At The Table With...

Anne Desjardins and her partner Pierre Audette, bought a charming cottage in Ste. Adèle (an hour outside of Montreal) and turned it into a small restaurant called “L’eau à la Bouche”, at a time when “fresh broccoli was a radical concept". She couldn’t bear to import asparagus in February instead of serving their own Laurentian squash, cabbage, and mushrooms. Their notions of freshness and purity, of healthfulness and simplicity became their governing philosophy. As word spread about L'Eau à la Bouche, Anne and Pierre expanded into a cozy country inn with 25 rooms. In 1989, they were accepted as a member of the world renowned Relais and Chateaux chain. Among numerous accolades, Anne has been named the Best Chef in Canada by the New York Times, honoured as one of America's Top Tables by Gourmet.

Antony Worrall-Thompson is an accomplished athlete who swam the English Channel when he was 16. He then went on to study hotel management at Westminster College despite protestations from his grandmother who tried to prevent him from becoming a chef, feeling that it was “beneath him”. After a travelling food sabbatical in France, he returned to London to open his own restaurant in 1981 – Ménage à Trois in tony Knightsbridge. The several restaurants that followed were each heaped with accolades and awards such as the Mouton Rothschild Menu Competition and the Meillier Ouvrier de Grande Bretagne (MOGB), the chef’s Oscar.

Art Smith has come a long way from small town Florida to being short listed as White House Chef. Art started out as a personal chef at the Governor’s Mansion in Florida where he was raised. In 1997, he ended up as personal chef to Oprah Winfrey for 10 years. With the blessing of the TV icon, Art opened Table 52 in Chicago, and has never looked back. He just opened his THIRD restaurant in Washington DC and has now published 3 cookbooks – one of which, “Back to the Table: The Reunion of Food and Family”, won a James Beard Award. Art’s mission is to resurrect the important role of food and “gathering at the table”.

Arun is proof you don’t have to be a type A chef, with the accompanying theatrics, to become a star in the kitchen. This quiet, artistic, Buddhist chef is the epitome of humility and yet his restaurant is known as the best Thai dining in America. An ordained Buddhist monk, poet, and painter, Chef Arun Sampathavivat is a master of Thai cuisine. Since opening “Arun’s Restaurant” in 1987, he has become world-renowned – and won a James Beard Award as Best Chef Midwest. Celibate, he lives with his brother in Chicago and still practices the tenets of Buddhism. Although the religion espouses rejection of “worldly things”, Arun has had to embrace success. Frommers has described Arun’s as “the best Thai restaurant in the country”.

As Executive Chef at Canada’s prestigious Royal York Hotel he’s now juggling six restaurants, massive banquets and room service. Complete with a walkie talkie, David oversees 12 sous chefs and in the course he walks 8 kms. daily. He manages a budget of $30-million, and a staff of 200. David got his first gig as executive chef at the ripe age of 28 so he’s been a star from the start. At the Royal York, he’s also become an advocate for local produce – even keeping an herb garden and 10,000 bees on the roof so that the hotel can take advantage of fresh herbs. At 42, David Garcelon– is a decade younger than most chefs in such a high-profile position.

Elizabeth Falkner is a pastry chef with an attitude. Known as a dessert artist who makes “anything but round” cakes, Elizabeth Falkner’s architecturally stunning and mouth-watering creations have earned her a place amongst pastry and savory cooks alike. Falkner says, "I love architecture in dessert because the medium asks for it." The California native is a fine arts graduate who originally planned on pursuing a career in film after obtaining her degree from the San Francisco Art Institute. However,in 1997after stints at several of San Francisco restaurants, she opened her own dessert restaurant, the cinematically inspired "Citizen Cake" ("a cake for every citizen") to wide critical acclaim. She’s also a cookbook author and winner of numerous prestigious awards – both local and national.

Elizabeth Falkner is a pastry chef with an attitude. Known as a dessert artist who makes “anything but round” cakes, Elizabeth Falkner’s architecturally stunning and mouth-watering creations have earned her a place amongst pastry and savory cooks alike. Falkner says, "I love architecture in dessert because the medium asks for it." The California native is a fine arts graduate who originally planned on pursuing a career in film after obtaining her degree from the San Francisco Art Institute. However,in 1997after stints at several of San Francisco restaurants, she opened her own dessert restaurant, the cinematically inspired "Citizen Cake" ("a cake for every citizen") to wide critical acclaim. She’s also a cookbook author and winner of numerous prestigious awards – both local and national.

Born and raised on Long Island, Larry Forgione spent childhood summers on his grandmother’s farm eating tasty chickens and freshly harvested, perfectly ripe fruits and vegetables. He committed himself to using only domestic ingredients and cultivated a supply from small farmers, purveyors and foragers. Forgione started the first “free range” chicken farm in 1980 in Warwick, New York, and coined that very term. He had found his mission: to support the best of America’s harvest. Obsessed with the celebration of Americana, he opened An American Place, where his pan-seared buffalo steaks, terrine of American caviars, and old-fashioned banana betty awed the city's Europhile foodies, earning him three stars from the New York Times. “Cooking American” had become a source of national pride. Forgione has written two cookbooks and has won several James Beard and CIA awards.

Maricel Presilla took the indirect route to becoming a chef: Dr. Presilla used to teach medieval history at New York and Rutgers universities. But in studying anthropology and culture, Maricel found herself specifically drawn to the FOOD of civilization throughout the ages. Foregoing academia for a full-on career as chef and food writer. She soon opened Zafra, a pan-Latin restaurant in Hoboken, New Jersey which has garnered rave reviews for its unique take on Latin American cuisine. Her inquiring academic mind pushed Maricel into investigating the culinary history of Latin America and Spain. The scholar-turned-chef began to do what she thought she had left behind: researching and writing.

Michael Lomonaco is the quintessential New York chef. After surviving 9/11 – but losing many of his beloved staff that day AND his restaurant, Windows on the World – Michael has been “giving back” to his city ever since. He opened the best steakhouse in town, and began many charities to help the families of those who died as well as New York City’s Homeless. Italian-American Michael Lomonaco's first career of choice was a theater/film actor and singer but eventually, his passion for cooking, food and wine overshadowed the bright lights of Tinsel Town. In 1988 he became Executive Sous Chef at the legendary Maxwell's Plum and a year later returned to the '21' as Executive Chef. Michael has been host of Discovery Channel's Epicurious and the Food Network's Michael's Place.

With his quiet Asian demeanour, Nobu Matsuhisa is NOT the image of an ambitious type-A chef. And yet, he is one of the most successful chef/owners in the world. At 15 years of age, Nobu started work at a now-defunct sushi restaurant in Tokyo. From Tokyo he moved to South America, where Chef Nobu opened restaurants in Peru and Argentina before landing on US shores- to Alaska. After his beloved restaurant burned to the ground, Nobu relocated to LA and opened the first of a long chain of restaurants. In 1993 when working in NYC, Nobu met regular customer and A-list actor Robert DeNiro who asked the chef to open restaurant with him. Nobu has been recognized with awards such as the “Best Ten Chefs in the US”, consecutively ranked No.1 in the category of “Taste” in the Zagat Food Survey and a Michelin Star to NOBU London only to name a few.

Chef Clark’s mission is to serve only sustainable seafood and he’s launched a campaign among his peers to educate the public that we should care about the sustainability of ocean life. Clark began his career training at George Brown College and went on to work in Toronto’s finest kitchens. Now working in Vancouver, and having a desire to serve fresh seafood, he went straight to the boats –to find better seafood and more variety. Soon the chef was adding sea cucumber to salads and barnacles to soups. His former restaurant Star Anise, remains the only restaurant to ever win the Vancouver Magazine awards for “Restaurant of the Year” and “Best New Restaurant” in the same year.

Susanna Trilling has been a chef for over thirty years and has dabbled in the culinary traditions of many countries- but it’s her own Mexican roots that pulled her back to what she loves most. Many years as a professional chef, Susana opened New York restaurants Bon Temps Rouler and Rick's Lounge. It was in 1988 however, that Susanna really found her heart’s wishes come true when she moved to Mexico’s gastronomic capital, Oaxaca. There, Susanna opened her catering business and cooking school called Seasons of My Heart on the Rancho Aurora- a hillside farm - which was made into a PBS culinary series as well as an accompanying cookbook. The participation-based classes are combined with market tours, demonstrations in local homes and cottage industries.

Cat Cora grew up in Mississippi – the daughter of Greek immigrants. Her grandfather ran diners in the delta where Cat first caught the restaurant bug. She eventually trained at The Culinary Institute of America and at one of her first gigs in California, the legendary Jacques Pepin happened to dine at her restaurant. He was so impressed he immediately wrote The James Beard House and declared Cat a chef to watch. She soon was asked to be the first female Iron Chef – and she leaped at the chance. Cat also founded “Chefs for Humanity” and during Hurricane Katrina she and fellow chefs like Ming Tsai were feeding between three and five thousand people a day. Cat has a certain affinity for helping others – in part, because as a lesbian chef in a world dominated by men, surviving is what she’s good at.

At first glance, Chris Cosentino seems like a madman of the culinary arts. A dedicated proponent of “head to tail” dining - in which you literally feast on every part of the animal – his food may seem a little crazy too, at first. But his Grilled Beef Heart, Fried Cow Testicles and Chocolate Blood Pudding are delectable treats for the palate. And his Incanto Restaurant in San Francisco has caught the attention of many celebrated peers of the culinary world – like Jamie Oliver and Anthony Bourdain. Chris credits his admitted ADD/ADHD for his vivid imagination.

“I love the sea, it’s in my blood” says Chef Dave Pasternack. And he’s not kidding: Dave’s been fishing since the age of five, and forty years later, now runs Esca – what many consider to be the best seafood restaurant in New York City. Dave brought the crudo craze to Manhattan -- an Italian preparation of lightly cured raw, fresh fish with olive oils, sea salts, crushed nuts and/or citrus juices. Given the unadorned nature of his cuisine, Dave’s ingredients are paramount and he has more than 50 purveyors of seafood from around the world. Still an avid fisherman himself, Dave still supplies some items on the menu from his own fishing trips. Frank Brunni of the New York Times says, "He’s an honest-to-God fisherman, in love with the ocean, and Esca is his ongoing ode to it." So is Pasternack’s new cookbook, “The Young Man and the Sea” which chronicles his love of fishing, cooking and offers readers some of the most coveted Esca staples- including the Italian Frito Misto Amalfitano.

Gale is one of the best pastry chefs in America. She’s always had an artistic flare: she studied jewellery design in college, but soon realized she could combine that with her love of cooking, and voila: she’s been creating culinary works of art ever since. She is executive pastry chef at the world-renowned Tru Restaurant in Chicago, has authored several cookbooks and hosted her own tv series Sweet Dreams since 2000. Her desserts have been called poetic and luscious and she’s been credited with “elevating quintessential childhood flavours to a high-wire act”.

Grant Achatz grew up in the family restaurant business in Michigan but now, as a world-famous chef, his food goes way beyond traditional. A molecular gastronomist, Grant is a bold experimenter with food ingredients and their form. He’s renowned for his exquisite 25-course tasting menu at his restaurant Alinea in Chicago. Grant knew as a teenager he wanted to become a chef and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. He credits his mentor Thomas Keller (and a two-year stint at the renowned French Laundry) for giving him both the guidance and the freedom to pursue a truly original cuisine.

Chef Jacques Pepin is an icon in the food world. Along with his beloved contemporary Julia Child, he has brought the art of cooking into the hearts and minds of generations around the world. He was personal chef to three French heads of state (including Charles de Gaulle) and has been the inspiration for hundreds of chefs that followed him – from Daniel Boulud to Sara Moulton. At age 72, Pepin is still at the top of his game: producing tv shows, writing cookbooks and teaching to throngs of wannabe chefs who may want fame and celebrity -- but still turn to Jacques to learn.

 Jacques Torres has wanted to be a baker since age 15, and growing up in France, he had some of the best mentors in the business. He brought his talents to the famed Le CirqueRestaurant in New York where he created masterful desserts for presidents, kings and celebrities. Jacques is now Dean of Pastry Studies at the French Culinary Institute and has created his own line of chocolate delights called Jacques Torres Chocolate. His factory in Brooklyn goes through a hundred tons of chocolate a year – but it is no way an assembly line: As Jacques says, “I’m an artisan. I wanted people to put a face on chocolate.”

Chef John Higgins has cooked for the Queen at Buckingham Palace, on the Royal Yacht Britannia, for heads of state in Washington and for celebrities around the world. But now, he says, he has his dream job: he’s director of one of North America’s best cooking schools, George Brown Chef School in Toronto. Since arriving in 2002, John has steered the school through a massive expansion due to an explosive demand in enrolment. With his Scottish brogue, keen wit, and passion for teaching, John is leading the way for the next generation of talented chefs. And he’s giving them all a wakeup call: in this era of celebrity chefs, he’s reminding his students that being a chef is hard work that requires passion and dedication.

One of the most popular television celebrity chefs, Michael Smith is the kind of cook you’d want in your kitchen: affable, creative, no-nonsense.  Based in Prince Edward Island, his down-home appeal has resulted in four wildly successful tv series, seen in close to 30 countries.  Born in the US and trained at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael chose the cosy environment of a Canadian country inn to make his culinary mark.  Since then he has won the hearts of thousands of amateur cooks who identify with his unpretentious but elegant recipes.  In fact Michael celebrates cooking without a recipe: His series “Chef at Home” (and subsequent cookbook) encourages amateur cooks to experiment, be brave, and add a little of this and a little of that.  It’s certainly worked for him.

Norma Shirley has been called the “Julia Child of the Caribbean”. With her generosity of spirit (and decidedly feisty nature in the kitchen) Norma has introduced legions of fans to the world of Jamaican cuisine. Born in Jamaica, and trained as a nurse, Norma didn’t develop a love of food until her mid-twenties, when she had to learn to cook for her American husband.  Her homeland eventually drew her back to the island in the 1980s, and there she combined her Jamaican roots with her growing passion in the kitchen. Now “Norma’s” restaurants in Jamaica are must-stops for celebrities and politicians who equate Norma’s flavourful cooking with the breezy essence of the Caribbean itself.

Chef Rick Bayless was first drawn to Mexican culture as an anthropologist but it was the cuisine that eventually stole his heart. With six cookbooks and a highly successful tv series to his credit, Rick has done more than any chef to raise awareness of the richness and variety of Mexican food. The New York Times has called him “the greatest contribution to the Mexican table imaginable.” He is chef/owner of one of Chicago’s hottest restaurants The Frontera Grill. Rick also conducts guided culinary tours to Mexico, has started his own Mexican food line, and even has brought his daughter into the fold, co-writing a cookbook with her on their Mexican adventures.

Roy Yamaguchi first took up cooking as a teenager to get dates with girls in Home Economics class. Now with 35 restaurants throughout North America, a hit TV series seen in more than sixty countries, and three best-selling cookbooks, Roy has taken that humble ambition to new heights. Born and raised in Tokyo, Roy trained at the American Culinary Institute in New York. He worked his way into some of the best restaurants in California, but longed to fuse his French training with his Asian roots. The solution was relocating to Hawaii where he created a new kind of Hawaiian fusion cuisine, and has never looked back. He opened his first “Roy’s” in Honolulu in 1988 and is still expanding his massive restaurant empire today.

Vikram Vij’s parents had two goals for their son when they immigrated to Canada: buy him a restaurant, and get him a wife. Both were achieved – and today, Vikram Vij and his wife Meeru clearly have a marriage made in culinary heaven. They have transformed “Vij’s” Restaurant into a Vancouver landmark – a far cry from its 14-seat opening in 1994 when Vikram’s parents helped out by transporting prepared dishes on the local bus. For their collaboration “Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine”, Vikram and Meeru won Best Cookbook at the Canadian Culinary Awards. Their modern take on traditional Indian cuisine has impressed both gourmands and newcomers to Indian food.

Biba is an Italian chef, TV host, award-winning cookbook author, and perhaps her greatest achievement, a cancer survivor.  For eight consecutive years, her restaurant Biba has been voted Sacramento’s best restaurant and her seven best-selling cookbooks have legions of fans.  Since surviving breast cancer several years ago (with the help of her oncologist husband) Biba has been advocating good nutrition as a means to fight the affects of chemotherapy and to promote health in general.

Charlie Trotter is an icon among chefs, but his path was unusual: he’s a political science major who discovered after university that his true passion was for the palate, not politics. Based in Chicago, he’s now written several best-selling cookbooks and his restaurant Charlie Trotter’s has established itself as one of the finest in the world.  His philosophy is to use only the purest ingredients, including organic produce.  He’s also taken an ethical stance against foie gras – the production of which, he believes, involves cruelty to animals.  His public stance resulted in the creation of a Chicago municipal law which now bans restaurants from serving it.  It appears Charlie didn’t abandon politics entirely, after all. 

Raised on a family farm near Lyon France, Daniel Boulud has become one of the most celebrated French chefs in America.  Now based in New York City, he is owner chef of Daniel which, shortly after opening, was named “one of the best ten restaurants in the world.”  Then came Café Boulud in both Florida and New York, and a restaurant in the Wynn Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.  He has the golden touch and now has even branched into his own line of kitchen wear including pans and knives. 

Born to Cuban immigrants, Doug Rodriguez is father of Nuevo Latino cooking.  He is also fueled by a desire to be a strong role model for Hispanic Americans.  Oddly it was Julia Child that inspired him as a youngster – he preferred watching her cooking show over cartoons on TV.  Growing up in Miami, he was surrounded by the sights and smells of Cuban American food, and it was there, at age 24, that he would open the highly successful Yuca restaurant in the fashionable area of South Beach.  He now is owner chef of restaurants in several cities and Zagat has called him “the most important restaurant chef in the Latin world.”

An inventor at heart, Homaro Cantu’s kitchen is also his laboratory.  Homaro is a molecular gastronomist – a new breed of chef that reconfigures the chemistry of food to create an entirely original cuisine.  From edible menus… to duck cooked in a vacuum…to goat cheese “snow” (zapped with liquid nitrogen), Homaro’s imagination knows no bounds.  And it doesn’t stop at food: he also creates kitchen gadgets, including a food replicator (a la Star Trek) which he hopes to license.  His restaurant Moto in Chicago is a culinary attraction, but Homaro is also working behind the scenes for agencies like NASA to create sustainable, delicious food alternatives. 

Lidia is the Italian mama we all wish we had, but in truth, she was born in Croatia.  Her family emigrated to Italy when she was ten (as refugees, fleeing the Tito dictatorship) and that’s when she began her love affair with Italian cuisine.  She eventually moved to America and began building an empire as an ambassador of Italian food.  She’s published five cookbooks and is the TV host of Lidia’s Family Table.  She is also owner chef of four widely acclaimed restaurants in New York, Pittsburgh and Kansas City.  Renowned Chef, Mario Batali swears her cooking is the authentic real deal – Italian food as it should be made and as it should taste. 

In her native India, Madhur Jaffrey learned all about the unifying affects of food.  More than 40 members of her extended family would routinely sit down to a meal prepared by her grandfather’s cooks.  Today those memories inspire her work as a food consultant, writer and former BBC cooking show host.  She’s also an actress who’s performed in several Merchant/Ivory productions, as well as on Broadway.  But it is her books, TV and radio shows on Indian food for which she is truly famous.  And at age 74, she still inspires loyal fans to revel in the exotic flavours of her native India.

Marcus is truly an international chef: he was born in Ethiopia, raised by adoptive parents in Sweden, and his restaurant Riingo in New York City is Japanese/American fusion.  The other, Aquavit, is world renowned and harkens back to his Swedish roots, offering unique interpretations of Scandinavian cuisine.  Marcus has received more accolades before the age of 40 than most chefs do in a lifetime. He’s also a painter, writer and  humanitarian, supporting inner-city high school students in their efforts to succeed in the food industry.  And as a spokesman for UNICEF, he leads the fight against tuberculosis which killed his mother in his birth country of Ethiopia.

Martin Picard is known as the wild man of Quebecois cuisine, and he’s proud of it.  His philosophy is to source locally-grown ingredients which he’ll seek out himself if he has to. He hunts, digs clams, and hand-picks pigs from a local farm.  His restaurant, Au Pied de Cochon celebrates the connection we have with the food source.  There is no disguising it in his bistro: a pig’s head or foot will likely be part of the presentation.  His unique philosophy is striking a chord: his bistro has been rated as one of North America’s best.  Chef and writer Anthony Bourdain has called it “the restaurant I’ve been waiting for my whole life.”

Norman Van Aken is the creator of New World Cuisine – a fusion of Latin American, Caribbean, Asian, African and American flavours.   Born in Illinois, it was a trip to Key West that would forever change his view of food:  he began using fresh native fish, luscious tropical fruits and vegetables and exotic chilies.  Part of a group of Florida chefs called The Mango Gang, Norman’s flair for fusion has earned him kudos from Gourmet Magazine (one of “America’s Top Tables”) and the New York Times, calling his restaurant Norman’s the best in Miami.

Canada’s first “Iron Chef”, Rob Feenie is an unlikely one.  A confessed hockey nut, he once aspired to be a fireman.  But this working class all-Canadian boy pursued his love of food and today runs two of the best restaurants in Vancouver – one of which, Lumiere, received the distinguished Relais Gourmand designation in 2000.  Rob has an abiding love for all things French (he’d like to retire in France) and its cuisine is the inspiration for his creations. He’s trained with some of the best chefs around including Daniel Boulud and Jean-Georges Vongerichten and counts celebrities like Kim Catrall, Pierce Brosnan and Michael Buble as fans.

It was Sara’s love of food that drew her to the Culinary Institute of America after university, and today she’s one of the most recognized personalities in the food industry. After studying in France and establishing a career in New York (at La Tulipe), she left the restaurant business to start a family.  Today she has established herself as a beloved television host and teacher, speaking to an audience who, like her, wants to cook delicious – but simple – meals for a family.  But she also serves a much tougher crowd: Sara is Executive Chef at Gourmet Magazine’s private dining room where she has to satisfy the most discerning palates in the business.

Called a “culinary genius” Susur Lee’s life story is as original as his food creations.  Raised in the mean streets of Hong Kong, he found refuge as a teenager washing woks in kitchens.  A love affair with a Canadian woman brought him to Toronto but it ended tragically when his young wife died in a plane crash.  Susur Lee decided to stay and channel his creative energy and love for food into a career as a chef.  Today he enjoys international acclaim as the master of nouvelle chinoise cuisine – a magical fusion of east and west.  His restaurants Susur and Lee have drawn fans from the highest echelons of the culinary world, like renowned chefs Bobby Flay and Charlie Trotter, and writer Ruth Reichl.  Food and Wine magazine named him one of the top ten chefs in the world.