 [ INTERVIEW ]
Unlike
sports or politics, gastronomy is one of the few topics about which people get
passionate but not violent. While the world has seen many heated discussions
concerning food, rarely has anyone ever rioted about the yummiest cut of steak,
and few, if any, have been punched out in debate over the best recipe for pie
crust. “Food is our common ground, a universal experience,” culinarian
James Beard wrote. But our personal preferences in the matter could not vary
more wildly.
           Gabbing about food offers an
interesting insight into your fellow man: their loves, their hates, where
they’ve been, where they hope to go. I’m constantly asking old friends and former
strangers about favorite recipes, new restaurants, unique ingredients, but for
purposes of this piece I got to go straight to the professional chefs, the ones
who nourish us when we venture out of our own kitchens for something special.
Spending long, hot hours over the flames hasn’t diminished their love of food,
and even though chefs have access to some of the most delicious chow money can
buy, sometimes they just want a hot dog.
Chef: Jeff Traphagan of Rocco (165
Monroe Ave)
A
Night Off, A Night Out: 2Vine (“a highly educated American bistro”), King and I, or ChenGarden.
Comfort-Food
Spot: South Wedge Diner
Area’s
Best-Kept Culinary Secret: Rio Tomatlan in Canandaigua, El Rincon in Sodus
Three
Things In His Refrigerator: Garlic-chili sauce, butter,
hot-pepper cheese
Guilty
Pleasure: “Anything with sugar in it. I would eat like 14 ice-cream bars or six
Butterfingers a day if I could.”
Favorite
Cookbook: “American Cookery” by James Beard
Chef: Nick Grammatico of Piranha (682
Park Ave)
A
Night Off, A Night Out: Max of
Eastman
Place
Comfort-Food
Spot: James Brown’s Place. “I lived across the street and ate there every single
day.”
Area’s
Best-Kept Culinary Secret: Swan Market on Parsells
Avenue
Three
Things In His Refrigerator:Genny
Light, bacon, good cheese
Guilty
Pleasure: “My weakness is any salted, cured meats.”
Most
Memorable Meal: “The day before 9/11 I had 11 courses at Nobu and
then saw Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies the last night of
the Wetlands.
Favorite
Cookbook: “I’ll give you three: ‘The Professional Chef, Eighth Edition,’ ‘The Flavor
Bible,’ and Harold McGee’s ‘On Food and Cooking.'”
Chef: Dan
Martello of Good Luck (50 Anderson Ave)
A
Night Off, A Night Out: Rocco
Comfort-Food
Spot:India House.
“Right now I’m on an Indian-food kick.”
Area’s
Best-Kept Culinary Secret:Tu Casa on St.
Paul Street. “It’s a porkarama.”
Three
Things In His Refrigerator: Beer, mustards and hot sauces,
leftovers
Guilty
Pleasure: Chicken wings
Most
Memorable Meal: “The first time I went to Prune in New
York City… matzo-ball soup with fried chicken
skin.”
Favorite
Cookbook: French cookbooks by Richard Olney
Chef: Art
Rogers of Lento (274 N Goodman St)
A
Night Off, A Night Out: Rocco
Comfort-Food
Spot: Dinosaur Barbecue
Area’s
Best-Kept Culinary Secret: Lento
Three
Things In His Refrigerator: Beer, “my wife’s homemade granola,”
leftovers
Guilty
Pleasure: White hot dogs from Donna Daddy’s, a cart parked across from Village Gate
Most
Memorable Meal: Chez Panisse in Berkeley.
“That’s what we hope to achieve one day; it’s sort of a mecca
for Slow Food.”
Favorite
Cookbook: “Cooking By Hand” by Paul Bertolli
Chef: Paul
Brewer of The Tap and Mallet (381
Gregory St)
A
Night Off, A Night Out: Ember Woodfire Grill in Livonia
Comfort-Food
Spot:Korea House
Area’s
Best-Kept Culinary Secret: “Can I say my restaurant? Because I don’t think enough people know about us.”
Three
Things In His Refrigerator: Pulled
pork, asparagus, and white wine
Guilty
Pleasure: Chocolate
Most
Memorable Meal: “The pork belly I had at the Rabbit Room in HoneoyeFalls.”
Favorite
Cookbook: “The French Laundry” by Thomas Keller
Chef: Seth Lindahl of Max Chophouse (1456
Monroe Ave)
A
Night Off, A Night Out: Shiki
Comfort-Food
Spot: James Brown’s Place
Area’s
Best-Kept Culinary Secret:Dogtown
Three
Things In His Refrigerator:Edamame in the freezer, cheese, eggs
Guilty
Pleasure: “A Garbage Plate with mac salad, home fries,
everything, and extra sauce.”
Most
Memorable Meal:Melisse in Los
Angeles. “I worked there for a year, and the
chef made 21 courses for a friend and me. None of it was on the menu.”
Favorite
Cookbook: “The French Laundry” by Thomas Keller
Chef: Lisa Cunliffe of Jonathan’s Choice, Caterers and Private Chefs
(248-2470)
A
Night Off, A Night Out:California
Rollin’ or Plum House
Comfort-Food
Spot:Highland Diner
or the Public Market
Area’s
Best-Kept Culinary Secret: Jonathan’s Choice
Three
Things In Her Refrigerator: “The
three Gs: Guinness, garlic, and ginger.”
Guilty
Pleasure: Pizza
Most
Memorable Meal: “A black-tie dinner where I received the American Culinary Federation Award for
2005 Monroe County Chef of the Year.”
Favorite
Cookbook: “Larousse Gastronomique”
This article appears in May 12-18, 2010.
