December 2009
4 posts
Boqueria University
Once a month the entire staff of Boqueria gathers at our Soho location for what we call “Boqueria University”. Each session the managers choose a different region of Spain and prepare a discussion on the local culture, food and wine. Seamus and the Chefs contribute some typical dishes (more typical than what you might see on our menu day to day), Gil picks some wines from our list to pair with...
November 2009
3 posts
Next Iron Chef: Behind the Scenes, Episode 7
“And so it begins….” or ends…this past Sunday was my last battle on the road to becoming the Next Iron Chef. We were in Tokyo, charged with creating a five course Kaiseki inspired meal, 60 minutes to shop for all our ingredients in the Tsukiji fish market and 120 minutes to prepare the meal. It was rough, it was beautiful, it was inspiring, it was painful. It was perhaps...
Next Iron Chef: Behind the Scenes, Episode 6
Photo Courtesy of The Food Network
“Going to Japan was in many ways the realization of a culinary dream. I am a huge admirer of Japanese food and have wanted to go for years. My first impressions of Tokyo were incredible, the packaging of produce, the quality of seafood, the attention for detail, all amazing. Our first challenge was to produce 5 skewers, focusing on Umami in 30 minutes in...
The Next Iron Chef: Behind the Scenes, Episode 5
“Battle India, from Hollywood to Bollywood! We had no idea what was in store for us. The day before the battle we were told to be dressed for a formal party and that a van would pick us up at 7 pm. Everyone got changed, we met in the lobby and we were taken to a huge venue space in Hollywood, packed with people (mostly Indian), formally dressed. Inside there was a huge Indian buffet, a...
October 2009
7 posts
The Next Iron Chef: Behind the Scenes, Episode 4
“There was nothing easy about battle Tamarind. Nothing. We had 90 minutes to shop and cook a Mexican inspired meal incorporating tamarind into every bite. When we got to Grand Central Market in downtown LA the place was already packed with shoppers.
Photo Courtesy of The Grand Central Market in Los Angeles
I had a five minute advantage because I won the previous battle, but with my...
Suckling Pig Sundays
Sundays begin much like any other day at Boqueria. Cooks arrive early to jolt themselves awake with strong coffee before diving in to the tasks at hand. Stocks are strained, lamb is cubed and skewered, and dates are stuffed with Marcona almonds and pungent Valdeón cheese. But when entering the walk-in refrigerator to get started the morning crew is greeted with one sure reminder that Sunday has...
The Next Iron Chef: Behind the Scenes, Episode 3
“Another Next Iron Chef episode down, seven more to determine which one of us will join Flay, Batali, Morimoto, Cora and Symon.
Photo Courtesy of The Food Network
This last battle was rough. I had an advantage going into it and I was able to send the other chefs off in pairs to battle on a specific Asian cuisine. We were lead to believe that we’d be battling in pairs, rather than...
Farm Camp
“You’re going to be “processing” chickens?!” my girlfriend, reading over my shoulder, started laughing her head off. (This happens often. I am getting used to it.) I have to admit that the irony of the situation was pretty amusing. I was reading the schedule for my upcoming “Farm Camp” while in the midst of a 2 day cleanse. The idea that I was going to go from drinking nothing but raw juice to...
The Next Iron Chef: Behind the Scenes, Episode 2
“One more episode closer to becoming the Next Iron Chef! Going into the first challenge in last night’s episode was intense. We walked into the kitchen and Alton was standing in front of a podium of cooking vessels, many of which were familiar (Paella pan, Stone Pot) and many were not (Cataplana and Mongolian Hotpot). In the last judging session, the judges urged us to take risks, to...
The Next Iron Chef: Behind the Scenes, Episode 1
“The first ingredient for the memory challenge, completely caught me off guard. We had been interviewed about early culinary memories, and one of mine was trout fishing with my grandmother Mutti and the other was eating Pacific Salmon with my grandmother Meme and her Japanese friend Tatsuo. When I was presented with the ingredient I wasn’t sure if there had been a mistake and if I...
Buen Provecho
For 40 years, there was a great restaurant called La Puñalada on the corner of Paso de Gracia and Rosellón in Barcelona, that made the best Crema Catalana I have ever had. As a high school student in Barcelona in the 80s, I certainly couldn’t afford to have dinner there, but sometimes, at the end of the night, I would “splurge” on that dessert. Sometimes sharing… but mostly not. The building that...
