chef

Andrew Mariani, Chris Kronner, Sam White at a goat roast in Winters doing the cave man meets chef thing—all for a good cause.

Courtesy of Chris Kronner

Yesterday, the New York Times was full of relevant food news, from the hopeful (White House garden) to the bleak (the number of talented chefs out of jobs).

Nice guy chef Eric Ripert (otherwise known as best friends with Laurent Manrique).

Chef Eric Ripert of NYC’s Le Bernardin was in town last week to promote his excellent new cookbook, On The Line (Artisan). Co-authored by Christine Muhlke, it’s a look behind the scenes (danger, drama!) at one of the country’s most revered fine-dining restaurants. Twenty years into it, Ripert has a lot to say.

My life at Absinthe: Head down and giving up Friday nights for (pretty much) ever.

My life consists of working. All. Of. The. Time. When I am not working I attempt to maintain some sort of normal life—like see the dentist, clean the bathroom or get the dishes out of the sink and into the cupboard. Since graduating from the CIA Hyde Park I have not:

Richie Nakano of Nopa

Here’s how you know blogging has reached the mainstream: chefs — notoriously short on time, and mostly workaholics — have somehow made time for the pursuit. Some blogs, such as the one kept by cook Richie Nakano of Nopa (linecook415.blogspot.com) offer a behind-the-scenes look at a busy SF restaurant.

Aziza chef Mourad Lahlou

Courtesy of Starchefs.com

What do Aziza chef-owner Mourad Lahlou and Sonoma-based Moroccan food expert Paula Wolfert have in common? Not much, as it turns out. I just spent the weekend at the annual CIA Worlds of Flavor conference, where old guard and new guard rubbed shoulders, swapped recipes and took in demos on everything from Syrian pastry making to live fire grilling.