Introducing the CW Brand Ambassador Program!
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‘Everything She Loves’ Upward Projects with Lauren Bailey
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PLUS!
A bounty of culinary and ingredient stories from sea to shining sea and beyond!
Giving Back, Paying Forward with Pastry Chef Casey Doody, Chicago, IL
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Dear Friends of CW,
I am excited to introduce you to the family of companies that operate under the 'CHEF' banner. Our mission since our inception in 1985 has been to bring the world’s finest artisan food products to the world’s best chefs. Throughout our journey, we have broadened our category portfolio, deepened our expertise, and extended our reach across North America and beyond, most recently expanding to the Middle East.
Our commitment remains to be the most reliable and trusted food supply partner to the world’s best chefs.
With 2,500+ suppliers sourced from over 40 countries, CW brings an unmatched, innovative selection to today’s demanding kitchens. We have always pushed the envelope with innovations across the board, and that continues to fuel our ongoing commitment to excellence. We are determined to deepen our presence in various categories, to build modern state-of the-art facilities, to prioritize the
I am also beyond humbled that our company continues to be a hub for top talent as we recruit and develop some of the key players the food world has to offer. It is now the second year in a row that we have been awarded a “Great Place to Work®”, and that is a recognition to our commitment and resilience to creating a diverse, inclusive and supportive workplace for our teams.
Thank you for being a part of our journey and for your continued support. We look forward to serving you with an unwavering commitment to your success.
You’ll enjoy:
• Real-time inventory access
• Time-saving order guides
• The latest trends and product launches
• Flexibility to modify your order throughout the day as needed
• Continued guidance, collaboration, and support from your CW Sales Rep
Sign up and reap the rewards today. Your next award-winning menu is just a click away!
It’s never been easier to place your order online at chefswarehouse.com! Our new ordering platform was created specifically for you, our chef customers, to ensure you can conveniently get all of the ingredients you need and discover the ingredients you want!
Make the last impression as great as the first with the vibrant natural flavors, smooth luxurious texture, and inviting-authentic colors of Villa Dolce Gelato - Artisan Desserts.
The Chefs’ Warehouse is thrilled to introduce our exciting new CW Brand Ambassadors Program!
Zoning in on our trademark of offering the greatest ingredients to the greatest chefs, we are honored to welcome our first round of A-List CW Ambassadors:
Raised in Barcelona, Chef Oscar Amador fell in love with Catalonia’s rich culinary traditions at an early age. He grew up “10 minutes away from the Mediterranean where the quality of the seafood is unbelievable.” After graduating from the prestigious Hofmann BCN Chef School, he had the opportunity to stage at El Racó de Can Fabes, a three Michelin star-awarded restaurant. Following his success in owning and operating Ajo Negro, TapeArt, and A Mano for over a decade, Chef Oscar decided to move to Las Vegas to conquer the American palate. He cooked at the prestigious Le Cirque for six months before launching his street catering business and then EDO Tapas & Wine in 2018. Opened in 2022, the newest restaurant from the EDO Hospitality Group in Las Vegas, Anima by EDO, continues the tradition of hospitality and border-free flavor.
Chefs’ Warehouse was ecstatic to collaborate with CW Brand Ambassador Chef Amador (and Anima Co-Owner-partner, Chef Roberto Liendo), at the CW LA Culinary Expo in the ‘CW Ambassador Booth Take Over!’ (June 13, ‘23), hosted by CW Corporate Chef David Walzog.
Chef Oscar and his team brought the CW LA Expo to a whole new gastronomic level, utilizing CW Expo Booths: CW Specialty, CW Farmer’s Market, CW Seafood, and Allen Brothers C.O.P, for his brilliant applications: Egg bonbon, Tempest with guanciale pickled egg yolk, with roasted tomato brioche and Weltshome Wagyu NY with Spanish Octopus, with Forum Cabernet Sauvignon Gallaga Vinaigrette.
With 700 hundred dishes contributed for Expo attendees to savor, CW Ambassador Amador put the ‘T’ in ‘CW Booth Take Over!’ We look forward to more exciting events with Chef Oscar during the roll-out of his CW Ambassador participation.
Chef Valette’s culinary passion brought him far from Healdsburg (Sonoma County, CA) and then right back to it. After culinary school and exploring kitchens in San Francisco, Chef Valette landed at Thomas Keller’s oneMichelin-star Bouchon in the Napa Valley. Hokus at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Honolulu and Executive Sous Chef under Laurent Manrique at Michelin starred Aqua (SF) Executive Chef at VOX Restaurant & Wine Lounge in Henderson, Nevada followed. Yearning to return to the wine country and start his family, Valette headed back home to Healdsburg, where his great grandfather Honoré had settled some 100 years ago. After six years as Executive Chef at Dry Creek Kitchen, wherein he developed relationships with local growers and artisans into practices and relationships that continue today, Dustin opened his first venue Valette with his brother Aaron Garzini in 2015 in downtown Healdsburg, which quickly became a ‘locals’ favorite.’ In September 2021, the doors of The Matheson opened and have already deepened Chef Valette’s commitment and connection to Sonoma County and its tremendous community. From the beginning, Chef Valette was able to develop a business model in which giving is part of profit, and he strongly believes that supporting the community is essential to success.
CW is very excited to collaborate with CW Brand Ambassador Valette in the upcoming CW San Francisco Culinary Expo (September ‘23), ‘CW Ambassador Booth Take Over!’ We also look forward to participating in and contributing to Dustin’s many charitable events, including Project Zin, Benefitting Down Syndrome Connection, Bay Area, CA (August 17th '23).
Born in Kansas, with a very early penchant for cookbooks, Kate Weiser attended California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and worked in various restaurants, including Pachamama’s of Lawrence, Kansas, and Kansas City’s 4-star restaurant, Bluestem under pastry chef Megan Garrelts and James Beard Award winner, Colby Garrelts. Kate moved to Dallas for a brief stint at Stephen Pyles and onto an Executive Pastry Chef position at Nobu. With the decision to hone her skills in chocolate, Kate began her chocolate career with an Executive Chocolatier position at Chocolate Secrets in Highland Park. While there, she was able to experiment and create a chocolate-making style new to the Dallas area. Kate’s hand-painted chocolate collection and artistic style quickly gained attention and excitement through the DFW metroplex. Kate Weiser Chocolate got its start in Trinity Groves in August 2014 and has since expanded her brand to NorthPark Center in 2016 and the Shops at Clearfork in 2018. She also partners with Neiman Marcus nationwide and was on the coveted Oprah’s Favorite Things List for 2018. Kate was named Top 10 Chocolatiers in North America by Dessert Professional Magazine in 2014.
CW is over the moon to work with CW Brand Ambassador Kate Weiser
(See Full Feature on Kate Weiser Chocolate in this edition of CW Magazine!) Exemplifying the dynamic nature of the CW Brand Ambassador Program, personalized to suit the ever-busy schedules and life events of our extraordinary ambassadors, we look forward to collaborating with Kate further towards the end of ‘23 to give her and her family plenty of time to welcome their new baby into the world!
The CW Ambassador Program, culinary collaboration on a whole new level! Watch out for Chicago and NYC CW Ambassadors coming soon!
For more than 80 years Boiron has been constantly innovating to offer the best fruits. Boiron fruits are carefully selected at the height of flavor and freshness, from the best-growing territories from all over the world. Harvested, blended, and processed following ever-evolving manufacturing processes to preserve all organoleptic properties, Boiron purees, made in France, offer extraordinary flavor profiles and captivating authentic color; the go-to puree for the top pastry chefs and mixologists on the planet.
Highly acclaimed Boiron Senior Brand Ambassador, Michael Laiskonis, (noted for helping Le Bernardin earn four stars from The New York Times and three Michelin stars, awarded America’s Top Ten Pastry Chefs by Pastry Art & Design (2002-2003) Bon Appétit’s Pastry Chef of the Year,(2004), James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef (2007), IACP’s Culinary Professional of the Year Award (2014), graces the pages of this inaugural National Edition of CW Magazine with his innovative and whimsical VanillaClementine 'Egg' dessert recipe on the next page utilizing Boiron’s PGI Corsican Clementine.
A long-time CW partner as well as Creative Director at I.C.E. since 2012, Chef Laiskonis, known for his use of modern techniques to reinvent classic desserts, offers his insightful take on Boiron.
‘I love Boiron because they are a family company of three generations; 80 years strong. Boiron is very transparent about what goes into the product and generous with all the technical information. With Boiron I know the sugar content of the puree, I know the acidity...All these things are really important to me. The flavors. The sourcing. Boiron is going to use the best example of the fruit from wherever it grows. Knowing that the entire line is 100% no sugar added is also very important. Technical chefs like me want clean labels, a blank slate when they’re creating a recipe. With Boiron you don’t have to worry about all that added stuff. Some other comparable products might add 10% sugar on top of things. After being a customer of Boiron for 25 years, and now the Senior Brand Ambassador for the company, the message is clear, if you need consistency, and the highest quality fruit sourced in its prime, you can rely on Boiron.’
Vanilla-Clementine 'Egg' is a revival of Laiskonis's signature 'Egg' dessert - one of NYC's most famous off-menu desserts. This readoption of the famous pots de crème dessert served in an egg shell, gets a bright twist with Boiron's PGI Corsican Clementine and PGI Siracusa Lemon purees.
Yield: approximately 12 individual servings
Boiron PGI Corsican Clementine Purée ........ 100g
Boiron PGI Sicilian Lemon Purée 5g
Calcium lactate 2.5g
Sucrose 15g
Xanthan gum....................................................................0.4g
Alginate bath as needed
Cold water as needed
Syrup as needed
1.) Preheat a convection oven to 300˚F/150°C. Combine the cream and milk in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, combine and whisk the egg yolks and sucrose. Remove scalded cream mixture from heat and temper the mixture into the egg yolks; whisk in the milk chocolate. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
2.) Place eggshells right side up in their carton, and place in a shallow pan. Carefully divide the pot de crème evenly among eggshells or about half-full.
3.) Fill the hotel pan with hot water, just until water reaches the bottom of the eggs and begins to saturate the egg carton. Cover with foil and bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until custard is set. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Total weight 122g
1.) Whisk together the purées, calcium, sucrose, and xanthan gum. Deposit into desired silicon forms and freeze.
2.) Once frozen, unmold and drop the mixture into a 0.7% alginate bath (warmed to 25°C/77°). Allow the spheres to set for 3-4 minutes.
3.) Transfer from the alginate bath into a cold-water bath and then store in a 60% water/40% sucrose syrup.
For the remaining recipe of Chef Laiskonis innovative Vanilla-Clementine 'Egg' Dessert, go to: wherechefs.shop/boiron
BY KELLI COLACO
Vice President of Produce, Chris Woodring, brings 20-plus years of experience to the CW communal table including quality assurance, purchasing, sales-led operations, and extensive roles in leadership. Having organically carved his career from the inside out, Chris’ early experience in ‘the game’ included loading trucks, working night crew, operating forklifts, and working as a cooler coordinator.
With CW’s Farmer's Market Program in Santa Monica, CA, fueling the vast canvas of CW Customers across the West Coast, we got on the inside scoop on the exciting ‘seeds being planted’ for the future reach of the very fresh and exciting program from CW’s very own produce expert.
Tell us about CW Farmer’s Market and how you envision the growth of it.
Woodring: To start with, the Santa Monica Farmer's Market is absolutely incredible. It’s one of the country’s most unique farmer's markets and possibly the world, a beautiful display of local-seasonal produce offerings and unique produce that you can’t get anywhere else.
Check out the national CW Produce Report that is updated weekly: wherechefs.shop/produce
How would you describe CW’s relationship with The Santa Monica Farmer’s Market?
Woodring: Our CW team has great relationships with many growers that operate in the farmer’s market. We constantly communicate what’s coming in and what’s going out. We then take this valuable information and share it with our chef-customers.
CW’s Farmer’s Market Program is very special because it’s dialed into each chef’s needs and offers them a personal connection with growers. CW acts as the middle person between the farmers and our chefs. Another key element of the CW Farmer’s Market is that we deliver on a set schedule for optimum freshness and cohesivity. By working with our growers with whom we have strong relationships, we can identify items with strong shelf lives as well as uniqueness that we can potentially share across the country from this amazing market.
What is the future of CW Farmer’s Market?
Woodring: There’s an immense opportunity to grow this exciting program and scale out nationally. As we build out our produce capabilities in LA, our goal is to begin to introduce unique items to areas including Texas, Chicago, Cincinnati, New York, Florida, and so on. Those are our long-term goals.
What are the biggest challenges of rolling the CW Farmer’s Market program across the country?
Woodring: Logistics is obviously the biggest challenge. The uniqueness of the LA-Santa Monica Market is that it’s all right there. Most of those growers would be considered local to that area. They’re local to LA but very unique to the other markets. We can bring that uniqueness to Chicago or Texas or Arizona and have the ability to expand the grower’s reach and sellable work. We’ll have to be very selective on what we promote on a national scale. However, there is a great opportunity for us to drive what Chefs’ Warehouse is known for; bringing unique and specialty items to market. There’s no reason why the produce category shouldn’t be included.
How do CW Produce partnerships nationwide support one another to offer our chefs the very best produce ‘from sea to shining sea’ and beyond?
Woodring: We’re very proud of our business in the Northeast with Sid Wainer. They’ve got incredible local and regional relationships with many growers in that area, and then the same thing with Capital Seaboard down in the Baltimore, Mid-Atlantic region, where they partner with several outstanding local growers. These are all wonderful relationships with very strong local farms, and they are unique to those areas in many cases. The Santa Monica Farmer’s Market, however, is well known around the country and the reality is most of the produce is grown on the West Coast anyway. We’re running trucks across the country, from California all the way up into the Northeast, mid-Atlantic to Chicago into Cincinnati, down into Florida, etc. And now, with Hardies Fresh Foods joining the CW family of companies in Texas, and Greenleaf from the Bay Area in CA, the major lanes are already established. So, we now have an amazing opportunity to provide access to many of those unique seasonal and specialty items from the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market in all our markets by utilizing our LA facility as a central loading point for our companies across the country. Our produce team in LA is incredibly talented and this is an exciting initiative that we will bring to life soon.
VP OF PRODUCE, CHRIS WOODRING'S 'DISTANCE THRIVING PRODUCE LIST.' FROM CW FARMER'S MARKET TO YOUR MENU!
Stone Fruits
Specialty Potatoes
Specialty Squash
Spring Onions
Rhubarb
Heirloom
Garlic
Kumquats
Black Kale
Harry’s Berries
Baby Purple
Artichokes
Meyer Lemons
Purple
Asparagus
Baby Chard
Fava Beans
Baby Corn
Baby White
Eggplant
Baby Kiwi
Greetings from the beautiful regions of CW West and Canada. Our diverse territories boast a plethora of culinary meccas wherein we have the privilege to partner with some of the most talented chefs and purveyors under the sun.
Due to being a prime growing area of local and unique produce, the West is endlessly exciting from a culinary standpoint. From our incredible CW Farmer’s Market in LA to the dynamic array of locally procured ingredients inclusive of dairy, spices and center-of plate proteins, and so forth. Being able to offer our chefs the greatest imported and freshest local ingredients is at the heart of what CW West is all about. I am also proud of the advancements we are achieving in terms of growing our distribution network throughout the West Coast. To add to this, our timely acquisitions of incredible companies like Mike Hudson Distributing (NorCal), Essence
Foods (Canada), Hardies Fresh Foods (Texas), and Greenleaf (Bay Area) since the beginning of 2023, greatly empower the evergrowing family of CW and what we are able to offer our customers.
CW’s collective achievements drive home the importance for all of us to remain aware, flexible and open-minded. It is our company-wide objective to keep listening to our customers and partnering purveyors. By doing so, we keep our fingers on the pulse of trends, ideas, and what the next great thing might be.
In the past ten years in my role as CW Executive Vice President, what I love the most is helping to
develop the extraordinary talent of my team. By empowering our infrastructure in this way, we foster a team that truly takes pride in what they do. I could not be more proud and grateful for our collective West team. CW’s ‘family-forward’ mission to put our people first and offer the world’s best ingredients to the nation’s best chefs is what drew me to this great company in the first place.
Speaking of growth and development, I am delighted that our CW Magazine (West) has gained so much traction in the past eight years since its inception, that the publication will now be enjoyed on a national level. CW magazine has always been a way for me and my team to communicate who we are to our customers and valued partners. It is thrilling to know that the ‘planet’ of stories under the CW arcing umbrella will now be savored from sea to shining sea, and beyond.
Happy Summer Everyone!
Nothing ensures summer delight at aperitif time like award-winning charcuterie from Fabrique Délices. For more than 30 years Fabrique Délices has been preparing timehonored classics alongside innovative new products like their new Black Truffle Salami (*2022 SOFI Award New Product Winner in ‘Meat and Poultry’ Category).
Made in small batches in the artisanal and traditional way according to authentic French recipes, Fabrique Délices is known for offering the best and most versatile line of charcuterie in the United States.
Handmade post-grinding, Fabrique Délices, (a 2022 Good Food Award Finalist at Rosette De Lyon,) offers an extensive product line with Winter Holiday Season standouts your guests will savor, including Duck Confit, Truffle Mousse, Jambon de Paris, Rosemary Jambon de Paris, and the new and exceptional Halal Merguez.
We are committed to providing you with frozen, par-baked artisan bread in the most authentic manner possible. It takes time to achieve our signature flavor. “Never rushed, always right” is our motto to deliver on delicious memories. From the kneading of the dough to the final loaf of bread, TRIBECA OVEN is committed to an intimate baking approach to ensure that our precise quality standards are always achieved. Through our innovative efforts, we offer you the best bread available while staying committed to our artisan roots.
We carefully select our ingredients to provide you with a heartfelt experience with an emphasis on sustainability, namely our support of farmers who invest in sustainable wheat practices. We’re here to partner with you, whether that means inspiring your creativity or simply ensuring product consistency and quality. We invite you to join our artisan journey filled with a vision of quality and a passion for excellence. With Tribeca Oven, you will enjoy an elevated bread experience that will keep you and your customers coming back for more.
We deliver quality and versatility in every loaf, roll, and baguette –from elevated table bread to upgraded burger options.
Combining the best of pastry worlds, Miette et Chocolat, owned and operated by David Lewis and Gonzo Jimenez in Aurora, CO (on the edge of Denver), is a shining beacon of creativity, collaboration, and whimsy.
Having grown from the grassroots beginnings at Stanley Marketplace, an exemplary artisanal ‘town center,’ Miette et Chocolate captivates with Chef Lewis’ innovative twists on pastry classics, and Jimenez’s (Argentian born, E.P.C. at St. Julien in Boulder, CO, The Hyatt Corporation in New Orleans and New York, launched boutique chocolate line, NYC), world-class, art-forward chocolate offerings.
After leaving prominent Executive Pastry Chef positions in Denver and Las Vegas (Brown Palace Hotel, (CO), Paris, Bally’s, and Planet Hollywood (LV), Lewis, in search of a more wholesome life for himself and his family, took the big plunge to pursue starting his own business in Denver/Aurora. With the much-needed support of his wife, David started by making pastry out of his basement and selling it at local farmer’s markets and separate local venues.
CW Magazine sat down with distinctively modest and creative Pastry Chef/Owner Lewis to grasp his perspective on the key ingredients fueling the magic touch behind Miette et Chocolat.
Miette et Chocolat opened in 2016 and is known for creating French patisserie with a modern twist. Please share about ‘the twist.’
In our pastry case, we have our classic style desserts, except we construct them differently. For instance, if you saw our Tiramisu, you’d say, “That’s not Tiramisu.” We use the same flavor profiles, but the build is different, just like with Gonzo’s contemporary chocolate. It’s made using traditional techniques, but he adds a fancy arty flair.
You went from executive pastry chef positions to owning your own business. Can you share what that transition was like?
Scary. We opened in Stanley Marketplace, which used to be an old manufacturing warehouse. There were no walls when you walked in here in the early days. There was nothing, just drawings on a piece of paper. I had to tell my family, “Hey, I quit my job making decent money, and now I’m just going to see if I can start my own business and make it stick.” It was really stressful. My family was definitely the supporter behind all of it. There is no way it would have worked without their support.
What’s your ‘winning formula?’
I think it’s just the organization from working in the hotels for so long. Having a hotel background where everything was very rigid by number systems made it easier to follow. To be able to have free-flowing thought to make whimsical pastries is supported by the business and planning that has gone into it. We’re one of the few businesses that do full pastry and chocolate lines in the same shop. This partnership works really well. Gonzo does all the chocolate work. I do all the pastry. We have a production facility as well as the shop location where all of our chocolate production comes out of. Top CW Picks:
The humor and harmony that fuel awardwinning Terún Pizzaria (Restaurant and Bar) in Palo Alto, CA is infectious. The winning formula is founded in the authentic Neapolitan pizzas and dynamic menu combined with the joie de vivre (pardon the French) of the “threemusketeers” Southern Italian joint founders, (Executive Chef) Kristjan D’Anjelo and brothers (Host) Maico Campilongno and brother, (Financial Officer) Franco Campilongno.
Kristjan, who had trained passionately in Asti, Italy, to become certified in authentic Neapolitan-style pizza making, moved to California with a dream in his heart and his personal good luck pizza peel in his suitcase. Franco shares about his dear friend, “Kistjan actually brought his pizza peel from Italy on the airplane, thinking he couldn’t find one here you know? D’Angelo confirms, “Yes, that’s true. I put the first pizza in the oven at Terún with that pizza peel. I was proud to bring my special pizza peel with me. It has a story behind it.”
Initially a chef at a friend’s Italian restaurant in the Bay Area in the early 2000s after moving to NorCal from Italy, Kristjan became disillusioned and chose to be a chef no longer. This decision prompted his work as a server with Franco at a different Italian venue in the Bay Area. The two became instant friends.
Franco, who, after a brief stint as a police officer in Italy, moved to California and excelled quickly from busboy to GM at the forementioned Italian venue where Kristjan eventually came aboard. Having become a real stand-out in his GM Role, investors eventually approached Franco to open a venue.
Excited by the opportunity, Franco reached out to his brother Maico, who was still living in Italy, and convinced him to join the new venture. After Franco convinced D’Angelo to also join as co-owner and Executive Chef, the awesome trio was “off to the races”.
Terún, established in 2013, was an instant Bay Area hit. Offering an outstanding menu focusing on high-quality ingredients for signature traditional wood-fired Neapolitan style pizzas, along with authentic Italian pasta, steak, fish, cocktails, and a great selection of wines,” Terún’s exceptional food and hospitality soon became the favorite pizzeria of many A-list celebrities including Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Oprah Winfrey, and Lance Armstrong.
Maico, who served as a parachuter in the Italian Army prior to moving to the States and helping to found Terún, comments on the parallels of jumping out of a plane and having the moxie to open a venue. “My motto translated from Italian, means, “Your comrade is looking at your parachute. You check each other that everything’s fine, and then you jump. I trust Kristjan and Franco. And that makes the difference. Without this trust. I won’t go anywhere.”
Interestingly, Terún, from the term Terron (hence the dialect Terún) was used in Italy to indicate the people of Southern Italy. The term possesses strong xenophobic overtones of rejection historically, but due to Terún Pizzaria’s vibrant success, Terún’ is known in the Bay Area as a symbol of Italian excellence. The pizzeria is ironically called Terún to claim its founders’ territorial and cultural origins: Maico and Franco are from Calabria, while Kristjan was born in Puglia.
Family and hospitality Terún’s trademark, Franco, comments on how essential this foundation has been for building their business. “Coming to the table and eating delicious homemade food together as a family has always been very important. We created Terún with this feeling of family at the core. We are always trying to make our guests feel like they’re in our home. The values that were given to us by our families are still essential to us.”
Kristjan, whose pizza is certified authentic (“VERACE PIZZA NAPOLETANA,”) credits his mother and grandmother for teaching him to cook and comments on his unique education. “School is important, don’t get me wrong. But I received great cooking education from my mom, grandma, and the pizzeria where I worked in Asti, where I learned from my great Neapolitan friends.”
When asked about what he feels is a key attribute for emerging chefs, Kristjan comments. “You have to be curious. You can have a great teacher, but if you’re not curious and not eager to learn, you cannot ‘steal’ the arts.”
Moods Wine Bar owner Mahmood Saljooq), putting smiles on people’s faces. The music became so popular that CBS News came out and covered it. Maico shares, “We have received a lot of positive feedback for having live music and are also we that we’ve inspired neighbor venues to do the same. Terún continues to serenade their diners Monday through Thursday.
To add to the “carpe diem factor,’ in their “spare time,” Maico, Franco, and Kristjan are hardcore cyclists. Franco offers; we’ve been cycling for many years and are great fans of two wheels. Good food and sport is always a winning combination. Professionals and former two-wheel professionals often come to visit us and participate in the “Terún Ride,” a ride in the company starting early in the morning from the Pizzeria, not before having a coffee; 120-140 km of freedom to then return to Terún and eat a nice pizza with beer and wine. After so many km on the bike, you can really eat what you want! “
Terún’s menu, steeped in generations of ‘family secrets,’ has an essential primary ingredient. Maico shares. “Great cooking is always about simplicity, tasting the food, not trying to cover it up. Growing up, the food our families gave us was very simple. The simpler the dish, the more you can taste each flavor. A lot of chefs make the mistake of complicating their food. You can rely on quality ingredients, like the amazing products we get from The Chefs’ Warehouse! With ingredients like these, you don’t need any modifications.” Kristjan adds in his delightfully rich Southern Italian accent, “It’s always been about the passion for making pizza the way my mom and my grandma would make it. So, we keep the recipe authentic and keep the flavors simple, the way they’ve always been.”
Ironically since Covid, Terún’s vibrancy has been magnified by the addition of live outdoor music led by none other than Maico, who just so happens also to be a talented singer and guitarist. He shares, “Music has always been part of my life. We’ve talked about having music in the past but couldn’t because it would have been too loud inside the restaurant. When Covid happened and we could only have outdoor seating, the opportunity presented itself. Franco continues. “We decided to give our guests the gift of music, eating, and fun because, at the time, there were no other events happening anywhere. The only event was Maico and his music friends (including singer-songwriter Mike Annuzzi and
With so much zest for life and their profession, it’s no wonder team Terún is on the precipice of opening a third venue, Impasto Ristorante in San Carlos, CA, slated for 2024. Maiko shares. “It’s exciting, but it is also a little worrying to open another location. We have two locations now (including Italico Restaurant), but they are 200 yards from one another. If our friends visit Impasto to dine but also to see Kristjan Maiko and Franco, we may not always be there because it’s a 20-minute drive from Terún. This is the only part that worries us because we won’t always be around the table.
Maiko shares about the unique menu of Impasto. “The main difference is that we will be using different doughs. That’s why it’s called Impasto. We will use different flour and special pizza every month and the regular pizza. We’re looking forward to having fun with so many amazing domestic flours that are new on the market. We’re also going to explore some gluten-free options.”
With 98 total staff spread over their (soon to be) three venues, award-winning pizza/cuisine, a band, an impressive cycling team, tons of friends, heaps of family, and plenty of good humor, it’s very clear Kristjan, Franco, and Maico are the perfect recipe for success.
Dreams are desires, and sometimes they can even come true.
—
Maico Campilongno
Longtime musician-songwriter, Arturo Enciso is no stranger to being passionate about his art. However, it was during a period of self-searching back in 2013, that he discovered a ‘sign’ in the form of a small wood-fired oven in the corner of the garden of his and partner Ana Belén Salatino’s new cottage abode. The fiery beacon would lead him on a distinctly different, though equally soulful journey.
Affectionately coined Emmy Lou by the young couple, Arturo’s wood-fired oven, accompanied by the book “From The Wood Fired Oven” by Richard Miscovich, would prove the spark to ignite a new passion for Enciso, that of being a self-taught professional artisanal baker.
After religiously studying Miscovich’s writing and instruction on the old-world craft of baking, taking his three-day course in Vermont, and traveling through Spain, the Bay Area, the East Coast, and Oaxaca, to immerse in the craft of the trade, Arturo and Ana turned their beloved cottage into their first small operating bakery. Their baking efforts were so welcomed and appreciated by neighbor customers; they were inspired to gather every resource they had to build a small venue in an old building in the center of downtown Long Beach.
In 2020, Gusto Bread, Artisanal Panadería, opened to an enthusiastic community. Although initial clientele heartily welcomed Gusto’s rich Mexican and Indigenous-spirited offerings created with traditional fermentation methods, heirloom grains, and local, seasonal ingredients, a crucial dynamic of the company was missing. Arturo, who had signed on as sole proprietor, felt strongly that for Gusto to reach its full potential, he would need the business, skills, and support of his long-time partner Ana.
CW Magazine caught up with Arturo to delve deeper into the proverbial dough and get the inside scoop on Gusto’s rise to the current ‘baking evolution’ spotlight.
Does bread hold a spiritual connection for you?
Absolutely. Bread is spiritual whether people realize it or not. To be a baker, you learn a lot of discipline. You wake up early to ferment the dough. You learn to be patient. It’s a very slow process that brings you inward. Bakers are known for being early risers. There’s something powerful about getting up and doing this craft every morning that feels very spiritual, at least to me.
Do you believe in destiny? Was it a calling for you to become a baker?
I have to say; it just felt very natural. It’s almost as if I discovered myself more through baking. I found it very rewarding. I gravitated towards it, took it slow, and learned the craft. It felt like I had found an old friend. So, yeah. It felt like destiny in a way, like it was meant to be.
Why is Long Beach a special place for you?
It’s a special first because all my family immigrated to Long Beach from Mexico City. I have a lot of uncles and aunts who live here. I also grew up coming here. I was raised near Fraser Park in Lebec, California, a very small town close to Bakersfield. For vacations, my family would drive us to the ‘city,’ meaning Long Beach. For us, going to Long Beach was going to the ‘big city.’
My family moved to Long Beach in 2008. Ana was born in Argentina but moved throughout California in her teenage years and eventually returned to Long Beach after college. We met through mutual friends
What’s your secret to running a business as a
I don’t know that I could operate the same business without Ana. Baking, for me, is more of a personal thing and means something to me. It came very naturally, like playing music and being in bands. But marketing yourself and putting yourself out there
When I officially started Gusto, I was the sole proprietor. I was learning the art of business for a couple of years. I kept begging Ana to join me because I knew she could help the business grow. I really enjoy working with her, so being partners in life, I guess, has helped. The secret is also making a community around the business.
When your business partner buys a second venue in the eye of a hurricane, otherwise known as the Corona Virus Pandemic, without telling you, you can either kill them or ignite your community with high-quality, one-of-a-kind specialty ingredients and the best wines from near and far.
Five months before the “Rona” descended, Sami Gaston and business partner Kevin Gouy had just opened a 22-seat, “little wine/bar-brasserie” called Bar Diane at 6655 NW 21st Avenue in Portland, OR. Despite a very well-received opening, the promising venue was shut down for reasons the food industry is all too well acquainted with.
With bills rolling in and hundreds of carefully curated wine bottles with no one to purchase, Sami started calling friends and family to sell her excess inventory. Her efforts quickly sparked a surprising momentum. Sami shared, “People kept calling me back, wanting to buy more. The next thing I know, we’re setting up a little bottle shop inside Bar Diane.”
It was around this time that Sami’s partner Kevin did the unimaginable. Unbeknownst to Sami, he signed a lease for the venue next to Bar Diane and then shared the big news as a surprise, Sami offered. “At the time, I could have killed him. We were just climbing out and making good on the wine bar. And suddenly, we had two businesses!”
Negociant (gourmet deli, market, and bottle shop) opened on March 4th, 2022. Located at 655 NW on 21st Avenue in Portland’s Northwest District, the unique specialty venue quickly revealed itself to be the timely addition Gaston never knew she always wanted. She shared. “Surprisingly, we discovered a demand for a retail addition to our wine bar next door. We started with a lot of wine but slowly became a little specialty shop with imported fish tins, cheese, charcuterie, unique condiments, sweets, a popular in-house baked goods program, and much more.”
Top CW Picks:
Marcona Almonds, Hot Coppa, Leoncini
Prosciutto Cotto with Herbs, Castelvetrano
Olives, Spicy Sardines, Honeycomb
Read more at: wherechefs.shop/next-normal
In the heart of the Napa Valley in 1996, Sparrow Lane introduced its first “chef inspired” vinegars. Simple but surprisingly complex, Sparrow Lane Vinegars are known as ‘the chefs’ secret ingredient.”
Sparrow Lane Vinegars, with a bouquet and body that embraces the heart of wine, embody the right balance of fruit to acid, as they are not astringent and harsh like so many commercially produced wine vinegars.
At Sparrow Lane, our steadfast commitment to quality has earned us an award-winning product line that continues to set the standard for quality and flavor in wine and fruit vinegars.
Joshua Balague caught ‘culinary fever’ as a child, accompanying his grandmother to the outdoor markets of Manila in the Philippines. With awe and delight, he relished observing his matriarch create amazing feasts from whatever was on offer at the market for his family of 16. Lumpia, Adobo, and braised meats in coconut milk abounded, as did Balague’s interest in the ‘art.’
Reminiscing the grassroots nature of his grandmother’s cooking and his early home environment in the Philippines, Joshua shares, ‘We had a chicken farm, and it was really cool to be a part of cooking from start to finish. My grandma would make Fried Chicken Adobo. It was so fresh that sometimes not all the feathers had been plucked. It’s hard to get fresher than that!’
After moving from Manila to Las Vegas with his family at the age of 12, Joshua’s ambition to become a chef was only rivaled by his dream to have a multitude of tattoos, both goals he would come to master.
However, despite his early clarity, Balague’s doting father, with decades of experience in the food industry (albeit on the business side as an executive of a fast-food chain), was not keen on his son’s dream. Joshua shared. ‘Even after I had completed college, my dad still wasn’t convinced that I should pursue being a chef. He made me write a business plan. So, I wrote out my business plan, which helped me get serious and focused. My dad did a great job raising us because he taught us to be responsible and able to fix our own problems, skills that obviously still help me to this day. I’m so grateful to have had the father I’ve had.’
Following culinary school in Pasadena, California, Balague began to carve his culinary career at Market Provisions (LA) Oenotri (Napa) Delfina (SF). Joshua shares his experience at Oenotri in the foodwine mecca of Napa, CA, and how it impacted his
trajectory as a chef. ‘My time at Oenotri was really special working with Curtis de Fede and Tyler Rodde, two young chefs who just wanted to do something different in the wine country. We worked closely with local purveyors. We’d get a whole pig in and use every part of it over the course of a week. We made our own pasta. And having our own three-acre garden really allowed our menu to be seasonally vibrant.’
Following his time in Napa, Joshua landed at prominent Osteria Mozza in LA. Balague commented, ‘To be able to work in a Mario Batalibrand kitchen was phenomenal. There were always paparazzi outside the door because it was such a hot spot for top celebrities. It was also a great experience working with celebrity chef Nancy Silverton who impressively still frequently works the mozzarella bar there despite her high level of success.’
Top CW Picks: Di Stefano Mozzarella and Speck
Read more at: wherechefs.shop/Tacoma
It’s a special joy creating a feature highlight on an epic talent as effervescent and approachable as Kate Weiser of Kate Weiser Chocolate in Dallas, TX. Even more extraordinary is welcoming Kate as an official CW Brand Ambassador! CW Magazine was fortunate to catch up with lovely, ever-entrepreneurial-evolving Kate for the following compelling Q&A.
When did you first realize you had a penchant for pastry?
I have vivid memories of when I was eight or nine, trying to fake that I was sick because there was a show on HGTV. (Before Food Network days.) It was a cooking show that included pastry chefs. It was my favorite show. I would take notes. I started collecting cookbooks around that same time. My best friend gave me this professional-looking cookbook for my 10th birthday, all about pies and cakes and puff pastry and things I had never even seen. I still have that book. It’s literally in tatters. I think I made every single thing in that book on the weekends in my family kitchen.
Please share your pastry professional journey.
semester at the University of Kansas. When it was time to choose a major, I was like, "Well, I don't like any of this. Maybe I should consider going to pastry school because I've always loved that."
When did the proverbial ‘penny drop’ create Kate Weiser Chocolate?
I was really lucky to be a part of Chocolate Secrets, which was a small retail business. I wasn’t just making chocolate; I was sitting in on marketing meetings and really involved in the business aspect of it as well. I fell in love with that piece of it too. I was having so much fun learning about running a business. I started thinking in that mindset. What would I do if I had the freedom to be totally in charge? I would go home and create these little vision boards. I never thought I would act on it. Then Trinity Groves, (a Dallas landmark offering a diverse array of restaurants and events since 2013,) had a website landing page saying that they were looking for unknown chefs who had a restaurant concept (Trinity Groves Incubator Project.) Unbeknownst to me, someone from that project had come into Chocolate Secrets and had tried my chocolate. I met with them and presented my ideas for my own
Getting listed on ‘Oprah’s Favorite Things’ was a major catalyst to the initial success of Kate Weiser Chocolate. Please share how that came about.
At the core, I was always trying to make the best bonbons. If you ever lose sight of that and just follow the ‘shiny things,’ then you lose. Sticking to my guns and making sure that the quality was there, researching ingredients, and ensuring everything I was producing was something I would love to eat myself. When you do that and opportunities open, things will start falling into place. I got ‘Oprah’s Favorite Things’ because I made this little snowman. (*Carl the Snowman, an iconic holiday treat from Kate Weiser Chocolate.) Neiman Marcus saw the snowman on the cover of Edible Magazine (Dallas). So, a buyer reached out and asked for samples. Then they took it on their press tour. Oprah Magazine editors were on that press tour. So, I got ‘Oprah’s Favorite Things’ from my partnership with Neiman Marcus.
How do you do manage everything to keep everything firing on all cylinders?
It’s the team. It’s my people. I have seven women leaders. What’s crazy is that every leader in my company has never done the job that they’re doing right now before. I’ve never been a CEO before. None of us have experience in what we’re doing. We are all learning together. We fail together, and we succeed together. My econ. manager, my corporate gift manager, my sales team, my executive chef, and my tax manager, we all come together once a week to talk about our problems. If I didn’t have my team, this whole thing would crash.
Your chocolate of choice is Valrhona. Please share what you love about working with Valrhona in particular.
I discovered Valrhona when I was learning to be a chocolatier. Then, when I was opening up my own place, I decided to do a blind tasting to see which chocolates I really wanted to use. I had been using Valrhona because it was the brand that the French chocolatiers used and because I enjoyed it. So, I had my vendor bring me tons of different brands of chocolate, and I chopped them up so I wouldn’t recognize them. I tasted them all. (I know, best day
ever.) And the majority of what I chose was Valrhona. Valrhona is an incredibly consistent product. You know exactly what you’re going to get. I still love experimenting with different types of chocolates, too of course, but we’ve had a great relationship with Valrhona. It’s been a really great experience.
The Chefs' Warehouse is 'over the moon' to have you as a CW Brand Ambassador. Any comment on this new collaboration?
It’s a mutual dedication to offering fine and highquality ingredients to our customers that I can identify with and want to be associated with.
I’m actually seven months pregnant. Before I have a baby, I’m planning on rebuilding my kitchen at Trinity Groves and starting to make some chocolatefocused desserts out of that kitchen. Something that people can enjoy when they’re walking around ArtPark Trinity Groves (Dallas’ Best Local Art Gallery & Beer Garden). And we also have our eyes on some other additional locations. But honestly, I really want to focus on my baby and have my awesome team run the company while I’m gone. Then we’ll see where we’re at when I get back!
It was while happily shaking a martini, working as a bartender to pay for a graduate school art degree, that young and vibrant Lauren Bailey looked around and thought, “Man, this is everything I love. I’m going to open my own restaurant.”
The ‘everything she loves’ is the dynamic combination of inspired menus, craft bar programs, and art-forward venues weaved together with the fundamental objective of making people happy. This love-motivated ‘cocktail’ would ignite in Bailey the will and tenacity to open nothing short of a mindblowing 29 venues (and counting) across AZ, CA, TX, CO, GA and beyond. To make matters even more impressive, Lauren Bailey just so happens to be one very cool, modest, and laid-back spirit; not an air of pretension about her.
Lauren shares how she first embarked on her extraordinary entrepreneurial journey. “Once I knew what I wanted to do, I moved back to Phoenix from graduate school and pulled together everything I had, which was $30,000. I was pretty sure that I would be able to open two restaurants with that.” Lauren laughs.
The ‘that’s what friends are for’ scenario kicked in when Lauren communicated her restaurateur plans with longtime friend and colleague Craig DeMarco who already owned Postino (Phoenix AZ), with his wife, Kris DeMarco. Confidant in Lauren’s talent and ‘pluck,’ Craig posited the idea a partnership be formed to open a venue together and potentially more after that.
The enthusiasm and vigor with which Bailey jumped into her first entrepreneurial journey were fueled in part by the relative innocence of the times. Lauren shares, “This was the early 2000s, and the internet was just emerging as a place to source information. Internet searches are wonderful, but they’re not good in that sense of talking people out of things and creating anxiety.”
Blessed to find collaboration with Craig, who shared the same love of the business. Bailey offered. “I was 26 then, and Craig said, ‘Go get as much money as possible, and then we can bind our equity.’ Most people wouldn’t do that. They’d say, ‘You’re coming in for 5% or whatever. Craig is seriously one of the best humans I’ve ever met. We opened Postino Central in 2009. From the beginning, we had this natural culture of value and frugality. We bought everything on Craigslist. We did a ton of the work ourselves, and we opened that restaurant for a much lower amount than we do now, that’s for certain.”
Opening one venue is enough of a challenge (and risk) for most people, at least for a while. However, Lauren and Craig’s dream was much bigger than that from the get-go. Lauren shared. ‘We co-founded Upward Projects shortly after we opened Postino Central.’ We’d roll any money we made in one deal into the next one. We’d find a cool old building and have a conversation asking, “What does this place want to be?” Restoring old buildings and being part of communities has always been our top priority. Craig and I have also always been very aligned with how we do things. Our people and culture come first. The rest always has a way of working itself out.’
Bailey, an artist at the core and an ‘organic strategist, speaks to what she feels is at the essence of her ongoing success.” “I’ve had many conversations recently that center on the questions, ‘How does one make money as an artist?’ Or ‘What’s the intersection of art and science as it relates to successful businesses?’ We have always been at work on the art. The science of the business was always in service of the art. For instance, we don’t start with wanting to do a menu item with a 25% food cost, etc. We’re like, “Let’s make the best cheese platter we can possibly make, and then we’ll figure out how to make it work. Secondly, after beginning with the art, it must also be in service to the business. Many people go wrong because they don’t know the foundational aspects of the restaurant business. Because it’s a cash business, you’re either making or losing money. If you don’t have tight controls and awareness of this, you can get into trouble. A payroll rolls around, and you’re done. This is why businesses go out so quickly. The success factor is much higher with people who’ve worked in restaurants because they know how and what it should look like.”
Accessibility and inclusivity being top of the menu these days, each unique venue under the Upward Projects umbrella (including twenty-four distinctly unique Postino venues across the U.S.: Windsor, fresh and vibrant shareable offerings including artisanal salads and top-notch burgers; Churn, hyper-creative and fun forward sweet treats and ice cream; Federal Pizza, and Joyride (two locations), offering authentically tantalizing tacos
and everything you’d wish for from an innovative taqueria styled venue-menu, resonate deeply within the restaurant groups steadfast integral philosophy. Lauren offers. ‘We like to exist between the space of approachable and sophisticated. We want people to come into the restaurant, whether they’re wearing a ball gown or shorts and flip flops and sit next to each other and think nothing of it. We also don’t want people to look at our venues like traditional wine bars or restaurants. We’re not pressuring people to order. You may have people eating a full meal or brunch and someone else just having a coffee and working on their laptop. We’ve designed the menus for this kind of variety as well as ideal shareability. Speaking of this ‘shareability,’ Lauren adds, we get a ton from The Chefs’ Warehouse. 60% of our food spend is on awesome imports from The Chefs’ Warehouse. It’s like a massive amount of ingredients that you just can’t get everywhere.’
A big part of Upward Project’s formula for success is its commitment to supporting its organically diverse teams (incidentally, in an effort to support supreme individuality, there are no waitstaff uniforms in Upward Projects venues), across the board. Lauren (who’s been honored as on the Power 50 List, amongst heaps of other honors too plentiful to include herein), shares, ‘I love the people side of what we’re doing now regarding how we continue to grow our business. We raised some money with an investor and were able to create meaningful wealth experiences for our team. It just feels so awesome watching people come through our system. I was in Boulder Colorado last week for the opening of our P Boulder, and in speaking to the new team there I said, ‘Upward Projects has 1700 employees now, and I don’t care if you went to college. I don’t even care if you didn’t graduate high school. The beautiful thing about this business is that you can ascend through it very quickly and make an incredible career and lifestyle for yourself and your family. You have to work hard, keep learning always, and want to make people happy. Being able to give people these kinds of opportunities is why we do what we do.”
Shop now: wherechefs.shop/shop-the-board
At the tender age of five, Chef Marty Lopez learned how to clean, prep, and cook squid for Squid Adobo alongside his grandfather in the Philippines, where he was born. With his father working overseas, Lopez spent much of his early childhood going to the market and cooking with his grandfather, a treasured time that he credits for igniting his passion for culinary.
Lopez, who moved to Las Vegas from Oman with his family at age 12, naturally possessed a diverse canvas of culinary influences to draw on in the chef career that awaited him (Mistral, Andre’s Restaurant & Lounge at Monte Carlo, Alizé at the Top of the Palms and Andre’s Bistro, Bacchanal Buffet, Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill, Caesars Palace.)
Chef Marty’s unique experiences in cuisine and culture are distinctly apparent in his innovative, award-winning ‘steak house’ menu at Scotch 80 Prime in the newly reopened (‘22) iconic Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas.
Named after the glamorous, historically sought-after ‘Scotch 80’s’ neighborhood in Las Vegas, that was home to many glitzy celebrities including Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, Lucille Ball, Judy Garland, and Howard Hughs, Scotch 80 Prime pays homage to the golden ‘sin city’ elegance of yore.
Chef Lopez credits mentor Andre Rochat (Andre’s, initially Downtown L.V., now at Monte Carlo, and Alizé at the top of the Palms), for being a pivotal influence in his journey as a chef. Rochat, known for being the first Las Vegas ‘celebrity chef’, revolutionized the culinary scene long before Wolfgang Puck and Emeril Lagasse. Lopez, shares, ‘Andre always instinctually knew what Las Vegas needed. It goes all the way back to the bakery that he ran in the 70s. He had the
foresight to see that a boulangerie is what was wanted at the time before people even knew they would want it. He’s got quite a history in this town.’
Deeply inspired by Rochat’s ability to be ‘firm but fair,’ Lopez comments on Rochat’s leadership style. ‘He wanted to pass along what he knew. He had a great synergy with all of the cooks and chefs that he mentored. There are quite a few chefs out there that came out of Andre’s roster and now have their own kitchens. I couldn’t ask for a better teacher. I like to shout his name out because a lot of people have gotten credit for where Las Vegas is in terms of culinary. Rochat was there before all the celebrity chefs.’
Now a great executive chef-leader in his own right, Lopez speaks about what he feels is next in the ever-unfolding gastronomic evolution that is ‘The Meadows’ (L.V. Spanish translation). ‘Las Vegas has such a diversified playing field, with a lot of different cuisines represented. We have incredible Indian restaurants, tons of amazing Asian venues and influences, standout French, Spanish, and Italian restaurants; such a wide array of cuisines to explore. We also have vibrant food trucks and food hall scenes... Having said this, I feel that we are coming into a time where there’s a call to return to fine dining and get back to really dressing up a bit and making dinner a part of one’s entertainment. I think people want to get back to this kind of elegance. This is something that Vegas has gone away from a bit in the past ten years. So much has become about casual gastro pubs and social dining. But it is also really nice to go out once or twice a year for a special occasion, to be catered to at a fine dining restaurant. It’s kind of like a lost art.’
Top CW Picks: Westholme Wagyu Beef Cheeks, Allen Brothers Beef Shank, Allen Brothers Argos Chilean Sea Bass
ried halloumi cheese, Crispy Artichokes, Scallop Crudo with fennel and sour orange vinaigrette, Spaghetti Limone with parmesan, and fresh parsley, Pancetta Pizza with Castlevetrano olives, and smoked mozzarella…the gastronomic poetry that emanates from the Amalfi Coast. But we’re not in the Amalfi Coast; we’re in Calgary, Alberta, and thanks to Executive Jeremy Media’s authentic southwest Italian menu at Bar Barbarella, we may as well be sipping chilled white wine with peaches and dipping our toes in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
A self-confessed late bloomer in the culinary profession, Chef Media took the proverbial ‘scenic route’ to his current well-fitting Executive Chef Bar Barbarella
After leaving high school early, Jeremy worked at the local Dairy Queen and in warehouses to make ends meet. Reminiscing the early days spent cooking with his mom in the kitchen as a kid, Media decided to pursue the interest further and found work at JOEY, a casual dining chain in Alberta. After finding himself promoted to a sous chef position that was a bit more challenging than he felt ready for, Jeremy decided it was time to get some proper training.
Subsequent chef positions followed post culinary school, including helping a friend open a restaurant in Kelowna, British Columbia, where he witnessed
firsthand what goes into a restaurant from A-Z. An opportunity Medina refers to as ‘eye-opening.’
While working at a winery in Vails Gate, Alberta, Medina experienced a higher tier of culinary that called on everyone to bring their A-game at all times. Jeremy shares, ‘This was the first time I worked with disciplined cooks who cared about what they were doing. I saw the hustle, the commitment, staying longer sometimes to go that extra mile and be prepared for the next day. Standing shoulder to shoulder with other chefs who were better than me and prepared to do whatever it took made me realize where I wanted to go with my career.’
Alberta-bound most of his life, Medina bounced off and moved to Melbourne, Australia, to stage at award-winning Attica Restaurant under owner/ operator Ben Shewry. Offered a job at the venue after two weeks of staging and delving in deep with the Attica team in his new position, Medina was forced to take a break from Attica due to Australian ex-pat work laws.
Medina comments on the experience of picking fruit in the backcountry to make money and bide time to extend his visa. ‘I had to go to rural South Australia and pick oranges for four months. I went from being on a team at Attica to being alone in an orchard. It was dirty and hot. It seemed even a bit dangerous. There were spiders everywhere. There wasn’t a day that I enjoyed what I was doing. It was a big learning experience for me. I tried to find a bit of competition with myself to get stronger, better, and more comfortable in the scenario because it wasn’t going to adapt to me. I had to learn to adapt to it. I learned a lot about myself, and now I can see that it was an important thing to have done.’
Having been a customer of The Chefs’ Warehouse (Dairyland Corp.) since the early 90s, it was apparent from the start that they were the company to turn to when I needed specific products to elevate the dishes I was developing. My relationships with the CW Sales Reps, who were always helpful and accommodating, and the products I bought via their collaboration, were vital to my success.
Since joining The Chefs’ Warehouse as the Executive Chef in July of 2022, my appreciation and respect for the company, its products, and its people have only grown stronger. Now so much more than the imported specialty and dairy company of yore in New York, it is truly thrilling to step into the Executive Chef role with CW, now encompassing 30 locations nationwide, and work with stellar ‘familial’ companies such as Allen Brothers, Sid Wainer, and Foley Fish, not to mention CW’s exclusive product lines.
It’s been a great first year discovering, learning about, and tasting so many products that we have on the shelves. Having said that, I must remember, ‘everything in moderation!’ as my position can come at a cost to my chef’s coat. This discipline can be really difficult to manage with so much deliciousness around me! Not complaining, of course. It's sure a lot of fun working with all our killer ingredients!
From a restaurant operations standpoint, considering the myriad of suppliers and vendors we use to supply our kitchens, the only way we can truly know what vendors have available is when we build our menus and ask our reps what’s out there. A cool aspect of my CW Executive Chef vantage point is that I view all of our products through my 30-year deep operator-chef lens. I love giving guidance and making impactful recommendations to our customers about quality products they might not know about. As a bonus, frequently, my recommendations are both labor and food cost savers for their operation.
Another rewarding part of the job is creating training videos for our sales reps. I am proud to share that over the last few months, we have produced 40 educative product videos hosted by yours truly, which celebrate and promote CW’s incredible ingredients via moment-to-moment application, usage recommendations, and key selling points. This video series is harvested fundamentally from deep-dive research, including countless hours of conversation with purveyors, so we can truly benefit from their expertise and what goes into creating these exceptional ingredients, whether our exclusive label lines such as BelAria, and Grand Reserve, or products passionately produced by multi-generational families
of growers-artisans (and only available to CW,) learning the journey of an ingredient via its successes and struggles is an experience essential to sharing their stories accurately.
As I wrap up my first year as the Executive Chef of Chefs’ Warehouse, we have just finished the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago! Having developed a showcase of products and customer experiences like no other (including Allen Brothers Beef Displays, All Things Seafood from Wabash and Foley Fish, CW Specialty Imports, pastry items shown by CW’s Corporate Pastry Chef Francois Mellet, Partner vendors Westholme Wagyu, Vande Rose Pork, Fabrique Delices and the Mosner Family with Lamb and Veal, to name a few), CW’s incredible booth, hosted by our CW Chicago team and led by Mike Behan, was a celebratory way for our customers to experience WHO WE ARE!! To add to the excitement, we created a restaurant inside our booth area, allowing our Senior Sales Representatives to host customers and showcase products in a private area (from the show’s 50,0000 attendees) and have impactful meetings while experiencing a multicourse lunch!
I have found my new multifaceted role with CW challenging, fast-paced, and absolutely rewarding. Working with all these great products has been truly incredible as a chef, but I have to say it’s the talent and synergy amongst the collective teams and the vision from the senior leadership of Chris and John Pappas, Pat O’Callaghan, Harris Heckelman, and Bruce Luong that really sets CW apart from the others. This ‘Best in Class’ team and the talent constantly being added make The Chefs’ Warehouse the greatest distributor and resource to the greatest chefs and restaurants in North America and beyond. It has been a truly thrilling first year in this exciting capacity. Looking forward to all that lies ahead!
David Walzog CW Executive Chef
The philosophy of the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group is no matter what level of excellence one achieves, one can always strive for better. This couldn’t be more apparent than in TKRG’s award-winning restaurants, including The French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon and Ad Hoc + Addendum, to name a few.
Currently carrying the Cup4Cup torch of continued excellence is a 24year veteran at TKRG and Head of Research and Development, Devin Knell. After coming up as a young chef at The French Laundry, directly under Chef Keller himself, Knell is no stranger to relentlessly pushing for perfection.
An acclaimed chef in his own right, Knell speaks with a romantic nostalgia for the hardcore kitchen days of yore and being a part of the tremendous French Laundry. Knell comments, ‘When things became very intense in a tumultuous way, it was also enjoyable. It's an interesting balance, whether you're on a culinary team, a sports team or you're in the tech field. The pressure is going to be "on" and the people who thrive in that highpressure environment are the ones that are going to excel.'
With raw kitchen culture as a hot trend on streaming platforms and films these days (such as The Bear on Hulu), audiences seem hungry for the grit and underbelly of high-bar, high-pressure kitchens. Knell shares, 'I know this theme has become popular and I think a lot of it is unfair. Chef Keller himself is a person who walks the talk. It's a lot easier to respect somebody, especially when they're very demanding, that is doing it himself. The example that he sets shows great leadership.'
Opting to remain with the same chef and restaurant group, albeit one of the world's best for going on three decades, denotes a level of personal and career satisfaction. Knell shared, 'I've always felt like I'm supported in our constant quest to improve. With that, I'm allowed to improve and develop personally as well. It has been a synergistic approach to just doing better and better. Through my journey, I feel fortunate to have been given many opportunities to travel, meet interesting people and do interesting projects. It's a very demanding workplace but at the same time, the rewards are great, and I feel like a lot of personal advancement and development through this.’
The Thomas Keller Restaurant Group’s Cup4Cup gluten free 1:1 Multipurpose Flour, created by the chefs of The French Laundry, has been forging the path for the highest level of gluten free preparations since its inception in 2010.
With The Thomas Keller Restaurant Group and Cup4Cup
When asked how the environment in TKRG kitchens has changed over the years, Knell offered:
“We have really heightened our standards for how we interact professionally with our employees and our peers. It’s still a high-pressure environment and emotional environment, but we do a very good job at balancing this with treating people with integrity and respect. We’re uncompromising in our product and with what’s on our menu.”
Cup4Cup benefits significantly from Devin Knell and the TKRG R&D team that came before. Along with perfecting the brand, the guidance and inspiration Knell and his team provide chefs in terms of Cup4Cup application, and the ongoing evolution of gluten free in professional kitchens is unparalleled. Knell's key objective is to continue to modernize Cup4Cup by refining preexisting recipes and creating new and innovative ideas for the product.
High on the Cup4Cup priority list is educating chefs on how to stretch recipes to go further in saving time and labor. Knell offers, 'There are some aspects of gluten free that perform exceptionally well, if not better, than the traditional wheat flour formulations. This alleviates the burden on the kitchen to prepare alternative options. If you can prepare a batter or preparation that is gluten free then you only have to prepare one instead of two, it's a win-win.’ Knell expresses.
‘Also, pie crusts hold up well with Cup4Cup.' Knell adds. 'When there's usually a higher proportion of fat and a lower proportion of water or hydration, gluten free can be key. Like with pancake batter, Cup4Cup makes an amazing pancake. These are low-hanging fruit recipes for chefs.'
When asked the best way for chefs to discover how Cup4Cup can be an asset to their own kitchens, Knell offers, 'I suggest chefs develop their recipes, beginning with their traditional recipe and then try small pilot batches with Cup4Cup. Play with hydration levels and familiarize themselves with it. If you can make shortbread with Cup4Cup, why would you make it with wheat flour? It's a great place to begin analyzing within your repertoire.’
To implement Cup4Cup in Fall recipe applications, Knell shares, ‘Breads, like a Persimmon Pudding, are certainly great on a Fall dessert menu.' He continues enthusiastically. 'One thing we've added is a pâte à choux recipe made using Cup4Cup. This is great because there are so many applications and variations to utilize pâte à choux dough, like our Gnocchi Parisienne (French gnocchi), Gougères with Gruyère pair well with champagne and for a sweet treat, eclairs and profiteroles are perfect for the holiday season. When you can get several applications out of one dough, you're economizing on one single preparation. From a professional application, this is a great opportunity.’
Head of Research & Development, Thomas Keller Restaurant Group Nothing makes more reliably perfect pancakes than Cup4Cup!It’s an exciting time at The Chefs' Warehouse as we continue to grow stronger and more efficient. As the nation’s specialty food leader, our collective passion for excellence is what makes CW such an inspiring company to be a part of. Our pastry team across the country has never been so strong and connected.
When it comes to ingredients and solutions, the food landscape is always changing. Our pastry initiatives and goals are always to adjust to the food industry's needs. To this end, we have many stellar partnerships in motion including Matisse by Sicoly Fruit Purées, Fechlin Swiss chocolate, Sosa line of innovative pastry ingredients, a new collection, MadMac, and La Rose Noire. Our mission is also to promote our fine CW exclusive brands such as Chocoa, Crescendo, and Matisse.
My objective as CW Executive Pastry Chef is to elevate brand awareness and guide our talented sales team on how to best illuminate The Chefs' Warehouse's unparalleled assortment of incredible ingredients.
It is wonderful to see more pastry chefs coming back to the kitchens. With that said, it is still challenging for the labor force to do everything from scratch. Professionals need to be smart and use quality products that will save time. Fortunately, we have solutions!
Just as quality ingredients enhance one another to create a brilliant application, I credit our wonderful pastry team, and CW team at large, for empowering this captivating ‘corner’ of culinary with their passion, talent, and experience.
Whether highly skilled technically, gifted artistically, exceptionally hard working, amazing at procuring perfect bakes goods, highly skilled at video and photography, a category specialist extraordinaire, or all the above, our team is an endless source of inspiration for me.’
François Mellet CW Executive Pastry ChefWhen not flying around the world sourcing the finest pastry ingredients to offer CW customers or creating the next innovative pastry application (as seen here with his refreshing ‘Bergamot & Raspberry Summer Tart,) one is apt to find thirteen-year CW Executive Pastry Chef Francois Mellet (a former avid marathon runner) listening to ‘late 40s, Bebop” Jazz under water while he burns 500 calories a pop with his rigorous water-running fitness regime.
• La Rose Noire Vegan tart shell
• Valrhona Strawberry Inspiration chocolate (to coat the tart shell)
• Sosa wet proof Crispy (around the edge of tart)
• Sosa Hot Inulin layer with Matisse by Sicoly coconut puree (bottom of tart)
• Sosa Gelcrem cold with Boiron Bergamot fruit puree (piped on top of coconut)
• Matisse by Sicoly Raspberry coulis
Cheese plates and boards continue to be popular options for restaurant patrons and there’s a good reason why. They’re infinitely customizable to any theme, season or taste, and you can include items for every palate. Cheese boards also pair well with another foodservice trend: Sustainability.
Food producers are increasingly responsive to their customers’ desire for more environmentally responsible practices — in growing, producing and distributing the food you love to source — including cheese. To create a cheese board (or any dish) that tastes good and you can feel good about serving, consider buying cheese made with Real California Milk.
California dairy farm families are world leaders in sustainable farming practices and producing nutritious, planet-smart dairy products. Upcycling of ag byproducts is one example. On average, 40% of a California dairy cow’s diet is made up of byproducts from food and fiber production, reducing the need to source other feed (less water, less land, fewer inputs) and keeping those byproducts out of the landfill.
Byproducts that humans can’t eat — like almond hulls, citrus pulp, trimmings, peels and more from fruits and vegetables, grape pomace and spent brewer’s grain from wine and beer — make for high-quality cow feed. By upcycling these items into feed, California dairy farmers can raise healthy cows that produce nutritious milk used to create quality cheese.
How to find cheeses made with sustainably produced California milk? Look for the Real California Milk seal. Dairy products that carry the Real California Milk seal are certified to have been made with milk from California dairy farm families.
Over the past 50-plus years, CA dairy farms have reduced the environmental footprint of each glass of milk:
• 45% less GHGs
• 89% less land
• 88% less water
California is leading the nation in pioneering sustainability projects like using dairy digesters to capture methane, reducing emissions and producing renewable energy.
• The methane captured from one cow in a year can produce enough transportation fuel to drive a car across the U.S.
• 5 cows can power 1 house for a year
• 150 California dairy farms have solar projects meeting the electricity needs for 32,000 homes
A typical cheese board contains just a few ounces of cheese per guest, accompanied by a selection of other foods. Pair cheeses with fruit, nuts, cured meats, thin slices of house-made bread, artisan crackers, olives and more to create a delicious and aesthetically pleasing board.
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Creating a sustainable grazing board is easy. Select three to five Real California cheeses of varying flavors and textures from soft to hard and mild to sharp, even pungent varieties such as:
• Bloomy rind cheese such as Brie, Camembert or Formagella
• Soft or washed-rind cheese such as Teleme or Crescenza
• Semi-firm hard cheese such as Aged Cheddar, Gouda or Toma
• Hard aged cheese such as Dry Jack or Aged Gouda
• Flavorful or pungent cheese such as Blue, Schloss or flavored and spiced cheeses
Di Stefano Burrata, originating in the Apulia region of Italy, is treasured for its fresh, creamy authentic flavor and divine texture igniting endless application possibilities.
Introduced to North America by non-other than Di Stefano Founder/Owner Mimmo Bruno, Di Stefano Burrata is to spring and summer menus what the stars are to an alfresco sky.
Other authentic Italian dazzlers include Di Stefano award-winning Mozzarella, Mascarpone, Ricotta, Samorza and Caciocavallo.
Buon Appetito!
Thirdly, as recent headlines have attested, we have been active on the acquisition front, opportunistically partnering with storied businesses that complement our product offerings and enhance our geographical reach.
We have made great progress toward fulfilling Chris Pappas’ vision to be the provider of all culinary solutions to the finest operators in the country. We have done this in many ways:
First, we have added top-notch talent to our alreadystrong team, investing in more human resources and expertise to support our customers.
Secondly, we have deepened our partnerships with the world’s top culinary brands, broadening our product line and eliminating inefficiencies in the supply chain.
Finally, we have made enormous investments in facilities, enabling us to better serve some of the country’s fastest growing culinary meccas, including Florida and the Mid-Atlantic.
These are exciting times indeed, and we are so grateful for your support in taking our shared business to an entirely new level in the coming months and years.
Have a wonderful summer.
BY TRACY HOLLERAN
Raku, an eatery specializing in gourmet noodle soups, describes itself as “a touch of Japan in New York City.” The Udon specialists first opened in the East Village, and expanded to the Soho neighborhood only two years later. Next came a Toronto location, and a fourth outpost is set to open later this year on New York’s Upper West Side. According to Cloud 9 Hospitality Group Consulting Chef Morgan Chang, the secret to success starts in the back of the house. “One, the food, two, the people, and the third part is that we truly are open to change.” With the help of Executive Chef Norihiro Ishizuka (as pictured below), Chang says the restaurant has evolved since it opened the first location seven years ago. “Typically you think Japanese culture is a lot less open to change,” he continues, “but … we blend the traditional and the new very well.” That change also comes in the form of creative solutions to everyday issues, and Chang explains how his partnership with CW has helped bring Raku to the next level.
When planning an expansion, labor is one of the biggest considerations. “We make everything from scratch,” Chang explains. “The Dashi is [made] fresh. Essentially, [for] every forty orders of soup that we make, we have to make a new one,” he says. “It’s a rolling process all day.” With 500 customers per day, this is a labor intensive process. It became important to identify other areas where labor expenses and time could be cut without sacrificing quality, and one obvious spot was poultry prep. “We go through over 1200 pounds of chicken between the two locations in New York on a weekly basis,” Chang says. “It had previously all been hand-cut in-house and it’s a lot of labor,” he notes. “It’s exhausting. It’s tiring. It’s monotonous.” With time better spent on more important tasks, Chang looked to CW for a solution. As part of the Freebird Chicken program, CW identified a third-party supplier that would pre-cut the chicken prior to delivery, saving an incredible amount of time and labor. “This gives us the ability to open up that new location or other locations– to actually properly expand– while not raising our labor costs,” he says. “That’s a big one.”
Continue reading at: wherechefs.shop/raku
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cooking has just been something that I felt like I was just born with,” she says. “It just makes me feel so alive.” Growing up in the Bronx, she was obsessed with television cooking shows. “I would always take notes,” she remembers. “I would make my family into guinea pigs and I would cook whatever it is that I saw on TV or whatever I saw in a cookbook,” she continues. “I would put my own spin on it.”
Unbeknownst to her, Bennett’s culinary career would begin in the summer of 2012. After graduating from college where she studied psychology and business, her mother suggested she take a summer job in the kitchen at the nearby Club. “ I did not come to Winged Foot to pursue a culinary career, per se, I just came to see what it was all about,” she says. “It was hard service, for anyone who has worked a line. It’s so exciting, and that adrenaline rush – I just fell in love.”
It turned out to be a life-changing experience. “Whatever it is that I can learn and absorb at this time, that was my mission and that’s what I did.” At the end of the summer season, Bennett was asked to stay on, and enthusiastically agreed. The welcoming, supportive work environment was just what she wanted in a career. “I fell in love with it even more,” she says.
Top CW Picks:
Continue reading at: wherechefs.shop/Rising
Cooking should be the same no matter where you’re cooking or what you’re cooking,” begins Chef James Hackney, Executive Chef at the Wequassett Resort in Harwich, Massachusetts. With no fewer than six dining venues scattered across the five-star, luxury resort, Hackney has his work cut out for him. From the upscale, seafood-forward Twenty Eight Atlantic, to the poolside “Buns and Bowls” menu, the same attention to detail is given to each and every dish exiting Hackney’s kitchen.
Hackney was born in the United Kingdom and grew up around the hotel business. His father, a general manager, and his mother, who worked in the rooms division, bounced around to various hotels throughout his childhood, but eventually settled down and opened a small bed and breakfast in Leicestershire. “I made my pocket money there,” he says. “It was something that I was doing when I was supposed to be doing homework!” He loved the excitement of a paycheck but also was gaining invaluable business experience as an integral part of a family-owned operation.
After attending culinary school, Hackney worked for an American-owned hotel in the U.K. which featured a restaurant specializing in Chicago-style pizza and American-inspired desserts. This experience piqued his interest, and he soon contemplated ‘stepping across the pond.’ “It was interesting to see how the
U.S. was developing with chefs and their openmindedness to all different flavors and cultures,” he says. In 1998, Hackney accepted a position at Blantyre, a luxury hotel in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. For the next few seasons, he would become a snowbird spending the summer months in New England, and the winters working for Charlie Palmer in Palm Beach, Florida. After briefly returning to the U.K.to work with his family, he got his big break and was hired as the Chef de Cuisine at Boston’s famed L’Espalier restaurant, where he remained for nearly ten years.
The biggest challenge of Hackey’s career would come in 2011 on the coast of Cape Cod, a favorite New England summer destination. Serving as Executive Chef at a large resort property was vastly different from cooking at an independent restaurant. Hackney would draw heavily on his years of hotel experience back in the U.K. as he navigated his first year at the Wequassett Resort. “I hadn’t expected how much diversity there was in different areas, from routine service to banquets,” he says. “[It’s] a totally different paradigm from being at an independent restaurant where you had a lot more control.” From largescale weddings to room service, Hackney manages it all. “Room service … that was something I’d never experienced!” he says. “It just comes in whenever it wants!” His key to success was learning not to hyperfocus on any one area, but rather to stand back and observe the production. “I wanted to learn how to grow and become more of a manager,” he says.
Paramount to the successful management of a large resort is making sure quality is consistent across the various dining outlets. Hackney therefore puts a huge focus on product-sourcing. “We like to make sure we do a lot of research and development on the shoulder seasons. We’re looking deep into the ethics of the workers and where their craft is,” Hackney explains.
“[From] the artisanal cheeses we pick out, to the fishlooking at the vendors is very important for us.”
With high quality ingredients from vetted CW vendors at his disposal, Hackney derives the most excitement and gratification from building appealing, creative menus. It’s no surprise that on Cape Cod, lobster is a fan favorite. “You know, you put lobster on anything here and it’s going to sell, but you want to make sure that you were able to get creative with it,” he says. “The Lobster Carbonara was something that started off here many years ago. We slowly refined it … different cheeses, putting the confit-poached egg on instead of just the normal egg, changing the pasta … it’s a dish which has evolved into something a little different every year.” The secret is creating dishes that stand out from the crowd. “How do we make a cheeseburger different and exciting? How do we make a flatbread fun and whimsical and appeal to all different types of people who come into the resort?” he says. “You’re working very much on making sure things taste good, look good and feel good.”
At the five-star Twenty Eight Atlantic, both a sevencourse tasting experience and a sustainably sourced à la carte menu is offered. The elegant dining room features floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Pleasant Bay, which provides the perfect setting for a special meal or celebration. Thoreau’s is an intimate cocktail lounge reminiscent of an old-school private club. “This year, it’s going to be more of a shared plate concept - still high quality ingredients but in a little bit more of a relaxed, refined environment,” Hackey says. This menu will also be available at The Verandahs, an adjacent outdoor space with cozy furniture, fire tables, and a waterview. The Outer Bar & Grill is an open-air eatery with a casual
menu perfect for families, which sits above LiBAYtion, the alfresco patio and beachfront bar. “[People] can work their way through the menu and have very different options,” he says. “We do a great grilled eggplant which is almost like a substitute for a salad. We brush it with yogurt, pistachio nuts and flax seeds and we put a mint and basil salad on it,” he continues. “Burgers, poke bowls, lobster rolls, different types of flatbreads …everything we make has a little bit of a fun twist on it.” There is also a small menu of salads and sandwiches available poolside.
With many guests staying for several nights or even a week, variety is key. “We try to put as many different things on there that we think can appeal to everybody, so they don’t get bored of the menu,” Hackney says. The menus change seasonally, but also annually. “If you are a returning guest coming back year after year after year, you’re always going to see something new and different and interesting,” he says, “and you’ll still get the great quality [and] the best ingredients.”
In 2016, Pastry Chef Casey Doody made a list of goals - or one might say, a plan. She detailed where she would be, what job she would have, and even how much money she expected to be earning. “ I am huge on manifestation and journaling,” she explains. “In this last year, … I’ve been able to cross off things that I dreamt of seven years ago,” she continues. ”It gives me chills.”
The support of her family and some influential mentors, plus a few key collaborations all played a role in helping Chef Casey achieve her goals. “My family has always been my biggest cheerleader,” she says. Growing up in the Chicago area, she danced competitively throughout her childhood. “I was a studio kid,” she says. The value of hard work and discipline were instilled at a very young age, and eventually even led her to become a cheerleader. “I am a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader turned pastry chef!” she laughs. “I never never pictured [myself] doing this in my 30s, but you know, here we are, and we’re doing it to its fullest potential!”
Doody began her pastry career at the Dallas Country Club, where she worked with Executive Chef Robin Murphy. “He always, always pushed me saying, ‘you’re going to be a star one day … you’re the most talented pastry chef I’ve ever worked with,’” she recalls. “So wow, he pushed me to see that light because sometimes … you don’t believe it, but other people do.” After five years, she got a call from late Pastry Chef Richard Capizzi of the Lincoln Ristorante in New York. After a tasting, Doody was immediately hired as his Pastry Sous. “Richard was very instrumental,” she remembers. After her
chef/owner Giuseppe Tentori to be the Pastry Chef at his sister restaurants, GT Prime and GT Fish & Oyster. Within months, it became clear that GT Fish and Oyster would need to close its doors. “There was a lot of talk of what’s going to happen, and I just thought I was going to be the pastry chef at Prime and keep them moving.”
What happened next would be life-altering. “Three chef/owners [were] sitting in front of me with the director of operations,” she says. “They [said] ‘ You made a splash in six months’ … and I was offered the Director of Pastry for Boka Restaurant Group for five restaurants,” she continued. “They told me that never, ever [happened] in the history of Boka in 20 years.” She remembers Chef Tentori sitting her down and saying “Are you ready for your life to change?”
Tentori has been another instrumental mentor in her life: “He’s helped me soar and believed in me, and showed me my potential and really helped me skyrocket in my career.”
Doody currently oversees the pastry operations at GT Prime, Swift & Sons, Swift Tavern, Boka Catering and the newly opened, Le Select. With fourteen pastry cooks working for her across the five different outlets, she says she couldn’t do it without her Sous Chefs. “A lot of my success is because of my team,” she notes. Her management style is one of positivity and encouragement. “I will say to them,
first and foremost you are humans outside of this building. You are you, and that’s what makes you great … that’s your superpower.” By seeing each and every one of her cooks as an individual, she fosters an environment of mutual respect. “I feel like it’s gotten me to where I’m at and the level that I’m in. You know, I’ve been Casey this entire time. I’ve never had to pretend to be something I’m not. That’s the beauty of it.” This attitude is a direct result of the influential mentors she had throughout her own career. “You need to prioritize yourself so you can be great in the role that you’re in,” she explains, “so I lead by example. At the end of the day, if you’re not going to do something 100%, don’t do it at all. That’s how I live my every day.”
Her work and collaborations with both CW and Valrhona have also been important to her success. “CW has been a huge platform for me. We’ve partnered together on a lot of things and without [them] … I wouldn’t be where I’m at in my career,” she says. “CW is what I use in all my restaurants, so that’s been a fun partnership – something that I’m proud of because I’m loyal,” she continues. “I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without those loyal relationships … I couldn’t do my job without you guys. CW has always been there.” Her partnership with Valrhona as a Cercle V member has also proven to be advantageous. “Not only did they help me get the positions that I did - they put my resume out in New York,” she recalls, “they knew I wanted to work in New York City with the best pastry chefs, so that was the bridge to fill those gaps and Valrhona featured me in a spotlight that I’ve only dreamt of.” She was also just selected by Valrhona France to be featured in their global calendar. “I’m representing North America … I’m Miss June!”
taken me under their wing and I’ve been doing a lot with them lately in any way, shape and form.
“They’ve really welcomed me,” Doody says. “They’ve
” That includes partnering with José Andrés’s World Central Kitchen to raise funds for the country of Ukraine and provide relief after catastrophic weather events like Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico. “The Chicago chef community is amazing. I’m so lucky to be a part of that,” she says. Prior to returning to Chicago, Doody was very involved with No Kid Hungry. “For me, it’s all about the kids,” she explains. “When I was in Dallas, what really spoke to my heart was the school lunch program for kids. I was involved in a lot of charity events where I was like, ‘how can we give back and make sure these kids are being fed properly?’” What resulted was a “Gardento-Lunch” program where they learned to grow food that would be incorporated into their daily lunches.”It’s just a ‘feel good’ but I don’t need to do it to receive something in return. I just believe in gratitude and keeping it moving forward.”
Whether it’s mentoring up-and-coming pastry cooks in her kitchens, serving as a featured chef at the James Beard Media Awards, volunteering her time to help those in need, or just taking time out to take care of herself, Chef Casey never forgets those who helped her to succeed. She now passes that along to everyone she meets. “You give, not to expect something back, but to hope that they pass that [on] in return,” she says. “I just just give it all back because the universe will give it ten times in return because you’re not even asking for it.” Read
The path to success for award-winning Chef Jose Salazar was anything but linear. “I didn’t want to be a chef growing up,” he begins. “I wasn’t all that interested in food.” He may not have dreamed of a career as a celebrated restaurateur, but with hard work, fantastic mentors, excellent ingredients and a little help from grandma, that’s exactly where he landed.
Born in Columbia, Salazar moved to Queens, New York when he was five. It was important to his mother that he stay connected to his culture and native language, so every summer he traveled to Columbia to live with his grandmother. “It was way, way different than living in Queens,” he said. During these summers, his grandmother’s empanadas and arepas were not something Salazar thought much about. “As much as her food was super, super delicious,” he says, “most of the cooking was really just about feeding everybody.” The influence of this cooking would take years to realize. “I wasn’t even aware of the underlying knowledge that I gained.”
After graduating from high school, Salazar went to work as a server and bartender in various New York restaurants. “That’s when I really started to fall in love with food,” he recalls. In 2000 he enrolled at the New York Restaurant School, and soon gained entry into some of New York’s top kitchens including Thomas Keller’s Per Se and Bouchon Bakery. He would spend the next several years in French-style kitchens. “I really didn’t consider cooking Latin American cuisine,” he explains. “It just wasn’t in my mindset.”
In 2008, Salazar was offered the position of Executive Chef at The Cincinnatian Hotel in Ohio. “My wife was shocked when I said to her one day, ‘Why don’t we move?’” he says. “We never considered living elsewhere.” Ultimately, the prospect of a slower pace of life and a different future for their infant son became the biggest driver for that decision. “I think we were a little bit burnt out with the hustle and the grind,” Salazar remembers. “If it wasn’t for that we probably would have never left.”
BY TRACY HOLLERAN
With a blossoming career and a Food+Wine regional “Best New Chef of 2011” award under his toque, it was no surprise that Salazar was soon approached about opening his own downtown Cincinnati restaurant. “It wasn’t something that I was actively looking for…I didn’t know if I was ready yet,” he admits. He and his wife, Anne, decided to take the plunge and opened Salazar in 2013. “The menu is inspired by what I love to eat, but also driven by what the farmers bring us,” he explains. “It’s seasonal, and we change the menu probably six or eight times a year.”
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BY TRACY HOLLERAN
The concept behind Avra Estiatorio is simple: use the best, freshest ingredients available to create amazing Greek dishes. Since the conception of the first midtown Manhattan location in 2000, Avra has expanded into something of an empire. With two additional locations in New York and one in Beverly Hills, Avra opened its newest restaurant in Miami in November 2022.
With a winning concept already in place, all that was needed was a chef. Enter Jose Diaz. Chef Diaz grew up in Venezuela with a passion for food and cooking. Although he very much wanted to pursue a culinary career, he was encouraged to instead study business at the university, which his father saw as a more ‘masculine’ endeavor. Following graduation, he secured a job in the telecommunications field, but within a year, became disillusioned. “At this point in my life I said, ‘I want to do what I want to do.’ So I quit everything,” he says. “I started from scratch to study at the Culinary Institute in Venezuela.” From there, Diaz received additional hands-on training in kitchens all over the world. From Peru, to Australia, to a three-star Michelin restaurant in Spain, Diaz criss-crossed the globe learning the ropes from some of the best in the field. He eventually landed in Miami, where he joined many family members who were living in the States.
During his first several years in Florida, Diaz worked at a variety of restaurants, including The Bazaar by José Anrdés in the SLS Hotel. He was then invited to work at the SLS Baha Mar, which was new and in need of experienced chefs. After five years in the Bahamas, Diaz was invited back to Miami to consider a new restaurant project within The Estates at Acqualina on Sunny Isles Beach. The minute he saw the stunning waterfront location, he was intrigued. However, he wanted to be certain the restaurant’s Greek concept was equally attractive. “ I went to New York…I went to [Avra] Madison and I tried the food, I saw the concept, I was talking with the people. I loved it. I loved the freshness of it. I loved everything. I said ‘Okay, let me know when you’re ready!’” He officially returned to the U.S. in October 2021 to help build Avra Miami, while also working in the New York locations to master the dishes.
Avra Miami opened a year later and immediately became one of the most talked about restaurants in the city. Fresh fish and seafood are the stars of the menu, much of which is flown in two to three times weekly from Greece and Spain. The remainder is locally sourced or provided fresh by Chefs’ Warehouse. “We are very transparent with the guests,” Diaz says. If a particular item is not available fresh any given week, it comes off the menu. Live lobsters and octopus are among Chef’s favorite ingredients, and the sashimi grade grilled octopus is most popular appetizer across all five Avra locations. “CW is one of the most reliable distributors for octopus,” he notes. Not surprisingly, another extremely popular dish features Australian lamb chops, also sourced from CW. Simply grilled, the high quality meat needs no embellishment.
Chef Diaz and Avra are already planning a second South Florida location. It will be housed at LOFTY Brickell, a luxury club residence in downtown Miami and is due to open in 2025.
When Chef Matt Adler went to work at the age of fourteen, it was more about staying out of trouble than learning the ropes of the restaurant business. “You know, I wasn’t necessarily the best student in school,” he recalls. “I didn’t really enjoy it that much.” At Scoozi, the upstate New York eatery owned by his father, Adler found his passion. “I fell into it pretty quickly; the fast paced environment, lots of energy, making money,” he says. “I thought that was cool.” His father, the chef and restaurateur, had no plans for his son to follow in his footsteps. He thought the more time Adler spent in restaurants, the less likely he would be to pursue this career path. In reality, it only inspired him further, and in 2000 he enrolled at the nearby Culinary Institute of the Arts.
Although there was always a love and appreciation for the Italian-American dishes his father cooked at Scoozi, during culinary school Adler recognized a lack of respect for this cuisine. “I ran away from that as quickly as I could,” he admits. “I wanted to cook significantly fancier, more refined food.” He soon had his chance to do exactly that in the New York kitchens of the Ritz-Carlton, Alain Ducasse, and Oceana. It was not until 2010 when he began working for Michael White at the Altamarea Group that he would finally delve back into Italian cuisine in a meaningful way. He spent more than six years creating upscale, regional Italian dishes at restaurants including Marea, Ai Fiori, and Osteria Marini in both New York and Washington D.C., before taking some time off to travel around Europe with his wife.
Upon his return, Adler did a stint as the Culinary Director for a restaurant group where he strategized solutions for underperforming locations in the group’s portfolio. From here, he branched out on his own to start MRA Culinary Solutions, a multifaceted consulting company. It was during this time he was approached by Michael Babbin of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group to help with the development of The Roost, a Capitol Hill food hall with a variety of different vendors. A full-service restaurant was also slated to open in the same location. As the conversations continued, Babbin shared his vision for the restaurant: an old-school, “red sauce joint” reminiscent of the places he grew up frequenting in his hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. “I told him a little bit about my background and how I was intrigued by the idea of using technique and excellent ingredients in cooking this food that I grew up with, and doing it at a higher level,” Adler says. However, he had no interest in “reimagining” these dishes, but rather making the best possible versions using quality ingredients. Excellent tomatoes, great cheeses and fresh pasta would be just the beginning. “We got to talking about that, and we ended up making a deal and opening this restaurant together,” he says. That restaurant, Caruso’s Grocery, opened in 2020 with an unapologetically throwback ItalianAmerican menu, an approachable Italian wine list, and a chef with a commitment to quality ingredients and expert execution.
“I have a deep love and appreciation for regional Italian cooking,” Adler says. “All those [Italian]
cuisines are very region-specific and carry with them certain dishes that are indicative to [sic] their cuisine. I think that’s very true in Italian-American cooking as well.” He points to a classic Chicken Parmesan as perhaps the most identifiable Italian-American dish. Conspicuously absent from any menu in Italy, “ it’s not even really an Italian dish,” he says. “I can’t think of a single time I’ve seen Chicken Parmesan on a menu anywhere in Italy.” Yet, it is easily the most popular dish at Caruso’s. What brings these familiar dishes to the next level are the ingredients. Perhaps most notable, the 7-11 Stanislaus canned tomatoes. “That’s key to any Italian-American restaurant,” he says “They are the same canned tomatoes my dad used,” he continues. “They’ve been around for a long time.” Prior to opening Caruso’s, he did his due diligence and tasted just about every canned tomato on the market. “I was pretty sure I was going to end up back here, but I was pleased once we went through the whole process that it would be the right tomato for us.”
Cheese is also a major player at Caruso’s. “Grande Cheese Company is very, very important to what we do there,” he says. Low-moisture mozzarella (a key component of the Chicken Parmesan), fresh mozzarella, burrata and Parmesan all feature prominently on the menu. “I really think they are best in class for that style of cheeses of what’s produced in America.” No Italian restaurant is complete without pasta, and all the perennial favorites are represented. Comfort dishes like Spaghetti and Meatballs, Linguini in White Clam Sauce and Penne alla Vodka do not stray far from the classic preparations. One of the few dishes Adler opted to “reinterpret” was Caruso’s Alfredo. “We tested a lot of classic Alfredos and they’re very rich and heavy, so we wanted to do something a little bit different,” he says. Cream, Sicilian Marsala-braised mushrooms, and house made truffle butter are tossed with fresh pasta and lots of Parmesan cheese to create a modernized take on the familiar.
Even with the commitment to the highest quality ingredients money can buy, the price points for the food, cocktails and wine program were set with “perception of value” in mind. “This is a big thing for my dad in his restaurants. He would always talk about that,” Adler says. “We think a good bit of our success is due to our value perception. Customers need to feel good leaving a place.”
With its affordable, classic menu highlighted by top-notch ingredients, Chef Adler has created a fan favorite. “We’ve gotten a lot of press, and our guests are very excited about what we’re doing,” he says. In 2022, the Neighborhood Restaurant Group opened a second location in North Bethesda, where you’ll find the same attention to detail and classic preparations. “Our goal at the end of the day is to be a great neighborhood Italian restaurant.” Mission accomplished.
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How did you first become interested in food and cooking?
Funny enough, my great grandfather was a chef in Philly and I’m actually named after him. But I had no interest in being a chef for years. We didn’t cook every day so it was kind of strange that when I walked into the high school to check out all the shops, I saw the kitchen and was watching them cook and everyone’s running around. It was fast paced and I just felt like that’s what I needed to do.
After culinary school at Johnson & Wales University, you returned to Philadelphia to work at Le Bec Fin and later went to work at Del Posto in New York. How did those experiences shape you?
So basically, I’ve been trained French and Italian my whole career. When I was in Providence, I was working at one restaurant that was all handmade Italian. It was loud and airy and the food was amazing. After that, I wanted to be more serious and that’s why I went to Le Bec Fin. Coincidentally it was probably the hardest job I could possibly have. It was a very aggressive and hard way to learn. Del Posto was the opposite. I wanted to get back into the Italian style of things. It was amazing. It was a really cool restaurant to learn in.
At what point did you decide you wanted to open your own place?
I was going to open a restaurant in Center City, and I had it all situated. I had a whole team picked out and everything, and then COVID hit. So then my [now] business partner - we’d been friends for fifteen years - was like, ‘Hey, I got this restaurant.’ He said, ‘I need somebody to take over Messina’s and I’ll give you full reign.’ We shook hands and that was pretty much it. And wow, you know, he trusted me to take it over. He made me a partner and it was honestly the best case scenario coming out of the pandemic. I was very lucky.
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Learn more about how Chef Eddie created Messina’s concept and his experience on Top Chef at: wherechefs.shop/Eddie
Grana Padano PDO. An exceptional cheese, procured by centuries of tradition, passion, and craftsmanship. A star ingredient for every season. Perfectly paired with summer.
Bon apetito!
CW’s Category Specialists literally go the extra mile to establish, maintain and enhance relationships with our incredible purveyor partners from around the world. Being in the room where artisanal ingredients and craftsman purveyor-ship ‘happens’ and really knowing all that goes into making extraordinary ingredients, is what separates CW Category Specialists from everybody else. From Europe to South America, Africa to Asia, to the bounty of amazing products procured in our own ‘backyard, ‘CW goes there and gets to know all there is to know ‘there’ to offer you the very best under the sun.
In the recent ‘Just Back From,’ CW Category Specialists Team including, CW Corporate Pastry Chef François Mellet, Adriane Cahi, (Category Manager Bakery & Snacks), Sam Ostergaard, (Category Manager Pastry), Catherine Marshall (NY Pastry Sales Manager), Katie Rigg (West Coast Pastry Sales Manager), travelled to France and Belgium and attended the Sirha Food Show in Lyon France. The team also participated in factory tours of Valrhona, Boiron, Matisse by Sicoly, Chocoa, Liege Waffles, Nats and Le Chic Patissier Macarons.
A highlight of the trip was meeting new CW colleagues from Chefs Middle East over a great meal at Arsenic in Lyon, a venue known for being an incubator for up-andcoming chefs. It’s a hard job, but somebody’s got to do it! And no one does it better than CW!
BelAria rice and polenta selection, are steeped in time-honoring purveyors and undeniable authenticity offering you the very best to ensure your dishes delight your guests.
Carnaroli rice, like arborio, contains more starch than other rice varieties. However, it retains liquid and holds its shape better than arborio rice and has a larger grain, making for a more textured dish. Carnaroli is grown in the Italian towns of Novara and Vercelli, located between Milan and Turin.
Our industry, at its heart is about community, and we strive to be a part of every community we operate in; giving back, educating, supporting, and inspiring. The social impact The Chefs' Warehouse brings to these communities is meant to go far beyond just a donation, the impact we bring is meant to set examples, raise the bar, and bring awareness, care, and support to areas of community that need help.
From the progressive working culture within the walls of The Chefs' Warehouse to the neighborhood streets our trucks drive on, we are dedicated to being a part of the community and proud to support charitable organizations and worthy causes locally and around the world.
Miriam’s Kitchen team utilizes a comprehensive approach to eliminating the housing crisis in Washington, D.C. Through engaging their guests with healthy, made-from-scratch meals, they connect them with personalized social services that assist them with rebuilding their lives. Beyond Miriam’s Kitchens’ intensive program offering, they regularly engage community leaders and elected officials who fiercely advocate on our guests’ behalf.
CW has been working with Miriam’s Kitchen since 2013. Not only is Miriam’s Kitchen a customer, CW also works with them by donating ingredients. In addition, CW staff volunteer our time to cook breakfast and work in their volunteer services to package up hygiene kits to provide to the homeless. Miriam’s Kitchen prides itself on providing healthy, made-from-scratch meals.
The Chefs’ Warehouse is proud to support Miriam's Kitchen in these awesome efforts. It’s very important to us to not only be a part of the community but to also give our time back to the local community and help wherever we can with the abundance of ingredients we have at our fingertips. What better way to do this, than to connect with food?
The quote from author-journalist, Michael Pollan, sums up the relationship CW has with Miriam’s Kitchen. “Food is not just fuel. Food is about family, food is about community, food is about identity. And we nourish all those things when we eat well.”Paddy Reilly, Vice President of Sales, CW Mid-Atlantic
A distinct connection to CW’s core values, the ‘S’ in Chefs’ Warehouse, stands for Supportive (of peers, chefs, and all people in general.) CW is honored to participate and give back via the following humanitarian charitable organizations and causes, Food Education Fund, City Harvest, The Mississauga Food Bank, Three Square (Member of Feeding America), Daily Bowl San Antonio Food Bank, The Salvation Army, Birch Community Services, Feed Love LA, Montefiore- Annual Healthy Thanksgiving Fresh Program.
Let’s make a difference together! Submit A Donation Support Request:
The Chefs’ Warehouse is proud to support charitable organizations and worthy causes in our local communities and around the world. If you're interested in securing a donation for your organization complete the form below. Requests must be made at least 2 weeks in advance of desired fulfillment date: chefswarehouse.com/resources/ social-impact
Since its inception in 1989, the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie has united some of the world’s best pastry chefs in a competition to showcase the latest and greatest in confectionery innovation. Every two years, teams from across the globe search for pioneering professionals in ice sculpting, sugar work, and chocolate to band together to take on the prestigious challenge.
The team at Nielsen-Massey had the opportunity to sit with Chef Gilles Renusson, President of the Coupe du Monde U.S.A. and Certified Master Pastry Chef, to hear his firsthand account of Team U.S.A.’s return to the competition in 2023 after their difficult decision to withdraw in 2021. An inspiring display of teamwork, their return exemplifies the collaboration encouraged by competitions like the Coupe du Monde – the same collaboration that allows the culinary world to thrive.
Nielsen-Massey is honored to be a part of this collaborative spirit through our sponsorship of Team U.S.A. For chocolate and dessert applications especially, the competition relies heavily on quality vanilla which is essential to creating depth of flavor and achieve winning results. “Contributors like Nielsen-Massey are part of what helps us create and present our best.” Showstopping culinary creations require showstopping ingredients, and we are proud to contribute our premium vanillas to their confectionery arsenal. - Renusson
As is tradition, the U.S.A.’s 2021 team was selected the year prior in 2020 and, like the rest of the world, they had no idea of the devastation that would soon come to pass due to COVID-19.
Team U.S.A. was forced to reassess and consider the needs of all parties: “We couldn’t reasonably ask the sponsors to give [financial support] when they were all suffering,” Renusson said of the decision to withdraw out of consideration for their sponsors. But the decision did not come without its consequences to the team.
When discussing the hit to the team’s morale, Renusson described the situation as “a false start.” The chefs had been fully absorbed in professionally and mentally preparing for the culmination of their efforts, only to see that end goal vanish. “The Coupe du Monde is supposed to be a happy moment,” Renusson said, “it’s a moment of great professional fraternity.” Ultimately, it would be that same spirit of fraternity that would bring them back in 2023.
Each team is made up of chefs specializing in either ice sculpting, sugar art, or chocolate work. Each talented chef is at the top of their field and specialty but, according to Renusson, it is not their impressive resumes that hold the key to competitive success. “You can have very good chefs,” Renusson said, “but if the chemistry of the team doesn’t allow for everybody to express themselves fully then you are going to waste all of your time and energy.” Collaboration is where the magic begins; when different viewpoints combine, the full picture can be seen. “Teamwork is non-negotiable. Chemistry is critical. Personalities are different. This is a major consideration in team selection and team building.”
In 2022, Renusson became very sick and would not make a full recovery until November. The team had to begin preparing in May, 2022, when he was still considerably ill and to make matters worse, they did not receive the competition rules until July, costing them 2 months of training time.
Team Coach, Andy Chlebana was also in poor health and neither he nor Renusson would be able to travel to the July Continental Selection in Santiago, Chile.
Team USA: (from left to right) Jordan Snider, Julie Eslinger, Andy Chlebana, and Francois Behuet. Photo credit: Matt Madison-Clark.Christophe Feyt, one of Team U.S.A’s coaches in 2017, “came to the rescue,” said Renusson, “and generously accompanied the team to a superb participation in Chile.”
In the Fall of 2022, the team travelled to Lyon for final preparations, only to discover that their traditional host since 1991, Le Syndicat des Pâtissiers, Glaciers, Chocolatiers du Rhone, had lost its kitchen. “We felt as if the sky had fallen,” said Renusson. Though it seemed that their challenges had finally gotten the better of them, Team U.S.A. pushed forward.
Renusson reached out to his network of trusted friends and industry connections in search of answers. Eventually he connected with Bocuse d’Or U.S.A., who directed the team to Brasserie L’Ouest, a restaurant managed by Jerome Bocuse, son of the late renowned Chef Paul Bocuse. “Chef Jerome Bocuse and his team welcomed us in their brand-new school located above the Brasserie L’Ouest,“ Renusson said, “it was the perfect solution – brand-new, well-equipped and spacious – just what we needed to start creating new memories.” This spirit of camaraderie and collaboration, he said, is what competitions like the Coupe du Monde foster. “You realize how precious friends can be,” Renusson said. This sense of community within the competition is a small taste of what keeps the culinary industry alive.”
Renusson described a cyclical process of partnership where experienced chefs pass down their knowledge to young chefs, who then build upon that knowledge and become masters themselves, educating others just as their mentors before them. “If you’re alone, that’s where the knowledge stops,” he said, “you break the chain of knowledge that someone started a long time ago.” Without this “professional fraternity,” the industry would stagnate.
Despite unprecedented hurdles, Team U.S.A. faced their challenges head-on and, in a great show of strength and unity, returned to compete in the 2023 Coupe du Monde. Reflecting on the group’s performance, Renusson said, “They worked hard, they sacrificed every minute of free time from April 2022 to January 2023, after we had packed the crates of material which were flown back to Chicago, and they did not faulter.” The camaraderie exemplified by competitions such as the Coupe du Monde is a compelling reminder of the power of community. Greatness is not achieved in solitude, but in the joining of great minds.
Only the best vanilla from the island of Madagascar is intense enough for Nielsen-Massey, purveyor of premium pure vanilla products since 1907. Long the choice of bakers and ice-cream makers, this extract adds depth and flavor no other vanilla can match.
Team U.S.A.'s final, plated piece for the restaurant dessert round. Photo credit: Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie.
Team U.S.A.'s sculpted frozen lollipop piece. Photo credit: Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie.
The team's frozen dessert being carried to the judge's table. Photo credit: White Mirror / Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie.
Team U.S.A.'s final centerpiece including chocolate, sugar, and ice sculpted pieces. Photo credit: Matt Madison-Clark
Team U.S.A.'s final chocolate dessert piece.
Photo credit: Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie.
The Chefs’ Warehouse is all about being where the food industry action is! Connecting with existing and prospective customers, talented purveyors, and our dynamic regional teams is what gets us out of bed in the morning. And of course, keeping our fingers on the pulse of new innovations and ingredients in this exciting culinary world is always on the front burner at CW.
Whether hosting a synergetic and thrilling, regionspecific CW Culinary Expo or banding together to support and connect with customers at one of the myriad of national-annual food events and shows, the CW (and unified family of companies) are always on the go!! Check out the image montage of recently attended and/or hosted events below including NRA
Join The Chefs’ Warehouse’s John Magazino and Andrea Parkins on a culinary journey as they interview the most interesting people in the food world from chefs to entrepreneurs and reveal the ingredients that inspire these innovators in the kitchen.
Listen and follow:
Season 4: Episode 2
Beef With Chef Charlie Palmer
Season Four of Ingredient Insiders kicks off with Chef Sarah Minnick, owner of Lovely’s Fifty Fifty and John Shuman of Cascadia Creamery to discuss Sleeping Beauty Cheese.
We continue our West Coast tour to speak with the legendary Chef Charlie Palmer about beef! We also speak with Harris Heckelman to discuss Allen Brothers.
Season 4: Episode 4
Espelette Pepper With Chef Perry Hoffman
We speak to Chef Paul Bertolli, founder of Fra’ Mani. Chef Bertolli details how he started Fra’ Mani, and we explore Fra’ Mani’s famous handcrafted, classic mortadella, learning what makes this labor of love
Season 4: Episode 5
Charcoal With Chef Bonnie Morale
Bonnie Morales of Kachka restaurant talks all things Thaan Charcoal and her unique culinary journey. We also speak with Toby Roberts of Thaan Charcoal, a charcoal made from rambutan wood, which is a renewable resource.
We sit down with Chef Perry Hoffman to discuss how he incorporates the California Espelette Pepper into his menu at Boonville Hotel, and speak with Krissy Scommegna and Gideon Burdick, owners of Boonville
Season 4: Episode 6
Honey With Liz Prueitt
This is the sweetest episode we’ve ever recorded! We talk all things honey with Liz Prueitt in San Francisco and with Ted Dennard of Savannah Bee Company.
We have spicy conversations about Paprika brought to you by the Executive Chef of Barton G in Los Angeles. Then we speak with Lior Lev Sercarz, owner of La Boîte, a destination spice atelier in New York City.
Season 4: Episode 8
Brisket With Chef Burt Bakman
Taking you to sunny Los Angeles for this episode with Chef Burt Bakman, owner of Slab BBQ, and Deborah Funk of Westholme Wagyu to talk all things Brisket!
Season 4: Episode 10
Fish Sauce With Executive Chef and Culinary Director Mark Andelbradt
We get to speak with Portland rockstar, Chef Gabriel Rucker, owner of multiple restaurants Canard and Le Pigeon, and Bob Ambrose and Sergio Saravia of La Belle Farms to talk all things duck and foie gras.
Umami is more than a buzzword; fish sauce adds that extra pop as discussed by Chef Mark Andelbradt at the Red Rock Casino. We also speak with the fatherdaughter duo behind Red Boat Fish Sauce who shares their incredible backstory.
Season 4: Episode 12
Tomatoes With Chef Kyle Connaughton
Chef Nicole Brisson shares her remarkable story alongside returning guest Rolando Beramendi from Manicaretti Italian Foods, as they delve into their shared appreciation for Cruschi peppers and their versatile culinary applications.
We speak with Chef Kyle Connaughton of Single Thread about how he sources fresh California tomatoes for his Michelin-starred dishes, while Hugo Gomez of Munak Farms shares secrets to growing topquality tomatoes.
Season 4: Episode 14
Mole With Chef Bricia Lopez, Krissy Scommegna, and Nacho Flores from Boonville Barn Collective
In this episode, we challenge the notion that miso isn’t associated with Italian cuisine as we talk with Thomas McNaughton, Ryan Pollnow of Flour & Water, and Kevin and Kevin Gondo and Eleana Hsu of Shared Cultures about miso, pasta, and more.
Season 4: Episode 15
Calabrian Chili With Chefs Carloynn Spence and Ryan Pollnow
Experience the fiery allure of Calabrian Chili at the historic Chateau Marmont hotel in LA, with Chef Carloynn Spence as your guide. Discover what makes these chilies unique with Paolo Celli of tutto Calabria.
Explore the captivating world of mole sauce, with Chef Bricia Lopez and Boonville Barn Collective's Krissy Scommegna & Nacho Flores, as they preserve family traditions and nurture cherished chillies.
Season 4: Episode 16
Salt With Chefs Melissa Clark and Ben Jacobsen
Season 4 concludes with NY Times Food Writer Melissa Clark, as she captures extraordinary experiences through food. Join us at Jacobsen’s Salt along the Oregon Coast for a remarkable discussion with founder Ben Jacobsen about this culinary cornerstone.
working at the company. It was important for me to learn all the positions and how everything worked from A to Z, so I worked through every department and learned every aspect of the business. I have now been in the protein business for over 15 years.
During my time in my family’s business, we bought a local fish house in Orlando, Florida which belonged to a very talented father and son duo who had over half a century of experience in their industry. Through this partnership, I learned how the seafood market worked, including which fish is which, and what quality to look for. Seafood is very different from the beef business, and I had to quickly learn how to run a successful program.
At The Chefs’ Warehouse, I head the protein division nationwide. Founded in 1893, Allen Brothers is the oldest meat company still in business. Impressed
by the founder’s commitment to quality and distinctiveness, CW acquired Allen Brothers in 2012. AB is all about delivering the best quality meat from the best sources — perfectly cut, aged, trimmed, and packed ready to cook. All our proteins are wet aged for a minimum of five weeks to perform consistently at the time of eating. Aging our steaks, whether whole or cut, ensures that they will perform when they make it to our chefs.
CW’s Protein Division boasts multiple brands across the country, including Michael’s Finer Meats & Seafood, Fells Point, Master Purveyors, Foley Fish, Wabash Seafood, Down East Seafood, and Allen Brothers in multiple locations. The cohesiveness we have achieved through commitment and communication connects all these exceptional brands and is something we are all very proud of. Working as one united team, we deliver the highest quality proteins to our customers across the country.
From the hand-selection of meats (and seafood) to meticulous aging methods and hand-cut custom portioning, Allen Brothers is renowned for elevating the culinary experience, one perfect C.O.P. at a time. Since 1893.
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more delicious. (And stay perfectly fresh from LA to Chicago).
The future of CW Farmer's Market is bright. Going the distance for our customers, and helping menus ignite.
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Credit: Andrew Steelman