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Momofuku's David Chang Talks Sabbaticals and San Francisco

YumSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:00:48 -0800

We've always been huge fans of New York chef and restaurateur David Chang: He was Sugar's pick for Best Restaurant Chef of 2008. By fusing innovative flavor combinations and haute kitchen techniques with casual dining, the Momofuku overlord revolutionized the restaurant scene in America.

What's most refreshing about Chang, however, are his irreverent demeanor and unapologetic opinions. Even though I'd interviewed him before, when I heard Chang and his co-author, New York Times writer Peter Meehan, were in town promoting their new bible, the Momofuku Cookbook, I couldn't resist chatting with them. His two cents on culinary trends, TV, and Top Chef Masters, after the jump.

Wine Wisdom From Ravenswood Founder Joel Peterson

YumSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:00:57 -0700

At a tasting recently, I had the opportunity to get acquainted with California pioneer vintner, Joel Peterson. In 1976, he founded Ravenswood Winery, one of the country's preeminent Zinfandel producers. More than 30 years later, he remains Ravenswood's head winemaker.

Joel's love for life and sense of humor were so infectious that I couldn't resist getting his insight into the world of wine. Learn more about his inspiration, as well as his tips for enjoying wine on a budget, when you read more

Ming Tsai on Best Meals, Food Politics, and What's Next

YumSugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:30:41 -0700

If it hasn't become apparent over the last few days, I'm an enthusiastic fan of Ming Tsai's. Last week, the Simply Ming chef stopped into San Francisco to host a party for the Macy's Come Together campaign. While demonstrating how to make potstickers, Ming, an exceptional storyteller, made fun of his parents who were present in the audience, told tales of mischief in France's Michelin-starred restaurants, and recalled his win against Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America ("rumor has it that I may soon face off against Iron Chef Morimoto," he told the crowd).

I got to kick back with Chef Ming, who, in between his thoughts on joining Top Chef Masters, must-have kitchen ingredients, and tips for keeping cool when hosting a party, had more surprising thoughts to share! Learn what they are when you read more

Ming Tsai Talks Food, Cooking, and Top Chef Masters

YumSugar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:50:32 -0700

I've been sold on Ming Tsai ever since he was a barrel of laughs in Aspen, so when I heard he was headed west, I knew I had to meet him. Ming was in town hosting a benefit for Macy's Come Together, a campaign to provide 10 million meals for families in need. I caught up with him in the green room before his demo, where he shared his thoughts on the importance of cooking for others, why you shouldn't buy a $4.99 skillet, and whether we're likely to see him on Top Chef Masters. Read his thoughts after the jump

Julie & Julia's Julie Powell Sets the Record Straight

YumSugar — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:20:00 -0700

The highly-anticipated film Julie & Julia, set for release Aug. 7, has sparked a renewed curiosity about both protagonists portrayed in the film: The late Julia Child, as well as writer Julie Powell, author of the memoir Julie & Julia. Over drinks, the self-effacing Powell, who was in town promoting the film, discussed the movie, the extramarital affair that is the subject of her next book, and her response to less-than-kind feedback from both Julia's editor, Judith Jones - and Julia herself. Get the scoop when you keep reading

Kelsey Nixon's Still Cooking Up a Storm

partysugar — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:23:17 -0700

When I first saw Kelsey Nixon compete on the Next Food Network Star last season, I knew there was something special about the perky blonde from Utah. Now, a year after she was kicked off the show, Kelsey is blazing a trail for herself in the food industry. Recently, I had the chance to chat with Kelsey and I was surprised to learn that while spirited, she's not overly hyper. Besides cooking with Spike Mendelsohn on her Food2 show, Kelsey's working as a kitchen consultant in New York City and is Pyrex's new spokeswoman. To find out what Kelsey thinks of Spike and see her impressions of the current cast of NFNS, keep reading

Catching Up With Chris Cosentino

partysugar — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:04:20 -0700

Since he competed in the Next Iron Chef two Summers ago, San Francisco's acclaimed offal-chef, Chris Cosentino, has been a very busy guy. He's worked nights at his head-to-tail rustic Italian restaurant, Incanto, opened a salumeria, Boccalone, at the Ferry Building in SF, and filmed a new television show, Chef vs. City, for the Food Network. Last week Chris took some time out of his hectic day-to-day to show me the graffiti-style "Shut Up and Cook" mural in the kitchen and to chat about everything from his 4-year-old son's eating habits to why he actively tweets. Find out what the chef had to say and read more.

On the Aug. 7 debut of Chef vs. City: It's very exciting, but it makes you nervous. We've already shot the entire show, but I don't get to see any of the final edits. I am what I am.

On food trends: I don't think food is trendy at all. I'm not reinventing anything here at Incanto. I'm just reintroducing. It's a realization of the past. Folks are more connected to where their food comes from. People are more interested in food - they're sharing with their neighbors, they're joining meat co-ops. They feel more connected to food because it's the ethical thing to do, not because it's trendy. You could say that Korean food is trendy right now, but to me a trend is something that comes, gets really popular, and goes away. Korean food isn't going to go away. It's just that more people are aware of Korean food. It's becoming mainstream, but it's not a trend. It's like bacon, people aren't going to stop eating bacon. Ever.

On his love affair with offal: Working in restaurants you see all the meat come in. Sure, there's always foie gras and sweetbreads, but when I came to work here [at Incanto] I wanted to cook rustic peasant food and the basis for this type of food is using every piece of meat. Using the whole animal. I've started harvesting my own animals and that changes your perspective.

On the one thing he won't eat: I eat everything. The only item I ever disliked - it turned my stomach - was balut.

On what's next for Boccalone: We just launched the mortadella hot dog. I like to do a hot dog during baseball season. We already make mortadella, but now we are just packaging it in a different way. I plan to continue rolling with what we are doing. I like to make really good consistent products. This is what we strive to do on a daily basis.

On how the Internet has changed the role of the modern chef: I have a lot of fun with Twitter. It's only 140 characters, so you really have to think about what you are saying. These sort of things are important because people want to communicate. People want to be in contact with chefs. They want to know how to cook, they want to ask questions. With my website, I try to bridge the gap. It gives me direct contact with the people. The Internet, Twitter, blogs have broken down a barrier. There is more exchanging of information occurring. I try to answer all the emails I get.

On raising a foodie son: My son will eat anything. He's had tripe, he's had beef heart tartar. At the Ferry Building last Saturday, he ate a dozen oysters by himself and he's 4 years old!

Source: Lisa Hamilton

What's Next For Top Chef's Stephanie Izard

YumSugar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:30:51 -0700

In addition to shooting the breeze with Top Chef's latest winner, Hosea Rosenberg, PartySugar and I also had the opportunity to catch up with Hosea's close pal, previous TC champ Stephanie Izard.

When we spoke to Stephanie - who's even more spunky and sassy in person! - she unveiled additional details about her upcoming Chicago restaurant, The Drunken Goat, her unique bond with other cheftestants, and plans to do more TV. Find out what she has to say after the jump

Ray Isle on Rosé

partysugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:15:18 -0700

Each month when Food & Wine magazine arrives at my desk, I look forward to reading Ray Isle's latest article. As the deputy wine editor for the glossy, Isle writes interesting wine-related stories, recommends affordable pours, and pairs each of the recipes with an excellent variety. In short, he's incredibly knowledge in the world of wine. What I like best about Ray is his kind approachability: he doesn't have an ounce of wine snob in him. I was lucky enough to sit down with Ray on a warm afternoon at the Classic in Aspen and chat about one of the wine industry's hottest trends: Rosé.

To find out what Ray had to say about the pink wines you should be drinking, read more.

Before we could get started, Ray explained that there are two ways to make Rose. The traditional French method, known as saignée, employs red grapes. The juice soaks in the skins, but before the liquid turns into red wine, it is bled off. This pink juice is turned into Rosé. The second technique makes Rosé by simply mixing already-made red and white wines.

PartySugar: What happened to Rosé? How come it has such a bad rap?
Ray Isle: White zinfandel killed the image of dry Rosés. People didn't like the overly sweet white zin and any pink wine got lumped in with it.

PS: And why are we seeing a renaissance of Rosé now?
RI: Wine education is changing the way people drink wine. More and more people are becoming educated on wine. Before they didn't know that there was a category of really good dry Rosé, but now they do.

PS: Let's talk about the recent debate on Rosé production in Europe. Where do you stand?
RI: While it's typically cheaper for a wine maker to blend them, the quality of wine is inferior. They just don't taste as good as the wines made in the saignée method. I think the classical producers were right to stand up for their tradition.

PS: When shopping for Rosé what should one look for?
RI: First, don't spend more than $20. There are plenty of really great affordable Rosés out there. Look to a classic region like the South of France. The bottles don't have to say how the Rosé is made, so to ensure you get one made with the saignée method, it's best to look to a well-known region. For fruitier and richer Rosés select one from Spain or California. Etude's Pinot Noir Rosé is a great bottle and so is the Clos du Bois Rosé.

PS: Can one pair Rosé with food?
RI: Rosé is quite possibly the most food friendly variety of wine. Because it takes characteristics from both red (the fruit) and white (the acidity and lighter body) varieties, it's very easy to pair with food. Rosés cross both boundaries and can pair with anything from sushi to roast chicken. Remember Rosés are a great outdoor picnic or party wine. Serve it cool, like you would a white wine.

Hosea Talks About Life After Top Chef

YumSugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:00:13 -0700

While we spotted a bunch of star chefs in Aspen, we had a particularly titillating conversation with Hosea Rosenberg, the winner of last season's Top Chef. The latest TC champ, who was the picture of West Coast cool, talked to PartySugar and me about his immediate plans, what he intends to do with $100,000, and the one kind of food he's really sick of.
Hosea schmoozes with fellow winner Stephanie Izard after the jump