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When I was working for Joël Robuchon, I sensed that the chefs not only thumbed their noses at American ingredients, they actually seemed scared to be working in the United States. At times, it was ridiculous bordering on comical. The pastry chef sent from France was waiting for the corporate pastry chef, Phillipe, to come……...

I spent five years working with José Andrés, one of the most unconventional chefs in the world. It isn’t that he doesn’t know how to cook in a conventional manner. He certainly does and he has an array of restaurants that are all different. You can’t throw away the fact that everything starts with the……...

I had spent 8 years cooking before my first trip to France. That was a massive mistake; I should have gone sooner. It would have helped me understand what I was doing earlier. Food is part of the culture and tradition of wherever you visit and the only way to understand what you’re doing is……...

Since the beginning of the pandemic of Covid-19 and the shift from in person classes to online classes, I have been asked dozens of times to teach a class on panning dragées. I have always declined because it is one of those things that really needs to be a hands-on experience. I can give out……...

It was always thought that soufflés were especially finicky. “Don’t slam the door. Don’t open the door. In fact, don’t even look at the oven. Just place the soufflé dish in the oven, pray to your God and hope for the best.” It doesn’t take prayers, voodoo or any other form of mysticism to make……...

I knew that my relationship with Sylvain was beyond repair. I also knew that we couldn’t work together any longer and if anyone was going to leave, it wasn’t going to be him. Other than one other pastry cook, I basically worked the PM at the Ritz-Carlton shift unsupervised. My regular partner, Amanda, was green……...

I am frequently asked what flavor combinations or trends are overplayed and need to be phased out. I think my answer always catches people off guard when I immediately say; “Raspberry and dark chocolate is a horrible combination. That goes for strawberry and dark chocolate too.” I think my opinion shocks people because of the……...

I moved to Las Vegas in 2004 to open Wynn Las Vegas. Vegas isn’t for me; I don’t gamble, smoke or drink but I admit, it was pretty exciting to be recruited to be part of an opening team of a nearly $3 billion hotel. It was unlike anything that I had ever seen before……....

California is the best market to work for any chef. We have microclimates that yield the most incredible produce in the world. I have access to desert grown bergamot, yuzu and calamansi (in fact, I have a calamansi tree growing in my backyard). I have found a ranch in Malibu that grows passion fruit and……...

“Baking” this cake will be the greatest party trick that you will ever show your audience. I say “baking” but it really is microwaving. And no one thinks of microwaving a cake. Well, one person did and that is none other than Alberto Adria, one half of the team that made El Bulli famous. The……...