Latest news with #ThomasKeller
Forbes
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Behind The Scenes At Thomas Keller's Per Se
Top Chefs: Per Se founder Thomas Keller and chef de cuisine Chad Palagi oversee the restaurant's ... More kitchen. Perched on the top floor of the Deutsche Bank Center in Manhattan's Columbus Circle, Per Se—helmed by world-renowned chef and TKRG founder Thomas Keller—received a glowing commendation from The New York Times' Frank Bruni soon after it opened in 2004, collecting countless accolades in the years that followed. Keller's urban rendition of The French Laundry, the upscale eatery has been awarded three Michelin stars every year since 2006, cementing its reputation as one of New York City's top spots for fine dining. But in recent years, critics have deemed it out of reach and out of touch, often pointing to its dated decor and eye-watering prices, which include $925 per person for the extended Chef's Tasting—a cost, some may argue, that only the top one percent can stomach. Despite generating mixed reviews and battling an unsavory lawsuit filed by a former staffer (which was initially dismissed and ultimately settled), Per Se has managed to maintain a stable of loyal employees, with more than a quarter of its 112-person team having worked at the restaurant for over five years. It's a noteworthy achievement given the industry's notoriously high turnover rate, which has averaged 79.6% since 2013, chiefly due to workers fed up with limited upward mobility, poor benefits, and low appreciation. 'When I first started at Per Se, I didn't imagine I would be here for more than a decade,' says Kimberly Suzuka, who met her husband while working at The French Laundry before transitioning to its East Coast satellite. In 2018, the Culinary Institute of America graduate, who began as Per Se's lead host and later served as its culinary liaison, was promoted to her current title of guest relations manager—a position made just for her. 'When a role is created for you specifically, you don't take that lightly,' she insists, crediting her professional success to TKRG's culture of promoting guidance and education. Catching Fire: Since joining the Per Se team in 2014, Kimberly Suzuka (center) has quickly climbed ... More up the ladder. Executive pastry chef Elaine Smyth—who started her journey at Per Se as a humble chef de partie in 2012—recalls how her predecessor, Elwyn Boyles, would patiently explain every step of each process and push her to ask questions. 'I benefitted immensely from his mentorship and his belief in me helped me earn my promotion to pastry sous chef after only three years,' she effuses. In addition, as the two-time winner of TKRG's experiential scholarship, she was granted the rare opportunity to study cocoa farming in Peru and learn traditional salt raking in France with esteemed chef Olivier Roellinger. Dessert Doyenne: Executive pastry chef Elaine Smyth surveys the dining room at Per Se. 'Working here is like a graduate school for chefs,' says Chad Palagi, who started out as a commis at Per Se in 2013 and quickly rose up the ranks to sous chef. Following the birth of his first child, the Napa Valley native wanted to focus more on his family, choosing to part from the restaurant in 2017. 'But I quickly found myself missing the culture of Per Se and the dedication of its staff,' he confesses. So a few years later, he decided to return as Per Se's chef de cuisine. 'The most fulfilling part of my job is mentoring young culinarians,' he enthuses. 'Watching them grow from having little experience to becoming skilled professionals—and eventually become chefs in their own right—is truly amazing.' The restaurant's nurturing environment has led it to produce a number of rising stars in the culinary world—among them, Jonny Black, former chef de partie, who now runs Chez Noir, a James Beard Award finalist for 2024 Best Restaurant of the Year. There's also married alums Matt Danzer and Ann Redding, best known for opening the late Uncle Boons and wildly popular Thai Diner in Lower Manhattan. Not to mention Josh Finger and Maggie McConnell, another husband-and-wife duo who met while working in Per Se's kitchen, whose high-end European tasting concept, Claudine, is set to debut tomorrow in downtown Providence. At Per Se, the menu changes daily, determined by the season and quality of the products available. With the exception of the restaurant's three golden offerings—truffles, caviar, and foie gras—no ingredient is ever repeated across a meal. That calls for precise communication between station chefs, who congregate nightly to chew over the next day's dishes. 'We review our lists and also what is available from our farmers and foragers,' Palagi explains. From there, 'we develop our compositions, discussing our desired flavor profiles and techniques for each ingredient.' Gold Plating: Chef Palagi applies the finishing touches to a dish at Per Se. The restaurant regularly invites its vendors to train the culinary staff—whether it's introducing them to a different type of truffle, a unique wine, or a new kind of cutlery. 'It allows us to come together, learn about the stories behind the ingredients and craftsmanship, and gain a deeper appreciation for the meticulous processes involved in sourcing them,' notes Sandra Bohlsen, Per Se's general manager since 2019. 'It's a wonderful chance for the team to bond while expanding our knowledge and connection to the products we work with.' In addition, whenever a new dish debuts, 'we always taste it together and share our thoughts,' Smyth reveals, adding that the evening crew will often leave a note for the morning staff detailing anecdotes from the previous night's service, such as an especially delighted guest. The kitchen team then relays its plan to the dining room staff—a collaborative practice that has 'afforded us 21 years of consistency and makes us who we are,' Bohlsen asserts. The entire Per Se team is driven by Chef Keller's famously high standards, summed up by two motivational signs hanging in the restaurant's kitchen: 'Sense of Urgency,' aptly placed beneath a clock, and the dictionary definition of 'finesse,' posted above the exit—a constant reminder for the staff to maintain refinement and delicacy in their work. Leading Lady: In 2019, seven years after joining the Per Se team, Sandra Bohlsen was named the ... More restaurant's first female general manager. Bohlsen admits the job isn't always easy. 'I'm constantly challenged, stepping outside of my comfort zone, and learning every day,' she divulges, noting that her journey has had its fair share of ups and downs. 'But what's most important is the ability to rise, adjust your crown, and keep moving forward.'
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jamie Oliver Says ‘Chefs Table: Legends' Episode Was 'A Bit Like Therapy'
It was 'a bit like therapy, which I've never done,' renowned chef Jamie Oliver says of his experience on Netflix's Chef's Table: Legends. 'It was probably long overdue.' The Netflix docuseries is composed of four episodes, each spotlighting a different culinary icon, with Oliver being featured alongside José Andrés, Thomas Keller and Alice Waters. The approximately 50-minute episode dives into Oliver's television beginnings with The Naked Chef and follows his journey from novice cooking show host to mentor to activist. More from The Hollywood Reporter Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes Talk Danny Boyle's Genius at '28 Years Later' World Premiere: "It's Horror, But I Was Struck By How Moved I Was" So Reality TV Is Bougie Now Kaitlyn Dever on Taking on Two Complex, Anguished Characters Back-to-Back With 'Apple Cider Vinegar,' 'The Last of Us' 'Early in my career, don't ask me why — I was genius or mad — but I started making all of my content. I set up a production company as a chef that didn't know what he was doing,' Oliver tells THR. 'I've always been in control, and this is the first time when I've been in no control,' he adds of filming the docuseries, which required him to be retrospective, calling it out as something 'the program wanted me to do.' Having been full-on for the past 25 years, looking back isn't something Oliver has made time for. Of spending 12 hours chatting for the documentary, he jokes, 'My ass was definitely sore. I don't sit down much.' The show's director, Brian McGinn, proved to be quite similar to the chef, Oliver learned after their 10 days together. But one of McGinn's biggest challenges, at least in Oliver's eyes, was unraveling his packed career. 'I felt sorry for him, really,' Oliver says. 'I had so much old content for him to go through.' Oliver says he's proud of his Chef's Table: Legends episode, which covers several aspects of his life, including his commitment to education, whether it be through his former restaurant Fifteen — which trained young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds — or his series Jamie's School Dinners, which showed the chef's dedicated campaign to offering nutritious yet still tasty school meals to children in the U.K. Still, he says the episode was just the 'tip of the iceberg' of his career. While his efforts thus far have focused heavily on the U.K., Oliver, who hails from Essex, England, feels it's important work that can be done elsewhere in the Western world. 'Every story I've told in the U.K. has been relevant in the U.S.,' he says. 'We're so different, but we're so similar, and we both can be blessed in so many ways to live in the countries that we live in with the opportunities that we have.' The docuseries' message is a universal one, Oliver notes, in that food and nourishing oneself is always important. 'We've created all this content, and we'll continue to do that for free,' he says of his series. 'British and American kids deserve and need to be connected with food so that they can have choices when they become young adults and can be happier, healthier and live longer, more productive lives.' This story first appeared in a June stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
Time Business News
18-06-2025
- Time Business News
7 Iconic Taiwan Street Foods You'll Regret Missing
Taiwan street food history is as murky as Taiwanese politics, said Katy Hui-wen Hung. Unlike any other countries in the world, Taiwanese food has a rich history of its colonial influences. Chinese and Japanese cuisines have greatly influenced Taiwan street food, but they have their twist, making it one of the most delicious cuisines in the world. Thomas Keller once said, ' Food should be fun.' That's what Taiwan street food culture is all about. If you are a traveller, you must always be connected through eSIM Taiwan to help you stay connected with your loved ones and to plan your itinerary. Lonely Planet has an exclusive site for Taiwan for your reference. In this guide, we shall explore the must-try street foods and what makes Taiwan a paradise for food lovers. History has the answer; the migration of Hoklo and Hakka primarily from China's southern provinces has brought about the major influence on the cuisine of Taiwan. Over time, the heritage evolved into what is now called the Taiwan food due to the influence of the Japanese rule, American food aid, and the migration of Kuomintang forces after the Chinese Civil War. This has evolved into the current day Taiwanese cuisine. The Taiwan street food costs you around $1.75 to $3.30, which is more affordable and can also give a unique experience. Some popular dishes alone can cost you up to $8, depending on the location. The best way to experience Taiwan's street food is through their Night market, which is one of the famous tourist spots if you visit Taiwan. Let's dive deep into the Taiwan street food world: Here's a quick overview of the 7 must-try Taiwanese street foods and where to find them: Dish Key Features Where to Try Beef Noodle Soup National treasure; rich broth with tender beef Halal Chinese Beef Noodles, Taipei Stinky Tofu Strong smell, savory flavor; deep-fried or stewed Shenkeng Old Street, New Taipei City Oyster Omelette Gummy texture with starch; fresh oysters & sauce Ningxia Oyster Omelette, Taipei Lu Rou Fan Braised pork rice; soy-based sauce with local spice Wang's Broth, Taipei Bubble Tea Tapioca pearls in milk/fruit tea; global phenomenon Chun Shui Tang, Taichung (origin) Gua Bao Soft bun with pork belly, pickles, peanuts, coriander Fu Pork Belly Bun, Zhongshan, Taipei Fried Chicken Cutlet Large crispy cutlet with juicy center; street food favorite Hot-Star, Shilin Night Market, Taipei The first on our list is the Niu Rou Mian( Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup) is known as the national treasure, full of heavy flavour and soul-warming qualities. The origin of this Taiwan food traces back to the mid-20th century, brought by Chinese migrants, now being celebrated as a National pride. The dish has a rich broth with melting beef and tasty noodles, making it the favourite for both the locals and the visitors. If you are planning to visit Taiwan, Beef Noodle Soup is a must-try food. 📍Place: Halal Chinese Beef Noodles ( near SYS Memorial Hall), Taipei Young woman traveler walking holding stinky Tofu at Taiwanese street food, Travel lifestyle concept A very popular Taiwan street food, known for its strong smell. Don't get alarmed by the strong smell; the taste is often described as savoury and cheesy, making it one of the best street Taiwanese foods. Most people think the stinky tofu dish is similar to Chinese food, but this stinky tofu is different from Chinese particularly popular in Taiwan. Stinky tofu can be eaten in different ways, like deep-fried, steamed or stewed, each method gives a completely different flavour. 📍Place: Shenkeng Old Street, New Taipei City (known as Stinky Tofu Village) A popular Taiwan street food and also famous in most parts of Southeast Asia. These omelettes are often called pancakes due to their gummy texture, are a mixture of fresh oysters and eggs, made as batter with starch-based batter and various vegetables and sauces. The key ingredients are oysters, eggs, starch, either sweet potato or tapioca starch, which gives the gummy texture and also a lot of greens served with dipping sauce, making the dish extremely delicious. The Oyster omelette is not only popular in Taiwan there are other variations of it called Hokkien-style, popular in Fujian and Taiwan, which uses chicken, and in Hong Kong, it's called Teochew-style, made out of duck eggs. Oyster omelette is a delicious and healthy snack, so you must try it while you visit Taiwan. 📍Place: Ningxia Oyster Omelette, Taipei Lu Rou Fan directly mean rice with braised meat, is a very famous Taiwan street food served by local street vendors. The sauce is the star ingredient of the recipe; the most common way of making this dish is by stir-frying the meat with sliced onion and then boiling it in soy sauce. Based on the preference, flavours can be added such as sugar, rice wine, pepper and other spices. The name suggests it is a rice dish, but there are also variations like eating with noodles instead of rice. The dish is such a national delicacy that it has various variations according to the regions around it. Braised Pork Rice is one of the Taiwan street foods that one must not miss trying. 📍Place: Wang's Broth, Taipei Taiwan pearl milk tea with bubble at ximending in Taipei, Taiwan. As the name suggests, Boba tea is nothing but milk or flavoured fruit tea with chewy tapioca pearls (Boba). The texture of boba is the highlight of the drink, which makes the experience very enjoyable, irrespective of age. The origin of this Taiwan street food was in the early 1980s in Taichung, Taiwan. The drink gained popularity in neighbouring countries like Hong Kong and Japan and spread to North America and other countries. This humble drink, which has its origin in Taiwan, has become a global phenomenon having its fandom. The classic bubble tea is made from black tea; later, other variations with green tea, oolong tea and fruit-based teas have arisen, and they are popular. Some interesting flavours are coffee-based tea, crazy as they might sound, they are popular in many countries. Try Boba, a classic Taiwan street food, in Taiwan, is a must-try drink at the place of its origin. 📍Place: Chun Shui Tang, Taipei Soft, fluffy bun filled with lots of flavour is the Gua Bao, a Taiwan Street food known as Taiwanese Pork Bun. The bun is filled with Taiwan-style pork belly, sweet peanuts, sour fried mustard greens, and the freshness of coriander leaves is a delightful bomb in your mouth. This delicacy is a very famous Taiwan food, which can be prepared even at home for kids as a snack. Gua Bao has an interesting name to it; it means ' tiger bites pig' due to the mouth-shaped bun filled with pork meat. Making it one of the must-try Taiwan foods to experience the culture. 📍Place: Fu Pork Belly Bun, Zhongshan District, Taipei One of the most recognisable snacks in Taiwan street food is the fried chicken cutlet; its strong tastes and seductive textures are well-known. Always a crowd-pleaser, this large, deep-fried treat is crispy, juicy, and bursting with taste. Whether you're cooking this at home or meandering through a busy night market in Taipei, every mouthful of this meal has an amazing crunch. 'Ji Pai' or Fried Chicken cutlet became popular in 1990 as a satisfying street food option. The chicken is pounded thin, marinated with soy sauce with aromatic seasonings and deep fried to golden perfection to make it delicious. This delicacy is one of the famous Taiwan street foods you must try. 📍Place: Hot-Star, Shilin Night Market, Taipei If you love food, you need to add a visit to Taipei's night market to your itinerary. You've got to check out Taipei's night markets! They're known for their amazing variety of tasty street food from Taiwan. When you think about food from Taiwan, their night market captures the essence of it. The top night markets on the list based on travel advisers are Raohe Street Night Market, Shilin Night Market and Ningxia Night Market. The night market is known for giving a multi-sensory experience for visitors, by providing them with the best Taiwan food and diverse street food, shopping and entertainment. A trip to Taiwan will not be completed without visiting any one of these Night markets. 🚫 To really enjoy a night market experience at your own pace, try to avoid going during the busy times. 💳 Most vendors are small and might not accept credit cards, hence always pack enough cash. 👟 Dress in comfortable clothes and wear casual shoes for simple movement in congested places, 🧼 Practice basic hygiene; wet wipes or hand sanitizers will be quite useful. 🧭 If you are visiting several night markets on one evening, map your path ahead. Clearly reflecting the history, diversity, and gastronomic inventiveness of the island, the Taiwanese street food scene is every mouthful that exposes local customs, regional tastes, and a great respect for superb cuisine from hot skewers at night markets to warm bowls of beef noodle soup and the crispy delight of popcorn chicken. Although Taiwan presents a wide spectrum of dining options, from fancy tea establishments to breakfast stores, the street cuisine there most reflects the essence of daily life. Approachable, reasonably priced, and strongly anchored in culture, it welcomes everyone to taste Taiwan. Try the seven must-try street delicacies included in this book if you are visiting Taiwan; they will be the ideal introduction to the dynamic gastronomic scene of the nation. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Fast Company
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
What I learned about the future of restaurants from Rene Redzepi's chef conference
The best part of last month's MAD Symposium in Copenhagen wasn't chef Thomas Keller telling young chefs in the audience to stop chasing Michelin stars—though he did say that. It wasn't chef and World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés breaking down in tears as he described his organization's work cooking in Gaza. And it wasn't chef-turned-actor Matty Matheson describing his rise to fame on FX's industry hit, The Bear. Instead, under a giant red circus tent in Copenhagen, the star power dulled as the next generation stood up. The brightest spot came as four young Icelandic fishing guides stood onstage and presented a compelling and heartfelt argument against sea-farmed salmon. The seventh-generation guides, two sets of sisters in their late teens and early twenties, are among the first female guides in their country, helping visitors find and catch wild Atlantic salmon on the Laxá river in northern Iceland. I found their story interesting, unexpected, and inspiring—which, MAD's leadership says, is the entire point. For chefs, by chefs The MAD Symposium, named after the Danish word for 'food,' started 15 years ago. It's put on by a Copenhagen-based nonprofit, also called MAD, started by chef René Redzepi. Redzepi runs Noma, a restaurant consistently ranked among the best and most influential restaurants in the world. The Symposium is a kind of for-chefs, by-chefs event that also welcomes bartenders, servers, farmers, food producers, writers, and, this year for the first time, corporate sponsors. Attendees arrive by boat, gather under tents in variable Danish weather conditions, and eat a lot of exceptional food—this year including recipes from Los Angeles hot spot Anajak Thai, Copenhagen's Sanchez, and London's revered St. John, cooked and served by a tirelessly hospitable team, including Noma's chefs. 'I'm in the middle of a 14-day shift,' I heard one chef say during meal prep, though the people in the tented kitchen were (mostly) smiling. Industry challenges This year's event, MAD7, returned after a seven-year hiatus, during which COVID-19 ransacked the restaurant business, grappling with a big question: Is it possible to build to last in this industry? If you follow industry news, at least in America, it might not seem like it. In the last two years, dozens of major restaurant companies have shuttered locations, filed for bankruptcy, or closed outright. McDonald's recently experienced its worst sales decline since the pandemic. Those are just the corporate chains. Independent restaurants, always a tough business, are facing challenges that include rising costs and wage pressures, inflation, changes in consumer spending, and disruptions and uncertainty caused by natural disasters, economic constraints, and political leadership. In the years since MAD began, the tone around chefs and restaurants has shifted dramatically. An industry-wide reckoning sent plenty of top names packing and caused others— Redzepi included —to reexamine and adjust the way they treat workers and run kitchens. There's a sense that maybe it's time for the ' gods of food,' as Time magazine once called them in a feature that also included past MAD speakers David Chang and Brazilian chef Alex Atala (who once killed a chicken on the MAD stage) to step aside. Keller controversy The event itself was largely successful in its efforts to inspire important conversations about what should come next, even if it got off to a sleepy start. 'Legacy' was the theme of the first day, but some speakers missed the opportunity to reflect honestly on reality. The biggest example of this was a conversation between chefs Redzepi and Keller that completely ignored the bombshell story, published a week earlier, by San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic MacKenzie Chung Fegan. In it, she reveals Keller pulled her aside during a visit to the French Laundry, his Napa Valley fine-dining restaurant, for a lecture about the merits of restaurant critics before asking her to leave. (Spoiler: She stays.) Might one of the world's greatest chefs address a bit of reasonable, if high-profile criticism in front of a friendly industry audience, we all wondered? Unfortunately, he did not. From supper clubs to pop-ups Thankfully, MAD managed to redeem itself the following day as talks turned to the future. Asma Khan, chef of London Darjeeling Express explained her business's evolution from supper club to pop-up to permanent restaurant employing—and empowering—immigrant women. Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard spoke of his 2023 decision to, in his words, 'give away the company,' transferring its ownership to a nonprofit foundation. And Emilie Qvist, a young Danish chef, talked about her own future in restaurants: a series of short-term projects that included revitalizing a coastal fish restaurant in northern Denmark before closing it to travel and later sign on as chef for a six-month project—short-term stints are still excellent vectors for change and creativity, she explained. While the room was filled with bold-faced names of the restaurant world (even Keller stayed for the full program) the most impact came from those working more anonymously to create a better restaurant industry, a better legacy. As we filed out of the tent on Monday evening, first into a boat and then to a happy hour full of natural wine and caviar under a bridge beside a canal—this business has its perks!—I again considered the fishing guides' wild salmon pitch. A few years ago, they faced a catastrophic disaster when thousands of farmed salmon escaped from a nearby offshore farm. The escape threatened the country's wild fish with disease, parasites, and reproductive challenges. If the practice of sea farming continues, the young women said, the country's entire population of wild salmon is at risk of dying. That's bad news for anyone who cares about fishing practices, but it's worse news for the guides. Threatened also is their families' legacy—an outcome that loomed larger in a tent full of restaurant people than the fate of the fish.
New York Times
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Giddy Up, Cowboy Caviar
Jump scare! It's me, Kim Severson. I'm filling in for Melissa Clark, she of the 'glossy red hair and angular jaw,' as she was described last week in a spicy San Francisco Chronicle article about the chef Thomas Keller. It's Memorial Day. Here's why I love America: It's packed coast to coast with hyperlocal food and singular culinary traditions. I'm constantly delighted by how different a dish can be from one state to another. Take collard greens, for example. The fried collards served between two discs of hot-water cornbread in a corner of North Carolina could not be more different than the greens stewed with two kinds of pork and red pepper flakes in the Mississippi Delta. Texas has a particularly long list of culinary quirks, and cowboy caviar is one I really like. It's the trifecta of party dishes: delicious, easy and a crowd favorite. The original — black-eyed peas in vinaigrette — was knocked out by a New Yorker who moved to Texas and first served it at a Houston country club. Margaux Laskey, a Midwesterner by way of the South, adds black beans and corn, with some cilantro and jalapeño for character. It's a great dish for an impromptu Memorial Day cookout. Featured Recipe View Recipe → Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
