Andrew Talks to Chefs

Last weekend, an international who's who of chefs gathered in the City of Brotherly Love for the 6th Annual Philly Chef Conference . In between speaking gigs, Andrew was fortunate to sit down with some of the chefs who are making huge dents in the culinary universe right now. They are (in alphabetical order): Mashama Bailey of the Grey in Savannah, GA (recently the subject of a Chef's Table profil...

After honing his style in pop-ups for three years, Chef Nico Russell opened his Oxalis restaurant in Brooklyn, New York, about 12 weeks ago. On the day after he was inducted into Star Chefs' Rising Stars for New York, Class of 2019, we are delighted to run this conversation with a talent Andrew agrees is one to watch in the coming weeks and months. They get into how Nico's family kitchen--blending...

While in New York City to collaborate on a special dinner with her pal Sara Jenkins at Porsena , Cathy Whims made some time to visit with us, and man are we glad she did. This modest chef from Portland, Oregon (originally from North Carolina where she initially wanted to be a dancer) has been honing her touch with traditional Italian food there since the early 1980s. Her personal story and point o...

In the quiet town of Chester, Connecticut, in a former bank building on Main Street, Chef-Owner Joel Gargano --who trained under Jonathan Benno at Lincoln Ristorante in New York City--is turning out sublime and refined spins on classic Italian cuisine at his Grano Arso . Andrew recently (and accidentally) braved a ""snow squall"" to dine at the restaurant and interview Joel. Th...

Angela Dimayuga's gift for weaving art, culture, politics, and locality into restaurant food & spaces inspired Standard International to create a new position for her in 2018. As the company's Creative Director of Food & Culture, Dimayuga--who first drew attention as Executive Chef of Mission Chinese Food in New York City--is taking a fresh look at all aspects of existing Standard restaura...

Good day, from the 11th Annual Cayman Cookout . In this star-studded, revelation-packed, 4-interview compilation recorded at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, some of the most celebrated chefs on the planet join Andrew for intimate conversations: Le Bernardin's Eric Ripert talks about how practicing Buddhism and living in New York City have affected him as a chef; Dominique Crenn shares details of he...

Season 5 of Andrew Talks to Chefs kicks off with our action-packed, first-ever LIVE production from the Brooklyn Podcast Festival ! Tom Colicchio joins Andrew on stage for a one-on-one conversation covering everything from his culinary point of view to the origins of Craft restaurants and Top Chef to his social advocacy and political outspokenness to why he doesn't dig sous vide. Then chefs Greg B...

Pastry chef Bill Yosses has found more gears in his career than most chefs could imagine. From his early days at the four-star Bouley in New York City, to gigs at such landmarks as Tavern on the Green, to his years at the White House to his current role as pastry chef of The Four Seasons and chef of the much-lauded Broadway production of Network. Andrew and Bill sat down on a rainy Sunday in New Y...

After spending about 20 years in New York City, and making a name for himself at his Brooklyn restaurants Seersucker, Nightingale 9, and Wilma Jean (among others), Arkansas native Rob Newton returned to the South and took over the kitchen at Gray & Dudley in Nashville, Tennessee. While back in town for Heritage’s annual holiday gala, Rob made time to join Andrew for lunch and an interview. The...

How did a British-born chef, who spent most of his career in the United States, end up cooking his own distinct take on the food of Oaxaca in Washington, DC? To find out, Andrew sat down with Robert Aikens while he was in New York City to cook a James Beard House dinner. Robert took us through his fascinating beginnings (his twin brother Tom is also a chef), his move the the States, and the wide v...

In this time of giving, Andrew sits down with Alex Harris, the executive chef of Emma’s Torch, a not-for-profit Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, restaurant and school that teaches refugees English language and culinary skills in a fully functioning restaurant, then helps place them in jobs. It turns out that Alex’s life and career—he went to engineering school and was once on a lucrative career path in...

A former model and corporate executive, driven to introspection after a natural disaster, resolves to move from her native Thailand to New York City and become a chef. That’s the improbable, and improbably successful, journey of Chef Hong Thaimee, who now presides over a number of Thai restaurants in New York City, with dreams of conquering the world “one pad Thai at a time.” Hong shares her story...

Take a break from the madness of the holiday season, throw on a life vest, and join Andrew and Chef Kerry Heffernan as they chat on board Grand Banks, a restaurant situated on a converted boat docked off lower Manhattan. Kerry takes us through his career, from his days as a New York City line cook working for such legends as David Bouley, to his time in France with a fellow, then-unknown whisk nam...

From a retrofitted train car in San Antonio, Texas, chef/owners Diego Galicia and Rico Torres turn out some of the most exciting, constantly changing Mexican food in the United States today. While in New York City to cook their third James Beard House dinner, the pair sat down with Andrew to discuss how they met and became co-chefs and business partners, their approach to menu development and coll...

The duo behind one of the hottest restaurants in the country—San Francisco’s Che Fico—join Andrew for today’s interview. Executive Chef David Nayfeld and Pastry Chef Angela Pinkerton hailed from very different backgrounds when they met working at Eleven Madison Park in New York City. But the two became friends and stayed in touch, even when David moved back to the West Coast. They’ve come together...

Few chefs can lay claim to being true pioneers in their field but legendary pastry chef Jim Dodge is certainly one of them. Once the pastry chef of the storied Stanford Court Hotel in San Francisco, Jim made desserts his specialty long before it was common for most restaurants to have a dedicated pastry chef. In his role, he helped elevate classic American desserts to new heights, just as his cont...

In My Blood is the title of chef Bo Bech’s stunning and singular new book, and it’s an apt description of the man himself. Bo sat down with Andrew this week to discuss his book, which tells the story—in words, watercolors, photographs, and recipes—of his Copenhagen restaurant Geist. The interview is as unique as the man and his book, full of culinary and philosophical revelations, vivid descriptio...

Swedish chef Magnus Nilsson supplements his groundbreaking, deeply personal cuisine at Fäviken with scholarly books like his newly published Nordic Baking Book , recently out from Phaidon. Magnus sat down with Andrew in New York City to discuss his goal with the book, which like his previous Nordic Cook Book, is not a collection of Fäviken recipes, but rather a thoughtful and thorough gathering an...

Not many chefs can boast a degree in Russian language and literature, but that was just one of the many accomplishments Tanya Holland achieved before gravitating to chefdom and gaining acclaim at her beloved Brown Sugar Kitchen in Oakland. While in Brooklyn for Star Chefs, Tanya found an hour to relate her journey from academia to the culinary arts; how her parents’ inclusive worldview helped shap...

On the heels of his recent victory on Food Network Star , Christian Petroni --the culinary and personality force behind a quintet of Fortina restaurants in New York and Connecticut--sits down with Andrew to share the story behind his successful Italian-American restaurant group, recall autumn hunting trips with his father and brothers, and get into the perhaps surprising role French and Spanish fo...

In the three-and-a-half years since opening her Centrolina restaurant in Washington, DC, Amy Brandwein has earned rave reviews and a devoted following (she was also the subject of an article by Melissa Clark last month in the New York Times). It’s an extra-remarkable accomplishment since Amy didn’t set her sights on chefdom until age 30, switching careers, and eventually homing in on Italian food....

Chef Miles Thompson grew up on the East Coast of the United States with dreams of becoming an actor, but after he moved to California (and landed a movie role), he migrated to the pro kitchen. He first drew attention at Allumette restaurant, then left LA, returning about two years ago to take over the kitchen of Michael’s Santa Monica (the restaurant featured on the cover of Andrew’s recent book),...

John Currence doesn't hold back. From his politics to his convictions about Southern cuisine to his feelings about industry awards and what defines a chef, this Oxford, Mississippi-based chef/restaurateur/author/advocate lays it all out there. Who better to chat with the weekend before Election Day 2018? Andrew and "Johnny Snack" go deep and wide, touching on his earliest days as a cook,...

As he prepares to double his number of restaurants from 2 to 4 (and in the midst of Hudson Valley Restaurant Week), David DiBari--chef/owner of The Cookery and The Parlor in Dobbs Ferry, NY--sits down with Andrew to discuss his Upstate New York roots, his time cooking at Babbo and at David Bouley's Danube in Manhattan, and why he chooses to ply his trade in Westchester County. They also discuss hi...

A double-feature episode—Chefs Naomi Pomeroy and Pano Karatassos both have relatively new non-restaurant ventures in their lives. Naomi, based in Portland, Oregon, has opened—of all things—a flower shop. Why did this chef who already has a successful restaurant (Beast), bar (Expatriate), and cookbook (Taste & Technique) take on such a seemingly out-of-left-field enterprise? To find out, Andrew...