Chef's Story

This week on Chef’s Story, Charles Phan, owner and executive chef of The Slanted Door in San Francisco, joins host Dorothy Cann Hamilton for a conversation about Charles’ special memories, beliefs, inspirations, and passions of his craft. Charles Phan was born in South Vietnam, but when his homeland fell to the Vietcong, he and his family moved briefly to Guam and then settled in San Francisco. In 1995, Phan opened The Slanted Door, a restaurant that broke the mold of the run-of-the-mill “ethnic” joint. The Slanted Door was an immediate success and has continued to garner praise from restaurant critics across the country. In 2004, Phan won the coveted James Beard Award for Best Chef: California, and has since then garnered success and popularity from critics and food professionals all over the world. Find out more about the interesting story behind chef Charles Phan on today’s episode of Chef’s Story! This program has been sponsored by Fairway Market.

“When your back is against the wall, and you have nothing else, you just do what you can.” [44:10]

— Charles Phan on Chef’s Story

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Daniel Humm is the Executive Chef and Co-Owner of Eleven Madison Park, in New York City. Eleven Madison Park expresses the spirit of grand New York dining, with executive chef Daniel Humm’s masterfully prepared pure, market-driven cuisine. A native of Switzerland, Daniel began his culinary training at the age of 14. He went on to cook at a number of the finest Swiss hotels and restaurants before earning his first Michelin star at the young age of 24, as the executive chef at Gasthaus zum Gupf in the Swiss Alps. In 2003, Daniel moved to the United States and became the executive chef at Campton Place in San Francisco, receiving four stars from the San Francisco Chronicle. Three years later, Chef Daniel moved to New York to become the executive chef at Eleven Madison Park, where, in 2008 he was named Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux. Over the course of Chef Daniel’s tenure, he and the restaurant have received numerous accolades including four stars from the New York Times, six James Beard Foundation Awards (including Best Chef: New York City, Outstanding Service, and Outstanding Restaurant in America), as well as three Michelin Stars and a spot on the San Pellegrino list of the World’s 50 Best restaurants. Tune-in to hear from one of the most respected chef’s in the food industry today. This program has been sponsored by Brooklyn Slate.

“I just always want to love what I do. To this day, my favorite part is being in the kitchen, being with the chefs, and creating dishes. That’s my favorite part.” [47:30]

— Daniel Humm on Chef’s Story

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Shaun Hergatt is the executive chef of Juni, a boutique restaurant which celebrates the height of the season. An intimate affair between the guest and Chef Hergatt, the 50-seat restaurant offers an evolving menu that showcases the bounty of the seasons and ingredients when they are at their freshest and finest. Each element of the unique dining experience is Chef Shaun’s creation, from the restaurant design and tablescape to the composition and presentation of his distinctive dishes. Growing up in a culinary-oriented family in Cairns, Australia, Chef Hergatt was enamored with cooking from a young age. He was exposed to a unique combination of impassioned and professional cooking by way of his Scandinavian grandmother and his father, a professional chef. At 17, the ever-ambitious Hergatt, who has always felt that cooking was “in his blood,” pursued a four-year apprenticeship at Crystal Twig, a fine dining restaurant in Cairns where he was trained in classic French cooking. In 1997, at the age of 23, he became chef de cuisine of The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, Sydney, where he quickly earned international accolades including an AHA “Best Young Chef” award in 2000, while the restaurant was named “Top 5 Up and Coming Restaurants in the World” by Condé Nast Traveler and received a Gold Medal from the prestigious International Salon Culinaire. This program has been sponsored by Whole Foods Market.

“I wanted to be an all-rounded guy that knew the quality and consistency of every part of the business.” [20:10]

— Shaun Hergatt on Chef’s Story

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Growing up in Rhode Island, Chris Cosentino spent his time clamming, commercial fishing, and cranking the pasta machine in his great-grandmother’s kitchen. He was raised on a cuisine particular to parts of New England where Atlantic seafood, Yankee fare and classic Italian cooking fuse into one colorful gastronomy. Creating good food was a family tradition, as Cosentino’s maternal ancestors, the Eastons, were the founders of Newport’s beloved Easton’s Sausage Company. Today, as executive chef of San Francisco’s Incanto, where he cooks in an earthy rustic Italian style, Cosentino is proving that a penchant for meats may just be hereditary. Cured, raw or roasted; traditional cut or offal, meat is his muse. Yet this meat-loving chef does not ignore produce. California is a giant garden, he says, and indeed, he can be spotted at San Francisco’s Ferry Plaza farmers market every Saturday morning, rain or shine. Cosentino’s formal education took place at Johnson and Wales. Upon graduation, he worked at Mark Miller’s Red Sage in Washington, DC. After Red Sage, Cosentino worked at Kinkead’s before moving to San Francisco to work under Traci des Jardins at Rubicon. He was then tapped by Drew Nieporent to open The Coach House on Martha’s Vineyard. Cosentino returned to California to work briefly at Chez Panisse, as well as the three-star Belon as sous chef, and as a chef/consultant at Michael Mina’s Aqua group, opening Nob Hill in Las Vegas. At Incanto, Cosentino makes his Executive Chef debut. He took over the helm of the one year-old restaurant in 2003, immediately garnering a three-star review from SF Chronicle’s Michael Bauer, the first of many critical accolades. Tune-in for another exciting episode with chef Chris Cosentino! This program has been sponsored by Whole Foods Market.

Photo by Abby Ainsworth, acqtaste.com

“Know where the food comes from first, before you start a trend and change the world. That’s what Mark Miller taught me.” [23:30]

— Chris Cosentino on Chef’s Story

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Chef’s Story, host Dorothy Cann Hamilton is in the San Francisco Bay Area to speak with Gary Danko, executive chef his own personal restaurant, Gary Danko, located in Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco. Born and raised in the small town of Massena in upstate New York, he credits his parents for his strong work ethic in the kitchen. Learning the craft of cooking from his mother, Danko began his foray into food at The Village Eatery, a local eatery, at only fourteen years old. Always convinced of his calling, Danko enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. After he graduated in 1977, Danko moved to San Francisco and spent the next three years working as a lunch chef at a small bookstore/bistro and as an expediter/waiter at the Waterfront Restaurant in the evening. He enjoyed this opportunity to explore the Bay Area, but eventually returned east to the traditional roots of his evolving style. Moving to Vermont, he became the chef at the highly regarded Tucker Hill Inn, where his creativity and distinctive style flourished. Afterwards, avidly following Madeleine Kamman’s career, he enrolled in her cooking school in New Hampshire where he distinguished himself at the school and at its adjacent restaurant, marking the beginning of a close friendship. Madeleine Kamman subsequently appointed Danko to Beringer Vineyards’ food and wine externship, which turned into an executive chef position at Chateau Souverain’s restaurant. After four years at Chateau Souverain, Danko left to become the chef of the Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, which then attained well-deserved status as one of the country’s finest restaurants and earned a rare San Francisco Chronicle four-star rating. In 1995, Danko won the James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef – California” award. After leaving The Ritz-Carlton in 1996, he began working on a cookbook, and laying the groundwork for his own restaurant. In the interim he took on the challenge of launching Viognier, the restaurant at the new Draeger’s Market Place in San Mateo, California. After receiving a “Best New Restaurant” award by Esquire Magazine, he received a phone call from Michel Elkaim, the owner of Chez Michel restaurant in San Francisco, which brought Danko’s plan for his own restaurant to life. Within months of opening, the restaurant received the highest accolades possible from both San Francisco daily newspapers, and also winning the James Beard Foundation’s “Best New Restaurant” in May of 2000. Tune-in to find out how Gary went from waiting tables and working at a bookstore, to cooking at one of the most awarded restaurants known today. This program has been sponsored by S. Wallace Edwards & Sons.

“I am big on consistency, and familiar flavors. People keep coming back to your restaurant because they like the warmth and welcome of your famous dishes.” [47:05]

— Gary Danko on Chef’s Story

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Chef’s Story, Jair Tellez joins host Dorothy Cann Hamilton to talk about his story to becoming a chef at MeroToro, and opening his first restaurant, Laja, located in Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California. After trying to study anthropology and law, he made his first jump into cooking when he was 13, at the Tijuana racetrack, where his father told him to go. Afterwards, he started out in the French Culinary Institute, and began an apprenticeship at Daniel. Here his eyes opened when he had to prepare 24 potatoes, and he continued learning through the rigors of a prestigious restaurant. After a brief stint at the Four Seasons in Mexico City, he moved to San Francisco to work with Roland Possot. After realizing he missed his native people, he started Laja, in Baja California. Laja pays homage to the natural richness of Baja California and supports itself with its own orchard and local producers to make a dynamic menu, rigged by what the season allows. With a yearning for opening a new restaurant in Mexico City, Jair opened MeroToro with a focus on urban food. To Jair, Laja is vertical, and MeroToro is horizontal, but both are his own, in a way. This program has been sponsored by Consider Bardwell Farms.

“Part of being a professional means making sacrifices. The burden of understanding is on the professional, not the customer.” [29:30]

— Jair Tellez on Chef’s Story

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Siblings Matt and Ted grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. When they left to attend colleges in the Northeast, they so missed the foods of their hometown that they founded The Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts Catalogue, a mail-order catalogue for southern pantry staples like stone-ground grits, fig preserves, and, of course, boiled peanuts. When an editor of a travel magazine asked them to write a story about road-tripping their home state in search of great food, they embarked on a second career as food and travel journalists. They currently are contributing editors at Travel + Leisure and frequently write food stories for Bon Appetit, The New York Times, Fine Cooking and Food & Wine, among other publications. Ted lives with his wife, the artist E.V. Day, in Brooklyn, NY; Matt, his wife Gia, and their two sons live in Charleston, SC. On this week’s episode of Chef’s Story, Matt and Ted speak with host Dorothy Cann Hamilton about starting a boiled peanuts business, bringing Southern food to New York City, and their latest cookbook, The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen. With more than 100 recipes and photos, maps of walking and driving tours, and stories to accompany nearly every dish, it explains the simple but sophisticated culinary allure of the South Carolina port city, ranked number one on Condé Nast Traveler’s “Top U.S. Cities” list for the past two years and voted their readers’ favorite city in the world for 2012. Learn more about future business endeavors of the Lee Brothers, and find out how you can bring authentic Charleston cooking into your kitchen today!

“We want to celebrate Charleston culture, and tradition. In this book, we have a gazpacho recipe inspired by a little French cafe in the 1980s.” [41:15]

— Matt and Ted Lee on Chef’s Story

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Chef’s Story, Laurent Tourondel comes into the studio to tell us his story! A native of France, Chef Laurent Tourondel parlayed his love of food at an early age into a four year program at Saint Vincent Ecole de Cuisine in Montlucon, France where he earned a “d’Aptitude Professionnelle de Cuisinier.” After graduating he received his first post in the kitchen as chef to the Admiral in the French Navy. Following this position he worked at several restaurants in France and then traveled to London where he cooked at the famed Gentleman’s Club, Boodle’s. In the years that followed he worked under such notable chefs as: Bruno Tison at Restaurant Beau Geste in Manhattan; Jacques Maximin at Restaurant Ledoyen in France; and Chef de Partie at Restaurant Mercury at the Hotel InterContinental in Moscow. Tourondel then worked at the three-star Michelin Relais & Chateau Troisgros, before taking a post as Executive Chef of C.T., Claude Troisgros’ debut restaurant in New York City. Next came a stint as Executive Chef at Palace Court Restaurant at the world famous Caesar’s Palace Hotel & Casino, followed by his return to New York City at Cello. When this restaurant closed its doors, Tourondel saw an opportunity and spent time traveling through South America, Asia and Africa, to further develop his own cooking voice. He returned to the states to open BLT Steak, BLT Fish, BLT Prime, BLT Burger, BLT Market, LT Burger in the Harbor, LT Burger in Bryant Park, LT Signature and most recently Arlington Club. Currently, he is also the Executive Chef at Brasserie Ruhlmann in Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. In October 2007, Bon Appétit magazine named Tourondel Restaurateur of the Year. This award guaranteed his place among the top in the culinary world. Tourondel has published three cookbooks, Go Fish: Fresh Ideas for American Seafood, Bistro Laurent Tourondel: New American Bistro Cooking, which earned him a 2008 James Beard Foundation Award nomination and Fresh from the Market: Seasonal Cooking with Laurent Tourondel. Tune-in to find out how Laurent manages his empire of restaurants, how he continues to find inspiration and creativity within food, and his advice for young chefs willing to break into the industry. Learn more about the award winning chef on today’s episode! This program has been sponsored by S. Wallace Edwards & Sons.

“Its not only about cooking. It’s a business.” [27:10]

“You have to trust people a lot. You have to hire the right person. It’s not easy.” [29:05]

“I think we all start because of the passion for food. At some point in your career, you reach a certain age when you want to control things, and control your own food.” [40:30]

— Laurent Tourondel on Chef’s Story

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this special episode of Chef’s Story, host Dorothy Cann Hamilton speaks with Dominique Ansel, executive pastry chef of the Dominique Ansel Bakery, and the maker of the world famous Cronut. Speaking about his history working as an apprentice at the age of 16, he explains how he left school and left no room for failure. After finishing his compulsory military service, he moved to Paris to work in the kitchen of Pâtisserie Peltier. Just a year later, Ansel made the move to the legendary bakery Fauchon. He spent seven years there working for Master Pastry Chef Christophe Adam, learning the delicate balance in flavors, textures, and aesthetics necessary to produce the bakery’s unique pastries. He later became responsible for Fauchon’s international expansion, helping set up shops in far-flung locations such as Russia, Egypt, and Kuwait. Next, Dominique rose to fame in New York City, where he served as the Executive Pastry Chef at Daniel under celebrity chef Daniel Boulud. During his six year tenure at Daniel, the restaurant won its first 3-star Michelin rating, a 4-star New York Times review, and James Beard’s Outstanding Restaurant of the Year Award in 2010. In November 2011, he moved on and became the chef and owner of Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York City. Despite being a newcomer to the pastry scene, it has already been awarded “Best New Bakery of 2012” by Time Out New York and “Best Bakery of 2012” by Metromix. In 2013, Chef Ansel received his own James Beard Award nomination as a finalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef at his eponymous bakery. Also known as the maker of the Cronut, a half croissant, half doughnut, this pastry hybrid continues to take the world by storm. Learn how Dominique was able to start his own bakery, and find the inspiration behind the makings of his pastries such as the Cronut! This program has been sponsored by Fairway Market.

“Opening a bakery for me was a dream – I always told myself that someday, I would do something special for myself.” [30:10]

“The Cronut was to challenge myself – I wanted to do a doughnut, but bring a French spirit to it.” [42:00]

— Dominique Ansel on Chef’s Story

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Chef’s Story, Dorothy speaks with Brooks Headley, Head Executive Pastry Chef at Del Posto in New York City. Tying together his early passion for music and drumming with food and dessert, he talks with Dorothy about performing as both a musician and a chef, finding his start reading cookbooks, and utilizing his Italian roots as an inspiration in his dishes. In May of 2013, Headley won the prestigious “Outstanding Pastry Chef” from the James Beard Foundation for his work at the New York restaurant, Del Posto. As a recent graduate, he tells Dorothy of his story finding a job as a file clerk after graduation, and ultimately ditching the suit and tie and finding a job at cooking at Galileo da Roberto Donna. Eventually, Headley moved on to work at The Ritz-Carlton and Tosca, and to Los Angeles where he spent time in the kitchen under master bread baker Nancy Silverton at Campanile. Unable to stay away from the East coast, Headley crossed the country again to return to DC, this time to assume a position at acclaimed Komi, where he ran the pastry program. He made his New York debut briefly at Compass, where he became known for imaginative renditions of classic desserts, as in his signature deconstructed key lime pie. But as soon as he discovered that Del Posto was in need of a pastry chef, he leaped at the opportunity to join the Batali-Bastianich family, work under Executive Chef Mark Ladner, and return to his Italian roots. Learn more about Brooks Headley’s story and inspiration, and the latest desserts that he continues to explore and invent today. Looking to step up your dessert and pastry game? Tune-in to learn from one of the most highly recognized pastry chefs today! This program has been sponsored by Consider Bardwell Farm.

“It’s our job, especially at the end of the meal, to deliver to the guests what they want.” [40:20]

— Brooks Headley on Chef’s Story

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.