2012:A Fat Boys Year In Review

    So 2012 is winding down and I got to thinking about where I have had the chance to eat, read and watched. So I decided that I would try my best to touch on some interesting things to the last year...Enjoy

    Last Christmas I received a copy of Brian and Michael Voltaggio book called Volt.INK and in the spring of 2012 the wife and I went down to Los Angeles to get away for a few days. It was on this trip that we not only had the chance to have lunch at INK.Sack but Mr. Voltaggio took a few minutes out of his schedule to sign my book.

    If you get the chance to have lunch at INK.Sack you have to order a bag of Crab Chips with whatever sandwich you get...Trust me this is one of the best things you will ever snack on!

    COCHON 555 is 5 chefs, 5 winemakes and 5 heritage breed pigs. This is a multiple city competition. In four years the COCHON Tour has served over 35,000 guests, harvested more than 1 Billion Media impressions for “heritage breed pigs & family farms” and featured over 1500 food pioneers supporting a better food system. When the tour landed in Boston the winner of the Cochon competition was Jamie Bissonnette owner of TORO and COPPA.

     July 1st and the state of Claifornia officially banned the sale of Fois Gras courtesy of animal rights organizations like PETA. If you do not know what Fois Gras (fatty duck liver). Foie gras is made from livers that have been plumped up to several times their normal size through force feeding, a process called gavage. There are California restaurants that finding loopholes to be able to serve it by bringing it in from out of state. What sucks is that restaurants could face up to a $1,000 fine per day.

     David Chang (Momofuku) gets his own show on PBS this year called "The Mind Of A Chef". I love this show because is the pages of the magazine "Lucky Peach" were to come to life this is what you would get. Daisy (my youngest daughter) and I will sit and watch this show as often as possible.

   For all those who are fans of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" he calls it quits with the Travel Channel but do not fret he has joined CNN for a new show and do not forget the cooking reality show he is doing on ABC.

   Here is a couple of stories from the 2012 Eater archives: Gordon Ramsay applied for the UK trademark for "The Spotted Pig," which is, uh, not his restaurant. It's April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman's restaurant in New York. Rumor has it Ramsey will be returning the trademark to it's rightful home. Zagat printed its 2012 guides to Bay Area restaurants with the name of the city misspelled "San Francsico." A restaurant in Moscow held a caviar eating competition in which twelve "lucky" souls had to eat a half kilogram of black caviar worth $70,000 as fast as humanly possible. The prize for winning? More caviar. And last but not least from the EATER universe Ghostwritingate: New York Times writer Julia Moskin claimed a whole bunch of celebrity chefs used ghostwriters; a whole bunch of cookbook authors (including Gwyneth Paltrow, Bobby Flay, and Rachael Ray) had a problem with it.

    Oh yeah I forgot to tell you I got a free pair of kitchen shoes and Chris Cosentino;s book "Beginnings" because not only do I watch to much Top Chef but follow cool people on twitter!!

   Well that is it for now....I hope everyone there has a great new years and remember no one eaters better then a fat boy!!

   Cheers!
 

4 Chefs I follow on Instagram

   Alright, so here is the deal I love Twitter and Instagram and so I have decided to share with you guys my list of favorite chefs I am following on Instagram. This list is in no particular order.

Chopsticks for nose picking..DOPE

1)Jamie Bissonnette (jamiebiss): I found out about Jamie becuase of a book called Primal Cuts (a must own). Jamie is the chef/owner of Coppa Boston and is an old hardcore kid, so this automatically made me a fan.

Cosentino and Denis Leary

2)Chris Cosentino (offalchris): I consider Chris Cosentino one of the most important "nose-to-tail" chefs in California. If you have not check out his book "Beginnings" you should especially if you are into cooking seasonally

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3)Michael Voltaggio (mvoltaggio): Owner of LA's INK and INK.SACK and oh yeah he won Top Chef season 6. There is just something cool about the guy. If you can slurge for INK do it. If you can not then you need to go to INK.SACK and have the Crab Cake Chips!

4)Nate Appleman (nappleman):  Best New Chef of 2009, James Beard winner and walked away from Pulino's in New York to go work for Chipotle. Yeah you heard me right, Chipotle (which I love by the way)! He left for his son. Anyone willing to give it all up for family is tops in my book.

Top Chef Masters...Hope you are watching!!

   Ok so it is time for the new season of Top Chef Master and I hope everyone pays close attention to what the chefs are doing.

    After the first episode of TCM on Twitter Chef Chris Cosentino posted the question "What ingredients did I use in the quick fire challenge?" If you answered the question correctly Chris and Mozo Shoes picked a winner. The winner won a pair of Chef Cosentino;s signature MOZO Kitchen shoes and a signed copy of his book "Beginnings"

   So follow Chef Chris Cosentino @offalchris and also follow MOZO Shoes @MOZO_Shoes just because!!

I need a job in a kitchen so I can wear my new shoes!!

Last Meal

   So this has been a post I have slowly been working on. It started just using Twitter and hitting up chefs and asking them what there last meal would be if all they had was 20 bucks and then I stared hitting up not only chefs but friends of mine that are in bands and just flat out asked "If you could pick your last meal, what would it be?"
   Well below is what some of the people I asked had to say.
Duff Goldman (Charm City Cakes-Baltimore,MD) @Duff_Goldman "2 double-doubles, fries, and a coke from In-n-out."

Fabio Viviani (Top Chef season 5, owner of Cafe Firenze Moorpark,CA.) @fabioviviana "Roasted chicken and 3 cheap bottle of wine, fuck it im going to die anyway at least i want to be happily buzzed."

Vic- The Koffin Kats

Zak Victor (The Koffin Kats) Last meal would be would be that poison blowfish that has to be just cut the right way not to be deadly.

Jesse Wagner ( The Aggrolites) Spaghetti and Meatballs cause that's what I like to make, I love garlic, my grandmother was Sicilian and her sauce got me hooked.

Jesse Wagner - The Aggrolites

Marshall Lichtenwaldt
 (The Warriors and culinary student extraordinaire) Escargo, savory gorgonzola cheesecake, duck roulade, roasted baby red potatos, sauted veg, and twinkie ho-ho tiramisu.

Eddie Huang ( owner of BaoHaus and host of Cheap Bites on Cooking Channel) If mom's house is not an option. Din Tai Fung. Restaurant of my pop's childhood and mine... undefeated!


And for my last me I figure if I am going out I am going out stuffed and tanked with a good plate of bangers and mash a fresh bottle of Jameson's whiskey and a couple of Guinness!