Results tagged “chefinterviews”

Following a set of mediocre reviews, Pierre Schaedelin was brought on last December as the new executive chef at Alain Ducasse’s Benoit. The 40-year-old, it was announced, would also be a partner in the restaurant, which is modeled after an archetypal bistro that’s been open in Paris since 1912 (Ducasse's restaurant group assumed ownership in 2005). Schaedelin has an old school French chef background, for sure—all terrines, torchons, and rabbit sausage. He’s also developed some serious media chops during the last decade, having first worked for Sirio Maccioni at Le Cirque and then as Martha Stewart’s personal chef. At Benoit the prices have come down—a two-course lunch is now $19; three courses are $24—and Schaedelin is happy about that. Above all, he seems to like talking about cooking more than anything else, and he does so in an unstuffy way—we spoke with him last week about the relaxing parts of Top Chef, tarte flambée, and diner food on Sundays.

Alfred Portale became Gotham Bar and Grill’s chef in May of 1985. The restaurant had been open for a year: despite a strong opening, business was seriously flagging and the food didn’t taste so good. Portale basically cooked his pants off for six months, at which point the restaurant was re-reviewed and awarded three stars from the Times. It was also around that time that the chef started attracting young, talented cooks with names like Colicchio, Telepan, and Valenti to work in his kitchen. Later, Wylie Dufresne and Chris Lee spent time on Portale’s line, and the talent roster continues to grow.

Missy Robbins took over as executive chef at A Voce last September with her style of cooking that's both neatly composed and rustic Italian. In one appetizer, for example, huge rectangular planks of seared trumpet royal mushrooms are gently set on a cloudlike hazelnut fonduta and simply garnished with greens and truffles. It may look like a salad on the plate, but served with a glass of red wine, it eats like a steak dinner. At her last chef gig—Spiaggia in Chicago—Robbins attracted the attention of Barack and Michelle Obama, who were regulars. And in today's New York Times, Frank Bruni does a little hail-to-the-chef thing: “As we all wonder whether our new president has the requisite judgment to steer us away from economic catastrophe,” he writes, “we can take some comfort from this: he has the requisite judgment to appreciate Missy Robbins.”

Galen Zamarra was born to doctor parents in Switzerland, who fittingly named him after the ancient Roman physician. As a teenager, Zamarra decided to take up cooking, and now the thoughtful 33 year-old is the chef-owner of Mas (farmhouse) in the West Village. Last month, Mas received an impressive 28 points for food in their listing for the 2009 Zagat Guide, one of only ten area restaurants in the area with such a score. Zamarra will be cooking a dinner at the James Beard House in January, and is involved with Slow Food USA’s ongoing educational programs. He spoke with us a few weeks ago in Mas’ dining room about modern European cooking technique, building a better-tasting baby food, and organizing a human shield to protect J-Lo.