starchefs.com | chefs to know 2009 starchefs.com | chefs to know 2009 chefs to know a guide to chefs for chefs Edited by Antoinette Bruno Editing contributions from Will Blunt and Heather Sperling Research assistance by Lindsay Vietor Design by Zac Overman Information architecture by Richie Adomako Photo editing by Vicky Wasik Cover photo by Antoinette Bruno 2 3 starchefs.com | chefs to know 2009 starchefs.com | chefs to know 2009 Acknowledgements The 2nd edition of Chefs to Know has proven to be no less a labor of love than the first edition. Chefs can be hard to track; with turnover in the culinary industry still averaging over 120% per year, the roster of industry members who have changed their jobs, closed their restaurants, or even left the country is ever-changing. Chefs to Know is a reality thanks to the the diligence and perseverance of those both on and off the StarChefs staff, both paid and unpaid, and the chefs who helped guide us along the way. They have all been critical to its success, and too many pitched in to help to be adequately thanked here. The StarChefs editorial team tasted and interviewed every chef, sommelier and mixologist on these pages, and the staff worked diligently, badgering chefs for information, searching for photos, googling chefs and restaurants, and calling kitchens in every city across the country. The tireless and industrious Lindsay Vietor came in as an intern, made the project her own, and rocked it out. Heather Sperling helped shape and conceptualize the book, and edited the copy over and over again. The book would not be what it is without her. Jon Proville pitched in when we needed him to help reach the finish line. Zac Overman lent the book its design and flair, Richie Adomako struggled heroically with the technical aspects of the data, and Vicky Wasik edited hundreds and hundreds of photos. My business partner, Will Blunt, lent a critical eye to the project, and supported and grounded us as we yet again refused to give up on hitting this moving target. Most of all, I want to thank my husband Ken Shoji and my children, Kendrick and Isabella, for putting up with me working every family vacation, almost every day off, and many, many evenings. I also want to acknowledge chefs across America (and this year abroad as well) who aren’t in this book who should be - we hope to include you in future editions. Whether we’ve tasted with you and lost touch or we’ve never met but should have, this book is about celebrating all of you and acknowledging your creativity, passion, and hard work. Cheers, Antoinette Bruno Editor-in-Chief, StarChefs.com 6 7 A starchefs.com | chefs to know 2009 starchefs.com | chefs to know 2009 KEY – CHEFS AND PASTRY CHEFS Star Chefs are talented, StarChefs.com Rising Stars Accepts Interns/Stages passionate chefs featured are up-and-coming chefs who on StarChefs.com that have have received our national made great contributions to award and represent the van- the culinary community over guard of the contemporary the course of their careers American dining scene 8 9 starchefs.com | chefs to know 2009 starchefs.com | chefs to know 2009 Seats: # of seats in the restaurant; if a range, it includes dining Cuisine: personal culinary style, as described by the chefs room and then private dining, patio, bar Notable Dishes: dishes from StarChefs’ most recent tasting Weeknight/Weekend Covers: number of guests served on a Restaurant Recs: favorite restaurants off the beaten path weeknight and/or weekend Kitchen Tool(s): most indispensable kitchen tool Check Average: average price spent per diner with/without wine Interview Question: favorite question to ask a prospective Tasting Menu: whether the restaurant offers a set tasting menu, employee and, if so, the price Flavor Combo(s): favorite flavor combinations (of the moment) Kitchen Staff: number of staff in the kitchen (for pastry chefs, Fave Cookbook(s): self explanatory! refers to pastry kitchen) Chef to Cook for You: the chef you'd most like to cook for you (alive or dead) Culinary Travel: where you'd most like to go for culinary travel 8 9 A starchefs.com | chefs to know 2009 starchefs.com | chefs to know 2009 Foreword Chefs to Know is a continuation of StarChefs.com’s editorial efforts to identify and feature the best chefs in the industry – not because they are on TV, but because they are talented, innovative, passionate, and driven people who contribute greatly to their culinary community, and are dynamically shaping the identity of American food. StarChefs.com’s mission is to be a resource and aid for culinary professionals’ success; Chefs to Know is one of the tools that we offer to strengthen and further the culinary industry. At its heart, it’s an industry resource and an industry homage – it’s a fun, informative, inspiring look at the names and faces behind America’s stoves. It’s for anyone who wants to learn about the industry - from the tools and the flavors, to chefs’ favorite restaurants across the country. After years of working with chefs, we decided to compile the information from our interviews, gathered on tastings across the country, and put it all in one place. In the same way that our editorial content online is driven by tastings, every chef, mixologist, and sommelier featured in Chefs to Know has met with StarChefs.com’s editorial team, prepared a tasting, and invited us to get to know them during an interview. Having the first book under our belt, we took on the additional challenge this year of recognizing sommeliers, mixologists, and a handful of international chefs we’ve come across on our travels. We added new chef information: restaurant stats (covers, kitchen size, etc) as well as fun facts – like favorite flavor combinations and culinary travel destinations – to help get your creative juices flowing. The recipes and photos will hopefully inspire you to try new things, and the Restaurants off the Beaten Path index will keep you eating your way through chef haunts across the country. American cuisine – or, better said, cuisine in America – gets better and better each year. The variety, the talent and the passion is at once astounding and inspiring. The American spirit of rugged individualism and bold risk-taking is at the heart of these chefs’ personalities and, in large measure, the reason for their success. What distinguishes these chefs and their approach to cooking is their lack of boundaries: rather than being tied to strict cultural traditions in the kitchen, they are free to interpret cuisines from every country in the world. In this spirit we present the 2nd edition of Chefs to Know, and continue to connect the dots spanning the vast American culinary map. 10 11 starchefs.com | chefs to know 2009 starchefs.com | chefs to know 2009 A{ Achatz - Ayers } 10 11 A starchefs.com | chefs to know 2009 starchefs.com | chefs to know 2009 Grant Achatz Chef/Owner | Alinea 1723 N. Halsted St. Chicago, IL 60614 Restaurant E-mail: [email protected] Phone: (312) 867-0110 RestaURANT Facts Seats: 67 Weeknight Covers: 80 Weekend Covers: 80 Check Aver- age (with Wine): $265 Tasting Menu: Yes $140 Kitchen Staff: 20 CHEF Facts Cuisine: Progressive American Born: 1974 Began Career: Working at my parent’s restaurant when I was around 8 years old, frying eggs and such. I guess that counts! Culinary School: The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY Grad Year: 1994 Stages: Chicago, IL: Charlie Trotter’s; Yountville, CA: The French Laundry; Spain: el Bulli Work History: Grand Rapids, MI: Cygnus; Yountville, CA: The French Laundry; Evanston, Il: Trio; Chicago, IL: Charlie Trotter’s Mentor(s): Thomas Keller Protégée(s): Michael Carlson, Nathan Klingbail Awards: 2008 James Beard Founda- tion Outstanding Chef; 2008, 2007 Restaurant Magazine Top 50 Best Restaurants in the World; 2007 James Beard Foundation Best Chef Great Lakes; 2006 Gourmet Magazine Best Restaurant in America; 2003 James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef in America; 2002 Food & Wine Best New Chefs Books Published: The Alinea Cookbook NOTABLE DISH(ES): Hot Potato-Cold Potato; Tempura Sweet Potato with Bourbon, Brown Sugar and Smoking Cinnamon Fast Facts Restaurant Recs: Geja’s – it’s on old-school fondue restaurant. They do it really well. A big menu and a great wine list that’s half-price on Mondays. Kitchen Tool(s): Offset spatula and French knife - I know they’re not exciting, but I couldn’t live without them. Also, a pair of sewing scissors that I received as a gift while working at the French Laundry. Functionally they are great in the kitchen. I tell the cooks at Alinea they can borrow them, but if they lose them they might as well walk away. Interview Question: I try to scare them away, that’s pretty much the tactic I take. I tell them how little money they’re going to make, what long hours they’re going to work, and how they’re going to lose any social life they may have. I want everyone to have a very clear understanding of what they’re getting into. After this, I ask: What makes you think you want to work here, as opposed to Trotter’s or The French Laundry? Flavor Combo(s): Strawberry, niçoise olive and violet Fave Cookbook(s): The French Laundry by Thomas Keller; Kaiseki by Yoshihiro Murata; Charmaine Solomon’s Encyclopedia of Asian Food Chef to Cook for You: Thomas Keller. My 4 years at the French Laundry ended up being the most transformative period in my life.