Yesterday "Cooking Today" welcomed executive chef and co-owner of New York's Ciano, Shea Gallante, into the host's seat. Highlighting West Coast Asian cuisine that has moved to New York City, Shea invited chef and co-founder of Mission Chinese Food, Danny Bowien, and James Beard Award winner and Portland chef and restaurateur, Andy Ricker.
1 Chef and owner of Pok Pok Restaurants, Andy Ricker, with Chef Shea Gallante
2 Chef and owner of Mission Chinese Food, Danny Bowien, with Chef Shea Gallante
Andy Ricker is the chef and owner of Pok Pok Restaurants in Portland, Oregon and most recently in Brookyn, New York. He spoke about his decision to open a branch of Pok Pok on the East Coast, and shared why Brooklyn was the best place for his Vietnamese and Thai-style food. Comparing Brooklyn to Portland, Andy explained that both areas have a "do-it-yourself" attitude, which is great for opening a restaurant. Andy spoke about how his years of traveling throughout Southeast Asia are the inspiration for his menu, and that rather than putting his own twist on the food, he tries to serve his dishes exactly as you would find them in a roadside restaurant in Thailand and Vietnam.
Like Andy, Danny Bowien also relocated from the West Coast to open a New York outpost of his popular San Francisco restaurant, Mission Chinese Food. Danny, having worked in New York kitchens prior to his move out West, told Shea he had been looking for a reason to come back. Although moving across the country has proved challenging, Danny has had the help of local New York chefs in setting up his kitchen and sourcing food supplies.
For this week's Made-To-Order segment, Shea spoke about watermelon. He shared that one of his favorite things to do with watermelon is to put it in gazpacho which is made with all yellow ingredients, including yellow watermelon!
If you missed yesterday's show, you have another chance to catch it today at 6 and 10 p.m. ET and be sure to check out some of the highlights below.
"Cooking Today" airs live each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT, on Sirius XM 110. Tune in Wednesday, August 1 as culinary director at New York's Jezebel Restaurant, Bradford Thompson, and executive chef and restaurateur, David Bouley join Shea in the studio!
Andy Ricker explains how to evolve your menu when you have a signature dish.Download audio file (Andy-Rickers-signature-dish.mp3)
Danny Bowien explains the difference between opening up his first restaurant in San Francisco and his second in New York City.Download audio file (Opening-in-SF-vs-NYC.mp3)
Shea Gallante asked Andy Ricker to explain a dish he saw him recently making at an event.Download audio file (meat-cooking-process.mp3)
