Back to School: Mollie Katzen's Salad People

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Looking for that perfect back-to-school family cookbook? Well, "Children love to cook," says Mollie Katzen (on p. 9) in her new, fun book, Salad People and More Real Recipes (Tricyle Press 2005). I couldn't agree more, having been a helper at my mother's cooking school for children and now after watching my own four-year old as chef. With kids heading back to school this week and next, Katzen's book is a terrific way to celebrate food and share responsibility with them. What is so marvelous about Katzen's approach is that every recipe comes with instructions for children with step-by-step illustrations. Besides the 1980s hit The Moosewood Cookbook, Mollie is the author of two previous books for little kids, Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes and Honest Pretzels and 64 Other Amazing Recipes. Her new book has only 20 recipes, but each is fun to make and eat for preschoolers and up. The best recipe is for Counting Soup (pp. 44-8) in which the vegetables and noodles are cut up separately and placed in different bowls. Then each child follows the recipe and adds: one (1) spoon of tofu, two (2) spoons of carrots, three (3) spoons of peas, and so on to a bowl to which hot broth is added. Children can understand the pictures and figure out the words written below as they practice counting. Each recipe starts with three sections, first "To the Grown-ups," second "Cooking and Safety Tips," and then the recipe for adults. Only then is the illustrated children's recipe presented. Each recipe uses healthy ingredients, and many encourage children to eat vegetables (as one would expect from "Ms. Moosewood"). The only real sweet is Raspberry-Yogurt Swirl (p. 92-5), though there is a recipe for granola (pp. 24- 7) and Chewy Energy Circles (pp. 84-7) that are a great replacement for energy bars. Mollie's recipes are simple but most work for adult palates, especially recipes like Corny Corn Cakes (pp. 64-7) or Miso-Almond Dipping Sauce (pp. 60). The title of the book refers to a recipe (pp. 16-9) where kids make people out of vegetables, cheese and fruit, name their creation, and then devour it. What would Giuseppe Arcimboldo think? Go ahead, play with your food! Book details: Publisher Amazon.com Previous articles: [Cookbook Reviews - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, super chef, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, cookbooks --> back to superchefblog

Rick Bayless: Frontera Fresco

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Rick Bayless is a smart businessman. Take a look at just one part of his Frontera Foods. After starting operatios in 1996, Frontera Foods now makes 100 different products from Mexican-style pizzas to salsa and guacamole mix, which it markets at Whole Foods, Williams Sonoma, and many other stores as well as under private label. Recently, Rick began looking for other opportunities to put his manufacturing empire to work. In mid-October 2005, Frontera will be opening its first quick service restaurant (QSR) in Marshall Field's historic State Street store in downtown Chicago. Frontera Food entered an agreement with Marshall Field's which provides the labor and space in exchange for the menu, staff training, and food products under the Frontera logo. Frontera Fresco, the new eatery, is on the tony 7th floor of Marshall Field's near a La Brea Bakery sandwich station and unbranded pasta and grill stations. Why Marshall Fields? We were impressed with the quality of what they are doing. They have La Brea Bakery kiosks in several stores and they are very successful. They have phenomenal training manuals. So explains Executive Culinary Director JeanMarie Brownson, who sees Marshall Fields as an upscale food court for shoppers and surrounding office workers. She estimates a lunch with a drink will cost $10.50. According to JeanMarie: We are focused on lunch: Mexican torta, a hot sandwich with black beans and other toppings such as chipotle chicken; tamales; quesadillas, our best seller at Frontera Grill; Huarache, a Mexican flat bread made of corn masa dough, griddle-baked as a 9-inch oval, then grilled with black beans and toppings like steak, cheese, salsa, and salad. There will also be tortilla soup, Frontera chocolate pecan pie served as a portable bar, and Mexican popsickles (paletas). Rick is following in the footsteps of other super chefs like Wolfgang Puck and his Wolfgang Puck Express, Tom Colicchio's wichcraft, and Robert Del Grande's Cafe Express. Each of these are quick service restaurants where the quality is above standard fast food, and food is often served on china rather than plates. Some have table service, some don't. Quick service restaurants have the potential of franchising, as both Wolfgang Puck and Robert Del Grande have proven. Rick Bayless is taking it one step at a time for now, choosing to open in a location his staff can visit on a daily basis if necessary. "I think that Rick wants to be at all his places," says JeanMarie. "That is what he attributes the success of his restaurants. We had been talking about the idea for several years. This is a cool opportunity." Frontera Foods will consider expanding into new locations in six months, JeanMarie continues. Luckily, Marshall Field's has stores all over the mid-West, close to Frontera Foods' homebase... Is Rick Bayless taking the first part of the final step to becoming a super chef? Previous articles: Branding: Todd English, Beer Gourmet Wall Street Journal: Beef over Chef Sponsorship? More Halloween Mexicana, from Rick Bayless Halloween Mexicana: Day of the Dead a la Super Chef Technorati Tags: superchefblog, super chef, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, fast food, quick service restaurants --> back to superchefblog

CBS News : Still Overpricing Charlie Palmer's Corn Dog

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Yesterday, CBS News Sunday Morning ran a re-hash of their earlier night story on Charlie Palmer and Danny Meyer, which ran a month ago to the day (see previous story). They botched the pricing on Charlie's lobster corn dogs then -- and they did it again yesterday. Here's what they said on July 28, 2005: A new twist and a high price: $9 each. Compare that to the $3 an average real corn dog costs. It proves some comfort food… is only for the truly comfortable... Here is superchefblog's correction: In Washington DC's Charlie Palmer Steak, three (3) lobster corn dogs will set you back $9, not one (1) lobster corn dog. OK, let's heave out our mental calculators and do the heavy math on this one: three Charlie dogs for $9 means one dog for $3 -- which is the same price that Schlesinger quoted for a measly old hot dog corn dog (presumably from a street vendor in New York) -- except that you get great ingredients, top preparation, and luxurious surroundings at Charlie's restaurants, instead of standing out in the street in 100 degree summer weather. Here is what CBS News said yesterday, August 28, 2005: Charlie Palmer's lobster corn dogs cost $9, three times the price of more conventional corn dogs… And they are very popular at his place on Capitol Hill... Any fact-checking interns at CBS News this summer? Would someone please volunteer to be Richard Schlesinger's fact-checker? It was so easy to get the numbers right this time -- because if you look up "Charlie Palmer" and "lobster corn dog" on Google, the three results include two from (you guessed it) superchefblog -- with the correction. Actually, the fact-checking was even easier than googling superchefblog: all a fact-checker had to do was be awake enough when watching the shoot or re-shoot to notice the three (3) lobster corn dogs sitting on the plate during the interview! (See photo at right.) In fact, it looks like four dogs on the plate: my bet is that one of them is the correspondent's regular corn dog from the street outside. Don't they serve coffee at CBS anymore, so that someone can stay awake enough to catch such things? So, I decided to call up the correspondent Richard Schlesinger. First, I tried him at CBS News last night, but their hotline phone line had no automated recording device -- and no one answered. I called again today and was informed that all interaction with CBS News correspondents must be conducted by correspondence (!) and not by phone, so I have an email into him now. Since the whole thing was starting to sound like a 60 Minutes story, I called up fellow Overseas Press Club of America member, Andy Rooney. Now, I've never been in touch with him before, but I figured he would be sympathetic: his most famous food quote goes like this -- I don't like food that's too carefully arranged; it makes me think that the chef is spending too much time arranging and not enough time cooking. If I wanted a picture I'd buy a painting. [source] He also said -- Don't take a butcher's advice on how to cook meat. If he knew, he'd be a chef. [source] After seeing so many commentaries on 60 Minutes, I figured he is the kind of guy who like to get the story straight, too. Unlike Mr. Schlesinger, Mr. Rooney takes his phone calls, and I had the pleasure of a few moments of his time this morning. He told superchefblog in that inimitable Andy Rooney voice: I don't know if Schlesinger made a mistake or not, but it doesn't sound very important to me. I'm not a big Charlie Palmer fan. I think it [Aureole] is one of the most over-rated restaurants in America. Finally, Mr. Rooney said he had never had a corn dog in his life. So, the CBS News story stands, corrected only on superchefblog -- for now. Charlie Palmer continues to get a bum wrap from CBS News for allegedly overpriced lobster corn dogs that are really underpriced. 60 Minutes (or Andy Rooney, at least) doesn't really care and doesn't like Charlie's food anyway. Is this what news correspondence has come to in the United States? Well, there's only one thing left to do: anybody for one of Charlie's bargain-rate lobster corn dogs? [Memo to self: Find Schlesinger fact-checking intern for Summer 2006] Previous articles: CBS News Finds Comfort Food: Danny Meyer, Charlie Palmer Technorati Tags: chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, news, television --> back to superchefblog

Jay Leno: White House Woman Chef

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Wednesday, Jay Leno mentioned Cris Comerford's selection as the first-ever woman White House executive chef on The Tonight Show. He said, talk about a glass ceiling being removed -- now women can finally make a real move into kitchens! (Click here to listen to Jay himself deliver -- only if you have Active X, dependent on the latest, Windows OS-only version of Windows Media Player.) Funny thing, though: you know, it took Jay and staff 10 days to notice this White House woman chef story, even though their NBC parent also runs NBC Nightly News, much less parades chefs on The Today Show. Then again, Jay's monologue has been undergoing some unfortunate changes. Over the past few weeks, he has been making joke variations on the same specific event three and even four times, but this week he started repeating the exact same joke more than one night. What's going on over at NBC: did Jeff Zucker start cutting back on joke-writing staff? Previous articles: Cris Comerford: A Chef's Discriminating Toque Cristeta Comerford: First White House Woman Chef Gordon Ramsay on Jay Leno: Funnier than Hell Bobby Flay: Tonight Show With Jay Leno Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine television White House --> back to superchefblog

CHEF PROFILE: Suvir Saran - Super Chef

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Julia Child once told me how much she hated spicy food, including Indian (see previous article). Would she be rolling in her grave if she knew what chef Suvir Saran was up to? His aim is not exactly modest -- no less than the elevation of Indian Cuisine to the level of respect accorded French, Italian, Japanese, and other world cuisines. With a whirlwind of projects slated around the world this year and next, Suvir just might accomplish this feat. The first feat will come in just a few days, on the other side of the world -- and elevate Suvir to super chef status by adding the requisite geographic spread to his restaurant empire (see sidebar article). Suvir told superchefblog: My partner, Rakesh Aggarwal said, "If I keep you bored for a minute you will wander. I want you to have a full plate." He has done that: we have plans for the next five years including opening a restaurant in Europe. Been wondering about what sets super chefs off from other chefs? Try a Five Year Plan. Or, work all the time: Suvir claims that he gets only about two and a half hours of sleep a night: From 1:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon I am working with Indians, talking with them. From 12:00 noon until midnight I am on New York time. I live in two worlds. He catches a few winks from 4:30 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. -- reminiscent of other super chefs like Wolfgang Puck (see Super Chef, pp. 47-48). Suvir is no stranger to a challenge. His first restaurant, Devi, opened last year on 18th Street in New York, taking on neighborhood heavyweights like Gramercy Tavern (20th Street) and Craft (19th Street). Reviewers raved: Frank Bruni of The New York Times wrote, "it works its exotic magic through its take on Indian food, more varied, multidimensional, nimble and surprising here than at the scores of samosa factories throughout these vindaloo-bewitched precincts." A little later this Fall, Suvir plans to open more than the one restaurant in New Delhi. Back at homebase, he will open up a lower-priced eatery in New York's financial district (sorry: details are still under embargo outside the Press). Then, next Spring he plans to open a restaurant/lounge with an outdoor garden on Brooklyn's Fifth Avenue. The embargo is not so strict here, so superchefblog can share that the interior will contain "terribly chic leftovers of English Raj style" of madras and gingham. Suvir described the menu thus: "The food will be authentic, served in a welcoming, attractive setting with modest neighborhood restaurant prices." Meanwhile, Suvir serves as executive chef for Rakesh Aggarwal's 18 units of the Baluchi's restaurant concept -- and clearly plans to expand that, too, if judging only from the multiple state locations they have planned for on the Locations webpage. Suvir is working on upgrading the Baluchi's menu -- to refresh this successful chain in the feeding of 22,000 guests per week. Outside of restaurants, Suvir has rolled out the first of three cookbooks under contract to Clarkson Potter (see previous review). Indian Home Cooking was published earlier this year. Next is planned 50 Recipes from America's Favorite Indian Restaurant from Baluchi's. A third is entitled American Masala: 125 Classics from My Home Kitchen, to include recipes outside of Indian cuisine like grits, corn bread, fried chicken, and macaroni and cheese -- don't expect these to taste like the American originals, though. What else is in the mix? He is shooting a pilot for a TV cooking show in America. He is designing utensils. He will market a line of spices and sauces. All the while, he will continue to teach cooking courses as often as he can. Expanding so rapidly means Suvir needs executive-level staff that are motivated to stay with him. Hemant Mathur has been co-executive chef at Devi and will be again at Veda from day one. Mathur is his guarantor, so that as Suvir juggles his many roles, kitchen standards are never compromised. When he expands further, he will hire or promote more chefs to the Executive Chef level. "I am not hungry for power, but to share Indian cuisine the right way," Suvir told superchefblog. "The life of the brand is healthier that way." Suvir depends on his colleagues -- especially partner Rakesh Aggarwal: Rakesh created a huge stir with his first handful of restaurants. And today, a decade and more later, he is ready to share his genius with New York City once over. And to that end, I am but a mere instrument. He is the owner and financial backer. ...I earn my keep by delivering and strategizing. Rakesh is amazing in that he indulges the creative side of me and always balances it out with his years of business savvy. So, after all this, would Julia Child indeed be rolling over in her grave? It would be better if she were still with us, because she could have pronounced her own verdict at the James Beard Foundation, where tonight Suvir will preside as master chef and present his cooking for judgement. In Julia's absence, superchefblog welcomes Suvir to the exclusive list of super chefs in the world and wishes him all the best. Sidebar: Suvir Saran: Behold Veda to the East Press Releases: PRWeb NewsPad KeralaNext.com Chef Profiles: Chef Profile: Rick Moonen in Las Vegas Rick Moonen on Work and Passion Previous articles: Suvir Saran Spins Indian Home Cooking Update: Save Julia Child's TV Channel Technorati Tags: superchefblog, super chef, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine --> back to superchefblog

Suvir Saran: Behold Veda to the East

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Tonight, Suvir Saran will be cooking at the James Beard Foundation: in a few days, he will be flying to New Delhi, where his second restaurant Veda is slated to open on September 1. With this restaurant opening, Suvir will meet the final criterion of a "super chef" (described in the introduction to Super Chef, p. 6): he will have restaurants over a wide geographic expanse (New York to New Delhi). That is much like the challenge faced by Jean-Georges Vongerichten when he opened a restaurant in Paris, or Nobu Matsuhisa in Tokyo, or Alain Ducasse in New York. Like them, Suvir starts by saying he is nervous and then quickly forgets any fears while elaborating on a restaurant opening half-way across the world. He told superchefblog: India drives me because I miss it, but when I am there, I miss New York. It was my partner's [Rakesh's] dream to open in India: why not feed real Indian food to Indians? In India, the quality of home cooking is superb, said Suvir: when most Indians go out to eat, they choose Italian or French over Indian. He reflected: Has anyone thought of taking Indian food to a different level in India [itself]? This maybe the first time anyone has ever dared to feature Indian home cooking in a restaurant. It is what their grandmothers ate, and maybe it's the first time they have eaten it. It is not the chic MTV food. Veda is my way of romancing India. It is what I am attracted to. It was lost before I left. When I lived there, I lived in the past with my Grandma and her friends. They have all died, and a whole chapter of India is gone. Being a chef is my way of living these people's lives in my lifetime. Indians who come to Devi in the US are amazed to eat bitter melon. Their mothers are amazed. Bitter melon, waxed gourd, lotus stem, lotus seed are exotic in India now. These are things that are lost. I am reviving them, because I saw Grandmother eating them. Nostalgia in America made me want to eat them. It wasn't trendy when I was a boy to eat these things: my peers would laugh at me! But now I love them, I crave them, I share them at my restaurants. Veda will be much like Devi in cuisine: Veda is named after the Four Books of Hinduism." Suvir's mission is to bring that essence of Indian cuisine back to India. It will serve Indian home cooking, presented for a restaurant setting, mixing specialties from different regions on each plate. Suvir told superchefblog that the tabletops are made from a yellow turmeric marble from the desert city of Jaisalmer, inlaid with white and gray mother-of-pearl. There are different lotus designs on each table. Light from the ceiling will shine on the mother-of-pearl to light up the room. One part of the restaurant has a false dome inlaid with reflective mercury glass like the Sheesh Mahal, so that one candle can illuminate the entire room. Two other sections of the restaurant have marble ceilings inlaid with lotuses and exposed brick walls. The ceilings are plastered but they have very large circular disks, that are made out of ivory colored marble and are carved and have latticework, that are being used as lamps. The carving and latticework have lotus patterns. One entire wall closes the mezzanine and makes it into a kitchen work station, exposed to diners, is inlaid with reflective mercury glass from the Moghul Period. "As you enter the restaurant, and look up, it is the last thing your eyes look at as you take in the room, and it reflects the lights picked up around the room and the pattern you see is called lotus garden," Suvir told superchefblog. The plates are handmade dishes from Japan, made especially for Veda. Veda lies in the Connaught Place neighborhood of New Delhi, the British-built financial and shopping center of the entire city. The restaurant was designed by Rohit Bal, one of India's leading clothing designers, with input from Suvir. (Before becoming a chef, Suvir studied design at the Sir J. J. School of Arts in Bombay and New York's School of Visual Arts.) If you're not Bollywood-savvy, what this means is that Suvir is opening up in the swankest part of the capital city of a country with some billion inhabitants, and Veda is set to rival Alain Ducasse's royalty-catering Louis XV. If you're heading Delhi-way, you'd best make reservations soon: superchefblog predicts a waitlist to rival the French Laundry in no time at all. Main Article: CHEF PROFILE: Suvir Saran - Super Chef Chef Profiles: Chef Profile: Rick Moonen in Las Vegas Rick Moonen on Work and Passion Previous articles: Suvir Saran Spins Indian Home Cooking Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine --> back to superchefblog

Gordon Ramsay: A Chef For All Seasons

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Gordon Ramsay's A Chef for All Seasons (Ten Speed Press September 2005) calls to mind the title of A Man for All Seasons. This British play in 1962 and movie in 1966 (winning six Oscars and seven BAFTAs) depicts Sir Thomas More's struggle between the dictates of his king (Henry VIII) and of his own conscience. Surely, Gordo cannot see himself as Thomas More? If anyone, his would have to be the role of Henry VIII, the bullying king who will divorce his first of six wives, Catherine of Aragon, who will marry Ann Boleyn, and who will have his subject obey his every whim, even if that means starting the Church of England to satisfy his own lusts and executing anyone who stands against him (including the unfortune More). In Gordon's cookbook title, are we witness to delusions of power, as have been manifest in his outlandish performances on the recently aired Hell's Kitchen? More ominously, by referring to this well known play and movie, is Gordo declaring future political intentions? Regarding the drama, the answer is no, no, and no. More surprisingly, compared to his previously published book in America, In the Heat of the Kitchen, what we have instead is not a dumbed-down cookbook for home cooking but rather the commanding flow of instruction -- of a kind that has led many to proclaim Gordon king of English cookery and the greatest chef to have blessed Albion's shores in many an age. As for the Politics, though, they do come into play -- because A Chef for All Season is in fact a not-so-shy, seditious manifesto on behalf of Gordon's homeland of Scotland. Just look at the choice of recipes. Gordon includes Wild Strawberry Shortbreads (p. 94), a shortbread cookie favorite in Scotland, made with pate sablee, and filled with a strawberry coulis and a ring of fraise des bois. Though he doesn't say so, one suspects that luscious wild strawberries lurk along the very moors of Scotland. In a second recipe, Pannacotta with Raspberries (p. 96), he notes, "One of my favorite restaurants, I am delighted to say, is in Scotland." You need more proof? There are plenty of underhanded references to the wonders of the ancient homeland of the Picts laced among his beguiling recipes. Gordon offers Poached Wild Salmon with Gewurtztraminer Sauce (p. 77) in which he describes "swimming in strong currents and feeding on a completely wild diet" -- subtly describing the wild Highland rivers teeming with salmon. How about Smoked Haddock and Mustard Chowder (p. 171): "In Scotland, they call a thick haddock and potato soup like this cullen skink." Or, Woodcock with Carmelized Parsnips and Chocolate Sauce (pp. 188-189): woodcocks are a favorite Scottish bird, both for shooting and for cooking. And then there is My Special Steak Tartare and Fries (p. 197): "the main requirement is the very best tenderloin steak from the very best beef, which can only be from well-hung Aberdeen Angus cattle" -- that's the Angus breed of Aberdeen, Scotland (home of the internationally infamous and notorious Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society). Further, these recipes also punctuate Gordon's obsession with fine ingredients. Gordon is clearly a chauvinistic admirer of things both French and Scottish. In his hands, indisputably these combine to make great food -- but let us not forget that the French and Scottish have, over the centuries, combined to make seditious politics as lately as Bonnie Prince Charlie -- practically the near past in the Old World's view of time. (Donald Rumsfeld, are you listening? Better sick the FBI on Gordo: sounds about as dangerous as that other political wacko John Lennon.) This unabashed partiality to Scotland goes on and on. Charlie Trotter -- ho-ho, another self-confessed Scot! -- introduces the book: "Another reason I am partial to Gordon is our shared Scottish heritage." Charlie confesses, "Some consider Scots to be a bit rough and headstrong at times, but it is always in the pursuit of excellence." As for the cookbook itself, the photography is again the wondrous work of Georgia Glynn Smith. Each chapter starts with an introduction by Gordon that lists the ingredients which inspire him in a particular season of the year. This is a well written book, but the recipes are definitely not for anyone starting out in the kitchen. Gordon expects a certain amount of confidence and knowledge, but it is a fun book with beautiful photographs for sophisticated dishes that capture the seasons. What drives Gordon are often the more exotic but still reasonably easy-to-find ingredients, like poussin, fresh garlic, and fava beans. Even then, Gordon cannot resist mentioning that he prefers Scottish lamb and Whiting ("my Mums favorite, common in Scotland," both p. 12). Gordon writes: One of the highlights of the summer 1999 was cooking a celebration lunch for the opening of the Scottish Parliament at Kincardine House (p. 106) If Gordon becomes a Member of the Scottish Parliament, superchefblog predicted it first! Previous articles: Michael Schlow: It's About Time Gordon Ramsay: In the Heat of the Kitchen Roy Yamaguchi: Roy's Fish & Seafood Cookbook Magic Bests Harry Potter Michael Lomonaco: Nightly Specials Will Write for Food: Dianne Jacob Mario Batali: Molto Italiano The Oldest Cuisine in the World: Jean Bottero Suvir Saran Spins Indian Home Cooking Biro: European-Inspired Cuisine July 4: Paul Gayler's The Gourmet Burger July 4: East Meets West Robert Klein: The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue Christy Campbell: The Botanist and the Vintner Kathleen Daelemans: Getting Thin and Loving Food! Aroma: Daniel Patterson and Mandy Aftel Tyler Florence: Eat This Book The Perfectionist by Rudolph Chelminski Bobby Flay's Grilling for Life Mother's Day Gift: Finding Betty Crocker The Sensual Language of Baklava: Diana Abu-Jaber Paula Deen & Friends Roland Mesnier's Dessert University Puerto Rico: Grand Cuisine of the Caribbean Don Pintabona: Shared Table Annabel Karmel: First Meals Nigella Lawson's Feast Cook Like a Kyrgyz Ozzie Dining Downunder and Bushfood Personal Favorites: The Chefs of Las Vegas Anne Willan: The Good Cook Gale Gand's short+sweet More Food from Alton Brown Manju Malhi's India With Passion SOS: Baking from the Heart Madhur Jaffrey: Our Lady of India, CBE Amazon UK's Steamy Xmas Chefs All Hail Alfred Portale Agassi's Star Palate: Celebrity Chefs Book links: Publisher Amazon.com Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine cookbooks Television Reality TV --> back to superchefblog

Tsunami Update: Early Warning System

By JULIETTE ROSSANT The phrase "We're from Washington; we're here to help" is more often a cause for fear than for comfort in America, but this time it seems like our government is doing something very, very right. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced the launch of an Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS), a two-year project, costing $ 16.6 Million as part of a multinational system to detect and prepare for tsunamis and related coastal hazards. Other U.S. agencies involved include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). U.S. technical assistance will primarily support efforts in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and the Maldives – the countries most severely affected by the December 2004 disaster, which killed nearly a quarter million people. The project kicked off in Perth, Australia, earlier this month with a first session of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (or "ICG/IOTWS-I"). The international supervisor is the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The system will be operational in twelve months, according to UNESCO, reports ABC News. A very real-world obstacle was identified during the session: will the system be effective in the dreaded "last mile"? How will warnings reach remote villages, where phones of any kind and televisions are scarce? Developed nations had best recall that many of the countries they intend to help are "lesser developed nations" -- off the grid. Live8 has shown the very real-world limits that developed nations are willing to extend: solutions must fit the problem's realities, not the perceived reality of the problem solvers. To help recall the depth of devastation from the Asian Tsunami, try this for a simple measure: Thailand expects that it will take three (3) years simply to identify all its dead, according to the BBC. We laugh at memories of the Black Death in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but this has been a real-life "Bring out your dead!" experience, with repercussions for years to come -- like a generation lost at war, yet more reminiscent of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima (recently commemorated) than of any "lost generation." What are chefs doing these days about Tsunami relief? Even the newly formed Chefs for Humanity, which arose out of the Tsunami disaster (see new website), has not earmarked its first fundraising effort for UNICEF next month on eBay for Tsunami relief (see press release and previous article). (Reuters has an excellent, interactive map of the affected region: click here to see.) Previous articles: Cat Cora: Chefs for Humanity Clinton Writes on Tsunami Tsunami 11: Christmast Island Is OK Tsunami Update 10: Jean-Georges Vongerichten Tsunami Update 9: Dining to Donate, Pret-A-Porter Tsunami Update 8: Dining to Donate in San Francisco Tsunami Update 7: Dining to Donate in Washington DC Tsunami Update 6: Dining to Donate in Houston Tsunami Update 5: Chefs Counter Tsunami Update 4: US Ex-Presidents Lead Funding Tsunami Update 3: Christmas Island New Year's Resolution: Eat Well, Help Others Tsunami Update 2: Race Against More Death Tsunami Update 1: Foodies Help 2004 Tsunami: How Foodies Can Help Technorati Tags: superchefblog, super chef, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, cuisine, tsunami, clinton, Bill Clinton --> back to superchefblog

Sugar Rush with Warren Brown

By JULIETTE ROSSANT No competition, no Reality TV? Are there such shows any more on television? How about Desserts? A little travel? That's what the Food Network is offering on Sugar Rush, a new show scheduled to start airing in October 2005. Sugar Rush -– the name suggests that the show is moving too fast and offering too much to viewers –- promises to reveal the secrets of America's top pastry chefs and chocolatiers. The host is Warren Brown, a former litigator and now owner of CakeLove Bakery and Love Cafe in Washington DC. Warren first caught the Food Network 's attention with his listing among People Magazine's 50 Most Eligible Bachelors in 2001. He then appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2003. Warren is a self-taught baker, which has worked well for him, since CakeLove focuses on classic homestyle pastries made from quality ingredients yet presented very simply. For the show, that means the host and the audience can learn together, so there is a chance that Sugar Rush could be both informative and exciting. He stepped into the host slot after almost half the shows had been filmed, so he narrates without appearing in many episodes For new episodes he is traveling around the country to interview and bake with some of the world's best chefs. Warren told superchefblog: As an entrepreneur I am used to being responsible for everything. To stand in front of a camera and learn about desserts is easy. My responsibility is narrow. It is a mental break. During one recent shoot in Washington, DC, he helped make faux oil painting miniatures on pastiage with Anne Amernick, pastry chef of Palena Restaurant. He also filmed a segment with Pastry Chef Mohan DeSilva of Washington's Marriott Wardman Park and his assistant, Julie Jangali. Mohan prepared an entremet with dacquoise, bavarois, creme brule, ganache and raspberry jam. Then he helped Warren make a sugar show piece with an ocean theme. Other chefs featured on Sugar Rush include: Margaret Braun, Margaret Braun Cakes (NYC) Martin Howard, Brasserie 8 1/2 (New York) Susan Caliendo, Rolling Pin Cookies (New York) Florian Bellanger, Fauchon (New York) Emily Luchetti, Farallon Restaurant (San Francisco) Elizabeth Falkner, Citizen Cake (San Francisco) Susan Morgan, Elegant Cheesecakes (San Francisco) The pastry chefs whom Warren will visit make for a strong line-up: let's hope for a refreshing, big rush in October. Press release: CakeLove New stories: Rocky Mountain News Washington Examiner Anniston Star Washington Post Gourmet Retailer Denver Business Journal Previous articles: Cat Cora on Kerry Simon, Iron Chef America Iron Chef America 2: Sex, Race, What Next? Iron Chef America 1: Nice Guy Kerry Simon Rocks Winner of Next Food Network Star In the Audience of Iron Chef America Iron Chef America Meets Survivor Today Show Emulates Iron Chef America Easter Special: Super Pastry Chefs Iron Chef America: Running on Empty Molto Mario Massacres Mahi Iron Chef: America vs. USA Todd English: American Chef Gone Wild Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine television Reality TV --> back to superchefblog

Cris Comerford: A Chef's Discriminating Toque

By JULIETTE ROSSANT During this week -- chefs' week at the White House -- women's week at the White House -- Cris Comerford's week -- one question kept coming up during interviews: why is it important that a woman got the top toque at the White House? This morning, The Washington Post wrote in its "This Week That Was" section: Monday15 Columbia Woman Is Named White House Executive Chef After first lady Laura Bush fired the White House executive chef in February, a group of female chefs and restaurateurs sent her a letter urging her to do what no other first lady has done -- name a woman to the position. On Sunday, she did just that, selecting Cristeta Comerford, a Columbia [Maryland] resident who is 10-year veteran of the White House kitchen, as the new executive chef. This paragraph says nothing of the obstacles facing women in professional kitchens in this country. Heres one story: Once upon a time, a woman left the restaurant business just as she was nearing the executive chef position -- went on to work with the late Julia Child and went on to become an early and continuous Food Network star, Gourmet Magazine's executive chef, ABC Good Morning America's executive chef, and co-founder of the New York Women's Culinary Alliance. That is a thumbnail sketch of Sara Moulton. (Click here to read a short profile, with lots of links.) Have you heard this one? Once upon a time, two women started work at the same time on the bottom rung of one of Chicago's finest French restaurants dreamed of overcoming the discrimination against women in America's professional kitchens by going out and competing with their own restaurant -- which grew from little side cafe at L.A. Eyeworks to an empire of restaurants, a slew of cookbooks, two shows on the Food Network under the name "Too Hot Tamales," and the co-founding of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs. That is a thumbnail sketch of the careers of Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. (Their careers are profiled in an chapter of Super Chef.) There are many other women's stories, but now we have a fresh one: Once upon a time there was a woman who studied at a culinary school in the Philippines. She worked in Europe, came to the States, worked in Washington, and was selected by the previous White House executive chef, Walter Scheib, to join his kitchen -- to serve the President of the United States. She became an American citizen, worked hard -- and was eventually recognized by First Lady Laura Bush, who selected her to succeed her mentor Walter as executive chef to the President. With Cris' achievement, there can no longer be an issue of a woman heading up a professional kitchen -- what's good for the goose is good for the gander, and what's good for the President is good for all Americans. This wonderful moment will pass all too soon. It was hard won -- as any woman executive chef or chef-owner of a restaurant can tell you. People will forget all too quickly the struggles of women in the kitchen -- which will not magically end this week, anyway. The Media will buzz other news into our heads. This is a record of this week, this moment, and this achievement, so that we may not forget the efforts of Cris and so many before her and with her that got her where she is today. Well, there are a few things we can do to keep the memory of this week alive: in the spirit of our previous nominations, superchefblog nominates Cris Comerford as honorary lifetime member of Women Chefs & Restauteurs. What's next to overcome? Well, we might see a major effect of Cris' selection in as little as three years. You see, now that the White House has a woman as executive chef in 2005, superchefblog reiterates that we need a woman chief executive in the White House in 2008! Hmm... Who could make that run?... Did you ever hear this story? Once upon a time, there was a woman who graduated from Yale Law School and came to Washington as a young attorney to work on the Watergate Case -- I think her name was Hillary... Previous articles: Cristeta Comerford: First White House Woman Chef White House Chef: Close to the Bone? Tell Laura Bush: White House Woman Chef NAMC Newswire: A Woman in the White House Before 2008? Wireless Flash: White House Woman Chef (complete coverage) Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine White House Politics feminism gender equality --> back to superchefblog

White House Woman Chef: Thanks

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Superchefblog would like to wrap up the week with a special thanks to those who helped us here (under the assumption that superchefblog contributed some way to Cris Comerford's selection, importantly the first-ever woman to be White House executive chef): Bullfrog & Baum, particularly Jennifer Baum and Helen Baldus An anonymous, distinguished Washington, DC-based food writer First Lady Laura Bush and staff members, for having the courage to do boldly what no one had done before Richard Hamilton, for putting trust and confidence in superchefblog Mental Whir, for technical support 43 women chefs in the poll -- in particular -- Sara Moulton (always supportive) -- and -- Cris Comerford, for the courtesy of letting superchefblog know she really existed back in March and confirming that we had her photo (superchefblog was perhaps the only source to publicize it before August 14, 2005) -- and for being so discrete as to assure herself the possibility of her selection For those who care about such issues, be sure to celebrate this week. Let's say it again, before the moment passes: WAY TO GO, CRIS! Previous articles: (complete coverage) Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine White House Politics feminism gender equality --> back to superchefblog

Fly Avion (Wolfgang Puck Included)

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Don't like the TV dinners that airlines feed you, or the meal-to-go you can get at the airport? There is an alternative -- for those who can afford it. The jet-set are standing in line to join a new kind of club, Avion Private Jet Club. When it comes to food, though, who ya gonna call? Gotta have a chef with a big name -- a super chef. Well, who's in catering? There are at least two heavyweights, Joachim Splichal and Charlie Palmer, but neither of them have the brand power in their very names -- you know, that "star" quality -- that draws in other stars as passengers. One name, however, should come to mind. Wolfgang Puck is "chef to the stars." He has the celebrity. He has the oldest catering company of the three chefs. He has restaurants in airports -- he even provides food to airlines. Why, he's even an Avion member himself. It should come as no surprise, then, to learn that Wolfgang Puck Catering & Events provide food for Avion. So, how does a start-up service like Avion bag a super chef like Wolfgang Puck? Whether it's Hollywood or not, it's connections, baby: it's all about who(m) you know. If Wolfgang Puck is chef to the stars, then Avion's owner Gary Mansour of Mansour Travel is travel agent to the stars. Gotta get a star from New York to Los Angeles in a heartbeat? Gary's the man. Gotta get the crew out to Morocco for a shoot? Call Gary. It shouldn't come as too big a surprise, then, that Gary has known Wolf since Spago first opened in Hollywood. Enter Avion, Gary's brainchild. Avion Private Jet Club is essentially a travel deal for the price-conscious jet-setter -- because, let's face it, you don't get to be rich for very long unless you're careful with your money. We would all like to ride a LearJet or a GulfStream, yes, but who wouldn't like to pay a little less? What kind of money are we talking about here? Gary knew from experience that a chartered private jet for a cross-country roundtrip can start at $40,000. (Forbes recently cited $5,000/hour, with a discount on round trips at $59,000. Click here to read full article.) Limoisine pick-up and catering? Sorry, those are extras, and they're gonna cost you, too. Avion, which started operating this past March with roundtrip flights between Los Angeles and New York, the most heavily traveled, cross-country route (click here for map), offers members a shared ride. OK, fellow passengers may be complete strangers, but they are hand-picked by Gary personally to maxmimize compatibility. Avion picks you up at the door with a towncar or limousine, takes care of your bags -- and feasts you on Wolfgang Puck catered food. "What more do you need?" asks Gary. Well, a good price: how much does Avion set you back? Club membership is $10,000 for singles and $15,000 for two. A one-way ticket costs $5,000. True, that's still about double a last-minute, one-way ticket in first class on a big American carrier, but it's a fraction of the $40,000 for a private chartered jet. Compare that to closest competitor NetJets, which uses a completely different formula based on "fractional ownership" -- time-share. NetJets runs its own fleets, which fly to many destinations, so, they leave pick-up and such to you (read "your staff" or "your personal assistant" or "your valet" -- you get the picture). There are a lot of charges involved, too -- but what you get is a fleet of jets at your disposal. Popular? You bet: NetJets told superchefblog that one of their largest customers, General Electric, also has its own private corporate fleet and yet still racks up the miles with NetJets. (Superchefblog would like to make special note of NetJets' speed in replying with information: about 10 minutes after we called them, they had sent over a tailored response with the exact information we requested -- a strong indicator of high quality of service.) As for food service, all you have to do is ask for what you want, and NetJets will provide that food, any time, any place. They can even stock the plane based on passenger preference -- so you can be that if Coke executives are flying, there will be no Pepsi on board (or vice versa). Larger aircraft have flight attendants and actually cook meals on board. -- And you pay for it. Between different kinds and levels of service, as well as means of paying (or "buying-in" really, with NetJets) Avion and NetJets don't really compare on price. Instead, think of Avion as a shuttle-route bargain, a shared sky limo. Business Week noted that "The more flight hours you need... the more it [NetJets] costs" (click here to read full article). So, Avion could in fact be preserving a number of customers for other services like NetJets, by helping corporations and individuals shave off added marginal costs -- at least on flights where total anonymity is not a factor. Gary has definitely found this to be true: some members still charter jets for shorter trips, or own shares or time cards in other private jet companies, but for the NY-LA haul they now fly Avion. So, are people signing up for Avion membership? You bet: in less than six months, Gary has racked up members in the four-digits, which in dollar figures means that in membership fees alone he has crossed the $10 million marker. In addition, many members fly one-way on a regular basis. Gary says there are many more people who can and would like to be Avion members, but he is maintaining exclusivity: Members tell me they don't want to listen to a [movie] pitch for five hours! They like the exclusivity. Avion isn't about being arrogant but providing a sense of discretion. With Wolf's colossal empire and culinary reach, from French to Asian, all Gary had to do was fly him around on a number of Avion flights, have the galleys and ovens evaluated, and presto, three item choices per menu per flight. Of course, Wolf and Gary will accommodate special requests. "Someone can say, 'Do you have anything along the lines of duck?' And we will do that dish. We want to treat this like a private jet, even it's not," Gary told superchefblog. Avion is considering further routes on both the East and West Coasts as well an international flights. The Concord may be grounded, but Gary Mansour's Avion is just taking off. And Wolfgang Puck is right there beside him. Previous articles: Wolfgang Puck: Eastern Empire Fly with Wolfgang Puck Express (more on Wolfgang Puck) Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine airlines catering --> back to superchefblog

Michael Schlow: It's About Time

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Do authors choose their book covers? No, not usually -- rarely when a major publishing conglomerate is involved. Small publishers, however, are (or, in corporate communications speak, "can afford time to be") more responsive to their authors, and this proves true from the very moment of eye contact with the cover of the new cookbook It's About Time (Steerforth 2005). Michael Schlow, the author, is a well respected chef. Meet one of the growing number of Boston-based chefs giving Todd English's empire a run for its money on home turf. Michael hasn't gone national (yet), but he is big in Boston, with three restaurants: Radius, Via Matta, and Great Bay Take a look at this book. On the front cover's foreground (photographed by Shimon and Tammar Rothstein) is an empty white plate set. Behind that, a chef rushes a copper pot in blur: in the background is the corner of a wall clock. Turn over the book (see image, below), and you will find the cook now walking by in a faster but somehow more relaxed blur -- sans pot -- and the plate now filled with a encrusted piece of white-fleshed fish resting on vegetables (perhaps the Potato-Crusted Halibut, pp. 175-6?). Front and back cover photos underscore Michael's basic point on how best to use time when cooking, and in that sense, it is about time to hear this message again -- which, aside from the global SlowFood movement, may not have been strongly articulated since Barry Wine set clocks to speed up chefs at the legendary Quilted Giraffe. Michael follows the SlowFood school rather than Barry Wine's celerity, which Tom Colicchio, a Wine disciple, also seems to be moving away from (see Super Chef, pp. 179-180). It's About Time covers all aspects of time, spanning the gamut from Barry Wine to Tom Colicchio to various SlowFood chefs. Michael argues that we should make time to cook and eat; otherwise, it's all about filling an empty plate and shovelling down the grub. Or, as Michael says, with searing frankness: So, instead of my "ego book," here is a book about time -- time and it's effects on our meals and eating habits. Whether you have a little bit of time or a lot, many of the cooking situations you face in your home will be addressed here. This book is about more than just time measured in seconds, minutes, hours, and days. These ideas on time will rely on rather elastic definitions of the word... This book sets out not only to teach you how to cook and eat well when you're on the go; it also works in reverse for when your soul is crying out for a ittle bit of culinary therapy. I can't think of a better way to unwind than by spending a couple of hours in the kitchen with a glass of wine, some music on the stereo, and something delicious simmering on the stove. Amen! The first chapter called "Time to Eat and Now", includes recipes to make in 30 minutes or less, some of which need very few pots and utensils. These recipes are simple but good standards that are carefully thought out. The Quick Pork Chops (p. 21) are thin pork chops, seared on the stove and finished in the oven with cauliflower, cheese and peppers. The recipe produces tender pork chops and crunchy, caramelized cauliflower, but it also has a lot of fat from olive oil and butter and the pork chops themselves. The recipe for Chicken Breast with Spicy Zucchini and Snap Peas (p. 24) is perfect for this time of year. Michael adds in the recipe head that home cooks can skip blanching and shocking the snap peas in ice water and instead just saute them in the same pan. He adss, "For the sake of time, it's harmless enough to skip that step, although I'd rather my cooks didn't find out; they might not be sympathetic to our need for speed." The next chapter is about the family meals Michael grew up with. He encourages us all to turn off the TV, offer no options on what is served, and really talk to our kids. Just how we do that is up to us, but the Red Wine-Braised Brisket (p. 31-2) is a very good start. It has a rich sauce and is just the kind of stick-to-your-ribs wintry (or summery) dish to make one want to linger over dinner. Two to three hours achieve fall-off-the-bone tenderness and can be frozen (for one of his quickly meals). There is also a fun recipe for Creamy Chicken Stew with Vegetables that are Supposed to be Good for You (p. 43), all of which are covered up and not vibrant green to appeal to children adverse to any kind of vegetable. The dish is served with Buttered "Noodles" (p. 44), a simple recipe with butter, sage and Parmigano-Reggiano. The single dessert recipe here is Secret Agent Raspberry Bars (p. 49), a terrific name for raspberry bar cookies easy enough to make with a four-year old. Michael argues forcefully for Italian cooking, "From that point on [working at Pino Luongo's Tuscan restaurant in Wainscott, New York], I learned that creating great Italian food is really about two things: honoring tradition and cooking simply with products that are as local and fresh as possible." (p. 53) That may also be true for other great cuisines around the world. He rejects the Italian-American cooking of his childhood Brooklyn and New Jersey (unlike Rocco DiSpirito in Rocco's Italian-American and Lidia Bastianich in Lidia's Italian Table) and presents dishes of his own restaurant Via Matta. Here are wonderful recipes for Italian classics like Penne All'Arrabiata, Vongole in Brodetto (p. 60), there are good notes on milled tomatoes, cleaning clams, and Sopressata. Perhaps the only thing superfluous to this book is the forward by Mario Batali. Maybe added celebrity is still needed for Michael -- at present: it shoudn't be for long -- not after people read this cookbook. Mario wrote: So of course, Michael Schlow, who insists on stretching and folding time to fit slow cooking into the frenetic pace of a restaurant saute line, would approach his cookbook from the perspective of this most precious resource. (p. xi) Mario's description conjures an image of an alchemist or crazed physicist -- you know, like that other big idea free-loader and nutcase obsessed by the importance of time -- Albert Einstein. There is much more to explore: superchefblog recommends that you make time for this book. Audio: Odeo Related news: Restaurant Review The Phoenix Taste of Boston CBS Saturday Early Show Boston Magazine Previous articles: Gordon Ramsay: In the Heat of the Kitchen Roy Yamaguchi: Roy's Fish & Seafood Cookbook Magic Bests Harry Potter Michael Lomonaco: Nightly Specials Will Write for Food: Dianne Jacob Mario Batali: Molto Italiano The Oldest Cuisine in the World: Jean Bottero Suvir Saran Spins Indian Home Cooking Biro: European-Inspired Cuisine July 4: Paul Gayler's The Gourmet Burger July 4: East Meets West Robert Klein: The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue Christy Campbell: The Botanist and the Vintner Kathleen Daelemans: Getting Thin and Loving Food! Aroma: Daniel Patterson and Mandy Aftel Tyler Florence: Eat This Book The Perfectionist by Rudolph Chelminski Bobby Flay's Grilling for Life Mother's Day Gift: Finding Betty Crocker The Sensual Language of Baklava: Diana Abu-Jaber Paula Deen & Friends Roland Mesnier's Dessert University Puerto Rico: Grand Cuisine of the Caribbean Don Pintabona: Shared Table Annabel Karmel: First Meals Nigella Lawson's Feast Cook Like a Kyrgyz Ozzie Dining Downunder and Bushfood Personal Favorites: The Chefs of Las Vegas Anne Willan: The Good Cook Gale Gand's short+sweet More Food from Alton Brown Manju Malhi's India With Passion SOS: Baking from the Heart Madhur Jaffrey: Our Lady of India, CBE Amazon UK's Steamy Xmas Chefs All Hail Alfred Portale Agassi's Star Palate: Celebrity Chefs Book links: Publisher Amazon.com Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine cookbooks Television Reality TV --> back to superchefblog

Cristeta Comerford: Filipino Newspaper Cites Superchefblog

By JULIETTE ROSSANT The Philippines News published an article in which it called superchefblog as "one of the culinary world’s most popular news websites," cited superchefblog's nationwide poll, and quoted superchefblog's prediction that Cris had the best chance to be selected as the new (and first-ever woman) executive chef at the White House. (Click here to read the full article.) Previous articles: Juliette Rossant on ABC World News Tonight WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi To Interview Juliette Rossant New York Daily News Cites Superchefblog Reactions: White House Woman Chef Cristeta Comerford: First White House Woman Chef complete coverage White House Woman Chef (Cristeta Comerford) Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine White House Politics feminism gender equality --> back to superchefblog

Richard Hamilton: Test Drive a Bonnet

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Concerned about Richard Hamilton, after reading about the bad turn done unto him at his former haunts The Spiced Pear by insensitive White House headhunters? Fear not the dark path for this rising chef: the Force is strong in this one. Besides, if you're deep into restaurants for professional kitchens and keep up with the trade magazines, you might have noticed that Richard has turned up in a rag or two. Some chefs like knives. Richard is into ovens, and he's been working with Bonnet. Hotels Magazine, published by Reed Elsevier, ran an article in September 2003 about customized kitchens right after Spiced Pear Restaurant opened in the new Chanler Hotel of Newport, Rhode Island (August 2003) with a Bonnet oven. Don't know Bonnet? If it were a car, Bonnet would be a Ferrari or Lamborghini (or, if you're into motorcycles, a Ducatti) compared to a Vulcan oven as a Lexus or Mercedes. The comparisons are doubly apt, since top-end ovens are to France what top-end cars are to Italy, the best of the best, la creme de la creme. So, Hawkins International PR chose well when they announced at the opening "Custom Built Kitchen at the Heart of Spiced Pear Restaurant," namely a Bonnet Cooking Suite worth $100,000. Talk about precious craft: Bonnet only turns out 100 ovens a year! Before you can think like a chef (so to speak) and own one of these treasures, you have to simply think you are indeed that caliber of chef. High-end equipment manufacturers are into consolidation these days, wrote Hotels, not only through mergers and acquistions and partnerships but also one-stop solutions -- the suite: Bonnet, long established in the customized cooking suite business in Europe, specializes in upscale operations, especially with its branded “Maestro Classic” line of cooking suites. A distinct feature of these suites is the top of the unit, which is composed of a single piece of 3-mm (.12-in.) thick stainless-steel titanium alloy, and radiates a gentle heat to the entire top surface of the suite. This area can be used for a variety of purposes, from holding sauces to keeping plates warm. Additionally, Bonnet’s design is built to have all the heat moved toward the center of the suite, thus lowering the heat output, and creating a desirable work environment. (click here to read full article) In short, Bonnet (and some competitors) has already thought out dream-team technical combinations -- for anyone who can afford a suite. Enter Sarah Wally of Maverick Cuisine LLC. Sarah was a San Francisco building contractor who got sucked into Food as construction manager (1990-1995) for the CIA's Greystone campus. Working with long-time colleague Mark Stech Novak, she oversaw installation of Bonnet's first North American units -- all 12 of them. In 1996, when Mark specified another Bonnet for Le Cirque, Bonnet asked Sarah to come back East for that installation, and so Maverick Cuisine LLC was born, Bonnet's exclusive importer/installer for the U.S. and Canada. Sarah's partner, John Knight, an electrical engineer, handles technical specifications for each project: he designs, installs, and maintains the suites. Richard works with John to instruct chefs on how best to use Bonnets. Wealthy home-owning clients want the best, and when they see Maverick's Bonnet-cooking professional chef clients, they see a culinary dream team come true. In fact, fully one third of superchfblog's offical list of super chefs are part of the Bonnet team: Ferran Adria Paul Bocuse Daniel Boulud Alain Ducasse Thomas Keller Gordon Ramsay Joel Robuchon Claude Troisgros Jean-Georges Vongericthen Many Michelin three-star chefs across Europe endorse Bonnet, but Sarah's relationship with Richard is a first for the American market. Sarah told superchefblog that he's perfect as a Maverick spokesperson. He's got every chef qualification one could wish for, but he also has a gentle, non-threatening manner (she calls this "Southern" -- as in Southern gentleman) and he can talk the talk that bridges the gap between kitchen professionals and the growing number of clients who want a Bonnet in their own home kitchens. (Food Network, are you listening? Isn't this just the kind of guy you want to star in your shows?) Moreover, Maverick has opened an enormous showroom in New Jersey (see map), an easy 50-minute train ride from New York's Penn Station> and then two blocks to their door. Inside, you can test drive a Bonnet -- or hold a demonstration or a party or a film shoot. The date of the official opening is being finalized, but Sarah anticipates end of next month (September 2005). Naturally, this is not all Richard is doing. Currently, he is consulting on a large hotel-and-restaurant project. He is putting in two Bonnet suites of course, hiring top kitchen designer Jean-Yves Loizance of Food & Wine Research of Boston for an anticipated opening of end of 2006. Stay tuned for more details -- and do not underestimate the power of the Force. Previous articles: Cristeta Comerford: First White House Woman Chef White House Chef: Close to the Bone White House CHEFGATE: Richard Hamilton's Story Supreme Court Justice: White House Chef Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine kitchen kitchen appliances --> back to superchefblog

Juliette Rossant on ABC World News Tonight

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Watch for me, Juliette Rossant on ABC World News Tonight. No, I'm not trying out for Peter Jennings' venerable seat: I'm being interviewed about Mrs. Bush's selection of Cris Comerford for the position of White House executive chef. Sara Moulton, whom I nominated with over 40 other top women chefs in America, will also be interviewed along with super chef Lidia Bastianich. (For those who don't watch network evening news shows, ABC World News Tonight airs usually airs in the 6:30 p.m. time slot on most ABC local affiliate TV stations.) Previous articles: WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi To Interview Juliette Rossa New York Daily News Cites Superchefblog Cristeta Comerford: First White House Woman Chef Reactions: White House Woman Chef complete coverage White House Woman Chef (Cristeta Comerford) Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine White House Politics feminism gender equality --> back to superchefblog

Rip and Read Podcasts Superchefblog

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Charlie Quidnunc of Rip & Read Blogger Podcast caught Superchefblog in a snark -- see entry on "John Roberts for Supreme Court," also picked up on Odeo. Previous articles: White House Chef: Close to the Bone? [White House Chef - complete] [Citations - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, podcasting, podcast, White House --> back to superchefblog

WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi To Interview Juliette Rossant

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Today at 1:40 p.m. EDT, Juliette Rossant will appear live on The Kojo Nnamdi Show on WAMU 88.5 FM. You can listen to Juliette live online via: MP3, Real, or WMP Previous articles: New York Daily News Cites Superchefblog Cristeta Comerford: First White House Woman Chef Reactions: White House Woman Chef complete coverage White House Woman Chef (Cristeta Comerford) Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine White House Politics feminism gender equality --> back to superchefblog

New York Daily News Cites Superchefblog

By JULIETTE ROSSANT The New York Daily News cites superchefblog for its own story on First Lady Laura Bush's selection of Cris Comerford as first-ever woman to be executive chef of the White House -- click here to read full story. Previous articles: Cristeta Comerford: First White House Woman Chef Reactions: White House Woman Chef complete coverage White House Woman Chef (Cristeta Comerford) Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine White House Politics feminism gender equality --> back to superchefblog

Reactions: White House Woman Chef

By JULIETTE ROSSANT [Press: Be sure to cite "superchefblog" and "Juliette Rossant" when using superchefblog content, and be sure to hyperlink to "http://www.superchefblog.com/" and "http://www.julietterossant.com/biosuperchef.html" for anything online.] Reaction from chefs nominated by superchefblog for the White House executive chef position -- now happily occupied by Cris Comerford -- started coming into us last night. Here are reactions from three of the 40+ women chefs whom superchefblog nominated in our nationwide poll: Cat Cora, Food Network star and winner of the superchefblog blog poll, expanded on her earlier "Halleluah!" to superchefblog: I think it is a great day in America and in the culinary world. The White House made a smart and historic decision. Congratulations to Cris: she joins the ranks of women who have stepped up to the challenges that help break down the barriers of equality among genders. Christine Keff, chef-owner of Flying Fish in Seattle, Washington, wrote as a member of the Board of Directors for Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, saying: Thank you so much for your part in this. It is such an important symbol to women in our industry. When Food and Wine can only find one female chef (or none on one occasiion) to honor in its annual top ten, it's important that another message get out. And now we have that message. Thank you for helping make this possible. Carrie Nahabedian of Naha said to superchefblog: I think it would be great if Laura Bush would have "guest chefs" for special events at the White House. She could pick a chef based on the style of the dinner. Say the President was hosting a group of Texas fundraisers or politicians, he could choose a noted Texan chef that would cook the foods of the region with true style and experience. The group of chefs she could draw from all over the USA would be endless and would be a good attraction for her guests. I have been meaning to send her a letter with this suggestion, but I doubt she would ever get the letter because I don't have that "special" zip code! We're on the same wavelength, Carrie -- and while we're on this subject of guest chefs, how about women only as guest chefs, to honor Cris' selection and Mrs. Bush's selecting of her? Previous articles: complete coverage White House Woman Chef (Cristeta Comerford) Cristeta Comerford: First White House Woman Chef Tell Laura Bush Vote for White House Woman Chef Vote for White House Guest Chefs Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine White House Politics feminism gender equality --> back to superchefblog

complete coverage White House Woman Chef (Cristeta Comerford)

Super Chef has the most complete coverage anywhere on the selection of Cristeta Comerford as the first-ever woman executive chef at the White House, from the sudden departure of Walter Scheib in February 2005 to Cris' selection in August 2005 and onwards. (See also Wikipedia listings.) (articles listed by series -- 87 articles to date) Cris Comerford Series (22 articles to date) Cris Comerford Stays in the White House New White House Executive Chef in 2009? Marvin Woods: Obama's Chef in Waiting White House Christmas 2007 Menu White House Dines Queen Elizabeth II Thanksgiving: Bush Thankful for White House Chef Newsweek Finds Cris Comerford Walter Scheib: American Chef Walter Scheib: ScallopGate? Cristeta Comerford: Washington Post Cris Comerford: 2005 Top Food Stories Cristeta Comerford Feeds Prince Charles National Review: White House Chef Bush About Comerford: Fantastic! White House Chef: from Lucia Watson Cris Comerford: A Chef's Discriminating Toque White House Woman Chef: Thanks Cristeta Comerford: Filipino Newspaper Cites Superchefblog Juliette Rossant on ABC World News Tonight WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi To Interview Juliette Rossant New York Daily News Cites Superchefblog Reactions: White House Woman Chef Cristeta Comerford: First White House Woman Chef Tell Laura Bush Series (8 articles to date) White House Chef: Close to the Bone White House CHEFGATE: Richard Hamilton's Story Supreme Court Justice: White House Chef White House Chef Jokes: Lick Your Plate Kitchen Chat with Walter Scheib White House Chef: Fast Lady Sings? White House Chef Slot: Closer? Tell Laura Bush: White House Woman Chef (Shortlisting White House Chefs?) Vote for White House Woman Chef Series (32 articles) Election Analysis: White House Woman Chef Results: White House Woman Chef Last Day: Vote for White House Woman Chef Media (2) on Vote for White House Woman Chef Epicurious Wonders Aloud About a Woman in the White House Lucia Watson Fan Mail Ina Garten: Secret White House Choice? Media on Vote for White House Woman Chef Gabby Hayes: White House Chef? Chef John Bubala Votes Sarah Stegner Paula Deen & Friends Sante Magazine Recognizes Jody Adams Shortlisting White House Chefs? Times-Picayune: Spicer for President(ial chef) NAMC Newswire: A Woman in the White House Before 2008? Ventura, CA, Gets Into White House Chef Search Dallas-Ft. Worth Notes Chef Louise's White House Nomination Roland Mesnier's Dessert University Congratulations: James Beard Awards nominees James Beard Awards: Dearth of Top Women Chefs? Ojai Valley News: Diane Forley for White House Chef Denver Supports Jennifer Jasinski for White House Chef Wireless Flash: White House Woman Chef Fortune Smiles on superchefblog's White House Chef Poll Cat Cora Wins on Iron Chef America Anita Lo Defeats Mario Batali on Iron Chef America Atlantic Monthly: White House Chefs Cat Cora, Anita Lo: Sexing Up Iron Chef America Joe Guzzardi: If Not Governor, White House Chef Reminder 1: Vote for White House Woman Chef Vote for White House Woman Chef Superchefblog: Catalyst for White House Woman Chef? White House Woman Chef Profies Series (20 articles) Profile: Zarela Martinez for White House Chef Profile: Melissa Perello for White House Chef Profile: Alice Waters for White House Chef Profile: Jody Adams for White House Chef Profile: Tamara Murphy for White House Chef Profile: Allison Vines-Rushing for White House Chef Profile: Lucia Watson for White House Chef Profile: Barbara Lynch for White House Chef Profile: Suzanne Goin for White House Chef Profile: Louise Lamensdorf for White House Chef Profile: Anita Jaisinghani for White House Chef Profile: Julie Francis for White House Chef Profile: Mary Sue Milliken & Susan Feniger for White House Chef Profile: Traci Des Jardins for White House Chef Profile: Anita Lo for White House Chef Profile: Sara Moulton for White House Chef Profile: Nora Pouillon for White House Chef Profile: Scooter Kanfer for White House Chef Profile: Cat Cora for White House Chef Profile: Diane Forley for White House Chef White House Guest Chefs Series (4 articles) Results of White House Chef Vote REMINDER: Last Vote for White House Guest Chef The White House: Think Like a Chef Vote for White House Guest Chefs Originating Article (1 article) Wanted: White House Chef Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, White House, Politics, feminism, gender, equality --> back to superchefblog

Cristeta Comerford: First White House Woman Chef

By JULIETTE ROSSANT [Press: Be sure to cite "superchefblog" and "Juliette Rossant" when using superchefblog content, and be sure to hyperlink to "http://www.superchefblog.com/" and "http://www.julietterossant.com/" for anything online.] Is it safe to quote or paraphrase the late Richard Nixon yet? "Effective at noon today," First Lady Laura Bush proved superchefblog's smart money bet true from last Friday -- that the White House's Assistant Chef, was the front-runner for the six-month vacant executive chef slot -- by announcing that Cristeta Comerford ("Cris Comerford"), a Philippines-born naturalized U.S. citizen, had been selected as the new White House executive chef -- the first woman ever chosen for this job. Click here to read the official White House press release. CONGRATULATIONS, CRIS! Congratulations are also due to first runner-up Richard Hamilton for a fine run, which has won him superchefblog's second-ever dubbing as "gentleman of the kitchen blade." Richard Hamilton told superchefblog this afternoon: "She [Cris] is more deserving than I -- and I am proud of her!" Food Network star Cat Cora contacted superchefblog this afternoon to say, "Halleluah!" Superchefblog sends special congratulations -- and thanks -- to the First Lady for making such a wonderful choice. Superchefblog has not received feedback from the White House about what impact our nationwide online readers' poll (Vote for White House Woman Chef) or subsequent write-in campaign to Mrs. Bush (Tell Laura Bush) had on the decision. The New York Times ran a long story entitled "In a Reality Cook-Off, Winner Will Be First Chef," which stated that "everyone" thought that two candidates, Texan Chris Ward and Cris Comerford, were the front-runners -- everyone except superchefblog, which bet solidly on Cris and Richard Hamilton (whom superchefblog had actually been tracking for several weeks). "The cook-off continues," concluded the NYT -- only to hurriedly run an AP newswire update at just after noon today. Look for more news and comment in the next few days. Press releast: "Cristeta Comerford Named White House Executive Chef " (White House) Best title: "Hell's (White House) Kitchen" (Dummocrats) News articles: Asian Week Philippine Star (PhilStar) BBC Inquirer 7 (Philippines) Philippine News L'Express Outlook (weekend edition) The Times (UK) Pravda (Russia) Washington Times (UPI) Baltimore Sun Reuters Washington Post (Reuters) Boston Globe (Reuters) Washington Post (AP) New York Times (AP) Los Angeles Times (AP) Chicago Tribune (AP) CNN (AP) Mainichi (Japan) Times of India The Electric New Paper (Singapore) The Boston Globe Bloomberg Xinhua News Agency (China) Mid-Day (India) Khaleej Times (UAE) ABC Radio World Today (Australia) The Times (UK) The Telegraph (UK) BBC The Manila Times (Philippines) MSNBC (AP) Sydney Morning Herald Chicago Sun Times Washington Post New York Times Previous articles: White House Chef: Close to the Bone Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine White House feminism gender equality --> back to superchefblog

White House Chef: Close to the Bone?

By JULIETTE ROSSANT [NB: Be sure to read update: Cristeta Comerford: First White House Woman Chef -- The Editor -- August 14, 2005.] The Summer has turned from somewhat mild to searingly hot -- as have inquiries suddenly pouring into superchefblog about the White House executive chef position, including venerable newspapers like The Washington Post and The New York Times. Tight-lipped White House sources don't leak (yet) to superhchefblog the way they sometimes do to such elders (remember the scene in The Year of Living Dangerously when Mel Gibson first tries to get a story at the Presidential Palace?). Nevertheless, experience whispers that some kind of decision may have been reached. Who has been selected, after such a suprisingly long process? Superchefblog bets on two candidates: Richard Hamilton and Cris Comerford. Why them?, you ask. Richard has been a front-runner for the job for some time. He has excellent culinary credentials. He has political support from Republican heavyweights (Democrats aren't the only people who know where to eat -- or how). And he's just about as close to being a Texan as you can get, hailing from Oklahoma as he does. The White House would be lucky to have such a fine chef on board. Cris has been one of superchefblog's top picks ever since our nationwide online readers' poll last March-April. On the polling page (dated March 25, 2003), we said: Keep in mind that Cris Comerford [...] is already in-house: the naturalized Filipina is currently Assistant White House Chef, reporting to the Executive Chef... One would hope that the White House would give her strong consideration and reward her previous service with advancement -- also that the White House would in fact hire from within first before looking outside. We stand by those words -- and Richard has said, professionally, that she is ready for the job. Moreover, Cris has a very electorate-appealing minority story: she is a naturalized U.S. citizen from the Phillipines, a fact proudly acknowledged by our government as well as her own. Add the fact that Cris is a woman, and the White House could score several politically correct points all at once by choosing her. Smart money is on Cris, then. How does the White House make its shortlist? While many candidates on superchefblog's poll were too politically incorrect for this Administration's tastes, certainly third runner-up Louise Lamensdorf qualifiies in every respect for the job: excellent chef, Republican, and Texas-based thanks to her popular Ft. Worth institution Bistro Louise. That last factor should have put her over the top months ago, but, surprisingly, she never even got a call. Also, Institutions which contributed candidate lists have also been shut out of the decision-making process, include culinary schools like the French Culinary Institute and associations like Women Chefs and Restaurateurs. In short, to quote Geoffrey Rush's character Philip Henslowe from Shakespeare in Love, "I don't know. It's a mystery." Of course, the whole Iraq War has been a mystery (except for the insurgency part -- see "The Sunni Insurgency in Iraq"), and that's not going too well. OK, the whole "war thing" is a really tough nut to crack. And choosing the next Supreme Court justice will affect the lives of many Americans for decades to come. And then there's that herculean task of choosing the right chef... Maybe it all comes down to the possibility that Mrs. Bush simply makes more careful choices... When will the announcement come? From all the recent hullabaloo, next week would not be too early -- but superchefblog expects an announcement when the Bushes return from their vacation at their Crawford, Texas, home after Labor Day on September 5, 2005. It ain't over yet: stay tuned. Previous articles: White House CHEFGATE: Richard Hamilton's Story Tell Laura Bush: White House Woman Chef Results: White House Woman Chef Shortlisting White House Chefs? Vote for White House Woman Chef Results of White House Chef Vote Vote for White House Guest Chefs Wanted: White House Chef Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine Politics scandal White House Supreme Court chefgate --> back to superchefblog

Cat Cora: Chefs for Humanity

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Chef Cat Cora has set up a new non-profit organization called Chefs for Humanity in response to the suffering we all witnessed following the Asian Tsunami. Chefs for Humanity's has just announced its first major fund raising event, Jackets off our Backs, an eBay auction running September 12-21, 2005, for jackets autographed and donated by two dozen world-famous chefs, 10 of whom are fellow Food Network stars. have donated autographed jackets for the auction. Proceeds benefit UNICEF. Previous articles: Cat Cora on Kerry Simon, Iron Chef America July 4: East Meets West Results: White House Woman Chef SOS: Baking from the Heart Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine television charity tsunami non-profit --> back to superchefblog

Gordon Ramsay: In the Heat of the Kitchen

By JULIETTE ROSSANT I hesitated to open up Gordon Ramsay's cookbook, In the Heat of the Kitchen (Wiley 2005), for fear of reading expletives or blacked-out sections. Would I be under the same torrent of abuse as the hapless contestants of his reality TV series, Hell's Kitchen on Fox, and Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares in the UK? The cover blares Gordon's name in print more than twice the size of the title, as if to say, "Watch Out!" This is the recently published paperback edition of the book which was published two years ago in Britain by Quadrille Publishing: a number (if not all) of Gordo's books are being reissued as paperbacks this year in the U.S. Gordon was already famous when he wrote this one, already involved in over a half-dozen restaurants in Britain, a restaurant in Dubai, and upcoming restaurants in the works for Tokyo and New York. He had already been featured on British television. In short, he jumps right into his brief introduction where he denies that he is a tyrant in the kitchen. "It isn't a madly ambitious character or a competitive nature that drives me. It is simply my passion for great food, and my desire to share that with others" (p. 6). I've never bought that in any super chef I have written about. Ambition and drive are the backbone of empire-building. Hard work, relentless perfectionism and a strong ego are key. The package works as long as you share credit with all the chefs who are doing your food in your kitchens and all the partners and financial backers who make you a star. One might wonder whether In the Heat of the Kitchen was written "with" Roz Denny and Mark Sargeant, since Gordon does not explain their contributions in his introduction, nor is there is a preface, nor acknowledgment, nor any explanation about how this book came about. The photography by Georgia Glynn Smith is elegant: she makes a fondue of lettuce in chicken broth look great (p. 127). Knickerbocker Glories (p. 163) look wonderfully unbalanced, the glass listing to one side, as if eating the sundae would make one giddy and drunk. My Roasted Tomato Soup on page 121 has two photos (p. 122-3), the first of which shows the roasted tomatoes, onions and fresh basil. The second photo shows the finished soup where the basil's green is now found in the color of a bowl framing the soup and the tomatoes, as if resurrected in their pre-roasted form, are still in a cluster tied together by their vines floating in the soup. These two photographs capture the playful magic of Gordo's superb cooking of excellent ingredients. The beginnings of each chapter feature a black and white photo joking with the reader of ex-athlete Gordon with the food being written about. In the Meat chapter the photo is just him. In Poultry and Game Birds chapter he cradles a small live chicken under his arm. In Pasta, his arms are tied together as he rests his head (or prepares to be whipped?) This is a book for the home chef, but one willing to seek out luxury ingredients and spend the time to prepare them well. Ramsay warns against slavish following of his or any other recipe. Good advice, and he does provide excellent tips for a home cook who wants to be inspired by rather than chained to a recipe. I was keen to try My Chicken Pie (p. 55), a chicken version of Blanquet de Veau under a crust of puff pastry. The instructions are straightforward, and the buttery sauce is wonderful under the crisp lid. Gordon is instructive. Take his recipe for Quail with a Spicy Honey Dressing (p. 56) which introduces an extra step, poaching the quails in stock before grilling them so that they do not overcook and dry out and then marinating them in a sweet-spicy dressing. The technique is further explored in photographs, though it is perfectly clear in the recipe why and how to do this. The same kind of thorough exploration of technique occurs in Braised Pork in a Rich Glaze (p. 68) Accompanying photos (pp. 70-1) lead you through how to roll and tie the country-style pork ribs, but oddly he does not show how to cut out bones without damaging the meat. It might be easier to just cook a pork loin in the same manner and skip the messy trimming and tying, and skip some of the fat on the ribs. In the fish chapter (featuring a photo of Gordon holding anchovies in his fist) Gordon's cuisine shines. There is a recipe for Snapper Baked in a Salt Crust (p. 30) using the age old Mediterranean technique, Skate with Sherry Vinegar and Caper Sauce (p. 40) and the lovely Sea Bass Baked on a Bed of Herbs (p. 41). He uses caramalized lemon slices to bring out the full range of lemon flavor while baking the fish in a foil package. The results, displayed in a double-page photo on pages 42-3 are stunning. The lightly fried fish lies on a bed of sage, rosemary, thyme, tarragon, basil and lemon grass like some feast in a seaport restaurant on Crete, except on Crete they typically use only a bit of the local thyme or oregano, skip the foil and grill the fish. There are many British touches in Gordon's cuisine, like his use of Scottish Finnan Haddie as in Smoked Haddock and Aspargus Open Ravioli (p. 94) and Smoked Haddock and Clam Chowder (p. 13) and Omlet Arnold Bennet with Finnan Haddie (p. 148). This last recipe is in one of the most facinating chapters: Eggs. It reads a bit like an Iron Chef America competition since he offers brunch dishes, like Eggs Benedict with Minted Hollondaise (p. 140), a lunch dish, Cobb Salad with Quail Eggs (p. 146) several omlettes and then desserts: Chocolate and Tiramisu Parfait (p. 151), My Baked Alaskas (p. 154) for which you need a blow torch and even a Gordo take on Sweet Potato Pie (p. 156). The book's recipes certainly explore some Gordon Ramsay's cuisine philosophy with interesting rethinking of classic dishes. If you forget about Gordo's TV personality, you can start to understand why his restaurants are sucessful and why he has something to add about cooking. Previous articles: Roy Yamaguchi: Roy's Fish & Seafood Cookbook Magic Bests Harry Potter Michael Lomonaco: Nightly Specials Will Write for Food: Dianne Jacob Mario Batali: Molto Italiano The Oldest Cuisine in the World: Jean Bottero Suvir Saran Spins Indian Home Cooking Biro: European-Inspired Cuisine July 4: Paul Gayler's The Gourmet Burger July 4: East Meets West Robert Klein: The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue Christy Campbell: The Botanist and the Vintner Kathleen Daelemans: Getting Thin and Loving Food! Aroma: Daniel Patterson and Mandy Aftel Tyler Florence: Eat This Book The Perfectionist by Rudolph Chelminski Bobby Flay's Grilling for Life Mother's Day Gift: Finding Betty Crocker The Sensual Language of Baklava: Diana Abu-Jaber Paula Deen & Friends Roland Mesnier's Dessert University Puerto Rico: Grand Cuisine of the Caribbean Don Pintabona: Shared Table Annabel Karmel: First Meals Nigella Lawson's Feast Cook Like a Kyrgyz Ozzie Dining Downunder and Bushfood Personal Favorites: The Chefs of Las Vegas Anne Willan: The Good Cook Gale Gand's short+sweet More Food from Alton Brown Manju Malhi's India With Passion SOS: Baking from the Heart Madhur Jaffrey: Our Lady of India, CBE Amazon UK's Steamy Xmas Chefs All Hail Alfred Portale Agassi's Star Palate: Celebrity Chefs Book links: Publisher Amazon.com Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine cookbooks Television Reality TV --> back to superchefblog

White House CHEFGATE: Richard Hamilton's Story

By JULIETTE ROSSANT [NB: Read superchefblog's August 12 prediction for Cris Comerford -- The Editor -- August 14, 2005.] For months, Richard Hamilton has been a front runner for the job of White House Executive Chef (see previous articles, starting with latest). Until recently, Richard was executive chef at The Spiced Pear in The Chanler Hotel in Newport, Rhode Island. Richard hails from Oklahoma but trained at the Ritz-Escoffier Ecole du Gastronomie and Le Cordon Bleu culinary academy in France -- worked at the Ritz Paris, trained with Alain Ducasse, Guy Savoy, and Joel Robuchon, was sous chef at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Nigel, ran a major company catering to the stars out of Nashville, headed Magnolia's there, and headed up the kitchens of the Dunmore Beach Club on Harbour Island, Bahamas, and the Spiced Pear. Richard never applied for the White House job: they called him. He went for a first interview in late February this year. He told superchefblog: It was a surreal day. It was snowing, and I had to walk five blocks to the White House. By the time I got there, I was covered with snow. It was surreal to see the White House lawn covered in snow. Gary Walters [the chief usher] gave me some towels to dry off, and they brought me into the pantry for a cup of tea. He was very gracious and genuine. The one hour interview with Mr. Walters and Mrs. Bush's new social secretary, Lea Berman, questioned Richard about his philosophy of cuisine, his experience, and his management style. Then they answered some of his unspoken questions: They go out after a chef with press and notoriety, and they ask you if you are willing to give it up. At some level you are. It's an honor. There are few White House Chefs in history; not too many people can do it. You are a piece of history -- not just Culinary History but History -- for maybe three or maybe 20 years. It's incredible -- or could be. "Could be" turned into "could be longer." Richard returned to his restaurant and waited. The first follow-up action pretty much killed his job at the Spiced Pear: Mrs. Bush sent a group of her friends to his restaurant to try the food. Someone in the White House party spilled the beans that Richard was on the shortlist for the White House job, and the restaurant management immediately started leaving Richard out of restaurant publicity, among other things. "The trust declines. The comfort wears off" when a boss finds out you're talking to others about taking another job. Instead of waiting for others to make a move, he quit the Spiced Pear and started consulting. In early May, the White House summoned Richard back to cook three meals. He prepared a dinner for 12, a lunch for 12, and a cocktail for 40. Richard described the visit to superchefblog: Lunch was interesting. All of Mrs. Bush's friend were there. One woman was adamant that no chef should be in the White House who wasn't from Texas. She trashed everything savagely. That led Mrs. Bush to think she needed to look again. News got out about the tryouts (see previous article), but Richard says he was the one of only two chefs to remain on the shortlist (the other was Texas-based Chris Ward -- see previous article). In June-July, the White House held a second round of cooking. (That's Richard's menu which superchefblog reported last month -- see previous article). Whereas during the first test, everyone involved had been new, this time Richard had just a little experience under his belt -- and that was all he needed. He and kitchen staff clicked. The President and the Mrs. Bush were gracious and kind. The Bushes gave Richard a standing ovation after the dinner, and the President declared that it was one of the best meals he had ever eaten. On the following day at lunch, one of the Bush daughters called him a "culinary genius." His own instincts meshed with what the Usher's office (in charge of the selection process) told him: he was a front runner. "The woman who had wanted a Texan chef wasn't at the second luncheon," Richard explained to superchefblog. And "if the search is about Texas chef, let's admit it." Otherwise, "if it is about culinary skills representing the country -- cooking all the different cuisines that are served -- let's make it about that." By this time, half a year had slipped by, and superchefblog noted in comparison how quickly the Supreme Court justice search had concluded -- see previous article.) Richard was asked for complete discretion and has kept to it until now -- unlike others (see previous article) -- but yesterday The New York Times contacted him to confirm details about his candidacy. The White House kitchen has been out of Washington politics up to this point, but from the questions asked of him, it was clear to Richard that as of yesterday someone very close to the decision-making process has been talking to the press -- very likely a White House leak. Further, some facts related to him by the NYT were wrong -- chief among them, the NYT related to him that, according to their sources, Richard was out of the running, chiefly because he had presented a list of demands to the White House. Richard told superchefblog that the only "demand" he had expressed was a concern -- that he be told with enough time for him to have his child enrolled in a local school. Otherwise, he has kept himself quite busy but in a holding pattern, unable to go elsewhere if he wants to serve the President -- and he does want to serve (assuming this is their wish as well). So, on behalf of all those currently on the White House shortlist for executive chef, superchefblog asked last month: what is taking so long? Superchefblog has run a nationwide online readers' poll to suggest (women) chef candidates and then recommended that readers "Tell Laura Bush." Superchefblog deemed this the ideal time to hire the first woman chef: now that issue seems to be run over roughshod by another issue. Has the position of executive chef become embroiled in politics: is it now a political appointment? If that were the case, superchefblog understands that Richard Hamilton has very strong Republican support (as one might expect would be needed for this Administration) -- so that can't the problem. And Richard's credentials (to say nothing of his food) are to die for -- the guy isn't even 40, and look whom he's cook for and where he's cooked -- not to mention Republican support. Clearly, here is another gentleman of the kitchen blade: what is the White House holding out for? When the river runs still here in Washington, most people start to suspect something deep is running underneath (or the waters start to stink like a Venetian canal -- take your pick)... Are we on the cusp of [gulp] Chefgate? If so, Heaven help the working chef! Previous articles: Supreme Court Justice: White House Chef White House Chef Jokes: Lick Your Plate White House Chef: Fat Lady Sings? White House Chef Slot: Closer? Tell Laura Bush: White House Woman Chef Results: White House Woman Chef Shortlisting White House Chefs? Vote for White House Woman Chef Results of White House Chef Vote Vote for White House Guest Chefs Wanted: White House Chef Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine Politics scandal White House Supreme Court chefgate --> back to superchefblog

Michael Jackson: Dining Tips for Bahrain

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Last week, The New York Post reported that global superstar Michael Jackson was not only vacationing with his children in the Gulf state of Bahrain but that he had just bought a house there. Since many people in America do not realize that Bahrain (see map) is a commercial and cultural hub, dating back to Biblical times as "Dilmun," Superchefblog wants to give Jacko (among others) some pointers on dining there. Bahrain offers cuisines from all over the world, including French, Italian, Chinese, Filipino, and Thai, as well as regional specialties such as Lebanese and Persian. There are any number of fast food joints, ranging from McDonald's (managed by an excellent local franchisee) to shawarma takeout (superchefblog recommends the latter). The best kept international secret in Bahrain, however, is Mirai Restaurant. Down a small, bumpy road lined with restaurants lies its quiet door. Once inside, you will find fountains of water, transporting the diner across the Persian Gulf to a quiet Japanese dining garden. The interior as well as the New Wave Japanese-style menu are creations of American-trained chef Sang-Kyu Lee. Superchefblog recommends the Hammour Uzu-Zukuri, the "Florida" Temaki, the Tuna Tataki -- and ask Chef Sang-Kyu whether he has any Kobe beef... (Mirai may be owned by the Kanoo Family, since family members can be seen dining there almost any day of the week.) Rivaling the wonders of Mirai are the fresh fish of the Gulf, of which the king is Hamour (Grouper), typically served grilled, fried, or steamed (although a century of "British Residency" in the Gulf has also made fish-and-chips popular). Other popular local fish include Safi (rabbit fish), Chanad (mackerel), and Sobaity (see bream). Most of the time, fish is eaten with rice. Don't miss out, though, on qoozi, grilled lamb stuffed with rice, boiled eggs, onions and spices. And always accept the local red tea and relish the regional Arabic coffee which, when properly made, should be fresh roasted and have cardamom added -- very good for the digestion. Perhaps Michael Jackson knows most or all of this already about Bahrain -- many argue that Dilmun is the source of the story if not the very site of the Garden of Eden. Sahtein! Previous articles: Todd Gray Champions Mid-Atlantic Cuisine Jose Andres: Zaytinya, with Ladies in Lavender Wilo Benet: Pikayo Perfecto Roberto Trevino: Viva Aguaviva Restaurant Michael Mina Rocks NFL Redskins Meet Chubby's BBQ Challenge Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine Bahrain Michael Jackson --> back to superchefblog

Plame-Rove Affair: Culinary Institute of America

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Superchefblog's in-depth investigative journalism has uncovered a story involving the Culinary Institute of America by a little known but highly reputable publication. In fact, Unconfirmed Sources has made a startling revelation that may explain the entire Valerie Plame - Karl Rove Affair, a two-year scandal made its largest headlines to date only last month. Apparently, it all started when the White House believed to be clear on naming Valeria Palme, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, to Robert Novak, a nationally syndicated columnist for The Chicago Sun Times and until recently a co-host and co-producer for CNN's Crossfire... Click here to read "Valerie Plame and the Politics of Cooking: Update 1.". The title contrasts that of the book by Valerie's husband, retired U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, entitled The Politics of Truth -- apparently even husband Joe got it wrong. (Apparently, Unconfirmed Sources had picked up on a lead from another little known but also highly respected publication, The Farce Haven Tribune.) Superchefblog calls upon CIA President Tim Ryan (no, Mr. Rove, that's not Ohio's U.S. Representative Tim Ryan) to set the record straight and help the White House clear up this mess. Like Valerie Plame, the CIA's Valeria Palme needs to get her life back, so she may resume her undercover work -- wait, that means... President Ryan, could you please please come forward with a definitive statement and clear Ms. Palme's name? Meanwhile, as we await the findings of special federal investigaor Patrick Fitzgerald, another helping of Coq et la Plame, anyone? Previous articles: White House Chef Jokes: Lick Your Plate Before STORE WARS: The Meatrix Last Supper for Star Wars STORE WARS: The Making of the Movie Year's Most Important Movie: STORE WARS Gabby Hayes: White House Chef? Joe Guzzardi: If Not Governor, White House Chef A Bite Out of the Gates Inside Scoop on Dinner in the Control Room Technorati Tags: chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, culinary school, Politics, Scandal, Public Relations, spin, Valerie Plame, Karl Rove --> back to superchefblog

G. Garvin: MegaFest Star

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Chef Gerry Garvin, star of TVOne's Turn Up the Heat, is filling 10,000 seats with fans in Atlanta. It may be one of the largest gatherings to watch a cooking demonstration ever. It's all part of MegaFest, the Reverend T. D. Jakes's mega-meeting to rev up the spirit and feed the soul. Yesterday, Gerry made cherry tomato salad, with citrus vinaigrette, Alaskan halibut with cherry tomato sauce and Manila clams with cherry tomato sauce. Today, he will be whipping up short ribs ravioli with mushroom sauce and fried leeks and stuffed pork chops with ricotta and spinach with fennel sauce. It is the first time that MegaFest has featured a chef along with a host of other entertainers and preachers. MegaFest is a three day "total Christian experience" for the entire family. Gerry was invited to cook after meeting some of the Reverend's supporters at the 100 Black Men of America campaign. His reaction: "If you think they'll come, I will do it." Gerry is a new African-American star of Food TV. His show, Turn Up the Heat with G. Garvin has run on TVOne since October 2004, within the first year of that channel's operations. He also runs a Fine Dining restaurant in Los Angeles, the eponymous "G. Garvin," and has catered dinners for President Bill Clinton and Senator Hilary Clinton among others. He is not a member of the Potter's House, which is putting on MegaFest. However, MegaFests attendees are also part of his core audience. "This is a groundbreaker," Gerry said, for MegaFest, which has never before had a chef appear. "It's one of those great honors." He added, "Who ever thought I would do a cooking live demo in front of 10,000 people?" The demo fits with his own mission, which is to inspire fans with "sophisticated simplicity and infectious enthusiasm." Will the pulpit become a major venue trend for TV chefs?... Is Emeril ready for MegaFest? (Is MegaFest ready for Emeril?) Other articles: Washington Post (subsequent) Previous articles: Todd English Chefs MTV Video Music Awards Gordon Ramsay on Jay Leno: Funnier than Hell Hell's Kitchen a la Apprentice: You're Fired! Bobby Flay: Tonight Show With Jay Leno Iron Chef America Meets Survivor Todd English: American Chef Gone Wild Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine television televangelism christianity --> back to superchefblog

Todd English Chefs MTV Video Music Awards

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Will Todd English's wish come true: will he become this generation's Wolfgang Puck? He has been chasing that dream for a long time, with a methodology similar to Wolf's that combines ambition and perseverance. Wolf captured the Oscars years ago; earlier this year, Todd was part of the Children Uniting Nations Oscar party (see previous article). Now, he's after the Music Biz's Oscar party: on August 28, 2005 (Sunday), Todd will be executive chef for MTV's 2005 Video Music Awards, held this year in Miami. Todd has been after MTV Networks for a long time. I was with him during the taping of his MTV beach house appearance in 2003 for MTV Hits (described in detail as the opening of Todd's profile in Super Chef, pp. 89-93). Among the TV shows he has been planning was Rock'n'Roll Chef (see previous article). Is this MTV VMA appearance a signal that a deal has been cut -- or is that all Todd has been offered after all his long-term interest? According to Todd's journal: I will be designing the menu for the awards show, overseeing cuisine at the event, and preparing food for the prestigious Golden Circle VIP area and backstage Green Room. Todd has wanted Rock'n'Roll Chef on VH1, whose demographics are closer to his own customers' -- but the audience and media buzz that the MTV Video Music Awards attract can't hurt -- especially if he gets air-time or some glossy magazine photos. Previous articles: Todd English: Fast Casual Chain Loses 2 Figs Branding: Todd English, Beer Gourmet Cooking Under Fire: Doused Romancing the Stove - or The Way We Worked? Todd English: Pitching After Puck? English is Italian: No Stars Cooking Under Fire: Already Over Done? Todd English's Foodie Hotel Todd English: Pots and Pans Pucked? Todd English: Childrens Oscars (Update) Ming Tsai TV Todd English Winner Gets "English is Italian"? Todd English Slums With Jeffrey Chodorow Todd English: Trip Over Table? More Halloween Mexicana, from Rick Bayless Todd English Flipflops between Bush and Kerry? Iron Chef: America vs. USA Todd English: American Chef Gone Wild Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine MTV music videos --> back to superchefblog

Todd English: Fast Casual Chain Loses 2 Figs?

By JULIETTE ROSSANT According to Todd English's latest press release for the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, the English empire (The Olive Group) has contracted a bit again: The Olives restaurant brand holds steady at six (6) locations The one-off restaurant brands added one restaurant earlier this year to bring that number up to seven (7), although the new restaurant has received no stars from The New York Times Most notably, "The Olive Group also includes three Figs locations." Only three (3) Figs? Back in 2000, there were five (5) Figs outlets, as was still the case through 2003 (see Super Chef, p. 108). The number has fluctuated, depending on the website. Older sites like ExtremeChefs list only the four Boston area outlets. More recently, there have been four outlets listed in publicity such as Chef's Theater, but a BermudaTourism lists five, including two at La Guardia, and Todd's own FishClub site lists six outlets. Part of the confusion seems to depend on whether you count LaGuardia as one or two restaurants. There are two outlets connected between two floors at LaGuardia: a cafe in Departures on one floor, and a restaurant on the other. However, Todd's website has always counted LaGuardia as one. Clearly, at least Figs Chestnut Hill has closed, and another restaurant called the Metropolitan Club opened in its old space in early 2004 -- with much fanfare, the MET Club is proud to say, from The Boston Globe and other area papers. As it is, Todd's website lists four outlets (including La Guardia) as of this morning: if the most recent press release is correct, is another about to close? Granted, the Figs chain has had some problems. For Super Chef, the new operations manager Sam Slattery described how he had targeted Figs as the first fix to create "controlled, sustainable growth" amidst a corporate culture in which there was "a real lack of financial accountablity and awareness" (see Super Chef, p. 119). At that time, Todd was also trying to raise money to buy back a majority control of the chain, so he could expand it. It was seem that Todd was unsuccessful in raising the money, while the chain is proving unruly enough as to lead its investors to close two of five units. Moving to lower price point restaurants cannot be an easy concept for a Fine Dining chef. Wolfgang Puck has opened and either reconfigured or closed a number of concepts over the years (see Super Chef, pp. 7-49, particularly pp. 44-46). In that light, Todd has only tried one fast casual concept: he needs to try try again. If Todd continues to want to become the Wolfgang Puck of the East, he needs to keep reminding to himself, "Up from the ashes, up from the ashes, grow the roses of success." And he may well get there. Previous articles: Branding: Todd English, Beer Gourmet Cooking Under Fire: Doused Romancing the Stove - or The Way We Worked? Todd English: Pitching After Puck? English is Italian: No Stars Cooking Under Fire: Already Over Done? Todd English's Foodie Hotel Todd English: Pots and Pans Pucked? Todd English: Childrens Oscars (Update) Ming Tsai TV Todd English Winner Gets "English is Italian"? Todd English Slums With Jeffrey Chodorow Todd English: Trip Over Table? More Halloween Mexicana, from Rick Bayless Todd English Flipflops between Bush and Kerry? Iron Chef: America vs. USA Todd English: American Chef Gone Wild Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine fast food quick service restaurants food chains --> back to superchefblog

Roy Yamaguchi: Roy's Fish & Seafood

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Photography, like Painting, can help us smell and taste and touch a dish by the sheer beauty of colors and composition. Take for example the stunning photograph by John De Mello of mahimahi on page 32 of Roy Yamaguchi's latest cookbook Roy's Fish and Seafood (Ten Speed Press 2005). A fish with slate grey eyes appears to swim in a school of antique paint, the colors of old Cape Cod fish boats or clouds reflected on the surface of a deep blue ocean. No wonder Roy has so much respect for ingredients, for this book, written with John Harrisson, which is as much a guide to the fish of Hawaii as a guide of his pan-Asian influences. John De Mello's photos of fish are simply stunning, starting with the cover a red snapper tail, and help focus on ingredients, dishes, and landscape rather than their highly photogenic chef. In fact, the sole picture of Roy is on the back flap. The photos accompanying the dishes are by food photographer Scott Peterson. There is a fad of "eat-in-the-dark" restaurants in France and America. The idea is to emphasize taste and smell over the merely visual that dominates our lives. Though the idea is intriguing, I would miss the color of food, just as I miss great photography in a cookbook. Roy's introduction details his love of fish and fishing. He describes the tradition of prohibitions used by Hawaiian nobles to protect species: "The ali'i used kapu -– prohibitions–- to restrict fishing in certain areas and seasons, especially during spawning. When open-ocean fishing was restricted, inshore, and reef fishing was permitted, and vice versa" (p. 2) -- wise policies to follow in our era of over-fishing and exploitation. Roy, who grew up in Japan and Hawaii, roams the Pacific for flavors, borrowing from Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and China, and combining Asian ingredients with French technique. The mahimahi chapter starts off, as all the chapters do, with a general description of the fish, its uses, flavor and cooking qualities, and substitutions. In the mahimahi's case, Roy suggests "other firm fleshed white fish, such as grouper, sea bass, snapper, swordfish, halibut, tilefish and ono. Since those fish are available on the East Coast and it isn't easy to find mahimahi, I couldn't tell exactly how dishes would taste to Roy – but then of course, no ingredient is ever the same, from salt (sea, table, kosher) to lemon (Meyer, Yuzu). A recipe is merely a guide, and this book's recipes are full of signposts. The first recipe in the mahimahi chapter is for Garlic-and-Peppercorn-Crusted Mahimahi with Sherry-Blue Cheese Cream Sauce (p. 35) a dish Roy admits coming up with when the kitchen ran out of all the standard ingredient for preparing mahimahi. I passed over that recipe for the even more bracing, Macadamia Nut-Crusted Mahimahi with Thai-Style Coconut-Basil Sauce (p. 36), typical of Roy, who loves creating a crust on just about any fish, even if its awfully difficult to get the crust to stick just right. The flavors of ginger, coconut milk, basil and fish sauce are spot-on and relatively to prepare. Roy continues his trip around the Asia with a Chinese-inspired Steamed Mahimahi with Chinese-Style Black Bean Sauce (p. 37), an Indian-inspired Grilled Mahimahi with Bamboo, Edaname, and Turmeric Rice in a Tamarind Curry Sauce (p. 38-9) and on to Okinawa with Pan-Seared Mahimahi with Eggplant Misoyaki (p. 41). Together, the recipes treat the fish in several different ways, twice sauteed with a crust, twice grilled, and once steamed. One fish I wish I could see with my own eyes is the brilliant opah, or moonfish. "Opah is an extraordinary-looking ocean fish, with an almost perfectly round shape, a comparatively thin, flat profile, a silvery skin and bright crimson fins." (p. 77). Somehow substituting swordfish or tuna just isn't as prosaic. Roy offers a recipe for Grilled Opah Steaks with a Green Papaya and Hearts of Palm Salad (p. 81-2). The sliced tomatoes in the photograph accompanying the recipe mimic the fish's crimson fins while specs of cilantro and slivers of bell pepper copy the opah's speckled skin. The effect springs off (or swims off) the page. Some of the seafood is available on the East Coast, such as scallops, shrimp, and lobster. Roy treats them lavishly, as in Spicy Lemongrass-Crusted Scallops on Celery Root Mash with Uni Butter (p. 195), which combines some of Roy's (and my) favorite ingredients -- uni (sea urchin), a mash of celery root, and a sauce flavored with yuzu and truffle oil. He also shines in a beautifully presented Seared Day-Boat Scallops with Edamame Mash and Lobster-Truffle Kabayaki (p. 99) that pairs the fresh-spring green flavor of edamame with a rich lobster truffle sauce. Not all the photos are food. Many by De Mello are of fishermen throwing their nets, or balanced on a cliff with their rods lined up, or fishing boats moored in a foggy bay ringed by Hawaiian mountains. Some cookbooks make you want to cook each and every dish: this book is a artful, poetic lure to Roy's adopted homeland, a tantalizing invitation to visit Roy's Hawaii. Previous articles: Cookbook Magic Bests Harry Potter Michael Lomonaco: Nightly Specials Will Write for Food: Dianne Jacob Mario Batali: Molto Italiano The Oldest Cuisine in the World: Jean Bottero Suvir Saran Spins Indian Home Cooking Biro: European-Inspired Cuisine July 4: Paul Gayler's The Gourmet Burger July 4: East Meets West Robert Klein: The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue Christy Campbell: The Botanist and the Vintner Kathleen Daelemans: Getting Thin and Loving Food! Aroma: Daniel Patterson and Mandy Aftel Tyler Florence: Eat This Book The Perfectionist by Rudolph Chelminski Bobby Flay's Grilling for Life Mother's Day Gift: Finding Betty Crocker The Sensual Language of Baklava: Diana Abu-Jaber Paula Deen & Friends Roland Mesnier's Dessert University Puerto Rico: Grand Cuisine of the Caribbean Don Pintabona: Shared Table Annabel Karmel: First Meals Nigella Lawson's Feast Cook Like a Kyrgyz Ozzie Dining Downunder and Bushfood Personal Favorites: The Chefs of Las Vegas Anne Willan: The Good Cook Gale Gand's short+sweet More Food from Alton Brown Manju Malhi's India With Passion SOS: Baking from the Heart Madhur Jaffrey: Our Lady of India, CBE Amazon UK's Steamy Xmas Chefs All Hail Alfred Portale Agassi's Star Palate: Celebrity Chefs Book links: Publisher Amazon.com Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine cookbooks --> back to superchefblog

Cookbook Magic Bests Harry Potter

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Take a look at the power of the press to create media frenzy. Remember July 16, 2005? People were lining up at midnight to get their hands on a copy of Book Six in the Harry Potter saga, namely Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? Think this book is going to be at the No. 1 spot on booklists for weeks and months to come? Well, step right up and read about a little magic trick that may blow you away -- as it did Ms. J. K. Rowling. Into the picture stepped the August 2005 issue of the UK's Waitrose Food Illustrated, the magazine of UK supermarket chain Waitrose, with a cover article subtitled, "The Most Useful Cookbooks of All Time Revealed." The winner? A slim volume from 1994 called Roast Chicken and Other Stories (Ebury Press) by Simon Hopkinson with Lindsay Bareham. The UK's reigning TV cook and cookbook author, Delia Smith won a respectable but decidely second place with her "encyclopaedic" Delia's Complete Cookery Course. Waitrose modestly declared on its cover, "Has Delia Lost Her Crown?" and no British newspaper saw the portents -- the Telegraph merely reprinted one of Mr. Hopkinson's recipes. And what about that young Harry Potter, you ask? Waitrose wielded its article like a magic wand, and with a little abracadabra, hey presto! overnight J. K. Rowling fell from first to second place on AmazonUK's topselling booklist, while Mr. Hopkinson's decade old book rose from 44,235 the previous week to mighty No. 1. Take a Keanu Reeves moment and just say, "Whoah!........." You may ask yourself, just who is this Simon Hopkinson? He was chef at London's Bibendum restaurant. Now, that restaurant is in the Michelin Building and even has a Michelin Window (see image at right), so perhaps... No! And Mr. Hopkinson is the author of a dozen books like Gammon and Spinach and Other Recipes (2001) and -- a favorite -- The Prawn Cocktail Years (1997) -- titles so obscure as to ring sweetly Shakespearean only to the truly obsessed Foodie. Roast Chicken itself is a cookbook of 160 recipes, whose cover displays on blue background a lemon aglow like a lightbulb. Reviewers praised it, saying, "This is a magical book and its diminutive size belies its incredible value...a collection of his favorite recipes for his favorite ingredients." A look through the Media Kit supplied to superchefblog (click here to read -- NB: PDF) confirms this opinion. Somehow, Hopkinson is radically Foodie: his cookbook titles are so hardcore, they are somehow reminiscent of Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby. How to get such a brilliant cookbook author the attention he deserves? Mr. Hopkinson had to wait over a decade for discovery -- by a supermarket chain. Well, that's not fair: Waitrose is more than a supermarket. They not only have 166 retail outlets but online food shopping -- supported by a broadband deal. Waitrose are the British, online counterparts of American superstores like Costco, who bring in customers by offering cheap gas. And then there is Waitrose Food Illustrated. These guys are smart -- and it's starting to show when they can usurp Rowling with a ten-year-old cookbook! The magic of having Waitrose discover and promote a truly brilliant cookbook to a top position, reveals the power of Media. Of course, the work has only begun for Mr. Hopkinson if he wants to stay on top: now he needs to have his "brand" nurtured, just like anyone else. Nor can he start too soon: Roast Chicken has already slid to the No. 2 slot. Meanwhile, the run on Roast Chicken rendered it unattainable within a very short time. While the book is being reprinted, Waitrose's PR company, The Spa Way, has sent superchefblog a recipe to share with readers: ROAST CHICKEN 110 g/ 4 oz good butter, at room temperature 1.8 kg/4 lb free-range chicken salt and pepper 1 lemon several sprigs of thyme or tarragon, or a mixture of the two 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed Preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C/Gas Mark 8. Smear the butter with your hands all over the bird. Put the chicken in a roasting tin that will accommodate it with room to spare. Season liberally with salt and pepper and squeeze over the juice of the lemon. Put the herbs and garlic inside the cavity, together with the squeezed out lemon halves – this will add a fragrant lemony flavour to the finished dish. Roast the chicken in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Baste, then turn the oven temperature down to 375°F/190°C/Gas Mark 5 and roast for a further 30-45 minutes with further occasional basting. The bird should be golden brown all over with a crisp skin and have buttery, lemony juices of a nut-brown colour in the bottom of the tin. Turn the oven off, leaving the door ajar, and leave the chicken to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. This enables the flesh to relax gently, retaining the juices in the meat and ensuring easy, trouble-free carving and a moist bird. Carve the bird to suit yourself; I like to do it in the roasting tin. I see no point in making a gravy in that old fashioned English way with the roasting fat, flour and vegetable cooking water. With this roasting method, what you end up with in the tin is an amalgamation of butter, lemon juice and chicken juices. That’s all. It is a perfect homogenisation of fats and liquids. All it needs is a lights whisk or a stir, and you have the most wonderful ‘gravy’ imaginable. If you wish to add extra flavour, you can scoop the garlic and herbs out of the chicken cavity, stir them into the gravy and heat through; strain before serving. Another idea, popular with the Italians, is sometimes known as ‘wet-roasting’. Pour some white wine or a little chicken stock, or both, or even just water around the bottom of the tin at the beginning of cooking. This will produce more of a sauce and can be enriched further to produce altogether different results. For example, you can add chopped tomatoes, diced bacon, cream, endless different herbs, mushrooms, spring vegetables, spices – particularly saffron and ginger – or anything else that you fancy. Previous articles: Michael Lomonaco: Nightly Specials Will Write for Food: Dianne Jacob Mario Batali: Molto Italiano The Oldest Cuisine in the World: Jean Bottero Suvir Saran Spins Indian Home Cooking Biro: European-Inspired Cuisine July 4: Paul Gayler's The Gourmet Burger July 4: East Meets West Robert Klein: The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue Christy Campbell: The Botanist and the Vintner Kathleen Daelemans: Getting Thin and Loving Food! Aroma: Daniel Patterson and Mandy Aftel Tyler Florence: Eat This Book The Perfectionist by Rudolph Chelminski Bobby Flay's Grilling for Life Mother's Day Gift: Finding Betty Crocker The Sensual Language of Baklava: Diana Abu-Jaber Paula Deen & Friends Roland Mesnier's Dessert University Puerto Rico: Grand Cuisine of the Caribbean Don Pintabona: Shared Table Annabel Karmel: First Meals Nigella Lawson's Feast Cook Like a Kyrgyz Ozzie Dining Downunder and Bushfood Personal Favorites: The Chefs of Las Vegas Anne Willan: The Good Cook Gale Gand's short+sweet More Food from Alton Brown Manju Malhi's India With Passion SOS: Baking from the Heart Madhur Jaffrey: Our Lady of India, CBE Amazon UK's Steamy Xmas Chefs All Hail Alfred Portale Agassi's Star Palate: Celebrity Chefs Book links: Publisher Amazon.com Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine cookbooks Harry Potter --> back to superchefblog

Branding: Todd English, Beer Gourmet

By JULIETTE ROSSANT It is a bit surprising to see Todd English endorsing an everyman beer by Anheuser-Busch after endorsing Samuel Adams by Boston Beer. Once upon a time, way back in '02 and '03, Todd was appearing at Food & Wine's annual bash in Aspen, cooking up a special tasting menu for journalists on behalf of Boston Beer (see Super Chef, p. 121). He used to get business advice from friend and Boston Beer owner Jim Koch (see Super Chef p. 121). Then, suddenly this year, Boston Beer replaced Todd with David Burke at the annual Aspen bash. Todd's transfer of celebrity-cum-expert endorsement from one beer to another is not extreme enough to cause commotion -- not like Rick Bayless's endorsement of healthy meals for Burger King. That endorsement did not just bring out the bloggers (e.g., Too Many Chefs) but even Newsweek (see "Breast Intentions"). Still, with all due respect to the Anheuser-Busch corporation, it's just hard to imagine going to an Anheuser-Busch beer from one of Boston Beer's labels. Anheuser-Busch, however, puts forth a strong argument against such comparison: Michelob is brewed with the same European hops as Samuel Adams -- and both are at the lower end of import pricing structures. "We are the largest brewer in America, but Boston Beer is not a microbrewery," John Costello, product manager for Michelob and Michelob Light, told superchefblog. Look at the photos (right), currently available at the Anheuser-Busch website . Todd smiles for camera but is hardly the smoking, sultry, pin-up guy portrayed in his own online photogallery. An odd bunch of flowers (?) hangs nebulously between Todd and grill, the lighting looks off and somehow "indoor"... These are the only images of Todd which superchefblog could find online at AB websites, listed under a hard-to-find "Beer Gourmet" section that does not name Todd at all. Anheuser-Busch told superchefblog that this is an oversight which they are working on: AB's Costello said to look for a re-vamped Michelob.com site in about 60 days and called attention to Todd's appearance in print ads and POS posters. AB then sent superchefblog print material (see image below and click on it for a high-resolution, large version -- very possibly the best publicity photo ever taken of Todd). Why has Anheuser-Busch signed up Todd? Michelob's Costello says his brand wants to elevate the image of Michelob and Michelob Light and create more occasions for drinking them. He told superchefblog: Todd is world renowned. He has a great image. He is an excellent chef. Chefs lend some credibility: they have to share a core belief that beer, like wine, has a place at the table. Beer, just like wine, pairs well with food. It is about saving a place at the table: beer is an invited guest. How did Michelob and Todd English hook up? Costello narrated: We got a proposal from Todd -- not related to this, to sponsor his PBS program, Food Trip [see previous article]. We were interested in a pure media buy. We met -- that program fell through. But we had a culinary strategy. He fit into our strategy to tie into marketing at epicurian and culinary events. We have a personal services contract with Todd, he does some appearances and we use his image. Their agreement covers 2004-2005 and is renewable. Todd stopped by the Anheuser-Busch stand at this year's Food & Wine Classic for an hour, though he didn't do a cooking demonstration, and he has hosted a dinner for 500 guests and appeared at AB's annual meeting, according to Costello. Anheuser-Busch seems clear on what it's getting out of Todd: what is Todd getting out of AB? From a general Haute Cuisine perspective, the answer is clear: by aligning with Michelob, Todd is diluting his Fine Dining brand. But one has to ask further: had he not already started that dilution by endorsing Boston Beer previously? Does the mere fact of endorsing a beer dilute the brand of a super chef, whose definition is pegged to Fine Dining? This larger question is perhaps best answered briefly by saying, everything depends on execution. There is no reason that beer should not be a Fine Dining ingredient, of course. Producers, however, want to see their beers accompanying fine meals: they want to peg beer to wine. Boston Beer has been a leader in the effort to peg beer to wine. Furthermore, regarding their split with Todd, they told superchefblog that they do not have a formal agreement with David Burke. David merely appeared for them at a few events this summer, and they work with other celebrity chefs, too, around the country, encouraging consumers to pair fine beer with fine food. Boston Beer would not comment on their split with Todd, except to say that Jim Koch and Todd are "still friends." Todd has not replied to superchefblog's questions, but AB's Costello argues for them both: We look to help him to expand his brand: it's a win-win situation. He sees it as a very good relationship: our beer and our brand make sense [to him]. Our demographic for Michelob is 28+, a little older -- more refined, educated, affluent. We want to gain credibility with in the culinary arena. Looking at the specific case of Todd English, a number of partners and friends have chastised Todd for chasing sweet deals (see Jim Koch's advice in Super Chef p. 125 and the advice of others on pp. 118-119, 124) -- and, let's face it, the smell of greenbacks wafts strongly when a player like Anheuser-Busch passes by... Nor is Todd by any means alone when it comes to such temptation. Switching from one sponsor to a competitor in the same industry (beer), however, could prove to be an incendiary device, with an aroma most corporate sponsors do not particularly relish. At this point, then, whatever the bigger issues are, Todd might do better to stay with Anheuser-Busch on a more permanent basis than he did with Boston Beer, rather than move on for perhaps an even bigger deal. One might go beyond the obvious branding concerns into real super chef territory: perhaps Todd does not intend to stay in the Fine Dining arena. This is a question that poses itself before all super chefs, as more and more business opportunties arise that are farther and farther afield from Fine Dining. Just as beers -- first a higher quality producer like Boston Beer but now even the King of Beers, Anheuser-Busch -- are trying to leverage themselves into Fine Dining (to help them maintain or raise prices -- on standard Samuel Adams or premium Michelob), so too are super chefs faced with the possibility of spinning out of the more limited Fine Dining market into mass-market consumer areas like Fast Casual Food and Fast Food and beyond -- comparable to mass-marketed beers like Michelob. As always, super chef godfather Wolfgang Puck led the way along this road, particularly with Wolfgang Puck Express (see Super Chef pp. 37-39), but now we've also seen the trend with TV chefs, who have gone from the Haute Cuisine championed by Julia Child to the everyway ways of Rachael Ray. Clearly, Todd is not the only chef who feels pulled in different directions -- and he has already ventured into the mass-market arena with his Figs restaurant chain, a one-time frozen pasta line, an olive oil -- and olives. Meanwhile, though he may feel the mass market's tug (see previous article), Todd ain't no Michael Jordan and ain't nowhere near selling products with only a silhouette (see David Falk's comments about the Michael Jordan brand in Super Chef p. 208), so let's make sure he's always clearly labeled in all ads -- OK? Previous articles: Cooking Under Fire: Doused Romancing the Stove - or The Way We Worked? Todd English: Pitching After Puck? English is Italian: No Stars Cooking Under Fire: Already Over Done? Todd English's Foodie Hotel Todd English: Pots and Pans Pucked? Todd English: Childrens Oscars (Update) Ming Tsai TV Todd English Winner Gets "English is Italian"? Todd English Slums With Jeffrey Chodorow Todd English: Trip Over Table? More Halloween Mexicana, from Rick Bayless Todd English Flipflops between Bush and Kerry? Iron Chef: America vs. USA Todd English: American Chef Gone Wild Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, newsweek, Newsweek blog link --> subscribe to superchefblog --> back to superchefblog