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Question Of The Day #2

michaelnatkin

If you could have dinner with one chef, current or historical, who would it be and why?

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omgitsjulian

Jeff Smith aka "The Frugal Gourmet". Aside from Thunder Cats it was my favorite show growing up as a child.

Future_113129

Jason Stoneburner of Bastille. 2012 Happy how, lamb burger, steak frites, clams with challots butter and saffron changed my life.

brad_frendewey

I vote Sean Brock.

Or Fergus Henderson, that would be an interesting one!

Tim_Roth_78505

Dave Arnold. That guy knows stupid amounts about all kinds of food, food tech, food history, food whatever. He's also super-charismatic and easy to talk to and runs all kinds of experiments that are worth knowing about.

Evan_112971

Marco Pierre White back in his Harvey's day. He is the pioneer of the first wave of scientific innovation in cooking, not in the sense of modern day molecular gastronomy, but simply improving classic french cooking to the very best.

For those never heard of him, I recommend this video.

Sean_64808

Anybody mention Raymond Blanc yet? Chef wizardry aside, he just seems like a plain awesome individual. If you read Marco Pierre White's biography Devil in the Kitchen, you will literally "awww" in the chapter where he talks about Raymond. Go read it!

Kyle_112803

AH, Michel Roux Jr as well. Thanks for mentioning that Tucker.

Kyle_112803

One of my favorites and someone I feel that I would really be able to connect with in terms of artistry and creativity would be Jonny Lake, head chef at the Fat Duck. If this were more of a career choice for me, I would've applied there as many times as necessary. I love how he conducts his kitchen and brings new innovative, but oftentimes subtle angles to food and the dining experience.

Nick_14981

So I'm going to jump in late but I agree with some of the others, Heston, would be my top pick right now, he just seems to have such an interesting insight on things. Honestly it's hard to choose one, I'd go with any great revolutionary chef, someone who can inspire me to see things differently.

Kalle_36817

I'm suprised no one has mentioned my first choice Ferran Adrià.

Because of his creativity and that I never got a table at the elbulli when it was up and running.

Bafoza_7742

It would have to be Cook It Raw. That would be my chef. Many chefs magically made one.

ren_74229

Raekwon, because he cookin' some marvelous shit to get your mouth watering

com-chefsteps

Julia. Because she was a pleasure to dine with.

Monique_112566

Mario Batalli

Nat_112460

Bobby Deen because he is able to transform good old butter-laden, fattening, high calorie dishes into tasty healthy dishes.

jonathan.mota

David Chang. Because he is new school... like all you guys! And what today is trial and error (and many times criticized) tomorrow will be the mind blowing new paradigms.

ipreferale

Not a Chef, but myself 10 or so years ago to see how bad I sucked back then.

leonbr3

Auguste Escoffier for sure. Such an amazing amount of knowledge and skill.

Seth_Ratner_91225

I'd have to say Heston B, based on how far beyond the norm he goes with his dishes. And he's a Brit that uses salt... so that counts as fairly revolutionary.

Historically, I have to go with the father of food-from-chemistry...

Chef Boyardee...

ttpoker

Historically it would have to be Escoffier. I would love to peek into his mind to understand his sense or order, and it would be fun to introduce him to new techniques, textures, and tastes. Perhaps he would rethink his excessive use of roux after a day with me?

In modern times it would be Albert Adria, with a close second place of Pierre Gagnaire. I've met and even had both cook for me, but the language barrier was hard to get past while communicating. These two are perhaps the two most important modern minds in cuisine, Gagnaire is the godfather of the modernist movement and Albert is the worlds greatest chef - albeit his brother Feran usually gets the credit instead.

Keith_cleveland_112244

Jonathan Sawyer would be my current choice, Julia Child would be my historical choice.

tuckatodd

Michel Roux Jr. Has become one of my favorite chefs!!!!!

tshewman

This is why the decision for one would be so tough! Maybe if we invite them all to Chefsteps..... Imagine what we could charge for that. ;-)

Cathy_112093

I would love to just spend one meal with Julia Child. I don't know if my taste buds would survive but I love the way she just made everything appear mouthwatering. She would make mistakes but take them and yet make a better dish from that mistake. She made me want to cook.

Jack_Mayer_85396

Put me in the Pepin camp. Maybe, just maybe, he could teach me to "glove bone" poultry ... I still watch all the old PBS shows over and over.

matthew.snyder77

Being a good cook does not necessarily mean you are good dinner company. I tend to like chefs that have a twinkle in their eye. That sort of I-just-put-a-whoopie-cushion-under-the-confessional-kneeler kind of smirk. Troublemakers. And I think such types would make excellent dinner companions. Juan Mari and Elena Arzak, Andoni Luis Aduriz, Albert Adrià, Massimo Bottura, Heston Blumenthal, David Chang, Sean Brock, Eric Ripert, Alex Atala.....

But now that I put a bit more thought into it, I think I'd go with José Andrés on a tapas crawl through Barcelona. Given what I said above, I would think the 'why' would be self-evident.

douglas_bd

Wylie Dufresne. Reading about what he was doing at wd~50 (fried mayonaise) over a decade ago changed the way I thought about cooking and dining out. Both endeavers became more thought provoking, and ultimately rewarding as dining out (or in, for that matter) became the event rather than a precursor to something else and I started to leave recipes behind and begin experimenting in the kitchen. There were many failures. Many many failures. But I've learned from those, developed a small amount of skill and possibly some intuition and had a hell of a lot of fun along the way. I've never been to wd~50, and barring some hail mary miracle, I likely never will, but it's been in the top 3 of my list for dining destinations since I had a hit list of dining destinations. Actually, it's probably the reason I have a list at all. Did I mention I made the kids name the cat Wylie? And, in addition to all that, he seems like he'd be fun to spend some time with. So if we're going to have dinner, can we at least cook it together first?

nasv

I'll go with an obvious choice, and that'd be Thomas Keller. I'd choose him because I think I really learned to cook at home by going through his Ad-Hoc book, and then following up with Bouchon and The French Laundry. His apparent dedication to teaching, and combining technique with tradition is something that I appreciate.

Hans_67539

François Vatel, That guy ran himself through with a sword because his fish delivery was late, must have taken his food pretty seriously! He also was Louis XIV personal chef, and judging from how insanely ornate his palace in Versailles is, I bet the food was equally insane.

chefsandybermudez_84391

With Santi Santamaria and Juan Mari Arzak, unfortunally impossible, but it could be a great evening.

2 great cooking minds, and great sense of humor.

Manfred_18311

If it comes to the pleasure of dining with a chef I certainly would go for a table with Eckhart Wizigmann, but one evening or dinner would simply not enough to profoundly benefit from his wealth of knowledge. He laid the path for my cooking basics and philosophy when he opened his first restaurant in Munich back in 1978.