Andrew Friedman

Andrew Friedman Talks to Marc Vetri

abaker — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 18:18:20 +0000

Andrew Friedman Talks to Marc Vetri abaker Fri, 08/11/2023 - 14:18 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/MARC_VETRI_ATTC-HERO.jpg.webp?itok=TfNBBCUI Marc Vetri (left) and Andrew. Photographed at Vetri Cucina in Philadelphia, PA. (April 2023) August 11, 2023

By Andrew Friedman

Andrew Friedman has authored or coauthored more than 25 chef-focused books, including the forthcoming "The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food." He is also the host and producer of the popular podcast "Andrew Talks to Chefs." He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

After three years of trying to get across a table from each other to record a pod conversation, Marc Vetri and Andrew finally found time during the Philly Chef Conference this spring.

They met on a beautiful April morning in the dining room of Marc’s flagship Vetri Cucina and went through Marc’s evolution from aspiring rock star to fledgling cook to full-fledged chef and business person.

Along the way, they recall some industry legends, discuss sticking to your guns in deal-making, and the rationale for overseas stages.

This episode of Andrew Talks to Chefs, a fully independent podcast hosted by Andrew Friedman, was published with permission.

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Andrew Friedman Talks to Amanda Shulman

abaker — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 14:53:24 +0000

Andrew Friedman Talks to Amanda Shulman abaker Thu, 07/27/2023 - 10:53 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/andrew-friedman-amanda-shulman_0.jpg.webp?itok=VF2yhadU Amanda Shulman, left, and Andrew. Photographed at Hot Luck Festival in Austin, May 2023. July 27, 2023

By Andrew Friedman

A lifelong food lover, Chef Amanda Shulman‘s love of cuisine and cooking became all consuming during a semester in Rome during college.

Following a string of stages and early jobs, she committed to the pro kitchen and trained in Vegas, Montreal and New York City before opening her hugely successful Her Place in Philadelphia.

On this episode of Andrew Talks to Chefs, Chef Amanda discusses her unique path, the role Italy plays in her career and her new restaurant My Loup, opened recently in collaboration with her fiancée Alex Kemp. (This episode was recorded at the Hot Luck festival in Austin.)

This episode of Andrew Talks to Chefs, a fully independent podcast hosted by Andrew Friedman, was published with permission.

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Andrew Friedman Talks to Chef Ryan Bartlow

abaker — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 19:58:21 +0000

Andrew Friedman Talks to Chef Ryan Bartlow abaker Thu, 07/20/2023 - 15:58 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Ryan_Bartlow_ATTC-HERO.jpg.webp?itok=793J0_by Ryan Bartlow, right, and Andrew Friedman. Photographed at Ernesto’s in April 2023. Ryan Bartlow, chef-owner of the outstanding Spanish/Basque restaurant Ernesto’s in NYC, recounts his formative years in Chicago, including being part of the opening team at Alinea, and the road that led to him devoting himself to Spanish cuisine July 20, 2023

By Andrew Friedman

At his restaurant Ernesto’s in lower Manhattan, chef Ryan Bartlow serves up stunningly faithful renditions of the Basque cuisine he came to love while staging in Spain early in his career.

In this interview, Ryan paints a vivid picture of his time overseas that caused him to fall in love with this food. He also recounts his time in some important kitchens, including as part of the opening team of such storied restaurants as Alinea in Chicago and Frenchette in New York City.

This episode of Andrew Talks to Chefs, a fully independent podcast hosted by Andrew Friedman, was published with permission.

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Andrew Friedman Talks to Parcelle Wine Bar's Ron Yan

abaker — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 13:00:00 +0000

Andrew Friedman Talks to Parcelle Wine Bar's Ron Yan abaker Fri, 07/07/2023 - 09:00 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/RON_YAN_ATTC-HERO.jpg.webp?itok=KD7s2vu9 July 7, 2023

By Andrew Friedman

As executive chef of Parcelle wine bar in Lower Manhattan, Ron Yan serves a menu informed by myriad cuisines and some of the places where he’s lived around the world.

In this conversation recorded outside the restaurant in late 2022, Ron describes his initial interest in food and cooking, his gravitation to New York City, and his experience in a range of New York restaurants, from the glitzy Le Cirque in Midtown to the smaller and more intimate Jewel Bako and Degustation Downtown.

(As you’ll hear in the interview, we’re still not sure if Ron wants you to check out his YouTube channel, where he did cooking demos during the pandemic, but have a look if you like; they’re charming.)

This episode of Andrew Talks to Chefs, a fully independent podcast hosted by Andrew Friedman, was published with permission.

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Andrew Friedman Talks to John & Kat Hong

abaker — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 20:16:22 +0000

Andrew Friedman Talks to John & Kat Hong abaker Thu, 06/15/2023 - 16:16 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/YANGBAN_ATTC-HERO.jpg.webp?itok=ZERHDPkv Pictured left to right: Andrew Friedman, John Hong and Kat Hong of Yangban restaurant, located in Downtown Los Angeles. June 23, 2023

By Andrew Friedman

While in Los Angeles last month, Andrew had time for just one pod interview.

At the top of his list, based on an excellent dinner at their restaurant last fall, were John and Kat Hong, chef-owners of Yangban (yes, they’ve dropped the “Society” from the name) in DTLA.

In this comprehensive conversation, the couple discuss their respective biographies, how they met while working at Josiah Citrin’s Mélisse restaurant, then moved to Christopher Kostow’s The Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa Valley, before returning to Los Angeles and opening their own singular place. On the margins of the discussion are thoughts on identity, categorizing cuisine, the perhaps surprising challenges of operating a more casual restaurant, and where this duo’s dishes come from.

Fascinating, thoughtful stuff here, and we hope you’ll check it out.

This episode of Andrew Talks to Chefs, a fully independent podcast hosted by Andrew Friedman, was published with permission.

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Supporting Queer Cooks & Chefs with Rob Connoley (An Andrew Talks to Chefs Special Conversation)

abaker — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 17:42:20 +0000

Supporting Queer Cooks & Chefs with Rob Connoley (An Andrew Talks to Chefs Special Conversation) abaker Thu, 06/08/2023 - 13:42 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Rob_Connoley-credit-bulrush-HERO.jpg.webp?itok=CcjItxMk Photo credit: Bulrush. June 9, 2023

By Andrew Friedman

In a recent, impassioned social media post, Chef Rob Connoley, chef and owner of Bulrush restaurant in St. Louis, Missouri, lamented the continued unwelcoming environment many queer cooks face in the professional kitchen, and the limited opportunities for advancement and ownership available to even accomplished queer chefs.

Andrew invited Chef Rob to return to the podcast and expand on his thoughts and observations on this important subject. In this short but textured conversation, Chef Rob discusses lingering prejudices, widely perceived barriers to advancement and financing and the sometimes inadvertent hurt caused even by friends and allies.

If you haven’t heard it before, be sure also to check out Andrew’s recent biographical interview with Rob. Andrew’s next book "The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food" is now available for preorder! Please consider purchasing your copy/copies in advance and help the book have a great lift-off.

This episode of Andrew Talks to Chefs, a fully independent podcast hosted by Andrew Friedman, was published with permission.

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Andrew Talks to Chefs: Omar Tate (Honeysuckle Projects; Philadelphia, PA)

abaker — Wed, 31 May 2023 13:00:00 +0000

Andrew Talks to Chefs: Omar Tate (Honeysuckle Projects; Philadelphia, PA) abaker Wed, 05/31/2023 - 09:00 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/OMAR_TATE_ATTC-HERO.jpg.webp?itok=cFQXHChT Omar Tate, right, and Andrew. Philly Chef Conference. Photo by Bailey King. May 31, 2023

By Andrew Friedman

Chef Omar Tate attained national prominence with his deeply personal Honeysuckle pop-up dinners.

In addition to drawing enthusiastic diners wherever they were staged, he received accolades such as being named Esquire's "Chef of the Year" in 2020.

After pandemic pivots, which included a residency at Blue Hill Stone Barns, Omar and his wife, Cybille St. Aude-Tate, have launched Honeysuckle Projects.

The concept was founded to, in their own words, "[expand] into a network of community spaces centered around the values of ancestry, nourishment and reclamation. This brand represents business structures that stem from a distinct philosophy where Black and Afrocentric ideology are at the center."

The first space is Honeysuckle Provisions in West Philadelphia.

During the recent Philly Chef Conference, Omar made time to sit down with Andrew and discuss his life and career, as both chef and artist.

This episode of Andrew Talks to Chefs, a fully independent podcast hosted by Andrew Friedman, was published with permission.

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One Chef’s Ongoing Mental Health Journey with Greg Baxtrom

abaker — Fri, 19 May 2023 13:00:00 +0000

One Chef’s Ongoing Mental Health Journey with Greg Baxtrom abaker Fri, 05/19/2023 - 09:00 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/GregBaxtromAndrewChefs-copy-1536x1536-HERO.jpg.webp?itok=WWAQE1GO Andrew Friedman sits down with Chef Greg to discuss his story May 19, 2023

By Andrew Friedman

Chef Greg Baxtrom, chef-owner of a quartet of New York City restaurants, recently opened up in a revealing Instagram post about his years-long struggles with alcoholism and bipolar disorder.

**Content warning — this episode discusses suicidal feelings.**

In that post, Chef Greg mentioned that he’d be joining Andrew for a discussion about his ongoing mental health journey. This is that conversation.

Chef Greg sat down with Andrew a few days ago in Brooklyn for a deeply personal dialogue about how his alcoholism revealed itself, how his delayed bipolar diagnosis impacted his efforts to become sober, and the unique challenges of navigating these rough waters as a chef-owner with businesses to maintain and employees to manage.

On a personal note: We’re honored that Chef Greg chose to share his story with us.

Please note: Neither Andrew nor Greg are mental health specialists or medical professionals. This conversation is shared for the sole purpose of being open and honest about mental illness, but their opinions are strictly those of laypeople and based only on their own unique, individual experiences. For professional and/or medical advice/attention, please seek help from an appropriate mental health care specialist and/or medical provider.

If you are in the U.S., here are two resources where you can seek help any day, at any time:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Crisis Text Line (also available in the UK, Ireland, and Canada)

A great many national and regional resources are available, both in the US and around the world. If in the United States, you can seek a referral here. Wherever you are, a quick web search should point you to qualified help in your area and/or language.

Listen to the full episode below.

This episode of Andrew Talks to Chefs, a fully independent podcast hosted by Andrew Friedman, was published with permission.

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Andrew Friedman Talks to Manoella "Manu" Buffara

abaker — Mon, 01 May 2023 17:42:43 +0000

Andrew Friedman Talks to Manoella "Manu" Buffara abaker Mon, 05/01/2023 - 13:42 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/MANU_BUFFARA_ATTC-1-2048x2048-HERO.jpg.webp?itok=kyqfOZvW May 12, 2023

By Andrew Friedman

Manoella Buffara, also known as “Manu,” has owned and operated her own restaurant, the eponymous Manu, in Curitiba, Brazil, for more than a decade. The restaurant offers an expression of her life and mind in a tasting menu format.

This week, she published a book — "Manu: Recipes and Stories from My Brazil" — that, like the restaurant, is a summation of herself and her cuisine to this point in her journey.

While in New York City to celebrate the book’s launch, Manu sat down with Andrew at the offices of her publisher, Phaidon, to discuss her migration to professional cooking from an original path toward journalism, her formative time at Noma in Copenhagen and the story behind her celebrated restaurant, among many other subjects.

Tune in to hear their discussion.

Andrew Friedman is one of America’s most prolific working chroniclers of chefs, restaurants and America’s food culture. He has authored or co-authored more than 25 books, including the forthcoming “The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food.” He is also the host and producer of the popular podcast Andrew Talks to Chefs.

Brooklyn-based Friedman first became fascinated by chefs in 1997, when Chef Alfred Portale asked him to collaborate on the “Gotham Bar and Grill Cookbook.” The book received the IACP/Julia Child Cookbook Award for “Best Chef or Restaurant Cookbook,” and is widely considered a classic in the chef cookbook genre. In 2018, he wrote “Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll” chronicling the life and times of 1970s and 80s chefs like Alice Waters and Wolfgang Puck whose influence has shaped our contemporary restaurant scene.

Before becoming a working writer, Friedman developed film and television projects. He is a graduate of Columbia University and the former French Culinary Institute’s “La Technique” program.

This episode of Andrew Talks to Chefs, a fully independent podcast hosted by Andrew Friedman, was published with permission.

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