Sittin' in the Kitchen

"Where Chefs Eat" is a collection of 2500 places - from high-end restaurants to hot dog stands - recommended by 450 chefs from around the world. Its editor is British restaurant writer Joe Warwick.

In this podcast, I’m talking cookbooks: Why they’re so popular, why we hold them so dear and why I was so devastated when many cherished volumes from my 1,000-plus cookbook library went missing. I tell that story and speak with two people who know plenty about this subject: retired librarian Alison Sutherland and manager of The Cookbook Store in Toronto, Alison Fryer.

French-born celebrity chef Marc Thuet starred in a reality TV series called Conviction Kitchen, wrote a cookbook and was at the helm of many successful restaurants. He now owns Petite Thuet bakeries in downtown Toronto. But for years, this tattooed chef with the spiky blonde hair had a secret that ruled his life - and nearly destroyed it. His drug addiction is something he says will always be waiting in the wings.

John Higgins is a Scottish chef who, despite his rapid rise to fame, has both feet firmly planted on the ground. Now, as director of George Brown College's Chef School in Toronto, John helps prepare young students for the fine balance that's crucial to health and success in the high-pressure hospitality industry.

In the early 1980s, British chef Michael Quinn was at the height of his game. A celebrity in his own right, Michael oversaw the kitchen at London's Ritz Hotel and was internationally renowned. But a few years later, everything vanished. Michael's struggle with alcoholism eventually cost him his job, his home and his family. Now sober for many years, he is dedicated to raising awareness about addiction and helping others in the hospitality industry via the organization he founded called ArkGlobal. I spoke to him by telephone.

I chatted with executive chef David Garcelon as he prepared a Waldorf Salad on the 18th floor of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in midtown Manhattan. With clips from Cole Porter’s famous song: 'You’re the top' and the hilarious bit from Fawlty Towers about the renowned salad.

There's a battle going on for the soul of Kensington Market in downtown Toronto. The closing of landmark butcher European Meats caused a stir this April (2012). Many old-timers felt it was a sign of gentrification. I investigate the issue in this personal story about a place I love and call my home. Hear from old-time merchants and the new wave of food entrepreneurs coming to the market, along with comments from city councillor Adam Vaughan.

Tanya Steel is editor-in-chief of the grande dame of online food sites: epicurious.com. It has a huge database culled from magazines Gourmet and Bon Appetit along with recipes from chefs and home cooks around the world. Now 17 years old, it was the first site I consulted for recipes and is still my favourite. She is also the author of The Epicurious Cookbook. I talked with her on the Toronto leg of her promotional book tour in late 2012.

Marion Kane, Food Sleuth interviews Dr. Robert Baker, the man who invented the chicken nugget