My Interview With Chef Michael Chiarello

Emmy Award winning Chef, cookbook author, and restaurateur Michael Chiarello shared with us his humble hard working beginnings in a California farming community to his success and life in Napa Valley as perhaps the Wine Country’s preeminent food and wine ambassador. Read the interview at preferredmeats.com HERE!

Check us out on A Million Cooks .com

Well, we are contributing to aspects of grilling on AMillionCooks.com now.

Check it out! AMillionCooks.com

More Michelin Stars in the Napa Valley- Chef Ken Frank of La Toque

Ken Frank took after his grandfather who was an inventor, avid cook, and an intensely curious individual. With every intention of going to medical school Ken fell back on his roots as his heart drew him to the kitchen and by his early twenties was already executive chef of an upscale French restaurant. Now with a Michelin star in the culinary epicenter of the Napa Valley Ken Frank  gave us the story of his trek

Latest Michelin Star in Yountville

What does Yountville population circa 4000 have in common with NYC circa 10,000,000? The largest concentration per city block of Michelin stars anywhere in the country. This town of around 4000 is the culinary epicenter of the Napa Valley and boasts the only 3 star restaurant on the West Coast, The French Laundry. Right down the street is Yountville’s latest starred chef in Richard Reddington and his restaurant REDD. We were able to sit down together and he told me his story.

Beef Sirloin 101

The legend goes that Henry VIII was so enthralled with this primal of beef that he drew his sword and knighted it “Sir Loin” and that’s where it got it’s name. Well, perhaps if you were going to make baloney out of it, you’d stick with that story. Not doubting its deliciousness, here’s the real story of sirloin…READ ON

For the best in sustainable beef visit www.preferredmeats.com

Hawaii- Where Business & Pleasure Coexist

My boss, Bala Kironde, and I traveled to Hawaii recently to meet with Chefs, taste product, and establish our presence as purveyors of fine breed specific Farm to Table meats. Hey, it was a tough job but somebody had to do it!    READ ABOUT IT HERE

MANTA delivers cuisine worthy of the scenery…

In the Manua Kea Beach Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii is a restaurant that almost upstages the palm lined lava flows and pristine beaches that end in the blue glassy Pacific waters. That restaurant is MANTA, named after the rays that swim right up to the beach, and the Chef is George Gomes. Chef Gomes cut his culinary teeth in the midst of the emergence of New Hawaiian cuisine pioneered by the likes of Alan Wong and Roy Yamaguchi. The meal we had at MANTA rivaled some of the finest we’d had anywhere with a focus on local seafood and island produce.  You can read about our meal HERE.

 

Homemade Fresh Herb Salt

Well, I have found a new use for my pulse coffee grinder. I will preface this my saing I always keep a seperate grinder for spices. I have found that adding fresh herb, such as parsley to kosher salt and pulsing them in the grinder yields a beautiful fresh herb salt that keeps it’s color and has a wonderful herbacious kick that will add an extra depth to your final seasoning! Enjoy-

1/4 c         kosher salt

1/8c          fresh herb (such as parsley)

1/8 tsp     fresh ground pepper

Put them all in a spice grinder and pulse to desired consistency (salt will absorb

moisture from herb and form an nice mulch.)

Saute'ed shrimp with fresh corn, charred pepper coulis, and herb salt

The KOHO 101.1 FM Interview- Premium Sustainably Raised Meats

Hear excerpts from a radio interview I had while doing a meat education session at The Sleeping Lady mountain retreat in Leavenworth, WA. -these business trips are proving to be quite YUMMY!                                          

   RADIO INTERVIEW

 

If you ever make it to Leavenworth a stay at The Sleeping Lady is a must!

Pork Shoulder 101

 

 

• Where did Boston Butt get its name?
• What is Picnic Shoulder?
• Where does the Cushion come from?
• Why is the Butt so good for sausage?

   

These and other questions answered HERE!