Question Of The Day #2

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

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Seriously? One? Michael-you suck . ;-) So many bring something different! They all bring incredible intensity and passion. If I "had" to choose only one........holy crap! I'd have to say Heston Blumenthal. Why? His background of little formal training to always asking why. His clumsiness off set and what seems to be incredible human side of making mistakes and admitting some of these publicly while poking fun at himself. Appears to give credit when due to other great chefs and his staff. He has put himself out there publicly in some of his episodes which makes him vulnerable to public scrutiny. Has done so much to make cooking better on a grand scale. Seems to be approachable enough that one could have a beer with him, or a fine dinner, or learn from him in the kitchen. So many questions I would want to ask him and probably not enough time in one dinner for answers. I have others, but guess that would be my number one.

Brendan_Lee_56950

I'd like to spend a weekend with Jacques Pepin and ask him to cook me the most elaborate French preparation he knows just so I could watch him work his wizardry. He also seems like he'd be a lot of fun to drink with.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

Pepin. His Complete Techniques was the start of my seriously taking up cooking.

He also seems like an extremely personable character and I love the stories.

I could watch his omelet videos every day.

michaelnatkin

I might pick Paul Bertolli. He was at Chez Panisse and then started Oliveto, which I remember eating at in Oakland way back in the '90s and having my mind blown. His book, Cooking By Hand, opened my eyes to what commitment and thoughtful cooking really looks like. The guy started a traditional series of balsamic casks on the day his son was born, to share with him as an adult.

merridith

Alice Waters. She must have some incredible stories to tell. I also think that of all the still living chefs in the world, her legacy has been the most enduring. I have been (occasionally/when I am in the Bay Area) eating at her restaurants for nearly 40 years. It is still difficult to get a table.

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.

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.

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.

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.

SteveM_20803

My first choice as well. He is so effortless at what he does. I would even settle for several bottles of wine, and a fireside chat with him for an afternoon. I bet his stories of working with Julia alone would be a hoot.

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?

Matthew_Snyder_68770

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.

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.

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.

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. ;-)

TODD_ANDERSON_36806

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

Keith_cleveland_112244

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

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.

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...

Leon_78793

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

ipreferale

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

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.

Nat_112460

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

Monique_112566

Mario Batalli

T__2156

Julia. Because she was a pleasure to dine with.

ren_74229

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

Bafoza_7742

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

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.

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.

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.

Kyle_112803

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

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!