Chef's Story

Chef Mark Ladner joins Dorothy Cann Hamilton for a special interview on Chef’s Story, recorded at the USA Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015! Chef Ladner touches on his childhood, his formative food memories, his career trajectory and his advice for aspiring chefs. He also explains what drove him to open his pop-up gluten-free pasta concept, Pasta Flyer. Mark Ladner is the James Beard award winning chef of Del Posto. Chef Ladner’s education began in Cambridge, MA at independently owned and operated pizza counters, followed by formal culinary schooling at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. He moved to NYC in the early 90’s and worked with several well-regarded restaurateurs, before meeting Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich and opening Babbo Ristorante as Sous Chef in 1998. Ladner has since opened Lupa Osteria Romana (1999), Otto Enoteca Pizzeria (2002) and Del Posto (2005) as Chef/Partner at each restaurant. Mark co-authored Molto Gusto (Ecco, 2010) with Mario Batali. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.

“I really truly believe that as long as you can make food taste the way that you like, I don’t think you need to spend a tremendous amount of time continuing to polish your culinary skills. You can waste a lot of time spelunking down the rabbit hole for culinary greatness when, in this day and age, from an entrepreneurial and business perspective there’s such a broad range of skill sets necessary to be successful in this industry. Spending too much time trying to perfect a bite of food might not be the best use of your time.” [11:00]

“Once you have your own kitchen it doesn’t necessarily mean you stop learning.” [22:00]

“There are two things I’m adamant about. One is a monkish devotion to pasta – specifically the cooking and saucing of rather than the making or stuffing of. The execution in the last several minutes is something people don’t spend enough time obsessing over. Two is knowing it’s important to remove as much variable for error from the equation before service so you can just focus on service.” [30:00]

“I don’t consider myself to be an elitist person. I need a part of me that’s able to embrace a more populist culture.” [46:00]

–Mark Ladner on Chef’s Story

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Colman Andrews is an American writer and editor and authority on food and wine. In culinary circles, he is best known for his association with Saveur magazine, which he founded with Dorothy Kalins, Michael Grossman, and Christopher Hirsheimer in 1994 and where he served as editor-in-chief from 2001 until 2006. After resigning from the magazine in 2006, he became the restaurant columnist for Gourmet. In 2010, he helped launch a food and drink website, The Daily Meal, and serves as its editorial director. He is considered one of the world’s foremost experts on Spanish cuisine, particularly that of the Catalonia region, and toady he sat down for a conversation with host Dorothy Cann Hamilton for a conversation about the brown derby, his parents influence in his life, and his journey as a food writer. This program was sponsored by Heritage Foods USA.

“I was an english major, and then in fact a radio major…I didn’t spend much time studying.” [13:00]

“Theoretically if you have any interest in food or drink at any angle it should be the first place you look every morning [The Daily Meal].” [20:00]

“I hate writing. It’s terrible. It’s an awful way to make a living. It’s mentally and psychically hard. I don’t like writing – I just feel compelled to do it.” [33:00]

— Colman Andrews on Chef’s Story

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This week’s guest on Chef’s Story is chef Jimmy Bradley. The chef-owner of two popular New York City restaurants – The Red Cat, The Harrison – Jimmy Bradley presides over neighborhood joint that have become destinations for guests from around the city, and the country. A purveyor of straightforward, occasionally irreverent, food and contagious conviviality, all of it wrapped up in an attitude-free package, Bradley has helped contemporary diners rediscover the intrinsic value of classic Mediterranean cuisine, reinterpreted for a modern American clientele. He and his recipes are regularly featured in The New York Times, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, and other food publications, as well as on local and national television programs. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.

–Jimmy Bradley on Chef’s Story

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Brooke Williamson’s entire life has always been about food. Ever since she can remember, Williamson wanted to become a chef or a restaurateur. After working with some of the country’s top chefs, her dream has finally been realized in the form of successful ventures such as Amuse Café, Beechwood, and projects with chef-husband Nick Roberts, Hudson House in Redondo Beach, The Tripel and 4-in-1 concept Playa Provisions in Playa Del Rey. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.

“I’m just as passionate about raising my son as I am running my own restaurant.” [37:00]

–Brooke Williamson on Chef’s Story

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This week’s guest on Chef’s Story is Soulayphet “Phet” Schwader. Born in a small village outside the capital of Laos, “Thangone,” Soulayphet Schwader immigrated to the U.S. at a very young age. Growing up in Kansas Soulayphet recalls a youth spent clamoring for a ham sandwich instead of the traditional Laotian lunch his mother would pack for him each day. It wasn’t until he secured his first job as a fry cook, while studying philosophy in college that the possibilities inherent in his colorful background began to materialize.

Schwader began his formal education at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. After completing an externship at Dundee Bistro in Oregon where he was exposed to the nuances of wine and its relationship to food, Schwader came to New York to work under Patricia Yeo at AZ. Working with an award-winning team that counted Chef Pino Maffeo among its members.

When Chef Maffeo headed to Boston to open Restaurant L, he recruited Schwader as his Chef de cuisine, who was able to explore his Asian roots, playing with flavors and ingredients that lent an eclectic distinction to the acclaimed restaurant. After two years under the tutelage of the famously creative Chef, Schwader returned to New York where he would take on his first post under his trusted mentor, Laurent Tourondel, at BLT Prime in New York. He was later tapped to open one of BLT’s first outposts outside of Manhattan in Washington, D.C. As Chef de cuisine for BLT Steak, Washington, D.C., Schwader’s influence was felt in the kitchen and on the menu, leading BLT Steak to become a popular destination for many Washingtonians.

Schwader returned to New York in 2008 to work with colleague and friend King Phojanakong to open their highly anticipated restaurant Umi Nom. While at Umi Nom, Soulayphet explored his Asian heritage, incorporating flavors associated with great memories of food and flavors his mother would bring to the table growing up in Kansas and using all the techniques and influences in his culinary career to make Umi Nom a wonderful dining destination in Brooklyn.

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What’s it like cooking in the White House? Find out on an incredible episode of Chef’s Story with Dorothy Cann Hamilton. She’s joined by William “Bill” Yosses, the coauthor of the book Desserts For Dummies and the former White House Executive Pastry Chef. Yosses was the successor to Thaddeus DuBois who left the same position in 2006. He served as a White House Holiday Pastry Chef for the 2006 holiday season. His most recent project has been to assist in the opening of Paul Newman’s Dressing Room in Westport, Connecticut-a restaurant utilizing locally grown, artisanal and organic food sources. Other Executive Pastry Chef experience includes Josephs Citarella in New York City; planning, designing and opening the pastry department of Bouley Restaurant and Bakery and operating the pastry department of the Tavern on the Green Restaurant in New York City. Mr. Yosses was also Pastry Chef at Montrachet Restaurant in New York City. This program was brought to you by Visit Napa Valley.

“There is a lot of scrutiny through a lot of oversight of budgets and planning and scheduling. There are many layers of that kind of work which is part in parcel of the job.” [37:00]

–Bill Yosses on Chef’s Story

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This week’s featured chef on Chef’s Story is Jesse Schenker. Jesse has amassed an impressive culinary history as executive chef and owner of recette and The Gander in New York City. His contemporary approach to creating American classics is a reflection of his devotion to highly-refined technique combined with his passion for comforting and satisfying food. Growing up in Florida, Schenker experienced epicurean pleasures that quickly ignited his passion and set him on the path toward becoming a chef. He began requesting menus from his parents’ dinners and invested in a cookbook collection that has since grown to nearly 350 volumes. His clear intensity for the culinary world found an early start and has not abated since. This program was brought to you by Visit Napa Valley.

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This week on Chef’s Story, hear from the world famous Alan Richman, “the most decorated food writer in history.” He has won 15 James Beard Journalism Awards, a National Magazine Award (and was a finalist five more times), and a Bronze Star for service in Vietnam. You won’t find food writers like him at the food magazines. When he received his National Magazine Award, the presenter described him as “the Indiana Jones of food writers.” He has reviewed restaurants in nearly every Communist country (China, Vietnam, Cuba, East Germany), proof that he will go anywhere for a meal. He once reviewed the Chicago restaurant owned and operated by Louis Farrakhan, not known to be a fan of Jewish journalists. In Cuba, he defied government regulations by interviewing starving political dissidents, then rewarded himself with a lobster lunch at the most expensive restaurant in Havana. In 1998, Richman was inducted into The James Beard Foundation Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America, which recognizes culinary industry professionals for their achievements. He is the Dean of Food Journalism at The French Culinary Institute in New York, where he teaches a class in food writing. Richman’s 14 Beard awards have been presented in restaurant reviewing, feature writing, and wine writing. He has also taken the top prize, the M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award, twice. He continues to indulge his passion for eight-course dinners (plus cheese). This program was brought to you by Visit Napa Valley.

“The screen is the future of food journalism.” [15:00]

–Alan Richman on Chef’s Story

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This week’s featured chef on Chef’s Story is Traci Des Jardins, Chef/Owner of Jardinière, Mijita Cocina Mexicana 
and Chef/Partner of Public House.

“If you’re going to own your own business you better understand what a P&L is. You can lose a lot of money very quickly if you’re not paying attention.” [33:00]

“I see lots of young women who come through my kitchen and when they decide to have a child never come back to the kitchen. Motherhood is enthralling and having a child is tough competition for wanting to come back and work. It’s a tough dilemma for women in general.” [44:00]

–Traci Des Jardins on Chef’s Story

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Get an inside look at the life of the legendary Peter Kaminsky on today’s episode of Chef’s Story. Peter Kaminsky is the author and coauthor of many books, including Pig Perfect, Culinary Intelligence, Seven Fires and Mallmann on Fire (with Francis Mallmann), and Charred and Scruffed (with Adam Perry Lang). He is a longtime contributor to Food & Wine and a former columnist for The New York Times and New York magazine. He’s a mentor to many chefs and is a real renaissance man. He knows as much about fly fishing as anyone, is the Creator and Executive Producer of the Mark Twain prize for American humor and was a contributor at National Lampoon in the 70’s. Tune in for some real knowledge and insight on this show! This program was brought to you by Visit Napa Valley.

“[My advice to chefs is to] travel. You won’t be able to do that your whole life when you get tied down to a restaurant or family. So much of what goes on in the food world these days comes from travel and experiencing other peoples cuisines.” [43:00]

“Food is among the most important things in your life. On the other hand it’s important not to make it overly important. People who talk about food a lot are talking about it too much, I think.” [46:00]

—Peter Kaminsky on Chef’s Story

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