// O N T H E T A B L E
A CHAT WITH CHEF
Andy DiPietro
of Ruth's Chris Steakhouse by Martine Mackenzie
Recently, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet and interview Andy Di Pietro, executive chef at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. I was greeted very warmly by this friendly, gregarious and charming man who is not only a master in the kitchen with a passion for cooking, but also a man with a great sense of humour who just loves to share his stories. Tell me a bit about your background and why you became a chef? I was 10 or 11 and was always interested in being in the kitchen with my mother. When I was 13, my father asked me what I wanted to do and I said, “maybe cooking”. That’s when I started making pizzas at Trevi’s Pizza in Stoney Creek. My first job. What’s your favourite thing about being a chef? Making people happy. It’s all about the food. Bringing people in, getting them together and making them happy. If you could give people three cooking tips, what would they be? What makes a great chef…Salt! Know how to use salt. That’s one of the biggest things. Use great ingredients and keep it simple. Make the food speak for itself. Photos courtesy of Stephanie Dychtiar and Modern Vision Photography Inc.
