Chef's Story

Meet Chef Dale Talde, a first generation Filipino American who made a splash on Top Chef All Stars and is the chef/owner at TALDE, Pork Slope and Thistle Hill Tavern. Chef Talde has been named Food & Wine’s 2013 People’s Best New Chef for New York City, and is one of the most talked about chefs in the industry right now. On this week’s episode of Chef’s Story, hear about his rise to stardom from cooking pancakes as a kid to cooking at an Outback Steakhouse in Chicago and messing up chicken entrees horribly. From cultural identity to multi-tasking in the kitchen – get some serious insight from a world-class culinary talent. This program was sponsored by Whole Foods Market.

“Cooking is like the stock exchange – you multitask, hear something being barked in your ear, continue to work and remember what was yelled in your ear – it’s a skill set school never fully teaches you.” [22:00]

“If you don’t empower your staff to be creative – you’re doing a disservice to them. That’s what spurs them and makes them better chefs.” [45:00]

–Chef Dale Talde on Chef’s Story

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Tony Maws is a non-traditional chef – an “idealist with a kitchen” might be a more appropriate job description. His ideology: that local, seasonal and sustainably sourced ingredients are intrinsically better, and that these ingredients form the most significant part of what makes great food great. Tune in to this week’s episode of “Chef’s Story” and meet the Cambridge, MA based chef. Learn about his restaurant, Craigie On Main, and hear his culinary influences and the journey he took to become the renowned chef he is today. This program was sponsored by S. Wallace Edwards & Sons.

“I love my restaurant -this will always be my baby – but I’d love to do something more rustic, casual and louder.” [19:00]

“I get to cook for people every day and put smiles on their faces – I never take that for granted. It’s powerful.” [21:00]

–chef Tony Maws on HeritageRadioNetwork.org

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Joaquin Baca is the unsung hero behind the Momofuku empire. After answering a Monster.com ad, he met David Chang and went on to become co-owner of Momofuku, opening Noodle Bar, Ssam Bar and Ko with Chang. Years later, he has gone on to open Brooklyn Star, a family-style Old American restaurant in North Williamsburg that offers comfort food in the best way possible. On this week’s episode of Chef’s Story, chef Baca sits down with host Dorothy Cann Hamilton and shares his culinary journey – from growing up in different countries across the world to opening his own restaurant with his own two hands and a barebones staff. This program was sponsored by Hearst Ranch

“I learned in the opening [of Brooklyn Star] that I don’t ever want to do anything by myself again.” [25:40]

“Brooklyn Star was my chance to do what’s near and dear to me in a less filtered fashion.” [31:50]

–chef Joaquin Baca on Chef’s Story

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Seamus Mullen is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. He is the chef/owner behind Tertulia. Tune in to this week’s episode of Chef’s Story as Dorothy Cann Hamilton chats with Seamus about his homesteading Vermont upbringing, his time spend ex at Mugaritz learning the Basque Cuisine, and the opening of his first restaurant, Tertulia. Find out how the communal, fun-first culture of Spain was his inspiration behind Tertulia and learn how he did everything he could to make his New York City restaurant feel uniquely Spanish. Learn more about the inspiration behind his book Hero Food: How Cooking with Delicious Things Can Make Us Feel Better, which highlights 18 ingredients (“Hero Foods”) that help him manage his symptoms of arthritis. This program was sponsored by Cain Vineyard & Winery.

“There are some people who still expect a gumbo style risotto-y gloppy mess of rice thinking that’s what paella should be because that’s what they’ve had in the US.” [42:00]

“I always tell the guys in the kitchen – good technique is good technique, it doesn’t matter what you’re cooking.” [44:00]

–Seamus Mullen on Chef’s Story

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

“Science is part of cooking, inherently!” [10:00]

“Iron Chef is one of the most stressful things I’ve done in my entire life.” [30:00]

“I generally pull from all over. I’m a French trained, Korean born, British chef!” [32:00]

–Chef Judy Joo on Chef’s Story

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Acclaimed Chef George Mendes opens up on an intimate conversation with Dorothy Cann Hamilton on this week’s episode of Chef’s Story. A first-generation American born to Portuguese parents, George Mendes has fond memories of the elaborate, festive meals his family would prepare while he was growing up in Danbury, Connecticut. Hear his culinary journey in his own words, from culinary school to Bouley to San Sebastian in Spain and eventually, many restaurant jobs later, opening Aldea in New York City. Find out how the lessons he learned working the back of the house with some of the most seminal chefs in the world helped shape his cooking style and turned him into the chef he is today. This program was sponsored by Whole Foods Market.

“Having a really sharp knife is the start of everything. Too many cooks come in the kitchen with expensive knives that aren’t sharp. To me – that’s useless.” [18:00]

“You can have a basic dish of 3 ingredients but it can sing off the table if you pay attention and do it right with discipline, focus, passion and skill.” [26:00]

“I think it’s important for a chef to know the basics but evolve and learn modern technology while keeping an open mind.” [36:00]

–George Mendes of Aldea on Chef’s Story

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Discover the fascinating world of high-end catering on a unique episode of Chef’s Story. Tune in as host Dorothy Cann Hamilton is joined by catering chef Jenny Glasgow of Oliver Cheng Catering & Events. Find out how restaurant cooking and catering cooking are completely different and how events can be stressful, hectic and miraculous. From fashion events to two person wedding parties, hear some incredible stories from a woman who has seen an enormous variety of culinary and logistical challenges. Hear how problem solving, shipping, plating and staffing all come into play for catering and why Jenny tries to stay away from dishes with pasta or risotto due to their time sensitive nature. This program was sponsored by Cain Vineyard & Winery.

“Last year alone I did somewhere from 250-300 custom menus for events. No two events are alike, we don’t want to do cookie cutter events.” [22:22]

“When you’re catering you have to safeguard against everything that could possibly go wrong.” [33:25]

–Jenny Glasgow of Oliver Cheng Catering & Events on Chef’s Story

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Michael Lomonaco has NYC and Brooklyn in his blood, and he’s here to share his culinary journey on Chef’s Story with Dorothy Cann Hamilton. Tune in and hear what it was like growing up in Bensonhurst in an Italian American family and cooking things like zeppoli and cranberry beans at home. Hear how Michael quit acting to pursue cooking by attending culinary school, and eventually going on to cook at Le Cirque and the 21 Club. Listen in as he recounts his experience as the Executive Chef at Windows on the World at the World Trade Center during 9/11, and describes his current position as Executive Chef/Partner at Porter House NY. This program was sponsored by Brooklyn Slate.

“Food has become entertainment. Today people don’t buy tickets to a show – they go to a bar or a restaurant and that’s the show.” [27:00]

“In order to be free as a creative person – you need to really know your instrument. The French are famous for calling the stove the piano.” [29:30]

–Chef Michael Lomonaco on Chef’s Story

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Who needs knead? We’re talking bread on this week’s episode of Chef’s Story as Dorothy Cann Hamilton is joined by the one and only Jim Lahey. Jim is the founder of Sullivan Street Bakery, New York’s premier bakery, where he has become renowned not just for his bread, but for his Roman-style pizza, rustic Italian pastries and cookies. Jim is also the author of two cookbooks, My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method and My Pizza: The Easy No-Knead Way to Make Spectacular Pizza at Home. Hear Jim’s incredible story of bouncing around schools in Long Island, going to art school, living in Italy, dealing with health issues and eventually finding his way to Sullivan Street to pioneer bread in New York City. This program was sponsored by Route 11 Potato Chips.

“When it comes to using yeast, obviously the fresher and more viable the inoculate is, the better or more predictable your result will be.” [26:00]

“I can’t sell you the work of a lot of decisions, effort and knowledge if I don’t know how to reign it in and replicate it.” [29:00]

“In order for bread to have flourished and survived – it must have been easy to do.” [41:00]

–Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery on Chef’s Story

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

“I think you see a lot kinder kitchens now where people want others to learn and they are more willing to share, but when I started it was every man for himself.” [15:50]

“You get to a point where you want to do your own thing.. I had a voice I wanted to share what I loved doing and what food could be and I wasn’t going to be able to do it in any other kitchen.” [21:15]

“Vegetarian restaurants have very little to do with vegetables. They tend to be more dedicated to the lifestyle of vegetarianism as opposed to really promoting vegetables.” [22:08]

–Amanda Cohen, chef/owner of Dirt Candy on Chef’s Story

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