Chef's Favorite Things

A few years back, I got this question from a reporter as a follow-up for a profile on me: What are your favorite things? Please just write stream of consciousness. I used a 15-minute ride-share ride to write my answers. I shared it to my personal social media and friend of the company, Kate Ahern, suggested it should be on the company website too. Because Kate is brilliant, I complied.

​

Coltrane and Neruda on rainy Sundays
Brilliant conversations
Reckless displays of kindness
Excellent service
Grand Cru champagne, but not as much as Cartizze proseccos
The new dish
The standard dish, standard like jazz standards not ordinary standards
Jazz standards
Jazz standards by Eva Cassidy
People who pay for art
All wine varietals except pinotage, that shit tastes like wet band-aids
Dive bars that make a mean burger, have a killer jukebox and don’t take credit cards
Cashmere
Women who pet my shoulder, arm, whatever, because I’m wearing cashmere
Driving across the Memorial Bridge at night
Sandwiches from The Italian Store
*******, ************, and ********** bars – names redacted to protect privacy
Fall
Baseball, especially baseball being played at a time that requires one to play hooky from work to watch it
Late night conversations with old friends
Cooking for people I love
Cooking for 95% of my clients
Patio/Porch/Rooftop drinking
My daily cigar
Drinking whiskey, especially my dear friend, Justin‘s whiskey
My amazing squad of “whose car we gonna take” friends
Trading ideas with other chefs
Great bartenders
My kinda-custom nakiri from District Cutlery