Category: chefs

Comeback King: From Prison to His Own Restaurant, Chef Anthony Caldwell Followed a Path Laid by Providence

On a spiritual level, the journey of 50Kitchen is a lot longer than the 710 miles between Dorchester, Massachusetts and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Executive chef and owner Anthony Caldwell says divine providence got him from where he was to where he is today. And where he was, was prison. “I didn’t have the perfect…


Abra Berens’s Food Is a Celebration of the Midwest’s Bounty—and a Love Letter to the People Who Grow It

“What are you most excited about?” That, says Abra Berens in her new cookbook, is the single best question you can ask a farmers market vendor—or a restaurant server, or even a grocery store stockist—and is your surest path to a delicious discovery. These people are skilled workers with the most intimate and recent knowledge…


No Place Like Home: Evan Hennessey Is Making New Hampshire a Dining Destination

When you’ve cooked under Thomas Keller and Grant Achatz, nabbed $10,000 on Food Network’s “Chopped,” and own a restaurant that’s regularly ranked as one of North America’s best, the whole world is your oyster. But for New England native chef Evan Hennessey, there’s simply no place like home. “I grew up here in Dover, [New…


The Non-Stop Chef: Sol Han Invites Diners to Join Him on Methodically Mad Culinary Adventure

Alice had magical “eat me” cakes; chef Sol Han has bungeo-ppang. The fish-shaped pastry, a popular Korean street snack, is traditionally a springy, waffle-like shell stuffed with sweetened red bean paste. Han flips it savory by nixing the filling, flavoring the batter like a scallion pancake—a nod to a childhood staple—and serving it with black…


New York Revival: Iron Chef Marc Forgione Celebrates Old New York With His Distinct Flair

Being a chef, says Marc Forgione, is kind of like living in New York. “You either love it or hate it; it’s a tough city that forces you to earn the right to enjoy it, it sort of forces you to become tough.” Forgione loves both—and has certainly done the work to enjoy them. Born…


Arepas and a New Beginning: The Baltimore Restauranteur Introducing America to Venezuelan Food—and Its Next Generation of Talented Chefs

The most important ingredient Irena Stein has brought to Baltimore’s dining scene isn’t found in her Venezuelan food. It’s her team. As the proud founder of the country’s first contemporary Venezuelan restaurant, Alma Cocina Latina, and a Venezuelan immigrant herself, Stein is supporting the next generation of Venezuelan chefs in America—which begins with helping them…


Refined Cooking in Alaska’s Rugged Wilderness

Imagine standing on the rugged terrain of an ancient glacial fjord, just as likely to spot a black bear, moose, or wolf as another human soul. The setting is remote. Wild. Unforgiving. But for chef Kirsten Dixon, this untamed Alaskan backcountry is simply home, sweet home. For 40 years, Dixon and her family have encouraged…


Breaking Bread: Chris Shepherd Wants You to Make Your Community Your (Delicious) Classroom

For Chris Shepherd, the James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur, food is the ultimate icebreaker.  “Food is the first thing that you can talk about,” he said. “You don’t have to get political. You don’t have to get religious. When it comes down to, ‘How did you cook this chicken?’ that’s a pretty simple thing…


Back to Basics: At Patti Ann’s, Diners Get Schooled in Greg Baxtrom’s Version of Midwest Nostalgia

If the sign outside proudly advertising “stroller parking” doesn’t give it away, the cheerful, primary-colored decor and board game-stocked cubbies probably will. If not, then certainly the menu will—a roster of down-home comfort food printed on a paper placemat that comes with an activity book and crayons. Patti Ann’s is a family restaurant through and…


A Family Affair: With the Help of Special Guest Chefs, Chris Viaud Brings a Taste of Haiti to New Hampshire

Aromas of citrus, garlic, and herbs flow through the Sunday evening air as Caribbean steel drums set the mood for a night of homecooked Haitian cuisine. As diners sip fruity cocktails and nibble on plantains, they could be forgiven for forgetting that they aren’t on a tropical getaway. Instead, they’re sitting in an old bank…