Posted on Aug 17, 2011 under Archives, Chefs, Interviews |
WP24 Chef de Cuisine Sara Johannes
I recently dined at WP24 downtown, Wolfgang Puck’s Asian fusion modern restaurant on the 24th floor of the Ritz Carlton downtown. I sat down with Chef de Cuisine Sara Johannes after sampling about a dozen dishes at the LA Live hotspot to chat about food, working at Wolfgang Puck’s latest LA venture, and her philosophy on cooking.
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Johannes’ passion for the culinary arts was nurtured at an early age by her great-grandmother Rosa, who taught Johannes to forage for ingredients and cook seasonally from a bountiful kitchen garden. As she grew up and increasingly became aware of her calling as a chef, Johannes found great inspiration traveling the world and exploring destinations through their local cuisine and food traditions.
Embarking on a culinary journey to refine her craft, Johannes enrolled in Saint Paul College where she received her Associates Degree in Culinary Arts. Upon graduation she took a position as line cook at The Nicollet Island Inn, where she honed skills in sauces, butchery and pastry production. The following year, Johannes became the line cook at Lucia’s Restaurant and Wine Bar, where she trained under James Beard-Nominated Chef, Lucia Watson, whose cooking emphasized organic ingredients and natural flavors.
Johannes joined the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group in 2005 as Sous Chef of 20.21 in Minneapolis. Upon joining the 20.21 team, Johannes was quickly taken under the wing of Managing Partner and Executive Corporate Chef of the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, Lee Hefter. Johannes also staged at Puck’s legendary restaurants Spago Beverly Hills and Chinois on Main in 2006, while helping Puck cater the Governor’s Ball at the Oscars in 2007. She then made the move to open Puck’s first Dallas restaurant, Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck, as Executive Chef.
Since joining the Wolfgang Puck team, Johannes has spent time perfecting Puck’s philosophy of fresh ingredients and big flavor, executed in each kitchen with high standards and methodology. As Chef de Cuisine of WP24, Johannes fulfills a six-year-long culinary exploration of Asian cuisine with a menu that epitomizes haute modern Chinese cooking.
Posted on Jul 29, 2011 under Chefs, Interviews |
Chef Devon Hashimoto
On my last visit to Las Vegas I visited with Chef Devon Hashimoto. Chef Hashimoto was recently appointed the new executive chef of Okada, the fine dining Japanese retaurant at Wynn. I enjoyed a fabulous tasting menu, see the next post, of new menu items created by Chef Hashimoto.
Raised in Honolulu, Hashimoto worked at Sam Choy’s in Hawaii before traveling to Vegas to attend the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He worked at the Mirage in Vegas until Chef Alex Stratta recruited Hashimoto to work at his signature restaurant, Alex, at the Wynn Resort. When Alex closed earlier this year, Hashimoto was chosen to head up the kitchen at Okada. We sat down and chatted about his new role as chef, the revised menu at Okada and his philosophy about food and cooking.
Posted on Jul 07, 2011 under Archives, Interviews, Other interesting people |
Engelbert Humperdinck
Engelbert Humperdinck has sold more than 150 million record throughout his forty plus year career. With four Grammy nominations, a Golden Globe for Entertainer of the Year (1988), 63 gold and 24 platinum records and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he returns to Las Vegas to perform four shows at the Paris Resort on July 21. I talked with Engelbert over the phone before he heads to Sin City to perform for his many fans and receive a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars.
Engelbert, back in the day
Posted on Jun 30, 2011 under Chefs, Interviews |
Lidia Bastianich
I was delighted when I learned that I would be able to interview one of my favorite chefs, Lidia Bastianich, at a recent press event to celebrate her collaboration with Shutters on the Beach Coast restaurant. The Summer of Bastianich promotion pairs Bastianich’s wines with seasonal dishes. Lidia shared with me her philosophy on food, family and cooking. We share a love for Italian food and it was one of my favorite chef interviews.
Lidia Bastianich is one of the best-loved chefs on television, a best-selling cookbook author, restaurateur, and owner of a flourishing food and entertainment business. Her cookbooks include, Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy and Lidia’s Italy –both companion books to the Emmy-nominated television series, Lidia’s Italy as well as Lidia’s Family Table, Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen, Lidia’s Italian Table and La Cucina di Lidia. Lidia is the chef/owner of four acclaimed New York City restaurants — Felidia, Becco, Esca and Del Posto, as well as Lidia’s in Pittsburgh and Kansas City She is also founder and president of Tavola Productions, an entertainment company that produces high-quality broadcast productions including Lidia’s Italy. Together with her son Joseph, she produces award-winning wines at their Bastianich Vineyards in Friuli. 2007 signified a true benchmark in Lidia’s career, as she had the esteem honor of cooking for His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI during his travels to New York. In the fall of 2010, Lidia released her first children’s book, “Nonna Tell Me a Story: Lidia’s Christmas Kitchen.” Perhaps the single most important quality that Lidia shares is her belief that it’s not only the food on the table that makes the meal, it’s the people who join around the table who bring the meal to life.
