Never Forget Chef 187 Mp3 Download

[Gwenda Arguin]

Iwas listening to a person the other day who was involved in the restaurant business. He was making a point about how we (those of us who work or have worked in kitchens) need to embrace more technology and convenience foods if we are to survive. It was imperative, from his perspective, that we automate and simplify to solve our challenges with labor and a dwindling bottom line. I listened and gave thought to countering his logic, but then simply sighed and skirted the issue and inevitable argument.

This conversation has bothered me ever since. This is not the reason I became involved in the business of food, and I would dare say, not the reason nearly every student, cook, or chef with whom I have worked would view as a logical consideration when they first stepped into a kitchen. The thought of losing any connection with proper cooking technique, cutting corners to find ways to survive, or replacing the human touch with automation is so foreign to me. This idea goes against nearly everything I believe in, my background, and the mentorship that I received from so many great chefs and cooks in the past. I just keep shaking my head.

It was Edwards Deming, the quality guru after WWII who spoke the truth about what it takes for a business and an economy to thrive. Raise and never sacrifice quality and at the same time find ways to ensure that people see the value regardless of price. He theorized that employees want to be part of a business with integrity and will gravitate towards those who treat the employee with respect, pay a fair wage, and recognize their contributions. In fact, even though he was American, the most prestigious award for business in Japan is named after Deming. His words hold true today.

It was a Friday night, and I decided to try my hand at a new pasta recipe for the friends I had invited over. While I might not have given it much thought before, being a novice chef is not easy. It takes not only experimentation but also patience and forgiveness for yourself when things go awry.

So there I was, kitchen tools sprawled across the counter while the savory aroma of garlic and onions filled the air. With every chopped vegetable and carefully measured ingredient, my confidence grew. Little did I know that the evening would soon be filled with tears, laughter, and an unforgettable lesson on perseverance.

Firstly, he handed me a broom and encouraged me to laugh right along with him as we swept up last remnants of doomed pasta dishes. He explained that each mistake presents us with an opportunity to grow, both as chefs and individuals.

By now, guests had caught on to our giggling and joined us in cleaning up the remaining pasta pieces without hesitation or judgment. It quickly turned into a lively gathering full of laughter as we bonded over this clumsy blunder (and recounted our own embarrassing cooking experiences).

Welcome to Italian-American Week, when we're taking a bit of a break from our usual stories to focus on the important stuff: red sauce, stuffed pasta, porchetta and the chefs and home cooks making it all happen.

When Mantuano and his siblings weren't finding cultural enrichment at the store, they'd traipse the seven blocks to their grandparents' home to find pasta drying on the bed, tomatoes growing in the garden and both ingredients skillfully employed in the kitchen. He remembers his grandmother's fusilli, in particular, which she would roll out and wrap around a willow branch. "Often my father would go looking for the right branch," he says. "I'll remember that pasta forever."

In high school, Mantuano put similar efforts into his own cooking and ignored the curious glances of others. "My lunches were always a little more weird than others," he says, detailing the way he used to hollow out homemade Italian bread and fill it with sausages and peppers before topping it with oil. It was then that Mantuano also developed an interest in music, playing the trombone in rock and jazz bands and studying music at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. He eventually formed his own rock-jazz band named Cork. A server circles back to our table with proof: a cocktail napkin with a 1975 image of seven members identically clad in white bell-bottoms and halfway unbuttoned shirts. The napkin accompanies the restaurant's Mantuano cocktail, with reposado tequila, grapefruit-infused Aperol and prosecco, and has caused at least one Bee Gees comparison.

"We knew from reading that more was going on than what we were able to get to and see," says Cathy Mantuano. The couple began writing to restaurateurs in big cities and received an offer for Tony at Pronto in Chicago, which he happily accepted upon seeing the storefront. "They were making fresh pasta and hanging it in the window," he recalls. "I had never seen that before in 1980." Meanwhile, Cathy was waitressing at Larry Levy's Chestnut Street Grill, where she caught wind of Levy's latest development and put up her then fianc for the job. "Larry had been to Italy and had always said the food tasted differently there," she explains. "He wanted to open that kind of restaurant, and it was the same goal we had."

One marriage and Italian honeymoon later, Levy sent the newlyweds back to Italy for official job training, which they acquired through a half dozen restaurants, including the 30-seat Ristorante dal Pescatore in Lombardia, which boasts three Michelin stars. "The father parked the cars, the mother worked one station, the son would seat the dining room, his wife became the chef," Mantuano says. "It instantly made us understand what it was like to do Italian elegantly."

"When we first opened, an industry guest had said, 'Kid, you're not going to make it unless you put a meatball on the menu,'" Cathy Mantuano recalls. Multiple James Beard Award nominations, two cookbooks and numerous visits from Connoiseur-In-Chief Barack Obama prove otherwise. Three decades later, there's still not a meatball in sight.

Still, the endeavor wasn't without challenges. The flavors found in Italy's backyard weren't as easily accessible in 1984, nor were high-quality farmers. "We'd order radicchio and watch red cabbage come in the door," says Tony Mantuano. Today, they rely heavily on their relationships with importers and purveyors, a network highlighted collectively on the meat and cheese selection alone: bresaola from Chicago-based 'Nduja Artisans, blue-veined goat's milk cheese from Indiana and a prosecco-washed ubriaco from Piedmonte, which our server assures us will go brilliantly with the champagne. It does.

Being the judge of a food competition show is a real gamble of a job. One day, you could be blind-tasting a Michelin-quality dish made by a star like Alex Guarnaschelli on "Alex Vs. America." The next, you could be trying a meal made with a secret Mystery Box ingredient like mashed potato candy and find yourself praying that someone left you an antacid in your dressing room to have after filming is through for the day.

Bobby Flay has been on both sides of the food competition coin. Yes, he has been a competitor almost too many times to count on his own show, "Beat Bobby Flay," and on "Iron Chef," among others. Flay has found himself on the other side of the table as a judge, too. One of the toughest judging gigs in all of television has got to be serving as a coach on a season of "Worst Cooks in America." In the initial episode of a season, the contestants might make their signature dish for the chef-coaches to try (via Food Network). When you see the types of meals these contestants make, it really helps you understand where the show got its name. Food Network just shared a Bobby Flay reaction video that showcased a dish he ate on the show that he called "unforgettable" ... for all the wrong reasons.

Food Network shared a video from Season 4 of "Worst Cooks in America," which Bobby Flay reacted to in hilarious fashion in a TikTok. In the video, contestant Aadip Desai can be seen sauting candy-coated chocolate peanut candies in a skillet. According to Desai, the dish is mole marinara spaghetti, a concoction made from melted chocolate-covered peanuts, jarred marinara sauce, and spaghetti. "This is a legitimate dish I make," he says, "and I've actually made myself sick eating it." Flay takes one bite and says, "Right now, you are the worst cook in America," marking what some might call one of the worst insults on a tv food competition ever. In his reaction video to the clip, Flay can be seen cracking up. "I wonder if that's changed."

We were curious to see if Desai had improved his cooking skills at all since appearing on the show in 2012, too. These days, he's a TV writer, a member of the Writers Guild of America and BAFTA, and a parent (via Aadip's website). As for his cooking? There's not much evidence of it on his Instagram page, but it does look like he at the very least can churn out a plate of fluffy pancakes once in a while. That's better than where he started on "Worst Cooks," so we have a feeling that if Flay were to taste Desai's cooking again, he might not be so critical.

What are some common misconceptions of Mexican cuisine, and how are working on shattering them? I do not see this in New York because many chefs have pushed traditional Mexican food before, but I know that people still have an idea of Americanized Mexican food. One night a guest asked for chips and salsa, I sent a side of Totopos and our salsa Borracha. The server told me the guest was confused, so I went to the table. The guest was expecting pico de gallo (diced tomato, onion and chili). I kindly explained how in Mexico we have a numerous number of salsas. When he tried it, and he loved it and even asked if he could have the recipe. Of course, we gave it to him, plus some salsa to take home! People are now curious to learn more about what they are eating. And I feel grateful I can help make that happen.

Who are the female chefs you admire and why? When I started culinary school, I dreamed of working for Anne-Sophie Pic. I love her story and cuisine, and it was uncommon to see women in these positions. Daniela Soto-Innes is another chef I admire; she is my dear friend and mentor. It was enormously impactful to see a young Mexican woman accomplish what she has done, and the fact that she helps people on her way is admirable.

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