens up about the evolving role of AI in the hospitality industry, its potential for reshaping kitchen efficiency, and why it’s crucial to have tech solutions designed by industry professionals. What you’ll learn from Chef James Passafaro• Coming up in the culinary industry 4:13 I’d like to share a potential educational resource, “Conversations Behind the Kitchen Door”, my new book that features dialogues with accomplished culinary leaders from various backgrounds and cultures. It delves into the future of culinary creativity and the hospitality industry, drawing from insights of a restaurant-industry-focused podcast, ‘flavors unknown”. It includes perspectives from renowned chefs and local professionals, making it a valuable resource for those interested in building a career in the culinary industry. Get the book here! Links to most downloaded episodes (click on any picture to listen to the episode)Chef Sheldon Simeon Chef Andy Doubrava Chef Chris Kajioka Chef Jacques Pepin Click to tweet I think basic cooking techniques are more important than focusing on a specific region of the world that tells you how to cook an egg so many different ways because you wear a little hat on top of your head. -Fermín Núñez Click To TweetThe cooking I do is an extension of my childhood memories, my family memories, and my culture. Masako Morishita Click To TweetFrench technique is there. It was a good foundation for a lot of people. But I think now, it’s not necessarily the be-all and end-all. There’s a reason why French chefs are now pulling from Japan, or from Mexico. Look at all the fine dining chefs, now they’re pulling from everyone else. Do you know why? They got bored. -Carlo Lamagna Click To Tweet Social mediaChef James Passafaro Social mediaOpsi.io Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Aaron Bludorn’s Food Tales: From NYC to Houston | 07 May 2024 | ||
Today I’m talking to Chef Aaron Bludorn. Born in Minneapolis and raised in the Pacific Northwest, he’s known for his refined and personal style. He’s the creative force behind Bludorn Restaurant and Navy Blue, both located in Houston, Texas. You’ll hear about his youthful excursions catching fish in Seattle and his experiences working in some of the most coveted restaurants in New York, especially What it was like working with Chef Daniel Boulud. He shares his creative process and how it’s driven by the seasonality of the Houston climate. You’ll also learn why it’s important to him that his team is always his first priority, and he shares a few recommendations for eating well in his Texas city. What you’ll learn from this episode with Chef Aaron Bludorn
I’d like to share a potential educational resource, “Conversations Behind the Kitchen Door”, my new book that features dialogues with accomplished culinary leaders from various backgrounds and cultures. It delves into the future of culinary creativity and the hospitality industry, drawing from insights of a restaurant-industry-focused podcast, ‘flavors unknown”. It includes perspectives from renowned chefs and local professionals, making it a valuable resource for those interested in building a career in the culinary industry. Get the book here! Links to other episodes with the chefsDon’t miss out on the chance to hear from these talented chefs and gain insight into the world of culinary techniques. Check out the links below for more conversations with Chefs from Houston. Conversation with Chef Chris Shepherd Baker Matthieu Cabon – Magnol French Baking Links to most downloaded episodes (click on any picture to listen to the episode)Chef Sheldon Simeon Chef Andy Doubrava Chef Chris Kajioka Chef Suzanne Goin Click to tweet You’re always working with the best in the business when you’re working for Daniel [Boulud]. And that’s because that’s who he is. Good people want to want to work for him. Greatness attracts greatness. Creativity, you have to use it. You have to make sure your imagination is freed up and you can sort of break down any barriers in your mind. Social mediaChef Aaron Bludorn Social mediaBludorn Social mediaNavy Blue Links mentioned in this episode with Aaron Bludorn | |||
| Shamil Velázquez – Puerto Rican Influences in the Lowcountry | 13 Apr 2021 | 00:43:10 | |
Most chefs find inspiration from their own culinary traditions, and those flavors continue to make a mark throughout their careers. Today’s guest is Chef Shamil Velázquez from Delaney Oyster House. Velázquez grew up learning how to cook with his family from a very young age in Puerto Rico. He was surrounded by the cornucopia of flavors that make up Puerto Rican cuisine, and always had a natural inclination to cook with the ingredients that grew around him. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, he brings his professional training and passion for food to the menu of this seafood-focused Charleston, SC restaurant. You’ll hear about his early cooking influences, his take on farm-to-table trends, and where he finds inspiration to keep his menu fresh and innovative. What we covered in this episode
Conversation with Mely Martinez – Blogger and Author of “The Mexican Home Kitchen” cookbook Conversation with Chef Jose Garces from Philadelphia Discussion with Chef Andre Natera from the Fairmont Hotel in Austin, TX Conversation with Chef Jonathan Zaragoza from Chicago https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Kombu-Poached-Lobster-Pear-Lime-copy.jpg Kombu Poached Lobster, Pear, Lime from Chef Shamil Velazquez https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Salt-Cod-Emapanadas-Mojo-Mayo-copy.jpg Salt Cod Empanadas, Mojo Mayo at Delaney Oyster House https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Abuelas-Flan-Pomegranate-Nut-Brittle-Sea-Salt-copy.jpg Abuelas Flan, Pomegranate, Nut Brittle, Sea Salt from Chef Shamil Velazquez https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Tarvin-Shrimp-Ajillo-Torn-Bread-copy.jpg Tarvin Shrimp Ajillo, Torn Bread at Delaney Oyster House Click to tweetPuerto Rico has a very food-centered culture. It’s just there at every birthday party, quinceanera, and holiday. Everything is food. It’s always about the food. Click To TweetFor career day, I always dressed up as a chef. I guess I’ve never really given much thought to doing any other career. Click To TweetI actually started applying to the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) when I was in ninth grade. Click To TweetDo I agree with going to culinary school? Yes, I think it’s a great idea. I think it definitely is a good base and a good foundation. Click To TweetAs a chef, it is our due diligence to make sure that we are working with local farmers, local fishmongers, oyster farmers, and do our part in society rather than leaving the carbon footprint of getting stuff from the other side of the world, when it’s right here. Click To TweetI think that’s always very important as a chef to open up and learn from others rather than saying, “My food. My way, or the highway”. No way, it’s always easier for you to understand other people and understand where they come from so that we can do something really cool together. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Shamil Velazquez Social mediaThe Delaney Oyster House Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Richard Landau – An Early Pioneer of the Plant-Based Trends | 30 Mar 2021 | 00:45:51 | |
Over the past decade, vegetable forward food has really started to get the recognition it deserves. That’s due to a handful of Chefs who took the attention away from meat before it became the “cool” thing to do. Today’s guest is Chef Richard Landau, an early pioneer of the plant based trends that have been rapidly gaining in popularity. His first restaurant, Horizons, opened in Philadelphia back in 1994. His talents in the kitchen have earned him accolades by the James Beard Foundation and he starred in the Food Network series Chopped. Along with his wife, Chef Kate Jacoby, he’s authored several plant-based cookbooks, including Vedge: 100 Plates Large and Small That Redefine Vegetable Cooking.
Conversation with Chef Jose Garces Conversation with chef Brian Duffy https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/ZucchiniTrapanese2-copy.jpg zucchini trapanese. A simple dish of sauteed shaved zucchini in a tomato, almond, basil and calabrian chile pesto topped with grated almond. https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CARROT-STEAK-2-copy.jpg Carrot steak with carrot sauerkraut puree on pumpernickel and a kimchee kraut. https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CORN-CHOWDER-2-copy.jpg Corn chowder – creamed corn with a seared potato “scallop” and a tomato, pepper and parsley salad. https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SMOKED-TOFU-copy.jpg House smoked tofu over a fava bean hummus, with dukkah spice and a green olive salad. Veggie taco recipeFirst, find a really good tortilla that you love. People glorify this 80-hour workweek. I’ve done it, I did for years man, I mean it’s not a battle scar, it’s not a badge of honor. It sucked. Click To TweetMy sole mission was to show people that they did not need to eat meat to have a great meal. I’m not trying to convert anyone. If you can make someone a great meal and they never missed meat, then you’re successful. Click To TweetDon’t expect vegetables to do the work for you, that is the biggest difference between vegetables and meat. You’ve got to really get some flavor into them. Click To TweetI’m going to listen to these vegetables, I’m not going to try to force a recipe into them, but I’m gonna listen to them. And let them take me to a place where they can easily go. Click To TweetCooking is an expression of you. It’s not something you want to do that someone else has done, so try to make it original. Do something that no one’s done before. It’s okay if you make a mistake, it’s okay if it’s not spectacular. You gotta be creative. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Richard Landau Social mediaVedge restaurant Links mentioned in this episode with Richard Landau | |||
| Mely Martinez Celebrates the Traditional Flavors of Mexico | 16 Mar 2021 | 00:43:28 | |
In this episode, we’re celebrating the deep flavors of traditional Mexican cuisine. Today’s guest is Mely Martinez, blogger and author of the well-known Mexico in My Kitchen website and cookbook. Inspired by her desire to leave a legacy of traditional flavors for her son to easily access wherever he was in the world, she started a collection of recipes online. The site quickly gained a global audience of cooks who wanted to hold onto the flavors of home, and those who wanted to discover the authentic flavors of Mexico for the first time. She’s masterfully brought together a collection of traditional recipes from across the country, and in doing so, has inspired new generations of professional chefs and home cooks to discover the rich variety within Mexican gastronomy. What we covered in this episode
Conversation with Chef Misti Norris from Petra & The Beast https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Pork-in-Chile-Morita-with-Rice.jpeg Mely Martinez – Pork in Chile Morita with Rice https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Entomatadas-corn-tortillas-covered-with-tomato-and-cheese.-Recipe.jpg Entomatadas, corn tortillas covered with tomato and cheese @ Mexico in My Kitchen https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Mole-Poblano-Recipe-1.jpg Mely Martinez – Mole Poblano https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Tamales-de-pollo-en-salsa-verde-receta.jpg Tamales de pollo en salsa verde @ Mexico in My Kitchen Recipe: Tamales de Puerco – Pork Tamales from Mely Martinez Ingredients: For the meat:1 pound of pork shoulder, cut into cubes 2 Ancho peppers, cleaned, deveined, and seeded 3 cups of cornflour (masa harina) 1. In a medium-size pot, combine the pork meat, garlic, onion, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover with the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer partially covered, occasionally skimming off and discarding the fat from the surface. Cook for about 1 hour, or until meat is tender enough to shred. Remove the onion, garlic, and bay leaf from the pot and discard. When the meat is cool enough to handle, shred it into bite-size pieces and set aside. Notes: We have changed the way we cook because people are busier now and they want to have the same taste, the same comfort, but they want it faster. Click To TweetWhen previous generations of Mexicans came to live in the states, they wanted the kids to learn English quickly, they wanted to adapt to the culture so they fit in. But nowadays, there is a new pride in our culture. People are so proud to have Mexican heritage. Click To TweetThere was something missing that people wanted to have. Because there is comfort in the food that we remember from grandma. Click To TweetMy job was to help bring in water from the river and grind the corn and then helping my brother to take the lunch to the farmers. When you’re growing up you see it as a task and you don’t realize it until you are older than it was The School of Life. Click To TweetWhat you see in restaurants that call themselves Mexican or authentic Mexican, are modified recipes. They are not too close to what we know traditionally in Mexico. That was something that I wanted to write. I wanted to have a recipe book. Click To TweetI know it’s very hard to make something traditional because for people outside of Mexico. When you go to Mexico and you taste the ingredients, you taste the tomatoes, you taste the peppers, they taste completely different. Click To Tweet Social mediaMely Martinez Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Chris Spear – The Personal Chef Behind Chefs Without Restaurants | 02 Mar 2021 | 00:44:06 | |
Chef Chris Spear works his magic not from the chaotic depths of a restaurant kitchen, but from the mobility of his own food truck. His company, Perfect Little Bites, operates a private-chef-at-your-doorstep experience based in Frederick, Maryland. Today, he’ll talk about why his restaurant working experiences inspired him to become an entrepreneur, his desire to build a local culinary community, and how the concept of his unique business has evolved. He’s also a fellow podcaster, hosting Chefs Without Restaurants, so we’ll chat about the benefits and challenges of podcasting. What we covered in this episode
Conversation with Chef Hari Cameron from Delaware Conversation with Chef Brian Duffy from Philadelphia Panel Discussion with Two Chefs from NJ – Leia Gaccione and Sam Freund Conversation with Chef Johnny Spero from Washington D.C. Interview Celebrity Chef Jose Garces from Philadelphia Conversation with Chef Drew Adams from Washington D.C. A live recording from White Birch in NJ with Chef Sam Freund A live recording with Chef Ehren Ryan from Common Lot in NJ https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Brown-Sugar-Cake.jpg Brown Sugar Cake, Cake Batter Ricotta, Blueberry/Strawberry/Mezcal Sauce, Edible Flowers and chili Worm salt https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Gazpacho.jpg Almond and Grape Gazpacho with Cucumber, Pickled Green Strawberries, Sherry Vinegar, Marcona Almonds and Herbs https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Scallop.jpg Scallop with Ras el Hanout, Blue Corn Grits, Whey and Roasted Carrot/Harissa Puree https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/5.jpg Crispy Pork Belly, Smoked Cheddar Farina, Apricot Chutney and Pea Shoots Click to tweetI never loved that restaurant experience. I applied for jobs out of college and was turned off by the attitude of many of the hiring chefs. These guys sounded like jerks, and I didn’t really want to work for them. Click To TweetI think if you’re going to culinary school at a young age, you don’t necessarily know what you want to be doing. Get out in the industry and get a taste of things. Click To TweetThe challenge with being a personal chef is people think of you more like a caterer with a set menu. It’s the same traditional food you can get at restaurants and I always want it to be my own spin on things. Click To TweetI make my own schedule and do things at my own pace. That’s a benefit and also a curse sometimes. I am able to fully pursue my passion and I don’t have someone always analyzing every move I make. Click To TweetIt sounds crazy to take off my menu dishes that are big sellers, but a part of why I do what I do is because I want the creative freedom to do new things. Click To TweetWhen I was new in town, I wanted to network with local restaurants and do events together. Nobody was interested in doing anything. But I found that people who were running food trucks, bakers, or caterers really craved that sense of community and wanted to do events together. Click To Tweet Social mediaChefs Without Restaurants Social mediaPerfect Little Bites Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Silvia Barban – Her Lifelong Italian Culinary Influences | 16 Feb 2021 | 00:41:01 | |
Chef Silvia Barban learned to cook from a young age in the kitchen of her Venetian grandmother. Pairing those northern Italian recipes with the spicy Calabrian influences from her mother’s side of the family, she made a name for herself in America on Season 14 of Top Chef.
Conversation with Executive Pastry Chef Mark Welker Interview with Chef Gabriel Kreuther Conversation with Chef David Burke Interview with Chef Bryce Shuman Interview with Chef Trigg Brown Conversation with Pastry Chef Sam Mason (Odd Fellows) Interview with Brand Ambassador Charlotte Voisey Conversation with Flavien Desonlin from the Brandy Library https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Cappellacci.jpg Cappellacci from Chef Silvia Barban https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Agnolotti-del-plin.jpeg agnolotti del plin, black lime, parmigiano https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Ricotta-Gnocchi-1.jpeg Ricotta Gnocchi , basil pesto, pistacchio, zucchini blossom https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Smoked-Spaghetti.jpeg Smoked spaghetti , Calabrian chilies ,garlic, eggs, hazelnuts Pasta dish recipe Best gnocchi recipe
I use what is in my surroundings and what I have from tradition, like what I ate when I was little, and just mix the two things together. Even going to another restaurant can inspire you to do something better and just do something different, and unify with what you grew up with. Click To TweetMy grandmother from my father’s side was from Venice. She was the one taking care of me, and so when I was little I was a hyper kid. So she was giving me either water or wine…and she was teaching me how to cook. That’s how I started my journey. Click To TweetI don’t use cream. I don’t have that in my kitchen. When I was in school, my chef would tell me, ‘You know who uses cream? People who don’t know how to cook pasta. Click To TweetThe best way to find the perfect olive oil is when you try it, it tastes like fresh fruit. It tastes like almonds. It tastes like green. Click To TweetThe best way to find the perfect olive oil is when you try it, it tastes like fresh fruit. It tastes like almonds. It tastes like green. Click To Tweet Social mediaSilvia Barban Social mediaLaRina Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Elizabeth Falkner Continues to Challenge the Status Quo | 02 Feb 2021 | 00:59:27 | |
Chef Elizabeth Falkner’s first restaurant Citizen Cake revolutionized the world of pastry in the US, and has catapulted her to the world stage on TV and through her creative culinary process as demonstrated in several cookbooks she’s authored. We talk about where she finds inspiration, the road towards better female representation across the industry, and the ways in which she continues to challenge the status quo. What we covered in this episode with Elizabeth Falkner
Conversation with Chef Tim Hollingsworth Conversation with Chef Brad Miller Interview with Chef Alison Trent https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/58317393-2F8A-42E6-AC50-D05395D640AC.jpeg Chef Elizabeth Falkner practicing Jungshin Fitness https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/5A77821B-A7AD-41D6-9EBF-1FFF4F5AD5EC.jpeg Elizabeth Falkner in Thailand with Chefs Anita Lo and Hong Thaimee https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/8A17BF55-D044-419F-93E9-665E56A035FD.jpeg Durian chicken soup! At Y’s, Shanghai https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/4802EBDB-52B1-48DF-AEB3-45486F61BF18-rotated.jpeg Anita is pictured with Elizabeth Falkner in the red chairs in Shanghai“I’ve always liked to understand the basis of any kind of culture or language around food, and then also see where else I can take it.” Click To Tweet“My world is often about this combination of food and sport, or food and art all coming together.” Click To Tweet“I think we can all really appreciate plated food in general, or a cocktail in a glass, more than ever after this year, because everything is to-go and in a box or in a plastic cup.” Click To Tweet“I’m always studying different kinds of cuisine, and cultures of people through cuisines and the language of spices and the language of technique.” Click To Tweet“Humans have always migrated and changed recipes around the world because you have a war here, you’re oppressed over here. And you move over here and you want to bring your culture but you don’t have all the same ingredients. So you turn it into something.” Click To Tweet“We have a country of so many amazing people and so many cultures from around the world, we should celebrate that rather than just try to push each other in our own lanes.” Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Elizabeth Falkner Links mentioned in this episode with Elizabeth Falkner | |||
| Bob Peters – Multi-Award-Winning Cocktail Artisan | 19 Jan 2021 | 00:41:08 | |
If you’ve ever dreamt of building the ultimate home bar, a place where you can kick back and sink into that Negroni made just the way you like it, this episode might inspire you to start sourcing building materials. Today’s guest is Bob Peters, an award-winning mixologist from Charlotte, North Carolina. As one of the city’s most creative and influential cocktail professionals, he joined me to share his passion for the beverage world, and tell us about his garage bar man-cave, where he’s found refuge, and created an outlet for experimentation, through the pandemic. What we covered in this episode
Charlotte Voisey – The Exciting Life of a Brand Ambassador Beau du Bois – Listen to Your Neighborhood! Flavien Desoblin – Owner Brandy Library NYC Mixologist Angel Teta from Portland https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Cocktail.jpg Edible flower in cocktail picture from @rachelmartindesign https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Cheers.jpg Cheers! with Bob Peters https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Peas-Carrots-2.jpg Bob Peters and Peas & Carrots cocktail https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Copper-Pear.jpg Copper Pear: combination of the @Copperdogwhisky smoked peat, pear, and rosemary.One of my favorite cocktails, sort of a boozy Manhattan-ish cocktail. I make a bourbon Negroni, and one of my favorite all-time cocktails is the Boulevardier. Well, I substitute out Campari for cynar, which is a cousin of Campari. And it gets a little bit more bitter, a little bit less sweet, very herbal, and not quite as fruity as Campari lends itself to be, I love making this cocktail to people who enjoy Manhattans. I love making them a cynar Boulevardier, which in my build, goes like two ounces of a really good, strong-flavored bourbon. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a hundred proof, but I love a good strong backbone bourbon with big shoulders that you can put flavors on and that still stands out like the Woodford Double Oak is one of my favorites to build a cynar Boulevardier with. I add two ounces of it and then three-quarters of an ounce of cynar and a half-ounce of some really nice vermouth. Then stir it and express an orange rind over it. It’s so simple, so delicious, so boozy and bitter. That’s one of my all-time cocktails for sure. Click to tweet“We realized that if we were able to keep things within reason, then we could do all of our cocktails no matter what they were for $11.” Click To Tweet“I love edible flowers. I think that Mother Nature has the most beautiful things in the world, if we can showcase that stuff with maybe a pop of a garnish, then that’s prettier than anything I can make.” Click To Tweet“You can create an experience with a cocktail that is so different than just having drinks or beers. That’s really what hooked me.” Click To Tweet“I think that lends itself to a whole other level of creativity when you introduce a foam as an ingredient by itself.” Click To Tweet“I think that one of the huge things to me is to listen to your guests because sometimes they don’t really mean what they say. But if you listen, like if you really, really listen, then you’ll hear what they’re trying to tell you, even if they’re giving you different words for it.” Click To Tweet Social mediaBob Peters Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Ryan Burk – Passionate Head Cider Master at Angry Orchard | 05 Jan 2021 | 00:54:15 | |
The history of cider spans the globe from the ancient apple jungles of Kazakhstan, to lush orchards across Europe, to rich and fertile American soil. The diversity of the land contributes to the vast diversity of this special fruit. In this episode, I’m talking to Ryan Burk, Head Cider Maker at Angry Orchard located in Walden, New York. We talk about how cider is made, what makes it unique, and the creative ways you can drink, pair, and cook with ciders. What we covered in this episode
Anytime you see sparkling wine in a cocktail, you can replace it with cider. Take your favorite cocktail that has a sparkling white wine in it, take out the Prosecco and put in a dry sparkling cider, it’s really going to compliment the drink. I’ve always looked to the European traditions because that’s where the traditions lie. That’s where I can find the bulk of the history of the industry that I work in. Click To TweetWe’re always looking at new apple varieties. So for me, innovation really starts in the orchard. Click To TweetCider is a delicate drink. Much more delicate than say, bourbon, or beer or even wine. Click To TweetAs things change, and as we have to adapt to those changes, it’s always important that the apple is the first part of the story. Otherwise, we lose the soul Click To TweetWhat I think is great about cider in a cocktail is anytime you see sparkling wine, it can replace that. Click To TweetWhen you find the right cider, you can get exactly what you get out of wine when it comes to pairing with food, and you get it at half the alcohol. Click To Tweet Social mediaAngry Orchard Social mediaRyan Burk Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Misti Norris: 4 ‘F’s – Farm, Forage, Ferment, Fire | 22 Dec 2020 | 00:46:26 | |
What we covered in this episode
Conversation with 3 Chefs in Austin (Chef Andre Natera, Chef Kevin Fink, and Chef Fiore Tedesco) – Vol 1 Chef Fiore Tedesco – L’Oca D’Oro Chef Michael Fojtasek – Olamaie https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/IMG_0024.jpg Misti Norris @ Petra and the Beast https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/IMG_20201106_172504_146.jpg 12 month turnip kasuzuke @ Petra and the Beast https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/IMG_20201106_172504_139.jpg 14 month kasuzuke sun farms turnip ham https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/IMG_20201104_170817_238.jpg Charcuterie Board @Petra and the Beast
During the pandemic, we went to a curbside menu for a little bit with more comfort food dishes that are a little more approachable but still within our philosophy. We never stopped using our farms and continued supporting our local smaller businesses. Chef Misti Norris Click To TweetThe concept for the restaurant Petra and the Beast has always been within the philosophy of sustainability. We are a low waste kitchen. Click To TweetOur main philosophy is to be a low waste, as sustainable as possible within the realm of supporting our smaller farms. It is almost like a community-based philosophy that we have for our restaurant. Click To TweetThe concept of the restaurant is really using all the parts of fruits, veggies, and animals as well. Anything that gets done away either gets composted or preserved. Click To TweetOne thing we love to do, especially for tastings, is to take one vegetable and used different techniques or methods and do it multiple different ways on a dish. Click To TweetiI was just an immediate love. I just fell in love with the whole process of butchering and aging. Click To TweetI’m a huge collector of graphic novels and vinyl toys. I think a lot of inspiration sometimes will come from something I see or something that an artist does. Click To Tweet Social mediaMisti Norris Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Andrew McLeod – Cooking is an Exercise in Practicality | 08 Dec 2020 | 00:54:42 | |
What we covered in this episode
Conversation with Chef Matt Bolus in Nashville Covid-19: 3 Chefs respond with Chef Ian Boden https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Sausage-BBQ-rotated.jpeg Sausage BBQ Chef Andrew McLeod https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Nduja.jpeg Freshly cased and tied n’duja Chef Andrew McLeod https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Dumpling-soup-rotated.jpeg Hot chicken dumpling soup Chef Andrew Mc Leod https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Roasted-Carrots.jpeg Salt roasted carrots dressed in a chimichurri of the tops, cranberry, and ricottaA recipe from Chef McLeod. “That’s a really easy kind of one pot deal or one pan deal that I like to do sometimes is either farfalle or macaroni or whatever, kind of dry noodle that you have laying around to cook that. While you’re doing that, render some sausage, some breakfast sausage, like hot and spicy Jake’s breakfast sausage, or something like that in a pan. Toss in some kale or torn up collard greens or turnip greens, or whatever you have around and glaze that in the sausage fat. Drain off some of the fat, add a little bit of cream to the pan and toss your pasta with it and crush it with some Parmesan cheese and fine herbs and lemon juice. That’s a really good, if you got twenty minutes for a quick dinner or a lunch meal.” Click to tweetDuring the pandemic, people are more into comfort food, and the old classics that are on the menu resonate with them. Click To TweetI don’t view a dish as something that I created or that we created as a team, or that comes inherently from a creative place. I really feel that cooking is an exercise in practicality. Click To TweetMy understanding of a chef is that you’ve sourced the best product that you can from the best place that you can. That’s your responsibility to figure out how to translate that into something that somebody wants to eat. Click To TweetMost people that are serious about cooking have had periods where they really had an inflated sense of themselves. I was certainly one of those people that was really trying to do things that were far beyond my skill set and trying to be in places that I didn’t belong to. Click To TweetChef Sean Brock always had the PIE theory – Product, Ideas, and Execution. That’s something that was really important in our development as chefs and managers working with him. Click To TweetYou can’t properly express anything creatively without proper technique and fundamentals. Click To TweetI’m a really open-source guy. I don’t believe in secrets in the kitchen. Click To TweetFilled pasta is always my favorite kind to make by hand. That’s where I feel like I just have the most satisfaction of working with my hands. Click To TweetChef Sean Brock is the biggest influence that I’ll ever have. He’s the first person that allowed me to come in and see a real kitchen. I was never the same after that day. It just sparked me in the direction that I currently am still in. Click To Tweet Social mediaAvenue M Social mediaChef Andrew McLeod Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Nina Compton: From Caribbean Flavors to NOLA | 23 Apr 2024 | 00:58:43 | |
Today I’m talking to Chef Nina Compton, a James Beard award-winning chef based in New Orleans,Louisiana. She’s the owner and creative mind behind Compère Lapin and Bywater American Bistro. You’ll hear about her experience on Season 11 of Top Chef, – Saint Lucian roots What you’ll learn from Nina Compton
I’d like to share a potential educational resource, “Conversations Behind the Kitchen Door”, my new book that features dialogues with accomplished culinary leaders from various backgrounds and cultures. It delves into the future of culinary creativity and the hospitality industry, drawing from insights of a restaurant-industry-focused podcast, ‘flavors unknown”. It includes perspectives from renowned chefs and local professionals, making it a valuable resource for those interested in building a career in the culinary industry. Get the book here! Links to other episodes with the chefsDon’t miss out on the chance to hear from these talented chefs and gain insight into the world of culinary techniques. Check out the links below for more conversations with chefs from New Orleans. Conversaion with chef Nathanial Zimet Conversation with chef Michael Gulotta Listen to my conversation with chef Alex Harrell Listen to my conversation with Chef Rebecca Wilcomb Links to most downloaded episodes (click on any picture to listen to the episode)Chef Sheldon Simeon Chef Andy Doubrava Chef Chris Kajioka Chef Suzanne Goin Social media Chef Nina Compton Social mediaCompère Lapin Links mentioned in this episode SUBSCRIBE TO THE ‘FLAVORS UNKNOWN’ NEWSLETTER | |||
| Bryce Shuman Transforms The Ordinary Into A Refined Experience | 24 Nov 2020 | 00:55:02 | |
What we covered in this episode
Conversation with Executive Pastry Chef Mark Welker Interview with Chef Gabriel Kreuther Conversation with Chef David Burke Interview with Chef Trigg Brown Conversation with Pastry Chef Sam Mason (Odd Fellows) Interview with Brand Ambassador Charlotte Voisey Conversation with Flavien Desonlin from the Brandy Library https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Betony-01.06.15-13-copy.jpg White sturgeon caviar with buckwheat pancakes and radishes @Betony Picture @Signe Birck https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ColeSlaw-copy.jpg Coleslaw of fresh and fermented vegetables by Chef Bryce Shuman – Picture @Signe Birck https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/RibsRed-21-copy.jpg RibsRed – Sweet molasses ribs Chef Bryce Shuman Picture @Signe Birck https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Headshot2-copy.jpg Chef Bryce Shuman Picture @Signe Birck Fluffy pancake recipe by Chef Bryce Shuman
Eating seal when I was a kid was an interesting experience. It’s very irony, somewhat fishy, but it was definitely like red meat. But I preferred caribou. Click To TweetI’ve been trying to recreate experiences that I have not been able to find anywhere else. I have certain benchmarks like the best pork chops or the best strawberry. Click To TweetI loved washing dishes. All you do is organize things, tidy things up, and put things in a row. And nobody messes with you! Click To TweetFirst, decide what your absolute goal is. Decide what kind of a chef you want to be. Click To TweetI learned from Daniel Humm that you have to be absolutely doggedly ruthless about your goals and your achievement of them. You can’t let anything stand in the way. Click To TweetA chef tries to create a real experience that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world based on the essence of the location. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Bryce Shuman Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Carlo Lamagna Reformulates Traditional Filipino Cuisine | 10 Nov 2020 | 00:45:20 | |
What we covered in this episode
Conversation with Chef Bonnie Morales – A Return To Russian Cooking https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/MG_7419-Version-2-copy.jpg James Beard Dinner – Regional Philippine Cuisine – “Dinadaraan” – Braised pork collar, blood sarsa, blood sausagecrumble, pork ear chicharron, bone marrow suman ©Clay Williams https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/IMG_20180307_103237_372-copy.jpg Wines of Argentina “Breaking Borders” Recipe contest – Smoked Ham Hock Adobo Croquette, Coconut Braised Kale https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/IMG_20180517_113601_472-copy.jpg Chicken Tinola Noodles – Braised Chicken, Chicken Hearts and Livers, Bok Choy, Egg Noodles, Chicken-Ginger Consomme https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/1742911041129305951_1742909574205121735.jpg Starchefs Awards Gala – Beef Pares (PAH-res) – Anise Braised Beef Brisket, Sticky Rice, Radish, Serrano Peppers Submitted questions from podcast listeners Filipino Adobo recipe from Chef Carlo Lamagna I think a lot of people should really truly explore what Adobo is. When I cook Adobo at home, I use a combination of both pork belly and pork neck bone. There’s good meat on the neck bone. It adds a lot of great flavor to the broth when it’s brought down and the pork belly itself is a tougher and richer cut. I cook it the way that my dad cooks it. Add water, vinegar, Bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns inside the pot with your neck bones and pork belly, just to cover. The pork belly can be diced up. You start slowly cooking that down. Most Adobo a lot of people do is very saucy. I like mine a little on the drier side. It’s a little bit more on the oily side. That fat is such great flavor when you put it on rice. So I actually cook it util the liquid is almost all gone. And then I season it with soy sauce. I don’t add the soy sauce at the beginning, because if you add the soy sauce in the beginning, as it cooks out, it actually the bitter notes of the soy sauce will come out more and you don’t want that. Always season it at the very end and I never eat it right away. I always eat it the day after. It’s a labor of patients because again, just like any braise, it’ll be so much better the next day, because all of those flavors are allowed to sit in there and re-soaked back into the meats. Yes, you can eat it right away. It’s fine. But it’s going to be significantly better the next day. That’s one thing that I would encourage you to try . Serve it with a nice bowl of white rice using Jasmine rice as it is the most common rice in the Philippines. Click to tweetThe Filipino community is actually one of the oldest immigrant communities in the US brought over via trade ships and trade galleons from the Spanish colonization area. Click To TweetThe Filipino community kind of holding themselves back as well. Why would I bother paying X amount of money when I could just make that at home? And that I think is actually one of the main reasons why Filipino food has been held back for so many years. Click To TweetNow you have your generations of Filipinos that have grown up here that are now wanting to reconnect with their roots. Click To TweetThe most common answer that people give about Filipino cuisine is that it’s a fusion cuisine. I couldn’t disagree more. I hate that word personally. Click To TweetFilipino cuisine is an evolutionary cuisine. It evolves just like any other culture. Click To TweetThe condiments like Bagoong, Suka, vinegar, fermented shrimp pastes, fish sauces, soy sauce, or a mixture of any of those ingredients are used to personalize Filipino dishes. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Carlo Lamagna
Magna Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Lamar Moore – Striving for Greatness | 27 Oct 2020 | 00:45:59 | |
What we covered in this episode
Each week I competed on a high level and I was able to get in the heads of a lot of the chefs that I competed against and make sure that I set myself apart from what they did. Click To TweetI define myself as a fun-loving chef and a person, and I like to have great camaraderie in the kitchen and with people. I’m a huge people person. I like to give back to communities. Click To TweetIt’s so important to me as a person and as a chef to give back to communities and I do it through food. Click To TweetI’ve had great people that mentored me and it’s important for me to continue to echelon through other people. Click To TweetThere are a lot of African-American chefs out there. We need to have a voice and a sound for ourselves to be known for who we are and culturally, for what we do. Click To TweetOne of my favorite chefs is Marcus Samuelsson. I love what he does for the community. I watch how he brings up other chefs throughout his teams and his operations. I model myself out to him. Click To TweetThere’s a lot of things that I don’t want to do that I have to do. There’s a lot of things that I don’t want to do that I need to do. And there’s a lot of things that I don’t want to do that I must do. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Lamar Moore
Flamingo in Vegas Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Nick DiGiovanni – A Young Entrepreneur Pursuing His Dreams | 13 Oct 2020 | 00:40:30 | |
What we covered in this episode with Nick DiGiovanni
Listen to my conversation with Niick DiGiovanni on the Apple Podcast here! Listen to my conversation with Niick DiGiovanni on Spotify here! Links to other episodes with chefs from BostonEpisode #39 with Chef Jamie Bissonnette – Unconstrained Creativity Links to other podcast episodes with chefs who competed in food TV showsConversation with Chef Brad Miller in episode #40 – Amazing Food Trucks! Episode #64 with Chef Silvia Barban – Her Lifelong Italian Culinary Influences Episode #56 with Chef Lamar Moore – Striving for Greatness Conversation with Chef Tim Hollingsworth in episode #51 – Celebrating Luxury and Mundane Food Episode #52 with Chef Brian Duffy – A Gigantic Appetite for Casual Restaurants Conversation with Chef Edward Lee in episode #21 – The Marco Polo of American Cuisine https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Tahig-copy.jpg Tahdig – Nick DiGiovanni https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Egg-Yolk-Ravioli-copy.jpg Egg Yolk Ravioli – Nick DiGiovanni https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Chai-Tea-copy.jpg Chai Tea – Nick DiGiovanni https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Facetune_24-09-2020-21-13-32-copy.jpg Nick DiGiovanni @MasterChefs season 10 Go-To Pasta from Nick DiGiovanniI find it hard to beat just a good homemade pasta with some sort of homemade pesto. That’s always my go-to, and my favorite. It’s so easy. It’s so delicious. There’s nothing like blending the pesto up in the blender and then taking off the lid and got all hot and steamy smell. It is one of the best smells I’ve ever found in the kitchen. And then if you want to be a little bit more challenging to yourself, there’s always that Egg Yolk Ravioli you can make. It takes a little bit more time and precision. Try to fold in egg yolk into your pasta, and keep it whole where you get this amazing sauce from the egg yolk after you break it open. Click to tweetI think everyone was thinking that I would be really scared and nervous meeting Gordon Ramsey. That didn’t bother me at all. He was a super nice guy. For me, it was just like meeting any other person. Click To TweetThere’s obviously a lot of things that happen with the show that has to do with it being a reality show, but at the same time, there’s a lot more of real cooking than people assume. Click To TweetI wouldn’t be opposed to going on the side of the judges a little bit and getting to taste a bunch of other people’s food, but I feel like I still have to prove myself a little bit before I can get in that position. Click To TweetI’m lucky to be at one of the best schools in the world [Harvard], and I should be able to study what I want to study here. Click To TweetGood food and good ingredients are the ones that are oftentimes grown naturally anyway. So if you’re actually going out and finding the best ingredients you can find, I think chances are most of the time they’re going to be really good for the environment too. Click To TweetNine out of 10 kids, at least according to the CDC, don’t eat enough veggies. So we said, how can we fix that? We thought about foods that kids love and pasta is immediately always at the top of that list/ What kid doesn’t like pasta? Click To TweetOnce you fall in love with food, it’s hard to think in any other way. It’s such an amazing thing to work with and it makes everybody happy. Click To Tweet Social mediaNick DiGiovanni
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| Jeremy Umansky – The Koji Expert | 29 Sep 2020 | 00:56:02 | |
What we covered in this episode
Conversation with Chef Brett Sawyer Submitted questions from podcast listeners Chef Jeremy Umansky’s fried chicken sandwich recipeThe fried chicken sandwich, it starts with a bun that we made, and it’s a buttermilk bread recipe in which we culture the buttermilk with Koji first. And it adds this wonderful, cheesy note that’s above and what buttermilk would normally have. So we do that. We bake the bread, the chicken itself, you know, for those of you that, that kind of want to do this at home. We make a marinade of two parts buttermilk. So one part amazake, which is a liquid version of Koji, and we marinate the chicken in there with a little bit of salt. We put a little bit of either hot sauce or cayenne in there, and our house spice mixture, which is a blend of toasted yeast. We take just regular baker’s yeast and we toast it. And then oven for about a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes to an hour untill it’s just golden brown and malty. And we blend that with some caraway and juniper and black pepper and sesame and mustard seed. We add that mixture to the chicken. We let it marinate. Sometimes if we’re in a rush, it just gets about an hour, but other times, we prefer to let it go overnight. And then we pre cook the chicken before we fry it. So we’ll bake it off on a sheet tray in the oven, just until it’s cooked. We typically bring it to about 155 and then let it carry over. And then once it’s cooled, we put it back in the marinade and then we go into the bread and the fry. For the breading we use equal parts all purpose flour, and cornstarch. We also put our house spice mixture into, so we’ve got your cooked marinated chicken, you dredge it. And then we fry it 325 just for a few minutes. So, the whole sandwich itself, we put on a house mayonaise that we make. It is mayo, some of the mustard that we make, which is a mix of a Midwestern spicy brown mustard and a whole grain mustard. We put some pickles on there and we dressed the whole thing with an oil and vinegar slaw. It’s cabbage, it has cherry Kool-Aid pickled onions in it, and lots of fresh dill. And the dressing for that is a vinegarette that we make with Koji, our mustard and some oil. So put the whole thing together and you’ve got this beautiful, beautiful fried chicken sandwich. Click to tweetI did some more research and found out that Koji is the backbone of many foods in Asia, especially the core ingredient like amino pastes like Miso and alcohols like Makgeolli or sake, and, some soy sauce like Shochu. So many of them cannot be made without Koji. Click To TweetPeople have been working with Koji for thousands and thousands of years, and going back even 150 years, people had far less access to technology and modern resources that we have now. Click To TweetKoji smells intoxicating and sensual, and we compare it to this mix of Granny Smith apple and honeysuckle meets roasted chestnut and just a little bit of mushroom. Kind of earthy funk. Click To TweetThat’s the driver, that’s the inspiration, that intense seasonality and enjoying something that is so special that you hold it in high regard. Click To TweetSelf-realization. That’s the first thing. If the individual doesn’t want it, no matter how much you give to them, it’s a waste of everybody’s time. And that’s the unfortunate thing with addiction and alcoholism. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Jeremy Umansky Social mediaLarder Delicatessen Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Matt Bolus Introduces New Global Flavors To Nashville | 15 Sep 2020 | 01:01:22 | |
What we covered in this episode
You get the pork and rye roasted pork chop, blast of rye whiskey. I always loved the poached pears that we did at Le Cordon Bleu. Old school French dessert, most people don’t get excited about. I can understand why, because it’s a pear and people are thinking about it, but a good friend of mine, Scott Crawford out of Raleigh, North Carolina, came up and did a dinner with Kavalan whiskey, actually Taiwanese. They had a Sherry cask finish. So, Sherry – pears, okay. Those go together. Smokey – pear, that goes together as well. We took this Manzanilla cask finished Taiwanese whiskey, and added a little bit of butter and some sorghum. And we gently poached these pears. Just mind blowing the flavor that came off of it. It was the perfect marriage of flavors. Southern born and raised. My grandfather was Lebanese and my first food memory is Lebanese food. I went to a French culinary school in England and I start a lot of dishes like an old Sicilian lady! Click To TweetOne of the things that I always focus on is acid brightness, whether it be lemon juice, lime juice, or apple cider vinegar. Acid is going to bring out the flavor in a big way. Click To TweetI want to meet you as a purveyor. I want to know what kind of person you are. I’m horrible about asking you random questions that have nothing to do with business at hand. Click To TweetWith 404 Kitchen Staycation Culinary Series, we are bringing chefs to Nashville like Andrew Zimmer and Marcus Sanderson, and Carla Hall. It’s a way for us to offer a little bit of getaway from the normal break, from your routine, and travel a little without having to go anywhere. Click To TweetWe are more bourbon centric. The focus is on really on flavor profile and the nuances of it. People have realized over the course of probably the last 10 years, bourbon is much like wine. Particularly with some of the smaller producers, every barrel is different. Click To TweetOne day I just realized I’m a lot happier at midnight on my hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor after a great service than sitting behind this desk in a nice suit, earning great money. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Matt Bolus
The 404 Kitchen Social mediaGertie’s Bar Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Brian Duffy – A Gigantic Appetite for Casual Restaurants | 01 Sep 2020 | 01:09:49 | |
What we covered in this episode
Conversation with Chef Jose Garces – Competitive Mindset https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AY3A0180-copy-scaled.jpg Chef Brian Duffy https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Duffy-BBQ-1.jpg Chef Brian Duffy great beef BBQ https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Duffy-BBQ-2.jpg One of the best BBQ in Philly! https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Duffy-hot-dogs.jpg Opening Night with Chef Brian DuffyMy number one thing is to play around with different cuts of meat. A burger is going to be good with fat. It’s just that simple. So to be able to get something like a really good brisket is great and grind it up and make your own patties. If you really want to make a great burger, start grinding your own patties. Get into finding a good grind of meat or a couple of different types of meat. I love a burger that had a small amount, 10 to 15%, of lamb, because I think that lamb has an unbelievable flavor that just is enhanced by that grilling, by that searing, by that caramelization, that Mayard reaction that is happening in the browning process. At the beginning of the pandemic, I created a program called ‘staff meal’, which you could order for $10 and it would feed three people every time somebody placed an order. Click To TweetI started to go into these smaller locations. I loved the creativity that I had, and I could put food on a plate for the regular person that was upscale, but I didn’t have to charge the same prices as a lot of the fine dining places. Click To TweetMy passion plays in the casual restaurant realm. That’s what I love to do. I love to put the chef technique into everything that we do because I utilize my culinary degree every single day. Click To TweetWe are in a casual concept now. People want to be able to go into more of a gastropub-style setting. Go in, sit down, on a weekly basis as opposed to a super high-end fine dining restaurant you’re only going to, maybe, two times a year. Click To TweetChefs are a tough group of people. We literally have pivoted, we have adjusted, we’ve readjusted. The positive that’s going to come out of this is that we’re going to have a stronger restaurant community. Click To TweetDo you know what the number one common denominator is of every restaurant that we did on the show [‘Opening Night’]? None one of them, not one of them had recipes. Click To TweetThe top 3 mistakes that you see that restaurant and bar owners make are one, micromanagement, two, would have to be owners really trying to do stuff that benefits the owner, as opposed to the guests, and three is that the owners are just nonexistent. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Brian Duffy
Ardmore restaurant Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Tim Hollingsworth – Celebrating Luxury and Mundane Food | 18 Aug 2020 | 01:06:06 | |
What we covered in this episode
Brad Miller – Amazing Food Trucks Alison Trent – The Future is Collaboration https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CTH_OTIUM-3786-copy.jpg Chef Tim Hollingsworth https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_0103-copy.jpg Malfouf (stuffed cabbage rolls) https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CTH_DEC-7835-copy.jpg Roasted Chicken https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Cocktails-otium.jpeg Cocktails @Otium Submitted questions from podcast listeners The top cookbooks that inspired Chef Tim Hollingsworth?
For a lot of the restaurants, it is time to really rethink the model of a restaurant is today. Click To TweetThis goes against what I do for a living to a certain extent, but, it’s very important for people to eat at home together and have nice meals. You’ve seen a lot of restaurants pivot and offer those offerings to their guests. Click To TweetWe’ve seen that takeout game definitely stepped up by some of my peers that have really executed great quality products and meals. Click To TweetBlue Apron offers the ability to get in front of people and encourage them to cook at home. Click To TweetWhat you’re looking for is designing food that is going to challenged people to a certain extent. Introduce them to new flavors that maybe they haven’t been exposed to before. Click To TweetWhen you start at the French Laundry, it’s a very tough environment. You are not there for a job, you’re there to get better every single day. Click To TweetThe number one lesson that I have learned from Chef Thomas Keller is the constant push and drive and that nothing is ever perfect, and second, his ability to help develop chefs versus just cooks. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Tim Hollingsworth
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| Charlotte Voisey – The Exciting Life of a Brand Ambassador | 04 Aug 2020 | 00:49:40 | |
What we covered in this episode with Brand Ambassador Charlotte Voisey
Conversation with Flavien Desoblin from the Brandy Library in NYC Conversation with Angel Teta from Portland in episode #4 Episode #62 with Bob Peters from Charlotte, NC Conversation with Brand Ambassador Charlotte Voisey in episode #50 Episode #36 with Beau du Bois from San Diego, CA Conversation with Ryan Burk, Head Cider Maker at Angry Orchard https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Charlotte-pouring-at-Del-Posto.jpg Charlotte pouring at Del Posto https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/cv-2.jpg Portrait Charlotte Voisey https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Orbium-Martini.jpg Orbium Martini with Charlotte Voisey https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Coffee-Cocktail-with-Monkey-Shoulder.jpg Coffee Cocktail with Monkey Shoulder Submitted questions from podcast listeners What cocktails can I make with Monkey Shoulder Scotch?Monkey Shoulder is a blended scotch, but the whole premise around Monkey Shoulder is that it’s made for mixing. So it’s not a traditional scotch that you sit down and sip neat. It is designed to be mixed in cocktails. For Monkey Shoulder, what we want to do is push the idea of scotch in cocktails, as extreme as possible to get this message across. We suggest to come up with an overarching idea of making a scotch Tiki cocktail, for example, or a scotch cocktail with tropical flavors, something you wouldn’t normally expect. That’s the goal, right? It has to be something that looks like a rum drink. That can be served by the pool. It could be blended, it could be with crushed ice. You might find it in a Tiki bar. And then you work backwards to fit in Monkey Shoulder. Then, you would then come bring in different elements. Like big tropical flavors such as fresh pineapple. You could add orgeat simple syrup instead of just a regular sugar. Start from that. Ask yourself what are you trying to achieve? How does it need to taste and how does the temperature need to be? How does it need to look? And then you work backwards rather than looking at Monkey Shoulder, like a scotch, and then thinking about scotch cocktails. How travels inspire your cocktail creations ?Last year I was lucky enough to visit both Columbia and Costa Rica. And in both places, we went to visit a coffee plantation and, I drink coffee regularly. It’s not a new ingredient to me and I’ve even used it in drinks before, but when you actually learn the whole process of how coffee grows, the aromas of the coffee flower, how the coffee berries open, how they are processed, and then experiencing coffee tasting like a cupping. I was just open in terms of the different flavors of coffee and then how they can be balanced in a drink, for maybe a more citrusy side or a spicy side or a fruity side. So that was a really great experience, which is unforgettable because I was literally in nature, in the coffee plantations scene and breathing in, and enjoying the aromas. And then you learn about the production. Coffee for me, after that trip just exploded with opportunities for cocktails. Cocktail recipe with Nixta Licor de Elote
A good Brand Ambassador has the ability to truly connect with people, and that’s often through charisma, it’s through interesting personality, it’s through having the confidence to be a great presenter in a room. Click To TweetEverything you do, anytime you leave your house and you’re interacting with people in a way you are representing your brand and the company you work for. Click To TweetIt’s really important to find a brand that you truly love and admire and a brand that has values that align with yours. Click To TweetThe part about my job I do love the most is the travels. I have been so fortunate to travel the world, experience people and cultures that I probably never would have seen before. It’s just such an enriching way to live life and learn. Click To TweetWhen you become a brand ambassador, everything changes, there is no routine. No two days are the same. No two weeks are the same. Everything is different. Click To TweetWhen you’re a bartender working in a bar, you have the bar family, you have your regular guests. So there’s a lot of things that I miss about bartending. Click To TweetWhen you are creating a cocktail it’s an overarching flavor combination that you have in mind or you’re working towards. And then within that, there’s the theme of balancing. Click To TweetBartenders love to work with gin because it’s the original spirit of the cocktail. And it’s so versatile in cocktails. Click To TweetBe careful about the trend of making cocktails just for Instagram, rather than the quality of flavor and the opportunity to pair with food for the guests. Click To Tweet Social mediaCharlotte Voisey William Grant & Sons USA Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Michael Gulotta – Asian Inspired Cuisine with Louisiana Pantry | 21 Jul 2020 | 01:02:53 | |
What we covered in this episode
Listen to my conversation with Chef Rebecca Wilcomb Link to Chef Michael Gulotta’s Asian Curry recipe.Click on this link to download the 3 pagers with the recipe and additional information on how to add some Asian influence in your cooking. https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Chef-Michael-Gulotta-copy.jpeg Chef Michael Gulotta and @flavorsunknown https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_6311-copy.jpeg What a dish! @Maypop https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_6309-copy.jpeg Tasting at Maypop in New Orleans https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Maypop-copy.jpeg Maypop in New OrleansI think there’s so many facets. There’s so many different ways for a dish to come about. I have never been able to settle on a single way because I try to keep things seasonal. Sometimes it’s me sitting down just with whatever. My local farmers will send me their produce lists and I’ll try to go through there and figure out what to do. But also sometimes I’ll eat something at a friend’s restaurant or out, travel and eat something. And I’m like, wow, this inspires me to do my own take on this. Sometimes it is a food memory. Like I’ll remember something that I’ve had and I’m like, man, I really love this dish when I had it. I think we should do a play on that at the restaurant. But also a lot of that is tempered with what customers want. The customer has to crave what you’re putting on the plate. The customer has to be excited about it. And so a lot of that comes into play too. Sometimes I based dishes off of what I think the customer wants. And then I add my inspiration to it. There’s a whole lot of different ways to attack and they’re not always the same. I want my team to have input. So a lot of times I put it up to the team, like, what are y’all interested in right now? What’s, what’s exciting to you. And then we would all collaborate. Click to tweetAt MOPHO, we’re not a Vietnamese restaurant. We are a New Orleans restaurant inspired by Vietnamese cuisine. Click To TweetAll we cared about was the customers, which is kind of backward. You have to care about your employees too. Click To TweetI started just building a pantry with Vietnamese ingredients and started making new Orleans dishes with those Vietnamese ingredients. Click To TweetOur food is an evolution of traditional cuisine. We’re trying to evolve the traditional Vietnamese cuisine here in New Orleans. Click To TweetWe already know how to do it big and lose money. Can we do it small and make money? Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Michael Gulotta
MOPHO NOLA Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| SXSW 2024 Panel: Immigrant Flavors Reshape America | 09 Apr 2024 | ||
This episode is the recording of the SXSW 2024 panel discussion I moderated with local chefs in Austin at a live SXSW event called Global Bites, Local Delights: How Immigrant Flavors Are Shaping the U.S. Food Scene. I’m joined by Chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph from Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group, Chef Edgar Rico from Nixta Taqueria, and Chef Simone Tong from Zoe Tong. You’ll hear how global flavors are making their mark on American cuisine, influenced by talented chefs with roots from Guyana, Mexico, and China. You’ll learn how these chefs are adapting classical dishes from around the world to the local ingredients available in Austin. You’ll also hear about the important community role restaurants play and how these restaurants are overcoming food stereotypes. What you’ll learn from the SXSW 2024 panel discussion
I’d like to share a potential educational resource, “Conversations Behind the Kitchen Door”, my new book that features dialogues with accomplished culinary leaders from various backgrounds and cultures. It delves into the future of culinary creativity and the hospitality industry, drawing from insights of a restaurant-industry-focused podcast, ‘flavors unknown”. It includes perspectives from renowned chefs and local professionals, making it a valuable resource for those interested in building a career in the culinary industry. Get the book here! Links to other Panel Discussions with chefsDon’t miss out on the chance to hear from these talented chefs and gain insight into the world of culinary techniques. Check out the links below for more conversations during panel discussions. Panel StarChefs in Philadelphia 2024 Panel StarChefs in Austin 2023 Links to most downloaded episodes (click on any picture to listen to the episode)Chef Sheldon Simeon Chef Andy Doubrava Chef Chris Kajioka Chef Jacques Pepin Social media Chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph Social mediaChef Simone Tong Social mediaChef Edgar Rico Links mentioned in this episode SUBSCRIBE TO THE ‘FLAVORS UNKNOWN’ NEWSLETTER | |||
| Leadership – What Every Senior Executive Can Learn From Top Chefs | 07 Jul 2020 | 00:41:24 | |
This conversation about leadership and “What Every Senior Executives Can Learn From Top Chefs” with Chef Andre Natera should have taken place at the SXSW CMO Clubhouse in Austin, TX back in March. Obviously, with the pandemic situation the event was canceled and we recorded our discussion about leadership as an episode for my podcast “flavors unknown”. What we covered in this episode
Chef Fiore Tedesco – L’Oca D’Oro Chef Michael Fojtasek – Olamaie Chef André Naterafrom Fairmont Austin A year ago I had a conversation with
When we talk about discipline in the workplace, it’s the discipline to do the right things that are good for the customer and that are good for the rest of your team. Click To TweetCreating challenges for people is probably one of the most difficult things that you could do. Click To TweetInstilling a sense of purpose in people I think is important. Everyone needs a purpose at work and they need parameters and goals in which to strive for. Click To TweetThink differently and be the exception to the rule. Click To TweetPeople that ask for the opportunities would be surprised about how many doors open for them simply by asking. Click To TweetI give people the framework in an environment where they can be inspired. Click To TweetI want to turn down the noise and have so much consistency that my team could really focus on what’s important, in my case that’s food. Click To TweetLearning from mistakes sometimes is the best education. Click To Tweet Social mediaThe CMO Club
Chef Andre Natera Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| COVID-19 Prompts Two NJ Chefs to Pivot Business | 23 Jun 2020 | 00:56:21 | |
What we covered in this episode
Chef Leia Gaccione: “what dishes bring me comfort? Oh my goodness. Well, fried chicken, I think is a good one. Mac and cheese or pasta. If I’m like having a bad day and I need something to make me feel better. It’s always like some type of pasta, which actually I don’t have any pasta on the menu right now. We do have Mac and cheese on the menu. Comfort food to me is always like extremely indulgent. So I try to not dive too much into that. Another thing for me, that’s comfort food is like, it sounds so terrible, but like I grew up eating those packet ramen noodles”. Chef Sam Freund: “as a fellow Italian, there’s nothing wrong with a beautiful Spaghetti and Meatballs. That’s probably one of my most comforting dish, and also fried chicken. You took this food, this high end food all the time. It’s just like, it’s hard to eat all the time too. So, the one thing that actually brings me joy on a daily basis and really brings me home is cereal and whole milk. I mean, there’s nothing better than a huge, massive bowl of cereals. And I’m talking me personally, I could eat a whole box in one sitting and I’ve done it several times. So my whole thing is thatI don’t eat the sugar stuff, I am a big Raisin Bran lover!” Best Burger recipe?Chef Sam Freund: “I have a little seasoning that I make. It’s a brown fennel seed, that are toasted. Salt, pepper, and dried thyme. Season it like that, and then sear it up. And then I’m very simple. I’m a huge Swiss guy. So, I use in Gruyere cheese. Lettuce, tomato. Now, if you were a huge fan of Slamwich restaurant, we used to make this red onion jam, it brings a sweet tart to the burgers, and balance. You could even Google a recipe for red onion jam, but that pretty much sums up my burger. Add mayo and mustard.” Chef Leia Gaccione: “For me, I love to toss the greens in a vinaigrette. I feel like the acid wakes up the burger because the beef is so rich and fatty that it cuts through it. And it also brightens the whole thing up. So, I would say that for me, it’s definitely put a vinaigrette on there. For the sauce: French onion dip aioli! For the bread:maybe it’s on an English muffin that is toasted. Maybe it’s on brioche, nice and soft and buttery. Or it is on a Kaiser roll so that you could get a nice little crunch on the outside, but it’s holding everything on the inside. https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/WB-Onion-Tart.jpg Onion Tart https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/SamFreund.Headshot-.jpg Chef Sam Freund from White Birch in Flanders, NJ https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Sandwich-copy-1.jpeg Sandwich White Birch https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Toast-WHite-Birch-copy.jpeg Toast White BirchWhen you put your whole life savings into your business. And that it could be taken away from you so quickly, you have to be able to think on your feet and you have to be able to make quick decisions. Click To TweetThe milestone that pivot so quickly, it was like the fear of losing everything. Click To TweetYou don’t really have time to think it’s more of a reaction. You got to give it a chance and give yourself that opportunity to keep going. Click To TweetThe saddest thing was to let people go and you built these relationships and you can only keep so many people. At the end of the day, this is a business. Click To TweetOther than the healthcare industry, restaurants are probably the most sanitary places with the most sanitary practices that you could find. Click To TweetThe success of our businesses is in our customer’s hands. People really need to understand that and keep doing what they’re doing, because if they weren’t, I don’t know if I would still be here today. Click To TweetI switched up the menu up every week. I would do some Asian influence and I would do Spanish influence. Every week we changed it up. Click To Tweet Chef Sam Freundfrom White Birch A year ago I had a conversation with Chef Leia Gaccione Social mediaSouth + Pine Restaurant Social mediaCentral + Main Social mediaChef Sam Freund Social mediaWhite Birch Restaurant Social mediaSlamwich Scratch Kitchen Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Chris Cosentino – Inspired by Local Culinary Heritage | 09 Jun 2020 | 01:02:56 | |
Chef Chris Cosentino says: “you can’t create future unless you understand history. If there’s not a grounding in history, then it just doesn’t make sense. And it’s also easier to draw from history than it is to just make shit up!” What we covered in this episode
To me when people are cooking at home, unless they’re baking recipes or guidelines, not everybody has the same ingredients that restaurants have. Everybody has different markets and different seasons, and it’s really about adapting to what’s available in their moment and in their place. Then it’s really about learning to think on your feet and know what flavors work together. So, something very simple as broccoli. You know, people think of broccoli as like this green tree that you get a giant wedge of it on a plate at like a steakhouse. But there’s so many varieties of broccoli. There’s broccoli de Cicco, there’s broccolini, there’s broccoli rapini, there’s sweet broccoli. Then, you have all these other broccoli’s, there’s arugula rabe, which is a broccoli. You have all these like sprouting broccolis purple sprouting broccoli. Then it’s such a simple thing as taking a penne pasta, and in the pan you have very basic things, you need garlic, you need olive oil, you need chili flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, and you can use broccoli, but you chop it, you peel the stems and you chop it up and you start by cooking the broccoli stems and then you feed in the garlic and then you start adding your pasta to it. Once you add your pasta, then you add pasta water, then you add olive oil. You add the broccoli tops, which are the soft tender bits that cook really quickly. So it’s really about understanding a product, then it boils down to timing and being prepared in advance and having all the stuff cut properly. https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IMG_1844-copy.jpeg Chef Chris Cosentino @Cockscomb https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Mussels-copy.jpeg Mussels dish @Cockscomb https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Sandwich-copy.jpeg Sandwiches @Cockscomb in San Francisco https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Board-copy.jpeg Charcuterie board by Chris CosentinoThe restaurant industry as a whole will change. For starters, you’re not going to see people smiling anymore because they’re going to be wearing masks on their faces. Click To TweetWe are Trade people. So ultimately, everything’s based on technique! Click To TweetPatience is gone because everybody’s so hooked up to their phones and their computers and to what’s next. Click To TweetRemember, we’re here to make people happy and if you let your ego get in your own way, you’ll lose. Click To TweetThere are thousands of French grandmas who have cooked before me that will cook French food better than I ever will. Click To TweetSalumi is about mastering patience, mathematics, and techniques. Click To TweetWe’ve chosen a career where we’ve signed an oath to take care of people. That’s the hospitality business. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Chris Cosentino Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Matthieu Cabon – A Passion for Bread | 26 May 2020 | 00:50:09 | |
What we covered in this episode
Chef Chris Shepherd – UB Preserv Submitted questions from podcast listeners The 7 step process of bread making1. First you scale the ingredients. For the sandwich bread you will do this process in about an hour before the oven. The best way to use leftover croissant s from the day before. Bread and food pairing: The real baker follows the dough and not the reverse. If you are in a rush somehow the dough is going to make you pay the next day. Click To TweetYou can always go back to your dream, but an opportunity, you take it or you leave it, as it might not come back. Click To TweetThe two critical aspects of bread baking at home are temperature and time. Click To TweetA Dutch oven, to me right now, it’s the easiest tool to use at home for bread making and you can really get nice results, a nice crunchy and shiny crust. To me that’s the tool best yet. Click To Tweet Social mediaMagnol French Baking Social mediaBaker Matthieu Cabon Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Farmer Lee Jones – Celebrate Mother Nature’s Seasons | 12 May 2020 | 01:04:17 | |
Farmer Lee Jones from The Chef’s Garden says “We are going to create a whole entire generation of gardeners because once they garden as a child and they learn how fun that is, they understand that the carrot comes from the soil and when they can go with mom and dad and harvest that and bring it in and cook it, and then eat it and realize how good it is and they have a connection with where the food’s coming from and how it’s grown and how much work it takes to grow it. We’ve got a generation of gardeners!” What we covered in this episode
It is our personal belief, says Farmer Lee Jones from The Chef’s Garden, that God designed a system far superior to anything we can fake out chemically or synthetically. The way that we’re farming [in the US] chemically and commercially today is much like our Western culture of medicine. Once we get sick, then a doctor prescribes medicine to treat the symptom. The method of farming that we’re trying to do today is more like the Eastern culture. The Eastern culture is, get the body in balance to defend against the disease in the first place. So we have a sane healthy soil, healthy vegetables, and healthy people. We do the soil analysis based on the deficiencies that we find within the soil. Then we plant crop specific. This is what’s really cool based on the deficiency we plant cover crops. Different types of plants will accept different types of energy from the sun, buckwheat, Clover, vetch, barley. We even have a 17 variety cover crop mix that we use to give us a, it would be like, like us taking a multivitamin, the plants except different types of energy from the sun, so based on the deficiency in the soil, you plant crops specific. You let that land sit fallow and let the plants in and if you can visualize the leaves of that plant as antenna or receptacles, they accept the energy through the leaves into the stems, then down to the roots and then into the soil. Then the next year when we plant the turnip or the beat or the carrot or the radish or the zucchini or whatever it happens to be, it picks that back up and when we eat it, it builds our immune system. What is the Culinary Vegetable Institute?The Culinary Vegetable Institute’s initial vision was a place for the foremost chefs in the country to be able to come and to do experimentation and research and to be able to play. It’s an R&D lab. We have relationships with culinary equipment companies that have the best of the best and the newest ideas. Normally we have about 600 visiting chefs a year. The idea was originally for chefs to be able to come. It’s evolved into a place where we do corporate R&D and corporate retreats. So corporations come and bring their guests. As you know, the, what most of them usually did for many years was go out to Greystone and then toward the Napa Valley. There’s only so many times you want to do that. And so this really gives corporations an alternative to be able to come in. It’s kind of nice, they have a captive audience because you know, you’re out in the farm and so they’re not getting wandering off into a bar or some other thing. They’re focused on really building the relationships. It’s about relationship building and learning different ways to be able to use ingredients. https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/flavors-unkown-chefs-garden-3-selected-copy.jpg Home Delivery Box The Chef’s Garden. Pic: Mark Manne https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/flavors-unkown-chefs-garden-33-selected-copy.jpg The Chef’s Garden Home Delivery Box . Pic: Mark Manne https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/flavors-unkown-chefs-garden-14-selected-copy.jpg Herbs The Chef’s Garden. Pic: Mark Manne https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/flavors-unkown-chefs-garden-13-selected-copy.jpg Blossoms The Chef’s Garden. Pic: Mark ManneFor my Mom’s generation, it was all about convenience. The convenience thing was great, but I think it went too far, and we took our eye off, in America, of where the food was coming from. Click To TweetThe Chefs didn’t necessarily know what varieties to grow, but what they were telling us was about flavor, quality, and consistency. Click To TweetWhat we’ve heard from chefs over the last 37 years is that flavor is the most important. The second is, flavor, and third is flavor. Flavor, flavor, flavor. And that’s really what we’ve based every decision on was the flavor, the integrity of the product, and how it’s grown. Click To TweetWe pick the vegetables even before daylight because we like to harvest very early in the morning at the lowest respiration rate of the day. Click To TweetWe’re the flee on the end of the tail at the end of the dog. We’re very small, 350 acres, but to make it even smaller, 250 acres of that in any one year is harvesting the sun’s energy. Click To TweetOur carrots are testing 300 times higher in beta carotene than the USDA average. Click To Tweet Social mediaThe Chef’s Garden Social mediaFarmer Lee Jones Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Roy Yamaguchi – How to Beautify Hawaiian Flavors | 28 Apr 2020 | 00:52:24 | |
Chef Roy Yamaguchi is the father of the Hawaii Fusion cooking style. In 2018 he celebrated the 30 year Anniversary of Roy’s restaurants. In 2020, he will celebrate the 10 year Anniversary of the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival. He was the co-founder back in 2010. Chef Roy Yamaguchi explains to us what Hawaii fusion is and how you came to create it. What we covered in this episode
Chef Jean Marie Josselin – JO2 https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Roys-Kai-Starter.jpg Starter’s at Roys Honolulu Kai https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Roys-flower.jpg Cocktails at Roys Honolulu Kai https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Roys-Kai-menu.jpg Roys Honolulu Kai Menu https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Roys-Kai-copy.jpg Honolulu Kai, OahuWhether it would be a piece of fish, like a “opakapaka” or whether it be “moi” or whether it be kind of a reef fish, I look at the ingredients and then I try to figure out, how can I best present that. Whether it be steamed or, seared or whether it be grilled depending on the fat and the leanness of the fish itself. And then at the same time, do I want it more refreshing or do I want it as an appetizer and serve raw or do I want it cooked and more meaty? A good example might be, the local, swordfish. It’s called “shutome”. I try to look for the smaller eye, meaning that I look for the filets from the swordfish to be not a huge piece of swordfish where the loin could be five, six, seven, eight inches in diameter. Maybe look for a swordfish that’s smaller, that may have a three or four inch diameter and use that as a presentation. I want to make a steak. So some of those thought process comes out like that. And then do I want to do a hard sear or a soft sear or do I want to put a crust on it, or no crust, whether it would be a macadamia nut crust and then salt and pepper, then cooked all the way or maybe a medium rare. I want a sauce that’s a lot lighter, it could be a vinaigrette, utilizing, you know, maybe, the local lilikoi (passion fruit) or I want more of a richer sauce that may have some cream in it or maybe Chardonnay or do I want a more of a hardy sauce to make it completely different for someone to eat it with a red wine. So making a sauce made with demi-glace, or could decide for a Chinese style where, you know, steaming it and serving it with a kind of soy braised sauce like ginger and garlic and green onions that’s cooked with soy and little bit of sweetness, maybe Palm sugar. What is Roy Yamaguchi wood smoked Szechuan style baby back pork ribs recipe?When I was growing up, my father used to make baby back ribs. He would make it with a kind of a vinegary thing. So he would make it with black pepper and he would get garlic, salt, butter and red wine vinegar, and marinate the pork ribs and then he would grill it and then he would steam it, make it soft. That was stuck to my mind. But I said to myself I want a rib that’s more Asian. By putting the hoisin sauce and oyster sauce and soy sauce, ginger, garlic, green onions, add a little sugar, maybe I can make this marinade that I can call it my own and make it Asian. That’s the process I went through. Getting that marinade made and then I said to myself I really want to make it kind of like stand out a little bit more. I’m going to smoke the ribs first with kiawe wood, that’s a local wood, local tree here. So getting kind of the smokiness in there and then rub it with this marinade, make it Asian. And then I would grill it again, so it’s twice cooked, to get more flavor in there. So, and that’s how that was developed. What are Roy Yamaguchi’s suggestions how to use hearts of palm?I like working with Hearts of Palm, I either shave them, and fry them to make these little crisps or either I shave them and use them for a salad or whether I shave them and use them as a topping or whether I puree them and use them instead of a creamy potatoes or risotto. You may use a creamy Hearts of Palm as a bed to plate other ingredients. Chef Jean-Marie JosselinIf you are interested in discovering more about the restaurant scene in Hawaii, check out this previous episode by clicking on the picture on the left: Chef Jean-Marie Josselin from JO2 in Kapaa, Kauai. Click to tweetThe most important thing is to build that [cooking] foundation because that foundation is actually the brick that you’re going to be able to stand on and continue to build your career on. Click To TweetIn 1987 I moved to Hawaii because I wanted a restaurant in Hawaii because I felt that that’s my upbringing. There is a lot of Asian cultures here. Click To TweetI wanted a restaurant that not only served the flavors of my past, which was French and Japanese but I wanted to add the local ingredients from Hawaii. Click To TweetI started to add a lot more of the Filipino, Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese flavors into what I was currently doing with the Japanese-French cooking. So I really had a global kind of flair but yet utilizing the ingredients from Hawaii. Click To TweetNot everything has to be conceptually crazy, you know, with 4 steps or anything. Something simple is what I really enjoy. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Roy Yamaguchi Links mentioned in this episode
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| COVID-19: Top Chefs Respond | 14 Apr 2020 | 00:54:24 | |
COVID-19 is impacting the US economy and has a devastating effect on Chefs and the restaurant industry.
The restaurant business, it’s a family. We are spending more time with the people who work with us than with our own family. And It’s really heartbreaking to see the way everything went down and with no end in sight. Click To TweetThe chain of distribution for restaurants is long. And we have really committed relationships with these people. And I don’t want to see some small farmers not able to survive. Click To TweetIf there is no government intervention, the fall out will be huge. Click To TweetPeople believe that because you are a Chef you must be rolling in the dough. The truth is that no matter how big or small your operation is, nobody is getting rich. Click To TweetIf a business-minded person looked at our [restaurant] business models, they would all say, hey, you should shut down. This is not good business. Click To TweetWe’re trying to educate people in Washington, educate the general public that if you want to have these unique and special restaurants around, we have to have a bailout. Click To TweetThese closings that we have not by choice, they are mandated. And I believe that when the government comes and mandates you to close, they have to have a plan to make you survive. Click To TweetRestaurants are the DNA, the social fabric of a neighborhood, of society. Click To TweetYou don’t prepare for anything like this [COVID-19] as an industry. You prepare for this as a country. Click To TweetRestaurants are made for going out and having a good time and doing celebrations. Meeting people. It’s the social fabric. I believe that there is a place for us in the future to do what we do. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Naomi Pomeroy Social mediaChef Gabriel Kreuther Social mediaChef Ian Boden Links mentioned in this episodeBeast restaurant in Portland, OR The Shack restaurant in Staunton, VA Gabriel Kreuther restaurant in Manhattan | |||
| Drake Leonards – The Road Back to his Roots | 31 Mar 2020 | 00:47:23 | |
Chef Drake Leonards: “Wherever I went I learned how to cook. And I learned a little bit more about myself as well. I meet new people and was exposed to new things. This journey is not just about cooking. You take inspiration from all over. Just being exposed to new things and being around people with different backgrounds, it starts to rub off on you. And you never know where it’s going to come in to play in your life.” What we covered in this episode
Chef Chris Shepherd – UB Preserv Baker Matthieu Cabon – Magnol French Baking Submitted questions from podcast listeners What does Chef Drake Leonards put in his gumbo recipe?That was something that I grew up with. And it’s found in little pockets in Louisiana. I think gumbo is something that is different from home to home, from region to region, from parish to parish. And so every gumbo a little bit different. Every gumbo is unique. The cook makes it unique. By the way they do it. But we serve ours with a little bit of potato salad. I like mine with a nice dark brew. And I like it a little thicker. I like to add a little smoked meat sausage, and Tasso, and a little chicken. I love a chicken and sausage gumbo. It’s what I grew up with. I love a great seafood gumbo as well. Serve it with just a little bit of potato salad right inside. It is something unique. At the restaurant, we take the skin of our chicken and make little chicken cracklings and serve that with a little side of chicken cracklings and potato salad. In your home you can make the potato salad. I like just a little touch of horseradish on the potato salad. And you can crush up little pork crackling, like chicharrones from these great markets throughout the country. It just gives you a little crunch. With saltine crackers is the way that we eat it as well, growing up at home with potato salad and our rice. https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Chef-Drake-Leonards-2-copy.jpg Chef Drake Leonards at Eunice in Houston https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/DIsh-Chef-Drake-Leonards.jpg DIsh Chef Drake Leonards https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Grits-Eunice-Drake-Leonards.jpg Grits Eunice Drake Leonards https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/IMG_9560.jpeg Gumbo by Chef Drake Leonards in Eunice / HoustonHouston reminds me very much of what New Orleans and I think Louisiana were a couple of hundred years ago, with a huge number of people who come in and bring their cuisine, culture and way of life. And it just kind of blends here in Houston beautifully. Click To TweetI love the hospitality of a restaurant and being around people. And so having a passion for food and having a passion for people, and being a Chef it’s kind of fits naturally together. Click To TweetMy colleagues at Café Boulud were young, hungry, ambitious cooks that made me be better because they expected more out of me than I expected out of myself. Click To TweetI always think that in our restaurant, if we can surround ourselves with great people, it’s gonna make us all become a little bit better. It’s going to make our team better. It’s gonna make myself better. And it just kind of we push each other. Click To TweetI learned was that Chefs have taken, what they knew and grew up with and just refined it a little bit. Click To TweetFrance and Germany were great place to go to understand the origins of what we’re doing now and how it became Cajun or how it became Creole. I felt like I had to get to the source. Click To TweetNew York really gave me the confidence to know that the world was so much bigger than I could ever imagine. It just fueled that desire to really be able to see what was out there. Click To TweetThere’s never a perfect time for anything. There’s never enough money. There’s never enough of anything. You just have to do it. Click To TweetChef Sam Freund from White Birch in Flanders, NJ If you liked the current episode with Chef Drake Leonards, you might like these two previous episodes:
Chef Jonathan Zaragoza from Birrieria Zaragoza in Chicago Social media Chef Drake Leonards Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Brad Miller – Amazing Food Trucks! | 17 Mar 2020 | 00:57:42 | |
Chef Brad Miller is currently the Chef and Co-Owner at Inn of the Seventh Ray restaurant. He is also the corporate chef and tastemaker for Five Star Senior Living, one of the country’s most prestigious retirement companies. Brad is a much sought-after television personality, appearing on such channels as VH1, NBC, FOX, Food Network, Cooking Channel, PBS, Tasted Channel and Hallmark Channel. Brad currently stars in Food Truck Nation on Cooking Channel, airing now. What we covered in this episode with chef Brad Miller
Conversation with Chef Brad Miller in episode #40 – Amazing Food Trucks! Episode #64 with Chef Silvia Barban – Her Lifelong Italian Culinary Influences Episode #56 with Chef Lamar Moore – Striving for Greatness Conversation with Chef Tim Hollingsworth in episode #51 – Celebrating Luxury and Mundane Food Episode #52 with Chef Brian Duffy – A Gigantic Appetite for Casual Restaurants Conversation with Chef Edward Lee in episode #21 – The Marco Polo of American Cuisine https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Crudo.jpg Yellowfin Tuna Crudo by chef Brad Miller https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Brussels.jpg Crispy Brussels Sprouts https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Selfie.jpg Chef Brad Miller and @flavorsunknown https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Inn.jpg Inn of the Seventh Ray in Topanga Canyon Submitted questions from podcast listeners What are the top three elements that make a food truck successful?
It’s not something that you’re going to do all the time, but it’s definitely a mix that’s like really great and makes it like, very umami, it makes your burger kind of taste meatier and kind of things of that nature has like a it’s basically a couple of ingredients. It’s take your burger meat. I would do a chuck steak and short rib. I do a 50 50 chuck and short rib grind, cut into cubes. Don’t freeze it, but I get really cold and then grind it and then mix in smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and here’s the kicker, a little bit of miso powder. Like when you’re gonna make miso soup with these little packets, just a little bit of each. Not too much. You don’t want to overpower the flavor. And salt, of course. But these little ingredients really bring out the flavor of the piece. It tastes really beefy. The smokiness of the paprika almost makes it taste aged a little bit. For a pound of burger meat, I would say, a sprinkle of smoked paprika, a sprinkling of all these things, you know, like more than a sprinkle, I’d say like two sprinkles. But it really brings out the beefiness of your meat and it makes you have so much flavor and also have the salt in there. It will make a juicy, really juicy burger. You get a really good bite and it doesn’t matter what you put on top of that. You can just put cheese in a bun and it’s gonna be delicious. I would say Kewpie mayonnaise, Japanese mayo. That is the best mayonnaise in the world. I consider that and Duke’s. Duke’s mayonnaise and Kewpie Mayo. I would say just that burger, medium-rare, two pieces of American cheese. Not cheddar, American cheese. Just because for me, even though cheddar has more flavor, American cheese just gives you that gooeyness, that old school memory of cheese. So I would do two pieces of American cheese, the burger, just brioche buns if you want, just mayonnaise, and about three pickles. Chef Brad Miller recipe with persimmonsI take the persimmons that I quarter them and I take the middle out and then I put them in a sous-vide bag with really good olive oil and a little bit of salt. And then I compress them and I let them sit overnight. They go on a plate with whipped ricotta. More really nice olive oil. We have a pomegranate gel. Fresh pomegranate seeds. And then a little bit of shiso. So we’ve got a little shiso all over it. Toasted Marcana almonds. A couple drops of lemon oil and then Maldon salt. And it’s one of those things that when you serve it, you will, think it’s gonna be a dessert. But it’s like a starter and it’s just so tasty. And when you bite into those persimmons, they melt in your mouth and you got that pomegranate gel with them. And it just really is an amazing dish. Click to tweetBy nature, cooks and chefs are just curious. I am just curious what other chefs are doing and why they’re doing it, and what is their purpose for doing it Click To TweetBeing a chef is putting the guests first and really putting something out there that you’re really proud of. And it’s going to go and nurture people’s children. Click To TweetI’ve learned one thing trying to produce TV is that every idea has already been thought of. There are no original ideas. Click To TweetThe great thing about food trucks is that it’s a great soundboard to trial your food before you open a brick and mortar restaurant. Click To TweetYou don’t have to be a classically trained chef to have a food truck. Click To TweetIn 50 years from now, cooking is going to be so different because all the health laws. Click To TweetNobody wants to be a Chef anymore. Cooks don’t want to be Chefs and kids don’t want to be cooks. Everybody kind of just wants to have the fame of it and the funny thing is they absolutely can do that nowadays. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Brad Miller Links mentioned in this episode
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| Jamie Bissonnette – Unconstrained Creativity | 03 Mar 2020 | 00:49:11 | |
Jamie Bissonnette is the James Beard Award—winning chef and partner of Boston favorites Coppa, an Italian enoteca, Toro, the Barcelona-style tapas bar, and Little Donkey, Cambridge’s eclectic neighborhood restaurant. In fall 2013, Bissonnette and co-chef and partner Ken Oringer brought Toro to New York City, and received rave reviews from outlets like The New York Times and New York Magazine. The Little Donkey concept was expanded to Bangkok, Thailand during 2019. What we covered in this episode
You’re going to find your inspiration from a lot of different places. It can be from a song. It could be from an article that you’re reading, a cookbook that you’re looking at, a dinner that you’ve had and opening up your mind to realize when something strikes you to try to remember it and do something with it is important. But for me, I find that the best creative outlet is to just start cooking. Don’t overthink it. Sitting in front of a notebook and writing things down is great, but I will have more impact with things you just put me in the kitchen, give me a bunch of ingredients, and say start cooking! I become way more creative than I would be if I was just looking for recipes and reading books and looking at pictures and my notes from travel. What is Jamie Bissonnette’s Tortilla Española recipe with chips?I always have eggs in the house that one of my favorite foods. I don’t always have potato chips in the house because I eat them too much. But you can get potato chips if you live in the city. You can get potato chips within three blocks, pretty much anywhere in any city you live in. Whether it’s a bodega store. Guess what? So my one of my favorite tortillas to make is I make tortillas española. But instead of using potatoes cooked in olive oil and onions, I use some sort of either just regular straight-up salted potato chips, sometimes salt and vinegar, potato chips, barbecue potato chips do not work. Don’t try that at home. They taste terrible. And I make a tortilla where I add they add to the eggs some potato chips at the beginning. Before I do my first flip, I add more potato chips so it gets the bottom side on the first flip gets a nice like very, very like golden-brown crust from the chips that you can slide it right if you use an individual pack of potato chips and you only use three or four eggs. You can slide it right back into the potato chip bag and you’ve got tortilla española on the go. https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Octopus-at-Toro-copy.jpg Galician octopus, basque oil, squid ink crème fraîche & crispy potatoes https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Uni-sandwich-at-Toro-NYC-copy.jpg Pressed sandwich of sea urchin, miso butter & mustard seeds https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Jamie-Bissonnette-Coppa-Boston-copy.jpg Jamie Bissonnette Coppa Boston https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Brunch-Tapas-Tortilla-copy.jpg Brunch Tapas Tortilla Jamie BissonnetteWhen we travel, we leave no stone unturned. We go down every alley, we go into every store, we look at everything, we get inspired by everything that we see. Click To TweetSpain is such an innovative culinary capital of the world, but it also excels at its simplicity. Click To TweetA lot of times young cooks, when they don’t understand intrinsically that culture of food, they think that they need to have too many ingredients to make something more interesting. Click To TweetI always say don’t cook the recipe like you have to follow it exactly. It’s like music. The first time you want to play somebody else’s song, you follow the sheet music and then you figure it out. Click To TweetThe thing that I love about Spanish culture is, because it’s so innovative, that you can really mix any kind of flavors together and you can still have that same spirit of delicious, impactful bites like tapas and pinchos. Click To TweetKen and I are like little kids when we start talking about food. So as long as we can get the business stuff out of the way in the morning, by the afternoon, all we wanted to do is taste food, eat food and make people happy. Click To TweetWe know what and how we do something. But knowing why we do is what makes it authentic. Click To TweetYou don’t have to be traditional and authentic all the time. You can be innovative if you can. Use your own whimsy. But as long as you do it in a way that is educated and that you’re not just throwing things together. Click To TweetThe best creative outlet for me is to just start cooking. Don’t overthink it. Just put me in the kitchen, give me a bunch of ingredients, and say start cooking. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Jamie Bissonnette Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Inside ‘The Dish’ with Author Andrew Friedman | 26 Mar 2024 | 01:11:42 | |
Today I’m talking to Author Andrew Friedman. His most recent book is called The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food. It takes a deep dive into one Chicago kitchen to explore the nature of our food system and the professionals who plate and prepare the food we eat. He’s also the host of the podcast “Andrew Talks to Chefs”.
I’d like to share a potential educational resource, “Conversations Behind the Kitchen Door”, my new book that features dialogues with accomplished culinary leaders from various backgrounds and cultures. It delves into the future of culinary creativity and the hospitality industry, drawing from insights of a restaurant-industry-focused podcast, ‘flavors unknown”. It includes perspectives from renowned chefs and local professionals, making it a valuable resource for those interested in building a career in the culinary industry. Get the book here! Links to most downloaded episodes (click on any picture to listen to the episode)Chef Sheldon Simeon Chef Andy Doubrava Chef Chris Kajioka Chef Jacques Pepin Social media Andrew Talks to Chefs Social mediaAndrew Friedman Links mentioned in this episodeAndrew Talks to Chefs (Apple Podcast) Andrew Talks to Chefs (Spotify) | |||
| Mark Welker – Set Goals and Make Them Happen | 18 Feb 2020 | 00:58:19 | |
Mark Welker is the executive pastry chef at “Make it Nice” group which includes Eleven Madison Park and NoMad (New York, L.A., Las Vegas, and London). He was raised in Indiana, went to culinary school in Kentucky, and attended the former French Culinary Institute in NYC. Then you went to France “because you wanted to understand where pastry making was born”. Talking about his position today, Executive Pastry Chef Mark Welker says “It’s a very collaborative team. When we talk about things we want to accomplish, everyone’s voice counts and everyone’s voice matters. I want people to be the best versions of themselves and I have to help them to get there, help them make good decisions”. What we covered in this episode
Chef David Burke – Restaurateur Executive Chef Gabriel Kreuther The Brandy Library with owner Flavien Desoblin Pastry Chef Sam Mason – Odd Fellows Submitted questions from podcast listeners Which country is best for chefs?I think there are so many locations, especially with the 50 best restaurants list out there, they highlight so many different restaurants from all over the world and so many of these restaurants have different philosophies. So if you want to focus on fermentation and foraging and things like that, there are restaurants out there that specialize in that, like, you know, a lot of the Nordic restaurants. I think some of the restaurants in Brazil and South America really do well with fermentation. If you’re interested in Mexican cuisine and Mexican spices, then you should probably travel south of the border. I think that there are restaurants all over the world at this point time, and it doesn’t need to be a Michelin star restaurant. If you’re passionate about Thai food and you want to learn about Thai ingredients, then just go travel through Thailand. Go eat on the streets. Go to the markets, go to the wet markets, have an Airbnb, get the ingredients and cook. As long as you’re setting yourself goals. timelines, and pushing to meet those goals with a mindset of coming back and actually using what you’ve learned to better yourself and to further your career. Which savory ingredients could be added to sweets?In the realm of things being fermented, different koji inoculating with different things, using different homemade vinegars is a big one that really can help desserts a lot, like using kombucha techniques to make a tea. Kind of like make a fermented tea and then use that to season things.I kind of think that’s like the best. I’m not into using bacon, you know, or different meat products. I’m not really into even vegetables outside of squash or carrot. Like, I really don’t want to. I’m not I’m just not a big fan of that kind of stuff. We use a lot of vinegar for brightness. And again, it kind of lower the sweetness of the dessert. What is Mark Welker’s apple pie recipe?I would look at the apples first that I chose to make the pie and when I make an apple pie, I think of the different textures inside of apple pie. And I don’t like it to all be one texture. So I think that I would choose maybe three different varieties of apples. That’s where I would start, I would pick my favorite apples. And you’d want an apple that’s going to be very firm and hold up the cooking while one that’s going to have different make sweetness or acidity notes as well. You want one that kind of falls apart, they can kind of like bind it all together. But again, not having like too much moisture. And I think then there are different ways to deal with that if an apple has too much moisture. What I would do is give it a little sugar in my Calvados treatment or pick the core of your choice, rum or it could be bourbon, it could be anything you really want it to be. But I would add a little bit to the apples and I would let them soak and macerate overnight and then I would drain them, and then really kind of like get all that liquid out of it and then maybe even make a caramel with all that juice and sugar that’s leftover and then kind of just lay it on the inside. https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Chef-Mark-Welker-and-@flavorsunknown-copy.jpg Chef Mark Welker and @flavorsunknown https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Peaches-with-creme-fraiche-Evan-Sung-copy.jpg Peaches with creme fraiche – Picture Evan Sung https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Chocolate-Pretzels-Evan-Sung-copy.jpg Chocolate Pretzels – Picture Evan Sung https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Milk-and-Honey-Francesco-Tonelli-copy-scaled.jpg A dessert of honey oatmeal crumble with honey brittle, dehydrated milk foam, and ice milk drizzled with honey prepared by NoMad Executive Pastry Chef Mark WelkerPeople should travel. It’s good to get out of the country and see how small the world is, and how small life is. It makes you think differently. Click To TweetYoung people today want to learn things much faster. They want to move to the stations a lot quicker. And it’s more about resumé building to them. Click To TweetLong term goals change as you change and grow but short term goals should be very realistic. People should have a lot of them. And they should be checking them off. Click To TweetI want to hire people who want my job. We want people that are ambitious. Click To TweetEvery single day we show up to work. We need to think of it like a championship game. And as a leader, you have to show up every day like you’re ready for the championship game. It starts at the top. Click To TweetWe want things to look effortless on the plate. But once you eat it, you realize that the flavors, the textures, and the technique are much deeper than what you think. Click To TweetYou should use sugar to season something not to like just make it sweet, not just for like an end result. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Mark Welker Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Chris Shepherd – Sharing Food & Life Experiences | 04 Feb 2020 | 00:50:17 | |
I am really pleased to have Chef Chris Shepherd of Houston, TX on the show. Chef Chris Shepherd is a James Beard Award winner and was recently named by the Robbery Report magazine as the best chef in the world. He has helped change the landscape of the Houston culinary scene since opening Underbelly in 2012. What we covered in this episode
Links to other episodes in Houston Baker Matthieu Cabon – Magnol French Baking Submitted questions from podcast listeners How to use fish sauce?What I learned is that there should be two ingredients in fish sauces. There should be anchovies and there should be salt. And that’s it. For a home consumer to use fish sauce make sure you are buying quality. And that’s pretty easy to do at this point. Then it’s like how do you balance something so super funky that you need something sweet, that you need something spicy, that you need something to tone it back. You need some acidic. And it’s just learning about balance. I think fish sauce is the perfect day to inspire you to learn balance in a dish because most cooks cook with salt, pepper and maybe a little bit of lemon juice or lime juice or something on a dish. But it’s more about understanding the balance of sweetness, sour, the spice, the funk. Fish sauce is a perfect ingredient for young cooks, especially to understand their palate and to understand balance and flavors. Where to use fish sauce?If you are going to brines a chicken. I think for use it in a little bit of fish sauce into it gives it that “you’ll never know it is there” spice or flavor profile. It is perfect in Bolognaise sauce. You had a little bit in your Bolognaise and it just gives it that umami richness. If you aren’t looking to do predominantly a Vietnamese or Thai influenced flavor, that you’re adding just a little bit of sodium and more of that richness of fermentation and that richness of umami, that flavor contrast that you can’t find, that you can’t buy, that it’s there and you have to use these ingredients then I think for fish sauce is the absolutely perfect way to put those things in there. A little bit in a vinaigrette, a little bit in a braising. Chef Chris Shepherd chicken wings recipe?Caramelized fish sauce, chicken wings. Greatest thing ever. Roast the chicken wings in the oven or grill them.Then have a little sauté pan, toast a little bit of garlic, shaved garlic, add some honey or white sugar, caramelized that fish sauce, add lime juice. Toss the wings and you’re good. A few chilies in there like Sereno or Jalapeño. Click to tweetThe best way to start to have a conversation is through food on the table. Then you can establish friendship conversations and learning from each other and not just talking about food all the time, but talking about life. Click To TweetLearning from people is one of the greatest things that we could possibly do. Just share stories and have conversations. It’s the easiest thing to do. Click To TweetYou need to quit cooking for yourself and start cooking for the culture. You could cook free at that point. Click To TweetPeople love challenges. Status quo is one of the worst things for people that is trying to just sit there and do the same things over and over and over again. Click To TweetI tell people all the time that the only thing that holds you back is yourself. And that’s the honest truth. Because you have to try and push to try to learn and you’ll find inspirations anywhere and everywhere. Click To TweetCreativity is probably the most important thing, it’s about seeing things and using things and touching things. Technique is cool. But at the end of the day, it’s got to taste good. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Chris Shepherd Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Beau du Bois – Listen to your Neighborhood! | 21 Jan 2020 | 00:44:23 | |
Have you ever wonder how to revamp a cocktail program or how to go about reinventing a classic cocktail? Well, in today’s episode, this is exactly what you will find out with my guest, the award-winning bar director, Beau Du Bois. You recently moved to the south of California as the new bar and spear with the creative director at Puesto in San Diego. He built is 16 years career in L.A. at the Corner Door and in Napa Valley at the three Michelin star restaurant, Meadowood. What we covered in this episode
So for a twist on an Old Fashioned, I would say head to the decent liquor store in your town or down the street from your house and grab some apple brandy and grab a bottle of cognac. And let’s just do one ounce of each. Let’s get a little bit of apple cider and we’re gonna use the cider instead of water to make this simple syrup. So just equal parts there. Then just a little bit of cherry and orange bitters in there. And you’ve got a Thanksgiving Day in a glass right there. How to Design a Successful Drink Menu?Take your time and you want to come at it the right way. First, you look at some of their the sales reports. Then, you look at Instagram and you start correlating the things that are already working, the flavors that are already working, the types and formats that are already working. This isn’t about ripping the rug out from underneath the program. It’s about just taking quarter turns on the things that are already doing so well and just elevating them ever so slightly so that you don’t leave those guests in the dark just because they don’t like Aloe Vera or Tamarin. It’s about this quarter turning that recipe and turning the volume up a little. So the customers will be like, “I like the old one, but this one is getting better”. And this is the trust. The trust that you earn from guests so that maybe they will come back in a month or two months and try that crazy cocktail at the bottom of the menu. The other side of that is looking at things that really don’t work, or haven’t worked historically. And in offering something new that, again, listening to the neighborhood, you feel is going to be a success or is going to start to tell a story. How to reinvent a classic cocktail?In terms of reinventing the classic cocktail, let’s just go for the low hanging fruit. Let’s talk about old fashioned. An old fashioned is just a combination of a base spirit, bitters, and sugar. Obviously it was historically usually made with whiskey. And at a time, when bars were just beginning to have creative menus, people would come back and say, can I have the whiskey cocktail, the old fashioned way? That’s when the name was born. When you look at those building blocks of that cocktail, whiskey, sugar, bitters, and any base spirit, there’s a lot of room to play there. Let’s take the bourbon out. Let’s put in cognac. Or let’s take the bourbon out or the rye out, and let’s put in tequila or let’s do a split of cognac and rye. Now for the sugar. It is just a just a vehicle for some richness, some softness of the cocktail. But that sugar is made with water, which is flavorless. It doesn’t need to be flavorless. Why don’t we just use tea or put, some fruit in that water, or infuse the sugar with some fruits and peels of various citrus. So now you’ve already greatly changed that cocktail to something that’s a little close to a fingerprint of flavor that you were going for. But it still scratches the itch of someone who’s looking for that old fashioned. Of course, you can play with the bitters. I mean, we live in a time where I’d be shocked if you could find the flavor that isn’t in a bitter right now. I’m sure somebody got a peanut butter bitters out there. Jesse Vidawhen he was at BlackTail If you are interested in mixology check out these two additional episodes by clicking on the respective pictures: Jesse Vida (Episode #1) when he was at BlackTail, NYC and Angel Teta (Episode #4) Whiskey Guardian at Angel’s Envy. Angel TetaWhiskey Guardian @ Angel’s Envy https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/thumbnail_Cliftons_Media-25-copy.jpg Beau du Bois – Cliftons_Media https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/thumbnail_Cliftons_Media-15-copy.jpeg Cocktail Beau du Bois – Cliftons_Media-15 copy https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/thumbnail_Puesto_2019_011-copy.jpeg Beau du Bois @Puesto https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/thumbnail_30C7ED9F-F0B7-42B3-8F2D-295F702E7F1B-copy.jpg Beau du Bois @Puesto It starts with the base spirit. Then it becomes more about the overarching flavor that I’m going for. And then it moves into the visual presentation that will elevates the guest experience. Click To TweetWhen it comes to building cocktails and creating cocktails, make sure that you’re listening to your neighborhood and to your guests. Your neighborhood helps you keep the bills paid. Make sure that you’re not leaving the neighborhood behind! Click To TweetThemed cocktail menus give the opportunity and the challenge of creativity. But you always have to stay one foot in the “is this viable for this business or for this neighborhood”? First, you earn the trust of your community and your demographic. And then once you have that, it’s time to innovate. Click To TweetIn cocktail-food pairing, overly complimentary is where you’re using the same ingredients or similar flavors in the cocktail, in the dish. For me, that’s just too much. It’s more important to offer a little bit of contrast so that we’re helping to reset the palate. Click To TweetWe live in the world of Instagram, we live in a world of pictures, and people taste with their eyes. And if you can’t evolve as a chef or a bartender and understand how to use that to your advantage, then you’re sleeping at the wheel. Click To Tweet Social mediaBeau du Bois Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Ted Lee – Home Cook and Writer | 07 Jan 2020 | 01:07:51 | |
Ted Lee from the Lee Brothers: “we grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. It’s a very particular region of the south. So we didn’t know a lot about eastern Kentucky or the panhandle of Florida. And so then this other phase of our lives, with magazines paying us to go to different regions of the south that we didn’t know. To write about them was so exciting. We learned so much because remember, we don’t have a southern grandmother. We grew up in Charleston, but neither of our parents grew up there. So we had to learn everything about southern food from somebody else’s mother or grandmother.” What we covered in this episode
The cheese in a pimento cheese is usually typically an orange-colored sharp cheddar cheese. I use a white cheddar, really aged with some age on it with seems almost crystalline structure which makes it so delicious. I also used Poblano. The Poblano peppers are roasted and then pickled. And it is just a completely different but familiar flavor. It is like green chili pimento cheese. I use cream cheese and mayonnaise in it, which is sort of controversial. Some people only think it’s only mayonnaise, but I like the combination. There are so many different spins you can do on pimento cheese, but that one with the extra sharp cheddar and roasted pickled planters is extraordinary. What is the difference between Low Country, Gullah, and Soul Food?There’s a lot in common between the cuisines. You mentioned Gullah Geechee cooking, low country cooking and soul food. I would say they all have their origins in the migration of enslaved Africans to North America. That’s the origin of those things. And you can see this in a dish that’s sort of a classic low country dish like red rice. You can see the sort of connections to the West African joloff rice. It’s a huge influence. It’s so different. Very rarely are you cooking things to order. So if you are doing a gala with six hundred people who get served filet tenderloin or lamb chops, those proteins should be seared in a deep fryer the day before. Just to get the color on them and then killed down in the walk in. And then it would be moved to the venue in a transport cabinet which, once on site, is turned into a hot box, all the food pulled from it and transformed using sterno and sheet pans into a warming oven. And so it’s a completely different practice than what restaurant chefs are used to. It’s always most plated dinners at simultaneous service. So you’re really building a kitchen that’s meant to serve out the first course. The second course and the third course, all the same plate within 15 minutes, instead of having the bell curve that a restaurant has over the course of the evening where the orders come in. Click to tweetThe great thing about cookbooks is there can be all kinds of them and as long as they are of quality, and the recipes tested, they will find an audience. Click To TweetYou can make money. Usually the book sort of breaks even, but it serves every other aspect of your business. Click To TweetThe most exciting books that are being done today are the most personal book. The ones that really are from an accomplished cook who’s telling about how who they became resulted in the food they serve and why people love it. Click To TweetThe Chefs today are more in tune with telling stories about themselves and their ancestors, where they’ve come from, where they’re going, and really situating their own kitchen practice between the past and the present and the future. Click To TweetThere is no visibility because they’re working in special events catering. It’s all designed to focus attention on whoever is being celebrated. The people behind the scenes are not the story. Click To Tweet Social mediaThe Lee Brothers Links mentioned in this episodeThe Lee Brothers Boiled Peanuts Catalog
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| Brother Luck – Embracing your Fears! | 24 Dec 2019 | 00:47:30 | |
“The first time I did a Top Chef Colorado, says Chef Brother Luck from Four by Luck in Colorado Springs, that was more about anger. I was angry at myself for losing the show. And I understood why. I was disappointed in myself. Coming back for the second season and doing Top Chef, Kentucky was a decision that I probably shouldn’t have made. I was so quick to want to validate myself from losing the previous season and feeling like it was unfinished that. I went back and I wasn’t in a good mental place. And in the end, I think that’s where a lot of young chefs don’t understand, is you have to take care of your mental health.” What we covered in this episode From depression to raising awareness for mental heath issues
I’ve had a very traumatic childhood. I never realized how much that was going to affect me as a man. I built up a lot of anger from all that pain. And you can only hold that in for so long. Click To TweetI have an addictive personality. That’s who I am. And whether it was being an addict to alcohol or drugs or for me, it’s work. So it’s easy to drown myself in the world work. Click To TweetWhen someone’s dealing with depression or insecurities or not feeling like they belong or they’re looking for validation, the answer isn’t to ask them “are you OK?” I think the answer is to share your own story so they don’t feel alone. Click To TweetWhen you watch social media, you’re watching everyone’s greatest hits. No one’s posting the bad stuff that happened to them today. They’re talking about the great stuff and we measure ourselves against that. So I think it starts from me with social media being real. Click To TweetI think we don’t have a labor shortage right now. We have bad leaders. So we have to change our culture. So I think that’s where it starts. Click To TweetFor me, cooking started at a very young age out of necessity. But then it became the supplement of the male role model from the street hustler or the gangbanger to now the chef and the toques. Click To TweetI never wanted to be a chef until they told me I was good at cooking. And that compliment is what I became hungry for. I wanted that attention. I spent my whole career chasing that approval of that male role model. Click To TweetFor me, it’s not about which ingredient is the best each season. For me, it’s about the transformation of the ingredient from the season. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Brother Luck Social mediaRestaurant Four by Luck Links mentioned in this episodeChef Brother Luck’s Essay about Mental Health and Depression | |||
| Hari Cameron – Creativity within Boundaries | 10 Dec 2019 | 00:52:09 | |
“When we do the tasting menus at a(MUSE.) we asked each guest three questions. What do you love in season? Do you have any allergies or intolerances? Is there anything you’d rather stay away from? So in the restaurant, we can be doing five tasting menus and they can all be different. In my creative approach, Everything has to be technique. I’m not in a place where I can just put a radish on a plate and serve it. I have to manipulate it. The vegetables is a perfect, beautiful thing. And how can I not mess that up? How can I deliver it in its peak of flavor? And how can I presented in a way where the guests will enjoy it and really get a sense of what it is?” What we covered in this episode
So you can get fresh pasta from so many different makers right now. Even if you don’t have a home extruder, it’s pretty easy to get fresh pasta. So I think you start with the pasta. If you’re using dry pasta, that’s fine. There’s a place for that as well. Next thing I think is your cheese selection. I think that you need some depth in your cheese. So using a couple of different cheeses, depending on if it’s white or yellow. I think Gruyere as some really nice nuttiness. I think Fontina adds some depth there also. Really understanding your cheeses, white cheddar of course and different ages. It’s kind of a classic. And then I don’t think flour is needed. I think that if you are a home cook and you use sour salt, it’s called sodium citrate, you can make any cheese into the perfect melting consistency. Like Velveeta. The perfect mac and cheese cheese. So you use 9 to 12 percent of that of total weight of cheese. I think you need some acid in there. Some people use mustard as their acid, some people use an alcoholic cider. Kind of like doing a fondue play. Or I think that using a beer would be interesting. So when you can add a little acidity to help cut the fat, the mustard is nice because it adds that kind of spice as well. Tabasco is nice. Tabasco is a vinegar based hot sauce. It has that kind of brightness that you’re looking for. Nutmeg would make it more, you know, the Italian Bechamel. Pasta is like a nicely dressed salad. You don’t want too much dressing. You want it to evenly coated, understanding the consistency of your sauce and you don’t need to bake it or you could bake it. One of the best mac and cheese you can make is Cacio e Pepe. I think that if you have some parmesan, if you have olive oil or butter, pasta, water and black pepper and a good pasta, if your emulsification technique is good, you can make it beautiful. It’s not mac and cheese, but it’s so simple. https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/FullSizeRender.jpg “Liver & Onions” Foie Gras Mousse – Baby Sweet Onions – Crab Fat Ash Oil – Charred Onion Skin Broth Poured Table side https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Poached-Shrimp.jpg Poached Shrimp – Cocktail Powder – Celery Root Sorbet https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Smoked-Fish.jpg Smoked fish pâté – Green Tomato – Cornbread – Fennel – Cultured Cream – Fermented Chili https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Steak.jpg 45 day dry aged strip steak – heirloom tomato – fried chili anchovy shallot oilI always want my food to be, no matter how progressive it is, always grounded in the Mid-Atlantic, but seasonal and regional. Click To TweetWe often speak of food from the South and New England. We think of Louisiana cuisine. But the Mid-Atlantic is sometimes overlooked as a cuisine. But I think we have a lot of history and rich heritage. Click To TweetAs a modern chef, I’m taking a lot of the fat in the roux out of things. Fat is a tool for flavor. So if you’re using it well, it’s fine. Back in the old days, a lot of these old recipes have a lot of flour and butter that aren’t necessary, things that kind of get in the way of flavor. Click To TweetWhen I first opened up, I was more militaristic about the only using ingredients in our food shed. Now it’s more about sourcing the best things that I can and making the guest happy. Click To TweetI’ve only ever been in competition with myself. I feel like if I’m paying attention to other people, I’m taking the eye off of my craft and what I’m doing. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Hari Cameron Social mediaa(MUSE.) & GrandPa Mac Links mentioned in this episode | |||
| Gabriel Kreuther – Making Customers Happy! | 26 Nov 2019 | 00:53:39 | |
Chef Gabriel Kreuther with cuisine rooted in his Alsatian heritage, says that “the beauty [of getting 2 Michelin Stars] is the sense of teamwork, the sense of accomplishment and also the sense of making customers happy. We are in business because we love what we do, we cook, but at the end of the day, we love to cook a little bit for ourselves, and by doing so we engage with customers and make them happy. And hopefully they have a great moment with us.” What we covered in this episode From Alsatian cuisine in France to 2 Michelin star restaurant in NYC
Chef David Burke – Restaurateur Pastry Chef Mark Welker – Eleven Madison Park The Brandy Library with owner Flavien Desoblin Pastry Chef Sam Mason – Odd Fellows Chef Gabriel Kreuther recipe with scallops“It depends of the quality of the scallops. But if it’s really, really beautiful ones. Yeah, I will literally tend to eat them almost as a tartare or as a ceviche. So we’ll just slice them in couple slices and season them with grape-seed oil, a little bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, chives, a few red peppers in there, a little bit of orange juice and something crunchy, I would put a little bit puffed wheat or something like that in there. Mix it. And that’s a nice little appetizer. I will have a little bit of green apple in it. Well, then just roast it. I will make them very simply with a couple of mushrooms. Just you can just deglaze with a little bit chicken stock or water or a little bit of white wine or lemon juice and a little bit olive oil. I will serve them literally with a nice lentil soup. But passed and not the whole lentils in it. And we’d be like a bed.” https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Chef-Gabriel-Kreuther-flavorsunknown-scaled.jpeg Chef Gabriel Kreuther & flavorsunknown https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Gabriel-Kreuther_sturgeon-and-sauerkraut-tart.jpg Sturgeon & Sauerkraut Tart with Alsatian Heritage https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/classic-tarte-flambee.jpg 2 Michelin star Classic tarte flambée @ Alsatian cooking https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Foie-Gras-scaled.jpg Foie Gras Dish @ Gabriel KreutherI always wanted to work in [kitchen] environments that were decent, where the human person was respected. Click To TweetWe are walking many hours in this business, and we spending more time [in the kitchen] than we do with our families, and I think it can be fun and it can be good. It doesn’t have to be the crazy side of it. Click To TweetIt takes a while for a chef to understand that it’s not only cooking that makes the experience. It’s a little bit more than that. Hospitality and how you speak, behave with the guests, and how you’ll receive them. Click To TweetI always ask myself, I don’t need to have a jacket. I don’t need to have a tie. The food won’t taste better. So why can we not get over that? Click To TweetAlsatian cooking is basically the rusticity and the wholeness of the German cooking mixed up with refinement and the finesse of the French cooking, Almost like a kind of fusion before anybody talked about fusion cooking. Click To TweetAs you get older in your [Chef] career and more seasoned, you understand that the most important thing is really the flavor. And then the technique. But you cannot have only technique and no flavor. It’s meaningless. Click To TweetYou want to be original and you want to come with something that is not well known and surprises people. Click To Tweet Social mediaGabriel Kreuther
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| Flavien Desoblin – Owner Brandy Library NYC | 12 Nov 2019 | 01:20:51 | |
The very sole purpose of the Brandy Library, says Flavien Desoblin, is to show our customers whoever wants to listen, that these spirits, whether it is Cognac or bourbon or tequila are made by real people. First of all, with an amazing tradition, usually a great deal of heritage and there is so much care into the process, into the making of the spirits and where wherever they made from that they definitely deserve attention and then should we pay that to a little bit of attention. We discover a whole world of flavors. Chef podcast – Chef Interview What we covered in this episode with owner of the Brandy Library
Chef David Burke – Restaurateur Pastry Chef Mark Welker – Eleven Madison Park Executive Chef Gabriel Kreuther Pastry Chef Sam Mason – Odd Fellows Episode #72 with Chef Dan Kluger from Loring Place Conversation with Chef Silvia Barban from Brooklyn in episode #64 Episode #58 with Chef Bryce Shuman from Betony Conversation with food critic John Mariani in episode #70 Links to other podcast episodes with awarded mixologistsConversation with Angel Teta from Portland in episode #4 Episode #62 with Bob Peters from Charlotte, NC Conversation with Brand Ambassador Charlotte Voisey in episode #50 Episode #36 with Beau du Bois from San Diego, CA Conversation with Ryan Burk, Head Cider Maker at Angry Orchard Flavien Desolblin talks about Bourbon and Food pairings“For someone some reason I am one of the very few people who love to pair a bourbon, if not cask strength, at least a higher strength 96 proof or above with Jamon Iberico de Bellota because there is so much depth, richness, and harmony in Jamon Iberico de Bellota that I think is the perfect complement. You can go straight at chocolate and enjoy a wide variety of chocolate milk chocolate, very dark chocolate to the bitter chocolate. And in a variety of bourbon, you know, some bourbons are drier than others and some are sweeter than others. Some have more vanilla than others. You’ll find spicy bourbons. Is it because of the rye or because it was aged for a lot longer? I’m not sure. Whichever that it is, no matter what there will be chocolate, that will be ideal for it, you can just go as simple as a praline chocolate candy and a Maker’s Mark. Asian foods, especially when he gets a bit spicy is great with bourbon. But even without being spicy, there is the mastering of fat in the dishes that are just the right complement. And I mean, those barbecue sauces and the soy-based marinades. I mean there is so much depth in there that you find the depth in the bourbon as well while in the rye whiskey. So I like a cask strength or barrel-proof when I’m going that way. God knows bacon is just bourbons’ best friend! https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Table-lamp.jpeg Atmosphere & Bourbon https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Lamp-brandy-library.jpeg Bar and spirits @ Brandy Library https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/BrandyCrowd-10.jpg Consumers 2 @ Brandy Library enjoying spirits https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/BrandyCrowd-7-Copy-2.jpg Consumers @ Brandy Library enjoying spiritsThere is such a great deal of heritage and there is so much care into the process of making spirits, where wherever they are made, that they definitely deserve our attention. Click To TweetIf you found yourself in the liking of fancy red wine, naturally you’re looking for the drier style and you don’t mind the tannins and you appreciate the structure that the tannins will the red wine is the same thing for spirits. Click To TweetShould you be in contemplation, so to speak, rather than in a rush to drink it and you’ll see that the whiskey will expose itself to you. Click To TweetInnovation, no matter what is absolutely needed to keep the whiskey business going. Click To TweetBourbon is a very natural product that you cannot temper with. So it’s a beautiful thing that you can sort of play with the bourbon by transferring it after a wise traditional maturation in brand new charred oak barrels into different casks. Click To Tweet Social mediaBrandy Library Social mediaSpirits Network Links mentioned in this episode
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| Noosh – Celebrating Eastern Mediterranean Cuisine | 29 Oct 2019 | 00:50:36 | |
Noosh is a cohesive Eastern Mediterranean concept from Chefs Sayat and Laura Ozyilmaz that elevates the simplest foods from the region into a story that basically resonates with the California culture. The restaurant is named after my grandmother, says Chef Sayat. We care about cultural anchors, something that sort of rests in history and culture, and the logical place and Noosh is not just an Armenian and Greek words, but it also as a meaning. In Farsi that is part of an expression, that means cheers. What we covered in this episode
I think for the people that want to try Eastern Mediterranean food or want to start cooking, the right angle is to go and explore spices, to begin with. The spices play a huge role with this cuisine. When you understand the spices and how they interact with each other you can create something amazing. I think they’ll be the right angle. The other thing, if you want to create like a special dish, of course, exploring the pantry of the eastern Mediterranean or the Ottoman Empire using them in a way that fits in with your city or your area where you live in. You will always buy stuff, vegetables. So this is something that you can miss. As well using the grilling techniques, grilling kebab and grilling fish with burnt oregano. Note from the host: have a look at Chef Laura Ozyilmaz book recommendations in the link section below. https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Laura-and-Sayat.jpeg Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Soup.jpeg MINT YOGURT BROTH https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Sayat-talking.jpeg Chef Sayat talking https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Skewers-glass.jpeg Skewers at NooshOur crisis management tool box is ever expanding. De-escalation in any situation is our best tool, and therefore we know better not to escalate situations. Click To TweetOne of the mottos has always been “we want to serve food, that we want to eat ourselves.” Click To TweetWith that idea of borderless cuisine and the value we bring by expanding it to not just food has been the biggest way we’ve elevated casual Middle Eastern foods to a higher level. Click To TweetWhen creating a pantry of key flavors you build the fundamental building blocks of your cuisine by identifying those key ingredients that are so important to you, not only by finding the common denominators, but also by identifying what differentiates you. Click To Tweet Social mediaChefs Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz Social mediaRestaurant Noosh Links mentioned in this episodeIstanbul and Beyond: Exploring the Diverse Cuisines of Turkey Black Sea: Dispatches and Recipes, Through Darkness and Light | |||
| 3 Chefs from Austin Question Everything | 15 Oct 2019 | 00:36:39 | |
This is the second part of the recording in Austin, TX with three local Chefs. We are here at the Fairmont in Austin and I have with me around the table three chefs from Austin. Chef Kevin Fink from Emmer & Rye, Chef Fiore Tedesco from L’Oca D’Oro and Chef André Natera from The Fairmont Hotel. We are continuing the conversation on creativity and the local food scene in Austin. Just before the series of rapid-fire questions, the 3 Chefs will talk about local ingredients. What we covered in this episode 3 Chefs in Austin Part Two Question Everything
Look For Soulful Experiences
5 Rapid-fire questions: Chef André Naterafrom Fairmont Austin If you are interested in discovering more about the Austin restaurant scene, check out these two additional episodes by clicking on the respective pictures: Chef André Natera from the Fairmont Hotel and Chef Fiore Tedesco from L’Oca d’Oro. Chef Fiore Tedescofrom L’Oca d’Oro https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Andre-and-I-3.jpeg Chef Andre Natera and @flavorsunknown https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/4-around-the-table.jpg 3 Chefs from Austin and I https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/4-of-us-portrait.jpg 3 Chefs from Austin and @flavorsunknown https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Andre-e1570918774598.jpg Chef Andre Natera The ability to question is to me what we need to follow and the ability to seek enough knowledge to have context to this questioning. Don’t look for others and try and mimic what they’re doing. Question why you’re doing everything that you’re doing. Click To TweetI’m constantly in seek of soulful experiences. There is something about for me seeking out these soulful intimate experiences in all the places that I go that really turned the lights on for me Click To TweetThe Austin food scene offers a tremendous amount of creativity. It offers some limitless possibilities of things. We have permissions here to try things that are different. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Andre Natera Social mediaChef Kevin Fink Social mediaChef Fiore Tedesco Links mentioned in this episodeGarrison restaurant at the Fairmont Revue restaurant at the Fairmont Did you enjoy today’s episode? If so, please show your support by writing me a 5 star review on iTunes and Stitcher Radio. | |||
| A Taste of Philly: Chef and Bartender Innovations | 12 Mar 2024 | 01:19:33 | |
Today, I’m exploring A Taste of Philly with a StarChefs Rising Stars panel of talented chefs in Philadelphia. You’ll hear from Chef Michael Vincent Ferreri at Irwin’s, Chef George Madosky at Fork, Chef Yun Fuentes at Bolo, Bartender Fred Beebe at Post Haste, and Pastry Chef Amanda Rafaiski from Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
I’d like to share a potential educational resource, “Conversations Behind the Kitchen Door”, my new book that features dialogues with accomplished culinary leaders from various backgrounds and cultures. It delves into the future of culinary creativity and the hospitality industry, drawing from insights of a restaurant-industry-focused podcast, ‘flavors unknown”. It includes perspectives from renowned chefs and local professionals, making it a valuable resource for those interested in building a career in the culinary industry. Get the book here! Links to other episodes with chefs from PhillyDon’t miss out on the chance to hear from these talented chefs and gain insight into the world of culinary techniques. Check out the links below for more conversations with Masako Morishita, Carlo Lamagna, and Fermín Nuñez. Interview with Restaurant Critic Craig Laban Conversation with Celebrity Chef Jose Garces Conversation with Chef Richard Landau Interview with Chef Brian Duffy Links to most downloaded episodes (click on any picture to listen to the episode)Chef Sheldon Simeon Chef Andy Doubrava Chef Chris Kajioka Chef Jacques Pepin Social media Chef Michael V. Ferreri Social mediaChef George Masosky Social mediaChef Yun Fuentes Social mediaBartender Fred Beebe Links mentioned in this episode A Taste of Philly | |||
| What Is More Important: Techniques or Creativity? | 01 Oct 2019 | 00:45:38 | |
This is a very interesting episode. Techniques or Creativity? It’s very different from what we have done before. We are here at the Fairmont in Austin and I have with me around the table three chefs from Austin. Chef Kevin Fink from Emmer & Rye, Chef Fiore Tedesco from L’Oca D’Oro and Chef André Natera from The Fairmont Hotel. Thank you very much to the three of you for joining me here today. There’s going to be an interesting tasting and discussion around the table today.for What we covered in this episode 3 Chefs in Austin Part One Chef’s introductions.
from Fairmont Austin If you are interested in discovering more about the Austin restaurant scene, check out these two additional episodes by clicking on the respective pictures: Chef André Natera from the Fairmont Hotel and Chef Fiore Tedesco from L’Oca d’Oro. Chef Fiore Tedescofrom L’Oca d’Oro https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/IMG_6582.jpg 3 Chefs – Garrison Fairmont Austin https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Rotisserie-Chicken.jpg Rotisserie Chicken – Garrison https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/IMG_3046.jpg French Bread – Garrison Fairmont Austin https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/IMG_8119.jpg Pommes Purée – Garrison Fairmont Austin When you talk about French technique and French kitchen my mind first goes to a disciplined orderly space where cleanliness and order are king. Click To Tweet[Being a Chef] is not just something that is a possible skill set. It is a profession. It is a calling. And the French have made that very clear that it is a part of their culture. Click To TweetIt’s interesting to see how times have changed in terms of fashion but the one thing that hasn’t changed is that you still need to know how to dice. Click To TweetThis is what we are doing in America today, we’re taking guidelines and we are trying to make our own artwork that we have here right now. And I believe very much how we’re craftsmen more than artists. Click To TweetThere is nothing without the techniques. Without the techniques, you have no outlet. You could be the most creative person, you could be an absolute creative genius, without that technique, you have no way to play that out. Click To TweetIf you have the technique then your creativity is is limitless. You could really go far but not everyone has it. But if you don’t have the creative part, you can always fall back on the technique and the fundamentals. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Andre Natera Social mediaChef Kevin Fink Social mediaChef Fiore Tedesco Links mentioned in this episodeGarrison restaurant at the Fairmont Revue restaurant at the Fairmont Did you enjoy today’s episode? If so, please show your support by writing me a 5 star review on iTunes and Stitcher Radio. | |||
| Emmanuel Laroche – Podcast Host | 17 Sep 2019 | 00:48:56 | |
Emmanuel Laroche, host of the “flavors unknown” podcast says “Everyone who knows me would say that it’s obvious that I love food. I always loved food. It started when I was a kid with my mom. I’m obviously French. You can tell from the little tiny accent people say that I have. My parents were from the Northeast part of France close to Germany. The Lorraine area. I always remember my mom cooking for family or friend events. I learned how to cook when I was very young”. What we covered in this episode
What is interesting to me is to look at behind the scene and understand what are the new ingredients and flavors that the Chefs and Bartenders are experimenting with. Click To TweetThere’s a high level of engagement with podcast. There’s always rich content and when you are in marketing you’re always looking for very good content that you can share with an audience. That’s the reason why I like podcasting. Click To TweetThe unknown part in the name “flavors unknown” comes one from my interest in discovering new flavors. The other point of reference is obviously Anthony Bourdain. It was very important for me to pay homage to him. Click To TweetTravels and People inspire me. Once a year go somewhere you have never been before! Click To Tweet Social mediaflavors unknown | |||
| Kim Alter – Creating Food Memories | 03 Sep 2019 | 00:42:40 | |
I just really wanted something that was a little bit more lighthearted where we could come and sit. There aren’t tablecloths and we’re not too precious and the music might be a little bit louder. But you’re still getting the refinement of food that you would get in a more upscale restaurant. So I think the theme adds a little bit of fun to it and there’s a story. I wanted a story to translate. Some hold really special to my heart like I did a menu about my mom going blind. And then how she was able to regain her vision near the end she had the surgery. Then the menu kind of translated. It was very blurry and beige and then all of a sudden bright colors things you could eat with your hands. So a lot of times it just comes from the mode I’m in and where I’m at emotionally and just kind of comes from all different places. What we covered in this episode
Chef Chris Cosentino – Cockscomb Chef Kim Alter’s summer salad recipeDefinitely go to farmer’s market so you can kind of pick out everything on your own. I really love grilled or seared little gems and I was just at the farmer’s market this morning and grabbed some little gems you cut them in half grilled them or sear them on in your outside or inside on your stove. And then same with peaches charring peaches there’s so much sugar in them you could get a little bit of char to give like a bitter sweetness and then just like a charred peach salad mash ups some of those peaches as the vinaigrette with a little bit of lemon juice super simple and like get some Burrata from the cheese chop and just like a Burrata, grilled little gem with some like chard and pickled peaches would I think be really refreshing and very summery. https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Nightbird-door.jpeg Nightbird door https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Nightbird-Menu.jpeg Nightbird https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Nightbird-Bread.jpeg Nightbird Bread https://flavorsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Kim-Alter-Kitchen.jpeg Kim Alter KitchenEvolution is a constant word I use. I always want to grow, I always want to learn, and I want to evolve. Click To TweetI’d like to think that people are looking at chefs now as a whole and not just as a woman chef and as a man chef but as someone who is talented and smart and can operate a business whether you’re a man or a woman. Click To TweetWhen you get taken out of your environment you start thinking outside of the box. You are witnessing new ingredients and techniques and environments that change the way you think. Click To Tweet Social mediaChef Kim Alter Social mediaNightbird restaurant Links mentioned in this episode | |||