INTERVIEWS
I have had the opportunity to interview a number of chefs (50 and counting) for a bimonthly column. The chefs work in a variety of roles, giving them each a unique perspective on the industry. From research and development chefs and cookbook authors to culinary school instructors and fine dining executive chefs—they lead very different lives, but share a passion for food. Below are some of my favorites.
Mindy Segal
Pastry Chef Mindy Segal is the owner of the acclaimed Hot Chocolate café in Chicago, author of the bestselling Cookie Love cookbook, and winner of a James Beard Award. Now she brings her 30 years of culinary experience into the world of medical marijuana. In partnership with Cresco Labs, a cannabis grower and seller of medical marijuana products, Segal has developed a product line—including chocolate brittle bars and infused granola bites—which is distributed to licensed dispensaries. As one of the first chefs from the culinary world to enter the cannabis industry, Segal hopes to break down the stigma that surrounds marijuana.
samin nosrat
While studying English at the University of California, Berkeley, Samin Nosrat got a job as a busser at Chez Panisse and gradually moved up through the ranks, ultimately becoming prep cook. She went on to study traditional Italian cuisine under Benedetta Vitali in Florence. She is also a practiced instructor, having taught well-known food writer Michael Pollan and many others how to cook. Now, with her first cookbook Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, Nosrat expertly reduces the art and craft to a mastery of the four elements named in the title.
David Johansson
After owning a chain of Swedish cafes in New York City, David Johansson returned to his native Sweden and went to work at IKEA to show the world that Swedish food is much more than the meatballs the furniture giant is known for. As product developer of IKEA food and restaurant, Chef Johansson approaches his work using the five principles of design that have been applied in IKEA’s furniture design for years: form, function, quality, sustainability, and a low price.
Dan Barber & Michael mazourek
Chef Dan Barber’s respect for farming and love for the land led him to open up Blue Hill restaurant in New York City and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, N.Y. With access to Stone Barns’ farm, Barber developed his signature approach to close-to-the-land cooking married to agriculture and stewardship of the earth. Barber believes modern agriculture is more about high yields than flavor and nutrition. Enter Michael Mazourek, assistant professor in Plant Breeding Genetics at Cornell Univ., who has worked with Barber for the past decade to develop new organic crop varieties that emphasize flavor.
Sean Sherman
Growing up on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, Chef Sean Sherman’s childhood diet consisted primarily of processed and canned government-donated commodities. At 13, Sherman got his first restaurant job and continued working in foodservice through college and beyond. He has spent the past 10+ years focused on uncovering the cooking techniques, ingredients, and flavors of the Oglala Sioux cuisine. Along the way, he has launched a food truck focused on indigenous food, a catering company, and a cookbook. In 2019, he will open a brick-and-mortar restaurant devoted to indigenous foods of Minnesota and the Dakotas.
KATRINA MARKOFF
After graduating from Vanderbilt University with a degree in chemistry and psychology, Katrina Markoff moved to Paris to pursue her dream of studying the culinary arts at Le Cordon Bleu. She then embarked on a world tour that began with an apprenticeship in Spain under the direction of Ferran Adrià and continued east through Southeast Asia and Australia. Upon her return to the states, Markoff founded Vosges Haut-Chocolat. Chocolate became her medium to explore other cultures, artists, religions, or movements through the senses.