The 2018 James Beard Awards

What an honor for Kitchen Chat to once again be on the Red Carpet at the James Beard Awards to capture the excitement and stories of the nominees and participants.  Thank you Chef Jaime Laurita, brand ambassador for Viking, for being my co-host. Highlights of the evening included meeting two icons:  Chef Jose Andres, recipient…

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Potluck with Ali Rosen: Bring It!

Ali Rosen is redefining potluck one dish at a time.  As she says, “If potlucks bring to mind covered dish dinners, it’s time to rebrand.  Think of them instead as outsourced dinner parties: when everyone brings a dish to share, entertaining is as easy as setting the table.” As a Southern transplant living and working…

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Gale Gand: A Passion for Pastries

“I didn’t pick the restaurant industry.  It picked me.”   Chef Gale Gand on Kitchen Chat   Award winning pastry chef Gale Gand has a passion for pastries.  She has won two James Beard awards, including one for Outstanding Pastry Chef and one for Outstanding Service for her former restaurant Tru.  Gale Gand is a…

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Kevin Boehm and The Boka Restaurant Group

“Chicago is a choice for me.  When I had a six table restaurant in the Florida Pan Handle in 1993, my dream always was that maybe some day I’ll be able to have a restaurant in Chicago and sit down with the smartest restaurant people around.” Kevin Boehm, co-founder of Boka Restaurant Group At age…

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What's Gaby Cooking

Everyone on Instagram always asks @WhatsGabyCookin. Gaby Dalkin is the Pied Piper of the culinary world.  Gaby’s enthusiasm, encouragement, recipes and authenticity help her followers become even better home chefs all while having fun in the kitchen. Recently, Gaby joined Chef Jaime Laurita and me in the Viking and La Cornue Showroom at the Merchandise…

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Korean BBQ with Chef Bill Kim

“There are differences but there’s more commonality in ethnic groups.  I try to find the common denominator of  ingredients in different cultures and apply it to what I do.”  Chef Bill Kim, UrbanBelly Recently, Chef Jaime Laurita and I had a kitchen chat in the Viking and La Cornue Showroom in Chicago with Chef Bill…

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Empowering Women: Ina Pinkney and Denise Vivaldo

Ina Pinkney and Denise Vivaldo share their wit and wisdom while helping to empower women in the culinary industry.  These two are indeed a Dynamic Duo.  Ina Pinkney aka the “Breakfast Queen” is an iconic culinary leader, a former restaurateur, cookbook author, and a recipient of SBA Woman in Business Champion, and Denise Vivaldo is…

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Kitchen Creativity with Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg

“Learn the rules like a professional so that you can break them like an artist.”  Pablo Picasso Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg’s new book Kitchen Creativity will inspire you to become a true culinary artist by mastering the fundamental skills of cooking in order to understand the alchemy of creativity. Their research has taken them…

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