Chef's Story

Tune in for a brand new episode of Chef’s Story , as host Dorothy Cann Hamilton sits down with none other than David Burke.

Burke graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, and soon thereafter traveled to France where he completed several stages with notable chefs such as Pierre Troisgros, Georges Blanc and Gaston Lenôtre. Burke’s mastery of French culinary technique was confirmed when, at age 26, he won France’s coveted Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Diplome d’Honneur for unparalleled skill and creativity with his native cuisine.

David Burke returned to the U.S. as a sous chef for Waldy Malouf at La Cremaillere and then for Charlie Palmer at The River Café, where he ascended to executive chef and earned three stars from The New York Times. In 1992, Burke opened the Park Avenue Café with Smith & Wollensky CEO Alan Stillman, and then, in 1996, he became vice president of culinary development for the Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group.

Burke has been honored with Japan’s Nippon Award of Excellence, the Robert Mondavi Award of Excellence and the CIA’s August Escoffier Award. Nation’s Restaurant News named Burke one of the 50 Top R&D Culinarians and Time Out New York honored him as the “Best Culinary Prankster” in 2003. In May 2009, Burke was inducted into the Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America by the James Beard Foundation. In that same month, he also won the distinctive Menu Masters award from Nation’s Restaurant News, naming him one of the nation’s most celebrated culinary innovators. In February 2012, Burke was honored by the culinary school at Johnson & Wales University with the Distinguished Visiting Chef Award, which is given to the world’s most influential and celebrated chefs. In November 2012, he was named Restaurateur of the Year by the New Jersey Restaurant Association. In the same month, he was honored with a Concierge Choice Award, celebrating the best in New York City hospitality, winning the best chef award. In 2013, Burke was nominated to “Best Chefs America,” a new benchmark in American cooking whereby chefs name the peers who are the most inspiring and impressive in the business. In 2013, the David Burke Group was recognized by Restaurant Hospitality magazine as having one of the “Coolest Multiconcept Companies in the Land.” The article highlights restaurant corporations with an enviable business concept that others can’t wait to replicate. In addition, it cites the numerous incarnations of Chef Burke’s creative vision, from David Burke Fishtail and Burke in the Box to David Burke’s Primehouse.

Chef Burke’s vast talents have been showcased recently on television, including season two of “Top Chef Masters,” a guest spot on the “Every Day with Rachael Ray” show and as a mentor to Breckenridge Bourbon distiller Bryan Nolt on Bloomberg’s small-business television series, “The Mentor”. In 2013, he returned to season five of “Top Chef Masters.”

Burke’s visibility as a celebrity chef has also led to consultant positions with hotels, cruise lines and food experts. Most recently, he was invited to join the Holland America Line Culinary Council alongside renowned international chefs Jonnie Boer, Marcus Samuelsson, Jacques Torres, Charlie Trotter and Elizabeth Falkner. In this capacity, Burke will consult on the cruise line’s culinary initiatives, including the CulinaryArtsCenter enrichment program, and provide signature recipes which will be featured on all 15 ships.

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Chef’s Story is back for another great season as host Dorothy Cann Hamilton is in conversation with Tim and Nancy Cushman.  A Boston native, Chef Tim Cushman earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz & Classical Guitar from Berklee School of Music in Boston, then moved to California in the early 1980’s to pursue the music business. Cushman took a job in a restaurant, as many aspiring musicians do. That was the start of what would become a culinary adventure around the world.

He has spent years cooking around the world in Japan, France, Thailand, Italy, Germany, Hong Kong, Mexico and Taiwan. In that time, he also served for seven years as a Corporate Chef with Lettuce Entertain You in Chicago, where he developed menus for the group’s new concepts.

In 1994, Cushman launched his own consulting business, Ideas in Taste, and developed menus for a variety of restaurateurs, from independents to large operators.

Presently, Cushman and his wife, Nancy, are Co-Proprietors of o ya, an award-winning, contemporary Japanese restaurant in Boston. Since opening, he and o ya have received numerous accolades, including a 2011 James Beard Nomination for Best Chef Northeast and being named by New York Times food critic, Frank Bruni, as the #1 new restaurant in the United States in 2008.

Since its opening, the accolades have been piling up – o ya was awarded a 29 food rating in the 2011/12 Zagat Guide. Cushman was also picked as a Best New Chef 2008 by Food & Wine, which also selected o ya as one of the top 10 new restaurants in the world. Bon Appetit and Details magazines have recognized o ya as one of the top 10 sushi restaurants in the United States. Boston Magazine named o ya as the #1 restaurant in Boston in 2009, and Best of Boston for four consecutive years.

Tune in for a wonderful episode to hear what is next for this dynamic duo!

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This week on _ Chef’s Story _, host Dorothy Cann Hamilton sits down with Chefs Kirsten Dixon and Mandy Dixon of the Tutka Bay Lodge and Winterlake Lodge located in Alaska.

Kirsten has been cooking in the backcountry of Alaska for more than twenty years. She is a passionate culinary student, educator, and an avid gardener. Kirsten spends most of her time at Winterlake Lodge, where she frequently teaches cooking classes in the kitchen or gives tours of the herb garden. Kirsten attended culinary school at the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and she holds a master’s degree in gastronomy (food history) from Adelaide University in Australia. She has published several cookbooks, including The Winterlake Lodge Cookbook, and is currently working on a new book project. Kirsten completed an MFA program in creative writing at Goddard College, Vermont. Kirsten has written for and has been featured in many national and international publications. Kirsten won an award for “Best Female Chef USA” for The Winterlake Lodge Cookbook at the Gourmand International Cookbook Awards in 2004.Chef Mandy Dixon frequently instructs at the Cooking School at Tutka Bay. She attended Le Cordon Bleu cooking school and continued her education at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, California. She worked for the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group before returning to her family business in Alaska.

Mandy is currently the chef at Winterlake Lodge where she prepares meals and desserts for guests. She oversees and manages the La Baleine Café in Homer. She frequently travels in pursuit of culinary education and teaches often. Mandy was recently a featured chef at the James Beard House in New York. Kirsten and Mandy oversee our team of eight seasonal chefs that join us at Winterlake Lodge, Tutka Bay Lodge, the Cooking School at Tutka Bay, and the La Baleiene Cafe.

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Ming’s love of cooking was forged in his early years. Ming was raised in Dayton, Ohio, where he spent hours cooking alongside his mother and father at Mandarin Kitchen, the family-owned restaurant. His experience also taught him about restaurant operations and the art of making customers happy.

Ming headed east to attend school at Phillips Academy Andover. From there, Ming continued to Yale University,earning his degree in Mechanical Engineering. During this time, Ming spent his summers attending Le Cordon Bleucooking school and apprenticing at area restaurants in Paris. After graduating from Yale, Ming moved to Paris and trained under renowned Pastry Chef Pierre Herme and then on to Osaka with Sushi Master Kobayashi.

Upon his return to the United States, Ming enrolled in graduate school at Cornell University, earning a Master’s degree in Hotel Administration and Hospitality Marketing.

Tune in to hear more from this fascinating chef as well as his path to opening Blue Ginger and Blue Dragon, authoring a plethora of cookbooks, and more!

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The daughter of a foreign correspondent and a food writer, Sara Jenkins grew up all over the Mediterranean, eating her way through its cultures and learning to cook. She began her kitchen under with Todd English at Figs in Boston, then went on to work as a chef in Florence and in the Tuscan countryside, as well as on the Caribbean island of Nevis, before returning to the United States.

In September 2008, Sara opened Porchetta, a storefront in the East Village focusing on the Italian roasted pork, typically sold as street food. Her brick and mortar Porchetta has been wildly successful, receiving a four-star review from New York Magazine. In November 2010, Sara opened Porsena, where she draws on her Tuscan and Roman childhood with a pasta-centric menu. As Mario Batali put it, “She’s one of the few chefs in America who understands Italy and how Italians eat.”

Tune in to hear all about Sara’s childhood living around the world, her path to the professional kitchen, and more delectable details from her life-long relationship with Italy.

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The idea of cooking as a career might have come to Evan Hanczor unconsciously. Evan spent summers strawberry picking and cooking with his family in Florida, and went to college at Tulane, in its gastronomically rich New Orleans setting. By the time he graduated and moved to Connecticut, Evan knew cooking was his calling, eschewing more schooling to take a hands-on position at The Dressing Room in Westport. Evan moved to New York City in 2009, working at Locanda Verde before nabbing a spot at Brooklyn’s Egg, where he mastered the many expressions of Southern cooking. In 2012, George Weld and Evan opened Parrish Hall, whose Northeastern culinary expressions and sustainable infrastructure earned Evan much praise. And while Parrish Hall closed, Evan returned to Egg with a richer repertoire and a continued focus on his team and community.

Hailing from Virginia and the Carolinas (the heart of American breakfast country), George Weld settled in New York in his 20s and upon opening Egg at age 33, his Southern roots were made evident in the notable breakfast menu. Between the use of traditional sweeteners and ham implemented throughout plus local and artisanal ingredients, it is no surprise that George’s enterprise has expanded to include a farm and other eatery opportunities. Also an accomplished photographer and an author, his writing can be seen posted on the popular blog Edible Brooklyn.

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This week on Chef’s Story, tune in as Dorothy Cann Hamilton finds that it’s not the awards or the notoriety that fuels the fire for Chef/Restaurateur Cathy Whims. It’s the quest to offer historically-based, authentic dishes that celebrate a sense of place and a local producer’s passion that keep the beloved Portland, Oregon culinary treasure at the stove. She and her partner, David West, opened Nostrana in 2005 and quickly earned The Oregonian’s coveted designation as Best Restaurant of the Year. Nostrana is an Italian road-house in Southeast Portland serving classical and inventive seasonal dishes reflective of Cathy’s close, personal relationships with Northwest farmers.

Prior to establishing Nostrana as well as Oven and Shaker, Cathy’s take on a pizza-serving urban saloon, she was part of the kitchen and eventually co-owner of Portland’s pioneering prix-fixe Italian restaurant, Genoa. Cathy attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she relays to Dorothy that she majored in Latin. In the course of her professional career, Cathy has studied with Marcella and Victor Hazan at their home in Venice, and Madeleine Kamman at the highly respected School for American Chefs. Whims has cooked with Giancinto Albarello at Genoa and in his own kitchen at the Antica Torre Trattoria in Barbaresco, and with Marco Forneris at Osteria La Libera in Alba, both renowned restaurants of the Langhe. A never-ending curiosity and quest for complexity of flavors found only in simple cooking takes Whims often to Italy where she continues to make new friendships and enjoy the roots of Italian cooking.

—Cathy Whims on Chef’s Story

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This week on A Chef’s Story, Dorothy Cann Hamilton is Joined by Jonathan and Justin Fox, owners of Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q in Atlanta. After growing up with Texas barbecue, the Fox brothers were underwhelmed by the Atlantan barbecue after moving there in 1998. So they decided to take matters into their own hands and learn to cook barbecue themselves. In 2007, they opened the Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q restaurant. Now they are incredibly successful and are cooking up to 3000 lbs of meat in their kitchen at any given time. On today’s show, the Fox Bros. discuss what inspired them to learn to cook barbecue, how they choose what meats to cook in their restaurant, and the cooking process that makes their meat delicious enough to make them runners up for the title “Best Overall Bar-B-Q” In Atlanta.

“[Brisket usually has] more fat and connected tissue. And when you slow cook it for long periods of time it’s usually going to make it a lot more tender.” [21:00]

“We want to make sure that when you come in at dinner, you’re getting the fresh stuff. And when you come in at lunch, you’re getting the fresh stuff.” [23:00]

–Fox Bros. on A Chef’s Story

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This week’s featured guest on Chef’s Story is Paul Bartolotta. In 1980, Paul graduated from the Restaurant and Hotel Management Program at Milwaukee Area Technical College. His cultural education began with New York restaurateur, Tony May, owner at the time of the Rainbow Room and founder of Gruppo Ristoratori Italiani, the international food society devoted to maintaining the traditions and standards of classical Italian colleagues. Initially instituted as a six-month tour of duty for Paul, this stint evolved into a seven-year education of the highest order. Working in some of the country’s most prestigious restaurants, the aspiring Chef studied all phases of managing a first class restaurant.

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This week on Chef’s Story host Dorothy Cann Hamilton interviews one of the new living legends of New York chefs, Bryce Shuman. Bryce tells us about his life, when he lived in the arctic, traveled to San Francisco for culinary school, and how he came to his restaurant Betony. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.

“I think now I’m innately very accepting, I think that has helped me become the person that I am, I try not to judge people.” [14:00]

“I wanted it to be a fine dining restaurant, I wanted to work at a restaurant that had 3 Michelin stars and 4 stars from the New York Times, these things were important to me.” [36:00]

“There are may opportunities that will pull you away from the restaurant but you have to decide what is more important.” [44:00]

— Bryce Shuman on Chef’s Story

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