Chef Chat

Meet Taiki Kuramoto: The Ex-Professional Snowboarder Sushi Chef at Imoto

By Sara Ventiera Fri., Mar. 15 2013 at 8:35 AM
Categories: Chef Chat
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South Florida is filled to the brim with sushi restaurants galore. It's no secret: Our diet-crazed, scantily clad population absolutely loves the Japanese staple. Unfortunately, for the most part, it's certainly not authentic. Have you ever heard of them eating California rolls with fake crab in Japan? Yeah, we didn't think so.

Recently, South Florida has brought in its newest real sushi chef: Taiki Kuramoto. He took over the reins at Imoto in November. Since then, he's added some fusion and traditional items to the menu. Click on for details.

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Chef Chat

Chef Steven Acosta Unveils New Menu at da Campo Osteria

By Nicole Danna Fri., Jan. 18 2013 at 8:38 AM
Categories: Chef Chat, Restaurant News
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da Campo
Chef Steven Acosta
After several years of cooking for some of Miami's most well-known hotel restaurants, including Cascata Grill at Turnberry Isle and the former Solea at the W Hotel in South Beach, chef Steven Acosta has returned to Fort Lauderdale's Il Lugano Hotel to take over the kitchen at da Campo Osteria.

Since rejoining the culinary team several months ago, Acosta -- who helped to open da Campo in 2008 -- has revamped the menu, redefining pastas and meats, and introducing an abundance of fresh, new flavors.

"I've created a few new dishes, but really, I refined the entire menu," Acosta says.

Although the menu still represents northern Italian cuisine, the dishes aren't the traditional take, Acosta insists. Instead, he's given them his own twist, taking a classical French education and fusing it with the basic principles of the Latin cuisines representative of his heritage.

The new menu includes a chicken parmesan you've never seen before, and suckling pig cannelloni.

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Chef Chat

Chef Andy Trousdale of Le Bistro: A Q&A on Cooking Across the World and Gordon Ramsay

By Sara Ventiera Tue., Jan. 15 2013 at 8:43 AM
Categories: Chef Chat
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Chef Andy Trousdale

Chef Andy Trousdale, an expat form northern England has been in the South Florida culinary scene for a number of years. A former yacht chef and culinary instructor at the Art Institute, he's had ample experience with teaching culinary enthusiasts about a wide range of strange and exotic foods. 

As part of this week's review, of Trousdale's Funky Food Club at his restaurant Le Bistro,we decided to chat with the chef to learn more about his background, food he's seen around the world, and his experience with Gordon Ramsay.

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Chef Interview

Chef Meghan O'Neal Cooks New Year's Eve Dinner at the Grove

By Rebecca Dittmar Fri., Dec. 28 2012 at 8:27 AM
Categories: Chef Chat, Chef Interview
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Fine dining at its finest this New Year's Eve.

Delray Beach is known throughout South Florida as a foodie destination, and with good reason. Some of the best restaurants around are found up and down Atlantic Avenue. Whether you are looking for fine French cuisine, traditional cheese steaks, or a perfectly prepared rare steak, you can find it here.

The logical next step in this culinary evolution is the move to haute cuisine, even though we're pretty sure that's not how the Grove even wants to be labeled. But, when you have kitchen with a resume any Zagat reviewer would be impressed by, it's hard to avoid such label.


Michael Haycook and Paul Strike own the small restaurant, handling back and front of the house respectively. Rounding out the crew is Meghan O'Neal and she brings with her an eclectic cooking history.


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Chef Chat

Chef Angelo Elia to Cook at Legendary James Beard House Next Week (He'll Also Appear on Martha Stewart Living Radio)

By Tricia Woolfenden Sat., Dec. 1 2012 at 5:27 AM
Categories: Chef Chat

Angelo Elia Photo Credit Alissa Dragun.jpg
Alissa Dragun
Chef Angelo Elia is getting things done next week in NYC.

At a time of year when half the population of New York is migrating to South Florida (and specifically to the line at your favorite bagel shop), chef Angelo Elia is bucking the trend and heading north for a few days. His whirlwind visit to New York City next week will include a session at the James Beard House, where he'll cook a special holiday feast on Tuesday evening.

While in NYC, Elia also will stop by the Martha Stewart Living Radio studios to appear as a guest on the Morning Live show. Florida fans of the chef -- known for the upscale Casa D'Angelo in Fort Lauderdale, as well as several more casual restaurants in the region -- can listen in at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday on Sirius XM 110.

See Also:
- Q&A With Casa D'Angelo's Chef Angelo Elia
- Best Broward County Chef - 2012: Angelo Elia, of Casa D'Angelo
- South Florida 2012 James Beard Semifinalists Announced


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Angelo Elia, James Beard Foundation, James Beard House, Martha Stewart
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Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival

Robert Irvine Talks Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival, Thanksgiving Reflections

By Laine Doss Tue., Nov. 20 2012 at 9:34 AM
Categories: Chef Chat, Famous Foodies, Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival, Q&A
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Robert Irvine via Facebook
Robert Irvine takes on Palm Beach for his next challenge.
Robert Irvine is the hunky host of Food Network's Restaurant: Impossible where he's tasked with turning around a failing restaurant armed with $10,000 and military efficiency.

If Irvine seems authentic in barking orders, he should. His career started in the British Royal Navy where he served as a chef. Irvine also cooked on the Royal Yacht Britannia and at the White House as part of the United States Navy "guest chefs" program before his television career kicked into high gear. Irvine also owns Robert Irvine's Eat! on Hilton Head Island.

Read also:
- Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival 2012: LeCirque, Food Trucks, Celebrity Chefs

Irvine will be co-hosting several events at the Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival, which runs from December 7 - 11. We spoke with Irvine about his golf game, what he looks forward to the most at the festival, and what the holidays mean to him.
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Food Network, Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival, Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine
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Chef Chat

Chef Allen Susser: A Q&A on Flavors of Fort Lauderdale, GMOs, and Robot Fish

By Sara Ventiera Mon., Nov. 5 2012 at 8:15 AM
Categories: Chef Chat

Chef Allen Web.jpg
Photo Courtesy Flavors of Fort Lauderdale
Chef Allen Susser has made a bit of a name for himself in south Florida. Okay, that might be a bit of an understatement.

The New York native and longtime South Florida resident has won numerous awards and accolades: James Beard Foundation's Best Chef 1994, southeast region; one of the top ten in Food & Wine Magazine's top 10 New Chef's in America. He was deemed "a New World Marvel" by Time Magazine; The New York Times called him "the Ponce de Leon of New Florida Cooking"; he received an honorary doctorate from Johnson & Wales University.

And that's not even the full list. I think we can say he's had some success.

Chef Allen chatted with us about Flavors of Fort Lauderdale, his sustainable seafood efforts, and more.

See Also:- Flavors of Fort Lauderdale: Tickets on Sale Now For Grand Tasting
- Tuna Burgers With Mango Ketchup: A Recipe From Chef Allen Susser
- Behind The Line- Chef Allen Susser Talks Sustainable Fish

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chef allen susser, CITES, Flavors of Fort Lauderdale, Florida Department of Agriculture, gmos, monterrey bay aquarium, sustainable seafood
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Chef Chat

Chez Jean-Pierre in Palm Beach: A Few Questions for Chef Chef Jean-Pierre Leverrier

By Sara Ventiera Fri., Oct. 26 2012 at 11:26 AM
Categories: Chef Chat
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Chef Jean-Pierre
Chef Clay Conley has paired up with Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry Campaign. On Sunday October 28, at Buccan, he is holding a charity dinner. Sounds like quite the offer from the James Beard nominated chef. Right?

Well, it gets even better. Conley has invited a handful of star chefs to collaborate on the menu, as well: Lindsay Autry, Top Chef Texas contestant; Paula DaSilva of 1500 Degrees, Miami Beach; Jean-Pierre Leverrier of Chez Jean-Pierre, Palm Beach; and Ken Vedrinski of Trattoria Lucca, Charleston, SC. With all of that star power, we figured we would drop in on one of our local chefs to have a chat. We chat and play fill in the blanks with Chef Jean-Pierre after the jump.

See Also:
- Chef Angelo Elia Versus Chef Jean-Pierre at the Fourth-Annual Cook-Off
In Palm Beach, White-Tablecloth Dining Will Never Die
- Chef Clay Conley of Imoto in Palm Beach: A Q&A About His Favorite Restaurants and Least Favorite Customers
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Buccan, Jean-Pierre Leverrier, Share Our Strength
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Chef Chat

Tryst Chef Julian Greaves: A Q&A on Obnoxious Guests, the 100-Year Egg, and Boise, Idaho

By Sara Ventiera Wed., Oct. 3 2012 at 7:53 AM
Categories: Chef Chat
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Photo Courtesy of Tryst
Chef Julian Greaves of Tryst is best-known for making fresh, local comfort food. Often intended to pair well with Tryst's large selection of beer, his dishes encapsulate true gastropub fare. With Oktoberfest coming to a close in Germany (but still going here in South Florida -- here's our list of Oktoberfest 2012 parties in South Florida), we figured we would check in with the beer-loving chef.

Clean Plate Charlie: When and why did you decide to become a chef?
Greaves: I had been working as a waiter in a west Delray old-people's hangout for a few years when one night I almost strangled one of our obnoxious guests. I had reached a boiling point. 

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Chef Chat

Cafe Boulud's Jim Leiken: A Q&A About Pig's Bladder and "Imaginary Daniel Boulud"

By Sara Ventiera Tue., Oct. 2 2012 at 8:05 AM
Categories: Chef Chat
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Photo Courtesy of the Brazilian Court
Jim Leiken with Daniel Boulud
Like many a northerner, Jim Leiken packed up his life in New York to head south to warmer pastures. Alright, the weather wasn't the only determining factor-- this New Yorker was offered the executive chef position at Cafe Boulud at the Brazilian Court, Palm Beach. With just over a year into his new post, we figured we'd check in to see how Leiken is settling in.

Clean Plate Charlie: What actually made you decide to head to Palm Beach? We're guessing it may have had something to do with the weather.
Leiken: I would like to say that Daniel made me an offer I couldn't refuse, but it's not quite that simple. 

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Cafe Boulud, Daniel Boulud, Jim Leiken, pigs bladders
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