Quotable Chefs
Here are some interview leftovers rich in both wit and sincerity.
When I’m interviewing a chef, the conversation can go on for hours, which means a lot of words end up on the cutting room floor. Here are some “unquoted” quotes from this year’s Dining Awards Critic’s Choice winners, along with a few other gems.
“When we started 4 Rivers, few people knew what brisket was—we had to educate them. They’d had it before and it wasn’t good. It’s not quite as daunting now.”
— John Rivers, 4 Rivers Smokehouse (Brisket in Hall of Fame)
“I’m proud of cooking a good steak. I can take pride in making a french fry.”
— Chef Clayton Miller, DoveCote (Best Newcomer)
“I started cooking when I was 14. This is all I’ve ever done.”
— John Calloway, Black Rooster Taqueria (Best Chef)
“I don’t want to be cooking the same thing every year. I need to do what is within me.”
— Norman Van Aken, 1921 (Best Restaurant)
"If a peach doesn't taste like a peach, it goes out the door."
— Chef Kathleen Blake, The Rusty Spoon (Hall of Fame)
"Life is like a box of nigiri."
— Chef Chau Trinh, Sushi Pop (Best Japanese, 2013 Hall of Fame)
“Maybe when I was six I wanted to be a soccer player; other than that, I was always going to be a chef.”
— Chef Laurent Hollaender, Boheme Restaurant (Best Pre-Theater Dinner)
And from previous conversations:
"I worked at La Nouvelle Justine. It was a 'French' restaurant. You could order a little spanking from the menu. I was scared to death."
— Pom Moongauklang, Pom Pom’s Teahouse and Sandwicheria (multiple Dining Awards winner)
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"I was born and raised in Florida. Florida is not the South. We have our own traditions and we have our own things. We do have Southern hospitality, though." "When I came up, kitchens weren't glamorous. You were lucky if you could get a girl to go out with you if you were a cook." "When we were trying to come up with a name for the restaurant, one choice was Kevin On Earth." |
"I have won two mashed potato-eating contests."
– Orlando’s own Food Network star Emily Ellyn, former Mantua, Ohio, Potato Festival Queen
I like to push the limits … how much salt CAN I get in it?"
— Trina Gregory-Propst, Se7enbites
AROUND TOWN:
- Visit Orlando is searching for a “signature dish” that will represent Orlando on a plate. My vote is for the hyper-local Eggs on a Bun breakfast at Swine & Sons. Two Lake Meadow Naturals eggs, house-made tomato jam and Chef Rhys Gawlak’s bacon on an Olde Hearth bun: What says Made in Orlando better than that?
Stay in touch with Joseph at joseph.hayes@orlandomagazine.com. You can access a comprehensive list of his reviews here!
