Show 310, February 9, 2019: Chef Robert Sulatycky, Head Coach, Team USA 2019, Bocuse d’Or

Robert SulatyckyAfter over a year of intensive training, Team USA, comprised of Chef Matthew Kirkley, Commis Mimi Chen and Head Coach Robert Sulatycky, represented their country in Lyon, France on January 29th at the world’s most prestigious culinary competition, the Bocuse d’Or. Team USA was defending the Gold statue from 2017.

Over the course of two days last month, teams of some of the most brilliant culinary minds from 24 countries across the world met in Lyon, France where they competed on the world stage at the esteemed Bocuse d’Or culinary competition.

On Day 1 Team USA presented to a prestigious panel of international judges their version of Suckling Veal Rack with 5 Prime Chops, featuring Roast Rack of Veal with Veal Kidney Farce & Apicius Spice Glaze / Salad Pastorale. The plated presentation was Vegetable Chartreuse with Shellfish, featuring Vegetable, Herbs, Shellfish Chartreuse and Cockle Butter.

Congrats to Team Denmark on First Place and the Gold Statue.

Chef Sulatycky, just back from Lyon, provides the concluding update on this year’s event.

Show 310, February 9, 2019: Chef Robert Sulatycky, Head Coach, Team USA 2019, Bocuse d’Or Continues…

Robert SulatyckyAfter over a year of intensive training, Team USA, comprised of Chef Matthew Kirkley, Commis Mimi Chen and Head Coach Robert Sulatycky, represented their country in Lyon, France on January 29th at the world’s most prestigious culinary competition, the Bocuse d’Or. Team USA was defending the Gold statue from 2017.

“Every two years, the heart of the Sirha trade exhibition in Lyon, France beats to the beat of the final of the prestigious Bocuse d’Or contest. After many months of preparations, twenty-four of the most promising chefs in the world experience two days of intense competition during which they will have to give their very best in order to try and win the most beautiful trophy in the world of gastronomy.”

For Team USA it’s now looking ahead to 2021. Applications will be going out in April for 2021. Finalists will then be evaluated and selected. A competition will be held late this year in Las Vegas or Napa to then select Team USA 2021 and the training will start anew in the ment’or BKB Bocuse d’Or training kitchen at CIA’s Copia campus in Napa.

Ment’or BKB welcomes your contributions in support of Team USA and young culinarians.

Show 305, January 5, 2019: Chef Robert Sulatycky, Head Coach, Team USA, 2019 Bocuse d’Or International Culinary Competition

Robert SulatyckyTime to revisit the progress of Team USA competing in the Bocuse d’Or International Culinary Competition at the end of the month (January 29 & 30) in Lyon, France. Team USA is defending “The Gold” from the 2017 competition. Chef Robert Sulatycky is the Head Coach for Team USA 2019. Team USA 2019’s Head Chef is Matthew Kirkley and his Commis is Mimi Chen.

Chef Robert Sulatycky has a long history with the Bocuse d’Or. Representing Canada in 1999, he placed fourth and was awarded the “Prix Viande,” or best meat prize. He has since mentored both Canadian and American chef candidates and was honored to be a member of the international jury for the 2007 and 2013 editions of the competition. He also served as Assistant Coach for Bocuse d’Or Team USA 2017, who won the first-ever gold medal for the United States.

Based on the draw Team USA will compete on the first day, January 29th.

Chef Robert rejoins us continuing his update on the long road to Lyon.

Show 305, January 5, 2019: Chef Robert Sulatycky, Head Coach, Team USA, 2019 Bocuse d’Or International Culinary Competition Continues…

Robert SulatyckyChef Robert Sulatycky is the Head Coach for Team USA 2019 in the Bocuse d’Or International Culinary Competition. Team USA 2019’s Head Chef is Matthew Kirkley and his Commis is Mimi Chen.

Chef Sulatycky has helmed the kitchens of the Four Seasons hotels in Toronto and Chicago. He also simultaneously led the culinary teams at the Beverly Hills Hotel and Hotel Bel-Air, where he had the pleasure of cooking for notable Hollywood celebrities.

He is once again working with the Four Seasons group, developing a restaurant and dining concept for the new Four Seasons Private Residents in Los Angeles adjacent to The Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills.

Chef Sulatycky is the President and Co-Founder if iQKitchen Inc., a technology company that has developed simple and intuitive app-based solutions to many of the basic challenges that chefs face in the kitchen.

Chef Robert rejoins us continuing his update on the long road to Lyon for Team USA 2019.

Show 272, May 5, 2018: Team USA’s Chef Robert Sulatycky and Chef Paul Bartolotta

Paul BartolottaOur culinary Team USA 2019 was in Mexico City on April 12th & 13th competing in The Bocuse d’Or America’s selection semi-finals leading up to the Bocuse d’Or International Culinary Competition in Lyon in late January of 2019. Five of the 11 countries represented won the right to compete in the Lyon finals.

Team USA (Chef Matthew Kirkley and Commis Mimi Chen) prepared Chilean Salmon Roulade and Suckling Pig Presented Three Ways.

“The Bocuse d’Or is about promoting local and traditional gastronomy, but also revealing young Chefs from all countries in the world. The candidates invest tremendous time and energy in the preparation for the contest, in the national and continental selections, to promote their culinary legacy and win their ticket to go to the Finale that can change their lives and careers.”

Head Coach for Team USA 2019 Chef Robert Sulatycky and Culinary Council member Chef Paul Bartolotta join us with the outcome from Mexico City. Time to proudly wave the flag…

Show 252, December 16, 2017: Chef Mimi Chen, Commis, Team USA 2019, Bocuse d’Or International Culinary Competition

Mimi ChenIn our continuing coverage of the biannual Bocuse d’Or International Culinary Competition and Team USA 2019’s pursuit of defending the Gold for America we’ll meet Team USA 2019’s newly selected Commis, Chef Mimi Chen formerly a Line Cook at Daniel Patterson’s highly regarded COI in San Francisco.

On November 9th in The Palazzo Ballroom at The Venetian / Palazzo Resorts in Fabulous Las Vegas the spirited competition for the Team to proudly represent Team USA 2019 (under the aegis of the sponsoring Ment’or BKB Foundation) was held. Each finalist team had 5 hours and 35 minutes to prepare an exquisite meat recipe (Snake River Farms American Wagyu Whole Bone-In Rib Roast) presented on a platter as well as a Norwegian Seafood Steelhead Trout creation individually plated. Mimi was the Commis for the victorious team headed by Executive Chef Matthew Kirkley, ex-COI.

Both Chefs Matthew and Mimi will now train intensively in Napa, CA for the next year in preparation for the Bocuse d’Or in Lyon.

Show 247, November 11, 2017: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris

Now a salivating preview of this Saturday’s ample show. It’s not, with profuse apologies, for dieters. If we’re successful we will always leave you incredibly hungry and thirsty. In our case, upon careful reflection, that’s probably a pretty good thing…

Executive Chef Jason Fullilove is back in a real restaurant space, Barbara Jean Los Angeles, with elevated American Soul Food. He’s a bit hidden on the back patio of Melrose Avenue’s Melrose Umbrella Co. It’s dinner nightly and Brunch on Weekends. We’ll catch up with the peripatetic Chef Jason.

Food and travel journalist Robyn Eckhardt brings dishes from Istanbul and eastern Turkey to the home cook in ISTANBUL AND BEYOND: EXPLORING TURKEY’S DIVERSE CUISINES. With over 150 recipes, stories about places, people and ingredients, and lush on-location photography, ISTANBUL AND BEYOND takes readers on an unforgettable culinary journey from Turkey’s cosmopolitan cultural capital to its lesser known eastern regions. Food and travel journalist Robyn Eckhardt, now based in Italy, is our guest.

We’ve actively followed (since 2014,) and reported on, Team USA in their long pursuit of winning a place on the medals stand for the biannual Bocuse d’Or International Culinary Competition. Team USA 2015 headed by Chef Philip Tessier took the Silver Medal (just missing the Gold) and Team USA 2017 headed by Chef Mathew Peters earned the Gold in 2017, an incredible first for Team USA. Team USA 2019 was just selected in a fierce competition on Thursday, Nov. 9th at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas. We’ll talk to the winning chef, Matthew Kirkley of COI, San Francisco, who will now train with his Commis (Mimi Chen, Line Cook, COI) for the next year, and then helm Team USA 2019 in Lyon. Also in on the conversation is Chef Robert Sulatycky, Head Coach, Team USA 2019.

Executive Chef Todd Sicolo supervises all of the varied dining options at the new InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown Hotel at Wilshire Grand Center with 889 rooms. This is all located on the top floors of the tallest building West of Chicago. Dining options range from Spire 73, a rooftop lounge with breathtaking views, to La Boucherie on 71, an elegant steakhouse with a French accent. Chef Todd is our guest.

Stressed about preparing the Thanksgiving feast for your extended family? Pause…Take a breath…Chef Andrew Gruel to the rescue. Chef Andrew offers his practical chef’s tips for a stress-free, Thanksgiving celebration.

It’s typically a conundrum in selecting the wines for the Thanksgiving feast that really pair well with all the diverse trimmings. You can’t always please all palates but you give it a go. Our resident wine expert, Kyle Meyer of Wine Exchange, joins us with his informed perspective. Cheers!

All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s show!

Show 247, November 11, 2017: Executive Chef Matthew Kirkley, COI, San Francisco & Chef Robert Sulatycky, Head Coach, Team USA 2019

Matthew KirkleyWe’ve actively followed (since 2014,) and reported on, Team USA in their long pursuit of winning a place on the medals stand for the biannual Bocuse d’Or International Culinary Competition. Team USA 2015 headed by Chef Philip Tessier took the Silver Medal (just missing the Gold) and Team USA 2017 headed by Chef Mathew Peters earned the Gold in 2017, an incredible first for Team USA.

Team USA 2019 was just selected in a fierce five and one-half hour competition on Thursday, Nov. 9th at The Venetian Resort’s Palazzo Ballroom in Las Vegas. The three competing chef candidates are Ben Grupe, Elaia & Olio, St. Louis, MO; Jeffrey Hayashi, Mourad, San Francisco, CA; and Matthew Kirkley, COI, San Francisco, CA.

We’ll talk to Matthew Kirkley, the winning chef to head Team USA 2019 who will now train with his Commis (Mimi Chen) for the next year, and then helm Team USA 2019 in Lyon. Also, Team USA 2019 Head Coach, Robert Sulatycky. Next stop (in April 2018) for Team USA 2019 is the Americas Selection in Mexico City.

The Ment’or Young Chef & Commis Competitions were held on November 8, 2017 in Las Vegas and featured five young chef teams and six Commis candidates who competed in the kitchen of University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The Winners from each competition will choose from a cash prize or the unique opportunity to train alongside Bocuse d’Or Team USA 2019.

November 11: Jason Fullilove, Robyn Eckhardt, Team USA Bocuse D’Or, Todd Sicolo, Wine Exchange

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Executive Chef Jason Fullilove, Barbara Jean, Los Angeles
Segment Three: Travel Journalist Robyn Eckhardt, Istanbul and Beyond: Exploring Turkey’s Diverse Cuisines Part One
Segment Four: Travel Journalist Robyn Eckhardt, Istanbul and Beyond: Exploring Turkey’s Diverse Cuisines Part Two
Segment Five: Executive Chef Matthew Kirkley, COI, San Francisco & Chef Robert Sulatycky, Head Coach, Team USA 2019
Segment Six: Executive Chef Todd Sicolo, InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown Hotel
Segment Seven: Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish and Trade’s Two Birds & Butterleaf
Segment Eight: Kyle Meyer, Co-Proprietor, Wine Exchange, Santa Ana

Now a salivating preview of this Saturday’s ample show. It’s not, with profuse apologies, for dieters. If we’re successful we will always leave you incredibly hungry and thirsty. In our case, upon careful reflection, that’s probably a pretty good thing…

Executive Chef Jason Fullilove is back in a real restaurant space, Barbara Jean Los Angeles, with elevated American Soul Food. He’s a bit hidden on the back patio of Melrose Avenue’s Melrose Umbrella Co. It’s dinner nightly and Brunch on Weekends. We’ll catch up with the peripatetic Chef Jason.

Food and travel journalist Robyn Eckhardt brings dishes from Istanbul and eastern Turkey to the home cook in ISTANBUL AND BEYOND: EXPLORING TURKEY’S DIVERSE CUISINES. With over 150 recipes, stories about places, people and ingredients, and lush on-location photography, ISTANBUL AND BEYOND takes readers on an unforgettable culinary journey from Turkey’s cosmopolitan cultural capital to its lesser known eastern regions. Food and travel journalist Robyn Eckhardt, now based in Italy, is our guest.

We’ve actively followed (since 2014,) and reported on, Team USA in their long pursuit of winning a place on the medals stand for the biannual Bocuse d’Or International Culinary Competition. Team USA 2015 headed by Chef Philip Tessier took the Silver Medal (just missing the Gold) and Team USA 2017 headed by Chef Mathew Peters earned the Gold in 2017, an incredible first for Team USA. Team USA 2019 was just selected in a fierce competition on Thursday, Nov. 9th at The Palazzo Resort in Las Vegas. We’ll talk to the winning chef who will now train with his Commis for the next year, and then helm Team USA 2019 in Lyon.

Executive Chef Todd Sicolo supervises all of the varied dining options at the new InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown Hotel at Wilshire Grand with 889 rooms. This is all located on the top floors of the tallest building West of Chicago. Dining options range from Spire 73, a rooftop lounge with breathtaking views, to La Boucherie on 71, an elegant steakhouse with a French accent. Chef Todd is our guest.

Stressed about preparing the Thanksgiving feast for your extended family? Pause…Take a breath…Chef Andrew Gruel to the rescue. Chef Andrew offers his practical chef’s tips for a stress-free, Thanksgiving celebration.

It’s typically a conundrum in selecting the wines for the Thanksgiving feast that really pair well with all the diverse trimmings. You can’t always please all palates but you give it a go. Our resident wine expert, Kyle Meyer of Wine Exchange, joins us with his informed perspective. Cheers!

All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s show!

Jason FulliloveExecutive Chef Jason Fullilove is back in a real restaurant space, Barbara Jean Los Angeles with elevated American Soul Food. He’s a bit hidden on the back patio of Melrose Avenue’s Melrose Umbrella Co. It’s dinner nightly and Brunch on Weekends.

He also oversees the Bar Bites menu at the adjacent Melrose Umbrella Co.

“Barbara Jean Restaurant is a celebration of American Soul Food. A cuisine that is imbued with the many cultures that make up this vast and diverse country. With a focus on the roots of African American cooking, it’s nutritional foundation and original applications: meats | offal | ancient grains | vegetables | fermentation | with a modern flair a presentation.”

Chef Jason has been a regular fan favorite on the Los Angeles dining scene. He also helmed a dinner series called RED at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) that garnered national attention. At RED he created tasting menus and course meals directly inspired by current art exhibits, live readings and the films of Stanley Kubrick and Danny Boyle.

We’ll catch up with the peripatetic Chef Jason.

Robyn EckhardtFood and travel journalist Robyn Eckhardt brings dishes from Istanbul and eastern Turkey to the home cook in ISTANBUL AND BEYOND: EXPLORING TURKEY’S DIVERSE CUISINES. With over 125 recipes, stories about places, people and ingredients, and lush on-location photography, ISTANBUL AND BEYOND takes readers on an unforgettable culinary journey from Turkey’s cosmopolitan cultural capital to its lesser known eastern regions.

The culmination of Eckhardt and photographer David Hagerman’s two-decade-long passion for Turkey, its people and its food, and the result of over sixteen months of research in Istanbul and eastern Turkey, ISTANBUL AND BEYOND takes readers beyond kebab, doner, and baklava to introduce the dishes of Turkey’s distinct regional cuisines. From the Mediterranean province of Hatay to the Black Sea, and from north-central Anatolia to provinces bordering Georgia, Armenia, Iran and Iraq, Eckhardt has assembled a broad collection of dishes – many of which will be new even to those familiar with Turkish food – that are sure to entice readers into the kitchen.

Robyn Eckhardt is an American food and travel journalist specializing in Asia, Turkey and Europe. Her words and recipes have appeared in the New York Times, Saveur, Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Food & Wine, Travel+Leisure and other publications. She is co-publisher, with photographer David Hagerman, of the award-winning food blog EatingAsia. After 20 years in Asia she recently moved to Piemonte, Italy, where she lives with her husband, photographer David Hagerman, and a small menagerie of cats and dogs.

Food and travel journalist Robyn Eckhardt is our guest.

“Turkey touches four bodies of water and shares borders with Bulgaria, Greece, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia…This results in not a nation united by one cuisine, but an array of culinary regions that make it one of the most gastronomically complex countries anywhere.” – Robyn Eckhardt

There is so much more to Turkish food than kebabs and baklava. Dishes like Green Olive Salad with Pomegranate Molasses, Kurdish-style Pot-Roasted Chicken & Onions, and Fava & Bulgar Stuffed Grape Leaves in Tomato Sauce prove just that. In Instanbul & Beyond – Exploring the Diverse Cuisines of Turkey, Robyn Eckhardt brings you the most extensive Turkish cookbook to date with a broad collection of 150 easy-to-follow recipes taken from the home cooks, farmers, fishermen, and bakers native to Turkey, all tested for the American home kitchen. Most of these recipes have never been published before in English.

Eckhardt and travel photographer husband, David Hagerman, have been collecting these recipes over the past twenty years and have traveled over 21,000 kilometers along the backroads of Turkey, documenting regional cuisines and life in the villages and cities, farms, and high pastures of the lesser-known provinces.

Matthew KirkleyWe’ve actively followed (since 2014,) and reported on, Team USA in their long pursuit of winning a place on the medals stand for the biannual Bocuse d’Or International Culinary Competition. Team USA 2015 headed by Chef Philip Tessier took the Silver Medal (just missing the Gold) and Team USA 2017 headed by Chef Mathew Peters earned the Gold in 2017, an incredible first for Team USA.

Team USA 2019 was just selected in a fierce competition on Thursday, Nov. 9th at The Palazzo Resort in Las Vegas. The three competing chef candidates are Ben Grupe, Elaia & Olio, St. Louis, MO; Jeffrey Hayashi, Mourad, San Francisco, CA; and Matthew Kirkley, COI, San Francisco, CA.

We’ll talk to the winning chef to head Team USA 2019 who will now train with his Commis for the next year, and then helm Team USA 2019 in Lyon.

The Ment’or Young Chef & Commis Competitions were held on November 8, 2017 in Las Vegas and featured five young chef teams and six Commis candidates who competed in the kitchen of University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The Winners from each competition will choose from a cash prize or the unique opportunity to train alongside Bocuse d’Or Team USA 2019.

Todd SicoloExecutive Chef Todd Sicolo supervises all of the varied dining options at the new InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown Hotel at Wilshire Grand with 889 rooms. This is all located on the top floors of the tallest building West of Chicago. Dining options range from Spire 73, a rooftop lounge with breathtaking views, to La Boucherie on 71, an elegant steakhouse with a French accent.

The dining options :
-Spire 73 – Perched atop InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown’s 73rd floor is Spire 73, the tallest open-air bar in the Western Hemisphere. This rooftop lounge offers breathtaking views of the entire City, chic fire pits, signature cocktails and a wide selection of whiskey. Culinary expressions are on the menu rivaling the view.

-La Boucherie on 71 – An elegant steakhouse with a French accent, featuring discreet, intimate private dining and VIP booths with floor to ceiling privacy screens that offer panoramic views of the L.A. skyline to accommodate discerning guests.

-Lobby Lounge – Located on the 70th floor of the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, the Lobby Lounge offers guests an upscale lounge experience with a vodka bar at night, serving light snacks, burgers and sandwiches.

-Dekkadance – Located on the 69th floor, it offers a unique farm-to-fork international marketplace. It’s a well-thought-out, contemporary adaptation of the traditional buffet. Dekkadance is an eclectic dining experience for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner featuring interactive cooking stations where guests can consult the chefs and watch their selection being prepared. On the expansive menu are Mediterranean style pizzas, paninis and an impressive array of tempting desserts.

-Sora – Sora is an intimate sushi and omakase restaurant offering a refined menu of fresh cut sushi and prepared dishes presented on the unusual sky view conveyor belt. Also located on the 69th floor, Sora features an extensive selection of the finest Japanese whiskies.

Andrew and William GruelStressed about preparing the Thanksgiving feast for your extended family ? Pause…Take a breath…

Chef Andrew Gruel to the rescue. Chef Andrew offers his practical chef’s tips for a stress-free, Thanksgiving celebration.

 

Kyle Meyer of Wine ExchangeIt’s typically a conundrum in selecting the wines for the Thanksgiving feast that really pair well with all the diverse trimmings. You can’t always please all palates but you give it a go.

Don’t forget sparkling wines can carry throughout the meal. Strong fruit needs to be part of the equation, too. California calling…

Our upbeat resident wine expert, Kyle Meyer of Wine Exchange, joins us with his accessible, informed perspective. Cheers!

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Executive Chef Jason Fullilove, Barbara Jean, Los Angeles
Segment Three: Travel Journalist Robyn Eckhardt, Istanbul and Beyond: Exploring Turkey’s Diverse Cuisines Part One
Segment Four: Travel Journalist Robyn Eckhardt, Istanbul and Beyond: Exploring Turkey’s Diverse Cuisines Part Two
Segment Five: Executive Chef Matthew Kirkley, COI, San Francisco & Chef Robert Sulatycky, Head Coach, Team USA 2019
Segment Six: Executive Chef Todd Sicolo, InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown Hotel
Segment Seven: Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish and Trade’s Two Birds & Butterleaf
Segment Eight: Kyle Meyer, Co-Proprietor, Wine Exchange, Santa Ana