Chef Forrest Pasternack Returns to Bailey’s Backyard in Ridgefield CT Features Ingredients Interview Restaurant Bailey's Backyard Farm To Table Interview Chef Talk Ridgefield Andrew Dominick August 27, 2023 Ask Forrest Pasternack about being back in Ridgefield and he’ll tell you that “there’s nothing quite like home.”Already well traveled in this area and in New York as a renowned chef at several acclaimed restaurant, Pasternack may be best known to locals from his five-years when he headed up the kitchen at the O.G. farm-to-table restaurant Bailey’s Backyard from 2013 – 2018.After a handful of years away, Pasternack is back!But where’s he been all this time?Well, a bunch of places and one big one at the same time. Read More
An Interview w/ Chef Zac Young, PieCaken Creator + more! Ingredients Recipe Chef Talk Dessert Emma Jane-Doody Stetson November 01, 2016 Last Thanksgiving, the PieCaken took the world by storm! A sweet tooth’s twist on the “turducken,” the all-in-one dessert includes Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie, and Apple Upside Down Cake layered together with cinnamon buttercream. Kelly Ripa loved it so much that she featured it several times on her show. CNN and The New York Times quickly followed suit. This year, the PieCaken is upping the ante with nationwide shipping! https://www.foodydirect.com/restaurants/the-piecaken-shop/dishes CTBites had the opportunity to sit down with the mastermind behind the PieCaken, Chef Zac Young. Creative and outgoing, it’s fitting that he came up with such a whimsical idea. Young appeared on Top Chef Just Desserts, was named a “Top Ten Pastry Chef in America,” and currently serves as Pastry Director of Craveable Hospitality Group. Here are excerpts from our conversation. Read More
10 Questions with Fjord Fish Market's Jim Thistle Ingredients Interview Recipe Chef Talk Fish Seafood Specialty Market April Guilbault October 18, 2016 Oh so many fish in da sea! And that’s only the beginning....what kind of fish do you want to prepare? Do you know how to prepare it? Oh, yeah, and where should you go to get this fish, short of heading out into open waters yourself? And wait, and here’s the $100,000 question: is the fish you are buying everything it says it is? Good grief. It’s almost easier dating and looking for *those* fish in the sea. Well, fear not, CTBites sat down recently with one of the Big Fish out there, Jim Thistle of Fjord Fish Market, and he helped guide us through seemingly murky waters... Read More
Video: Tofu Master Minh Tsai Talks Tofu and Sustainability at Yale Ingredients Chef Talk Video Amy Kundrat November 09, 2015 Minh Tsai, investment banker turned tofu master, is speaking at Yale this week about the intersection of tofu and sustainability. Watch the event live on Tuesday, November 10. From Yale CBEY: Meet Minh Tsai, the investment banker turned tofu master, and learn about his company Hodo Soy, an artisanal tofu supplier from Oakland. Minh has been a pioneer in getting chefs and large institutions to use tofu including Chipotle (heard of sofritas?) and Costco. This talk is sure to entertain and inspire and provide an enlightening discussion on how traditional recipes (along with Masters students) can be used to change our future impact on the earth. Read More
10 Questions w/ John Barricelli @ Sono Baking Company's 10 Year Anniversary Ingredients Interview Bakery Chef Talk Stephanie Webster August 18, 2015 This summer marks the 10 year anniversary for Sono Baking Company. To celebrate the milestone of this beloved local bakery, we sat down with owner, John Barricelli, to talk about the business of baking and his plans for the future. What made you decide to launch Sono Baking Company? We launched Sono 10 years ago because we found that the need for baked goods and breads were hard to find in this area....everything was being brought up from the city....I always wanted to bake bread in a big oven early in the morning with no days off! Has the business of baking changed in the past 10 year? How? The business has not changed, but competition has grown a little....we still think we are superior to anything out there...we bake fresh everyday....bake locally, distribute locally. Read More
Celebrate National Oyster Day! Talking Mollusks w/ Chef Lazlo of The Whelk Ingredients Restaurant Chef Talk Seafood ellen bowen August 05, 2014 FACT: The President of the United States, the Senate, and some state legislatures, governors and mayors have the authority to declare a commemorative event or day by proclamation. Petitions are introduced by constituents or trade associations to honor industries, events, professions, hobbies...AND FOOD! After the observance day is authorized, it is the petitioner's responsibility to promote to the public. CTbites was not the petitioner, but is excited to promote National Oyster Day on Tuesday, August 5th...a day eagerly awaited by mollusk lovers throughout CT. Today, iced cold oysters are the perfect summer food...high in protein and low in calories. There are over 150 varieties of oysters, but only five species, each traditionally named after the body of water or bay where they are grown. Varieties are known by a myriad of names such as Wellfleets, Blue Points, Kumamoto and Kuushi. The flavor varies by the conditions or Terroir they are grown in; rocky soil, tidal or brackish water, etc. with the Northeast areas of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Maine providing some of the most delicious and accessible oysters. CTbites sat with Chef Geoff Lazlo of The Whelk on a sunny summer afternoon to sample some of these delicious delicacies while receiving an education about choosing and enjoying oysters. Lesson #1: tasting oysters is akin to sampling wine. Connoisseurs discuss the salinity and complexity of each oyster, the finish, the hints of melon or cucumber, and of course the juice, aptly named the “liquor.” Read More
Summer Grilling Tips from Saugatuck Craft Butchery Ingredients Features Butcher Chef Talk Education Grilling Ryan Fibiger July 03, 2014 Craft Butchery is an old-fashioned shop with modern-day ideals (not to mention beautiful new digs). It carries only pasture-raised, organic meat from small farms located within a 150-mile radius of Westport. They sell premium beef, pork, lamb and poultry from animals that have never been given antibiotics, hormones, steroids or animal by-products. These guys know a thing or two...or three...(well, actually Ryan has 5 tips here), about grilling. Owner and head butcher Ryan Fibiger helps us make the most of his offerings with tips on grilling perfectly. 1. Keep it simple. When it comes to grilling high-quality, pasture-raised meats, less is more. Stick with just a salt rub on our steaks and burgers. Pepper, garlic, spice rubs and oils can burn, so use only if you’re cooking at a lower temperature. Read More
CTbites Speaks With Lidia Bastianich Ingredients Interview Features Celebrity Chef Chef Talk Cookbooks Italian Lou Gorfain December 12, 2013 Like Oprah or Madonna in pop culture, Lidia is one-name-famous to foodies, a television star (Lidia's Italy -- PBS), renowned restaurateur (Felidia, Eataly, Delposto, Becco), a worldwide brand (Lidia's Sauces and Pasta), bestselling author (Lidia’s Commonsense Guide to Italian Cooking is her latest), mom, grandmother, whew, one name so many roles. So CTBites was delighted that Lidia carved out time from her hectic schedule to chat with us prior to her book signing this Saturday at Stamford's Fairway Market (details below.) Incidentally, Lidia is no stranger to Connecticut. Her son Joe and his family live in Greenwich, she tapes her PBS show in Norwalk, and of course the Bastianich clan is associated with Tarry Lodge in both Westport and Port Chester. We began the conversation, wondering what Lidia the little girl would think if she could peer into a crystal ball and see the famous Lidia of today. “When I was nine years old we had fled from Communist Yugoslavia and my family was in a refugee camp,” she told us, “I think that little girl, her mouth would be open at what I’ve accomplished.” Then Lidia thought about that youngster for a moment and resolutely stated, “But you know, I always had confidence I was going to amount to something And food was so very important to me, because we didn’t have much.” Read More
Wine Pick: Michael Keenan of Keenery Winery Talks Shop Ingredients Chef Talk Wine Chat Wine Shop Emma Jane-Doody Stetson December 11, 2013 Michael Keenan spent about half of our time together describing his wines. He spent the other half apologizing for his colorful language. “Once in San Diego I participated in an elegant dinner- 10 wines with 10 courses. I found out later there was a secret contest to see how many times I would drop the f bomb during it,” he admitted with a look of mischief in his eye. When our giggles subsided, someone asked, “So how many times were there?” “I don’t know,” he shrugged. “At least 18.” If a stereotypical winemaker is arty and even a touch pretentious, Keenan proved anything but. His spirited attitude and knack for lively storytelling won me over immediately. The story of his wines begins when his father, Robert Keenan, purchased 180 acres of abandoned land in 1974. The property on Spring Mountain in Napa used to be a well-established vineyard called the Conradi Winery. Unfortunately, it fell into disrepair during prohibition. Robert saw hope in it though and hired a contractor to begin the ambitious task of breathing new life into the land. Read More
Experts Share Their Secrets to Cooking a Perfect Steak at Home Ingredients Chef Talk Steakhouse Lou Gorfain July 03, 2013 That thick, sizzling steak you’re about to devour is amazing: Behold its marbled, mahogany crust framing a pink, juicy interior that slices like warm butter and literally melts in your mouth.. What makes this magnificent steak even more incredible is that you aren’t dining in a great, leathery New York chop house. You cooked this baby at home... Think it’s impossible to duplicate a Peter Luger Porterhouse in your own kitchen? Read on. After interviewing local butchers, chefs, and food scientists, we have uncovered some of the secrets, tricks and myths of cooking a perfect steak at home. Read More
How to Make a Great Burger - Start with Great Meat Ingredients Chef Talk Burgers Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger April 23, 2013 Want to start an argument…talk hamburgers. This simple grilled piece of ground meat is one of the most polarizing topics in the culinary world. Websites are fully dedicated to hamburgers, magazines run covers and full articles on hamburgers, super-chefs are sent to their knees if their hamburger is not on par with their foie gras, and the backyard griller will season and treat his hamburger like haute cuisine. Why does a simple patty of cooked ground meat on a bun with toppings generate such love and vitriol, simultaneously? Let’s start with the meat. There are currently numerous choices…local farm, commercial farm, grass-fed, grain-fed, dry-aged, wet-aged, medium grind, fine grind, single grind, double grind, so many permutations, and so little time. I reached out to Ryan Fibiger of Saugatuck Craft Butchery for some sage advice. His response, “come in and I can show you how our best burger meat is cut, blended and ground.” So one afternoon Ryan gave me a two-hour butchery course as he broke down the front quarter of a cow, combined and ground the cuts, and finally prepared and served two different hamburger blends. Read More
Never a Dull Moment: How the Pros keep their Knives Sharp Ingredients Chef Talk Education Kitchen Gear Lou Gorfain March 15, 2012 For this article, CTBites spoke with many of Fairfield County’s top chefs, butchers, and professional knife sharpeners. These pros were very blunt about the knives used in most home kitchens: they are dull. Especial fancy “trophy-ware.” “A cook with a dull knife,” suggests Fairway’s top butcher Ray Venezia, “is like a sharpshooter with a water pistol.” Much like a gun slinger out of the Old West, this modern-day Paladin has Knives and Will Travel. He carries his complete cutting arsenal in a sleek case … but all that's inside are just two gleaming Victorinox Forshner rosewood knives -- a 6" boning blade and a 12" cemeter – a steel and whetstone. Read More
Brewing Beer With Jon Vaast Of Dressing Room Ingredients Chef Talk Recipe Beer James Gribbon January 17, 2012 In 2006 Dressing Room restaurant was created as a collaboration between actor Paul Newman and chef Michael Nischan. Both men could fairly be called food policy activists, and their desire was to create what they called a Homegrown Restaurant, focusing on American heirloom food made from local, organic ingredients. Dressing Room's name stems from its location, adjacent to Newman's Westport Country Playhouse, but one of its staff, chef Jon Vaast, was kind enough to invite CTBites into his home instead to show us how the 21st century gent practices the ancient art of home brewing. [A note before we begin: as much as I enjoy beer, I had never before actually made it. I enjoy driving, but if I attempted to build an overhead valve engine there would inevitably be sundry and possibly vital bits left lying on the garage floor when I was done. Luckily, brewing has significantly fewer chances to produce flaming wreckage, but I apologize ahead of time to for anything I may leave out.] Read More
Food Porn: White Truffles Class w/ Chef Matt Storch Ingredients Chef Talk Cooking Classes Norwalk Stephanie Webster December 01, 2011 The white truffle. Available for only a few months a year, this buried treasure is sold for $2500 a pound and is one of the most sought after ingredients on the planet. They are elusive, hidden underground. No longer sniffed out by pigs who had the audacity to occasionally eat them, the white truffle hunters have been replaced by the more trust-worthy canine. Their complex delicate taste is revered be chefs and diners everywhere, but you can only find white truffles in one place...the Piedmont area of Italy...and Fairfield County. October-early December is white truffle season, and in celebration of these sublime fungi, Chef Matt Storch of Match Restaurant hosted a 12 course White Truffles Cooking Class at Clarke Culinary Center in Norwalk. Each course featured raw shaved white truffles (added at the last possible moment to preserve the taste of their ethereally earthy flesh). The smell alone could have kept the foodie in me satiated for days. Read More
Make the Perfect Pie with Fritz Knipschildt Ingredients Chef Talk Cooking Classes Holiday Amy Kundrat October 12, 2011 "Making the perfect pie is an art." Master Chocolatier Fritz Knipschidlt, owner of Café Chocopologie in South Norwalk uttered these words that inspired his upcoming October 20 class at Clarke Culinary Showroom. "This is the time of year that everyone starts thinking about pies and baking. The holidays are coming, and thoughts turn to Thanksgiving and what to make for dessert to serve after the turkey," continues Knipschildt, who will share his secrets of creating fabulous pies during his class at the The Clarke Culinary Center on Thursday, October 20th from 6-8PM. Pre-registration for this and Clarke's impressive fall class line-up are required and can be done online at www.clarkeculinarycenter.com or by calling 800-842-5275, ext. 206. Read More
Back to School with Clarke Culinary Showroom Ingredients Restaurant Chef Talk Cooking Classes Norwalk Amy Kundrat August 16, 2011 Summer is winding down and school is nearly back in session. With that sobering news I decided to take it upon myself to reprogram the negative connotation with this time of year and embrace the classroom. Clarke Culinary Showroom has a terrific line-up beginning late summer and into fall with new classes and a couple of new yet familiar faces such as Prasad Chirnomula of Thali and Michel Nischan. Clarke's classes are known for their small class size which encourages an intimate atmosphere and the ability for guests to get up close and personal with the chefs. For a chance to win two tickets to a class of your choosing vote in Clarke's contest called "Vote for your Favorite Chef." The full list continues to change daily, so check-back soon as Clarke add classes, chefs and details: Ice cream and Lollipops with Fritz Knipschildt on August 25; Tuna: Head to Tail with Matt Storch on September 1; Scandanavian Cooking with Fritz Knipschildt on September 15; Hors d'oeuvres with Chef Rui Correia on September 14; A Lesson in Spice with Prasad Chirnomula on September 29; A Special Night with Michel Nischan on October 6; Fritz's Favorite Pies With a Twist with Fritz Knipschildt on October 20; A Night with Chef Rui Correia and Portugese Cooking on October 27; The Freshest Ingredients with Michel Nischan on November 3; The Bounties of the Fall Market with Matt Storch on November 10; and A Winner's Class: The Art of Cooking with Root Vegetables with Fritz Knipschildt on November 17. Read More
Chef Talk: Tuscan Oven's Limonata Cocktail Ingredients Features Chef Talk Cocktails Recipe Amy Kundrat May 25, 2011 Meeting a friend for an overdue gabfest, I found myself at Tuscan Oven in Norwalk for cocktails. Just as I was about to order the requisite martini, I spied a cocktail that whispered summer. The Limonata. If you find yourself in denial about the cool indecisive weather, or perhaps you'd like to be transported to a sunny afternoon on the Amalfi Coast, this Tuscan Oven cocktail may be just the thing. The Tuscan Oven Limonata Read More
Martha Stewart @ Stamford's Fairway Market Ingredients Features Chef Talk Cookbooks Events Stephanie Webster February 03, 2011
Chef Talk: Barcelona's Blood Orange Margarita Ingredients Features Chef Talk Cocktails Spanish Recipe Amy Kundrat August 02, 2010 Everybody loves a good adult beverage. This fairly safe assumption has inspired this recent Chef Talk mini-series focusing exclusively on uncovering and sharing some of Fairfield County's best cocktails. You're going to need to break out the shaker with this first cocktail, the Barcelona Blood Orange Margarita. The margarita is one of the most popular picks at the restaurant known for a bustling happy hour and hearty Spanish tapas menu in its four locations in Fairfield County and now an outpost in your house. Cheers! Read More
This Week @ The Westport Farmers Market Ingredients Chef Talk Farmers Market Liz Rueven June 08, 2010 Tandoori Shrimp: Copyright 2010, Chuck Dorris, eDining.us June 10, Guest Chef: Prasad Chirnomula, Executive Chef/ Owner, Thali Westport Farmers Market, Imperial Avenue, 10-2 Throughout the Summer, shoppers at the Westport Farmers Market will have the opportunity to sample multiple dishes prepared by an outstanding group of guest chefs. As part of this exciting new program, every week a different chef will shop the market and prepare 2-4 dishes using vendors' ingredients and products. This is a tremendous opportunity for chefs, farmers and enthusiastic eaters alike. On June 10, hungry shoppers will have the opportunity to sample three creative dishes prepared by Thali of Westport's Executive Chef /Owner, Prasad Chirnomula. His quest for inspiring ingredients at this market prompted him to create three exciting dishes. Read More
