Chef's Story

Michel Richard is an author, industry advocate, philanthropist, and legendary chef. Known as a pioneer of French food in America, the Brittany native knew he wanted to be a chef at 8, when he first glimpsed a restaurant kitchen. At 14, Richard apprenticed at a patisserie in Champagne, moving to Paris three years later, where he quickly rose to the top position at Gaston Lenotre’s esteemed pastry shop. In 1974, he moved to America to help open a Manhattan shop with Lenotre and found himself at home in a new country. Three years later, he opened Michel Richard in Los Angeles—it was an instantaneous success. A decade later, Richard opened the stylized and quintessentially French-Californian Citrus and the following year was inducted into James Beard’s “Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America.” Richard then opened a series of restaurants across the country, and even in Japan. Find out what it took to transition from pastry to savory chef and hear the legendary Michel Richard reflect on his career with Dorothy Cann Hamilton on Chef’s Story. This program was sponsored by Heritage Foods USA.

[Savory cooking] is fun because you have to come up with something different every day. You get to create an emotion with your cooking.” [15:00]

“In 10 years America will be the best. All the young chefs want to move to America.” [27:00]

–Michel Richard on Chef’s Story

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Fresh off winning the Outstanding Restauranteur award at the James Beard Awards, Barbara Lynch sits down with Dorothy Cann Hamilton on Chef’s Story for a candid and insightful conversation on her upbringing, her career and her current projects. Hear how “Knuckles Lynch” survived a tough childhood in the projects and went from working as a bookie in high school to becoming a world renowned chef and restauranteur. From bad business deals to meetings with Michelle Obama, get a rare behind the curtain look at one of America’s most fascinating and bold personalities in food. This program was brought to you by Fairway Market.

“My first trip to Italy was the first time I really felt I wanted to do this. In Italy you didn’t need a title you just needed to make good pasta.” [23:00]

–Barbara Lynch on Chef’s Story

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Chef. Restaurateur. Author. Television personality. Environmental advocate. Philanthropist. Rick Bayless wears a lot of hats. His wife, Deann Groen Bayless has also spent nearly three decades in the Chicago restaurant business. Meet them both on today’s episode of Chef’s Story with host Dorothy Cann Hamilton. She’s chatting with the Bayless duo about their culinary journey, philosophy and current projects. Hear how they met, why they decided to focus on Mexican cuisine and how they manage to juggle so many endeavors. What makes Chicago so special? What does it take to put on a successful television show? What is real Mexican cuisine? Find out – on Chef’s Story!. This program was sponsored by Whole Foods Market.

“I think a lot of people somehow think the on-air talent can do everything – it’s not true at all. Everyperson who has some sort of front-end talent needs a really strong producer or editor behind that keeps the whole thing going. Most of my success has been due to the fact that Deann is such a great producer.” [30:00]

“In the restaurant business one of the things we always try to do is create community.” [41:00]

–Rick Bayless on Chef’s Story

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If there’s one thing EdMcFarland knows, it’s lobster. He’s the chef/proprietor of Ed’s Lobster Bar, a legendary NYC Seafood spot with a New England fish-house vibe featuring a raw bar, lobster rolls & fish plates. He’s this week’s guest on Chef’s Story with Dorothy Cann Hamilton and he shares his culinary journey with listeners. Find out how he found his passion for seafood and what it took to open his first restaurant with no background in business or management. Ed explains why lobster is so sustainable and why it was so important for him to have a bar element at his restaurant. This program was sponsored by Bonnie Plants

“I wish I had more of a business background. That’s the place I suffered the most – and I think most chefs do too.” [28:00]

“You have to challenge yourself every day and constantly improve on what you’re doing – even if its the same food item.” [30:00]

–Ed McFarland on Chef’s Story

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Ruth Reichl may not be a chef, but she has been known to “make or break” a restaurant with her legendary restaurant reviews and food writing. The one and only Ruth Reichl is this week’s guest on a special edition of Chef’s Story, hosted by Dorothy Cann Hamilton. Tune in and hear how Ruth found food as a career and how she’s seen the role of the chef during the course of her illustrious career. She gives her perspective on a number of topics including sustainability, cultural food identity and gastronomic journalism. From women in food to celebrity chef culture – tune in and hear Ruth’s razor sharp take on the modern food landscape. This program was sponsored by Fairway Market.

“There’s always something new to do in food – it’s like a moving target. It’s not just about restaurants.” [10:00]

“A modern american chef is somebody who is really passionate about food and feed people his/her interpretation of the best food that he or she can possible imagine.” [35:00]

“If we don’t want to have a system where only rich people eat well, and we don’t want to be inundated by fast food – we have to do something and do it quickly.” [41:00]

–Ruth Reichl on Chef’s Story

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It’s no secret that Marcus Samuelsson is a star. He was the youngest chef to get a 3 star review from the New York Times. He’s cooked at the White House. He’s received numerous awards – too many to count. He’s one of the most recognized and celebrated chefs working today, and he’s this week’s guest on Chef’s Story with Dorothy Cann Hamilton. Hear his thoughts on everything from cultural identity to culinary camaraderie on a candid and conversational conversation. This program was sponsored by Edwards VA Ham.

“I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything. It made me who I am. For every scar story I can tell you 10-15 camaraderie stories. There’s a sense of love in the kitchen that you can’t describe to people that aren’t a part of our industry. That’s why I stick up for my team.” [30:00]

–Marcus Samuelsson on Chef’s Story

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If you love food and you’re not familiar with Wylie Dufresne, you must be living under a rock. The star-chef is the culinary mastermind behind WD50 and Alder, two of the most forward thinking “molecular gastronomy” themed restaurants in the world. On this week’s episode of Chef’s Story, Dorothy Cann Hamilton sits down with Chef Dufresne and has a conversation about his cooking, his life, his work, his family and his influences. Learn about the philosophy behind Wylie’s work and join him as he recounts the culinary journey that brought him to chef stardom. This program was sponsored by Fairway Market.

“If I had my drothers, I would have been a professional athlete…That was never in the cards.” [18:00]

“[At my restaurants] we’re using all of the information today going backwards and tomorrow going forward.” [43:00]

–Wylie Dufresne on Chef’s Story

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Lidia Bastianich is an Emmy award-winning public television host, a best‐selling cookbook author, restaurateur, and owner of a flourishing food and entertainment business. Lidia has married her two passions in life – her family and food, to create multiple culinary endeavors alongside her two children, Joseph and Tanya. Lidia’s cookbooks include Lidia’s Commonsense Italian Cooking, Lidia’s Favorite Recipes, Lidia’s Italy in America, Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy, and Lidia’s Italy—all companion books to the three‐time Emmy‐nominated television series Lidia’s Kitchen, Lidia’s Italy in America and Lidia’s Italy. Lidia is the chef/owner of four acclaimed New York City restaurants ‐ Felidia, Becco, Esca and Del Posto, as well as Lidia’s Pittsburgh and Lidia’s Kansas City. She is also founder and president of Tavola Productions, an entertainment company that produces high‐quality broadcast productions. Along with her son, Joe Bastianich, Mario Batali, and Oscar Farinetti, the team opened Eataly, the largest artisanal Italian food and wine marketplace in New York City. This program was sponsored by Whole Foods Market

“Prepare yourself – be prepared. Practice, work as hard as you can, then go out there and do the best that you can.” [20:00]

–Lidia Bastianich on Chef’s Story

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This week, Dorothy sits down with Dan Silverman to hear his story. He is a graduate of the International Culinary Center, and has gone on to be an integral aspect of many big restaurants in New York City. Tune in to hear about Dan’s eye-opening experience leaving cooking school and working for David Bouley, and how that jump-started his career. This program has been sponsored by Whole Foods Market. Today’s music provided by Dead Stars.

Image by Robert Caplin for The New York Times

“It’s interesting to me what you learn after that initial push.” [36:20]

Dan Silverman on Chef’s Story

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This week on Chef’s Story, Dorothy meets up with Tory McPhail, executive chef of Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, Louisiana. She asks him about growing up in a small town in Washington, and how his passion for cooking led him to travel the country to explore different cultures and culinary worlds. Tune in to hear Tory’s full story! This program has been sponsored by Whole Foods Market. Today’s music has been provided by Dead Stars.

Image from Cooking Light

“I thought I really knew how to cook and I understood what good flavors were all about, but coming down to New Orleans I didn’t know a thing about what great food really was.” [9:15]

Tory McPhail on Chef’s Story

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