Bun in the oven
Photo: Mellissa Hom
NYC’s second-generation chefs keep it all in the family biz
New York restaurant families, like Chinese dynasties, wield power and influence over the (eating) population. And when it comes to culinary lineage, oftentimes talent and savvy is passed down to the next generation of kitchen blueblood.
We spoke with three families—both parents and progeny—about the glory and perils of working in the family biz.
Nab an assistant teacher gig
Kate Ridge
Awesome Aids: Becoming a teacher’s assistant can further your dancing and your career.
Have you ever wondered who those extra dancers are in the front of your class? They’re probably the teacher’s assistants. A TA is a young dancer who is chosen to help a professional instructor demonstrate or keep order during his or her class. The benefits: Being a TA allows you to spend extra time in the dance studio with your teachers while helping other students with their technique can actually help you to more fully understand your own critiques and areas that need improvement. So being a TA isn’t just a job, it’s a great way to bring you one step further in your dance career! Read on to learn more.
‘Top Chef’ Season 5
Quickfire Challenge number 1. Photos: courtesy of Bravo.
Fellow chefs, barkeeps and ex-roommates give us the scoop on the new cheftestants
“Top Chef” fans are a pretty serious bunch. The minute one season’s winner is announced, the next batch of contestants are ready for some roasting. On the spit: “Top Chef” Season 5’s hopefuls, who mark the series’ return to New York after a brief detour to Chicago last season. (It debuts on Nov. 12.)
When taping on “Top Chef” Season 5 began in Brooklyn this past summer, the blogosphere was abuzz with chef IDs and speculation about who’d be the last cook standing. Yeah, Bravo’s own Web site give you some quick, sugary bios on the contestants. We did our own sleuthing—here’s what we dug up…
An all-out munch-athon at the Wine & Food Fest’s showcase event
Photo: Todd Seelie.
Since it’s the inaugural year of the New York City Wine & Food Festival, nobody quite knew what to expect from one of the showcase events: the Grand Tasting, a $150, three-hour tour through the kitchens of some of New York’s culinary heavyweights, held at Pier 54.
As it turned out, the event was a foodie paradise, with plenty of wines and spirits to sample alongside delicious plates from top chefs who were on hand to schmooze and tout their dishes.
Vitamin myths: what you don't know can hurt you
Dancers have their own personal regimen when it comes to vitamins. But supplements can be abused like anything else. Here’s a rundown of some common vitamin myths.
NYC Wine & Food Festival
Daisy May's Adam Perry Lang at the South Beach Burger Bash
The 411 on the city’s biggest food bonanza ever—and how to navigate it
Dedicated foodies already revere Chelsea Market as a mecca of great produce and crusty loaves. Now, that site is the major hub in a series of venues handpicked for the inaugural New York City Wine & Food Festival. The festival, which takes place from Oct. 9-12, is a four-day gourmet extravaganza, designed to bring the spirit of its South Beach cousin to New York City.
Chef Shots: Wylie Dufresne
Photos: Melisa Hom, courtesy Metromix.com
wd-50’s mad scientist shows us the genesis of his ice cream bagel
Don’t call James Beard–nominated chef Wylie Dufresne a molecular gastronomist. You’ll piss him off. Although Dufresne does use a multitude of advanced scientific techniques to produce both playful variations on traditional dishes and wacky new food pairings at his acclaimed Lower East Side restaurant, wd-50, he’d rather be called a “New American” chef. Or maybe just a “chef.”