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Many automatically associate Chef Tom Colicchio with Top Chef, a hit reality show where he is one of the leading judges.  But there is more to Chef Colicchio than just Top Chef alone.

Chef Colicchio was born on the 15th of August 1962 in Elizabeth, New Jersey.  Growing up, he has always been surrounded by the aroma of cooking food, what with his Italian mother’s as well as grandmother’s passion for food and cooking.  In fact, he had so loved helping around in the kitchen that his father suggested that he pursue a career in the culinary world.

He began teaching himself the French style of cooking and immersed himself in culinary books like La Technique as well as La Methode written by the legendary chef, Chef Jacques Pepin.  At a very young age, he was already impressing people with his culinary abilities that, at the age of 17 years old, he landed a job in his hometown’s Evelyn’s Seafood Restaurant.

After his stint at Evelyn’s Seafood Restaurant, he then went on to try his culinary skills in New York, which is the food capital of the country.  In the city, he found work at some of the famous restaurants such as The Quilted Giraffe as well as Rakel.  He also found a job at the Gotham Bar & Grill and Mondrian.

It was when he was working at Mondrian as its executive chef that his culinary style caught the attention of the Food & Wine Magazine.  The prestigious magazine named him as one of the country’s top ten “Best New Chefs.”  Aside from this prestigious title, he was also awarded three stars by The New York Times.

It was in the mid 1990s that Chef Colicchio and Danny Meyer, his partner, thought of launching their own restaurant.  They launched their own restaurant in the Gramercy Park area of Manhattan and called in Gramercy Tavern.  Two years after first opening Gramercy Tavern to the public, in 1996, The New York Times’ Ruth Reichl gave the restaurant three stars and called Chef Colicchio as a confident chef who is not afraid of blending bold flavors to create unusual balance of flavors.  Aside from this, in 2000, Chef Colicchio was also awarded by the James Beard Foundation as the Best Chef in New York.

His achievement not enough, Chef Colicchio then launched Craft a year after his James Beard Foundation Award.  Likewise, his new venture received three stars from The New York Times’ William Grimes and Best New Restaurant from the James Beard Foundation in 2002.  Chef Colicchio also received a Chef of the Year award from Bon Appetit.

The success of Craft prompted him to launch a sandwich shop chain named Craftbar (located in New York City) as well as Crafsteak (located in Las Vegas).  Chef Colicchio also launched a sandwich shop chain, the Wichcraft.  Right now, there are 14 such sandwich shops in New York City as well as in Las Vegas and San Francisco.  His Crafsteak and Craft also branched out, and they can now be found not only in New York in Las Vegas but also in Dallas, Los Angeles, and Atlanta.  He has also launched Colicchio & Sons in New York, another three-star restaurant by The New York Times.  It was also during this year, 2010, that he received an Outstanding Chef award from the James Beard Foundation for his contributions to the culinary world.

These are not the only things that keep Chef Colicchio busy though.  He is also working as a consultant at numerous restaurants as well as private clubs, and he is also writing cookbooks.  Right now, he has published three cookbooks – Think Like a Chef, Craft of Cooking, and Wichcraft.  He has also written Top Chef the Cookbook.  His first book won an award from the James Beard Foundation in 2001, The James Beard Kitchen Aid Cookbook Award.

Chef Colicchio became one of the leading judges of Top Chef when it was first aired in 2006.  The reality show was an instant success that it also received awards and praises as well as an Emmy award for himself in 2010.

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Chef Michel Guerard is considered as one of the fathers of the Nouvelle Cuisine.  In a nutshell, this simply means a new approach to traditional French cooking and is characterized by the lightness of the dishes as it does away with heavy sauces and complicated cooking techniques.  Instead, it focuses more on enhancing the natural flavors of the ingredients of the dish by using less ingredients.  Chef Guerard is also the founder of Cuisine Minceur, which is somewhat similar to the Nouvelle Cuisine in that it is lighter than the traditional French cuisine but different in such a way that it is lighter still than the Nouvelle Cuisine and does not make the diner feel “heavy” when he finishes the course.  His culinary techniques and approaches to cooking French cuisine have earned him and his restaurants http://www.michelguerard.com/#/uk/ numerous awards and recognitions.  Right now, Chef Guerard has three Michelin stars to boast of.

Chef Guerard was born in Vetheuil, Val-d’Oise on the 27th of March 1933.  When asked about his reasons why he pursued a career in the culinary world, the first memory that comes into his mind was a time when he watched his grandmother prepare and bake a pastry dish.

His interest sparked, he then went on to become n apprentice in Mantes-La-Jolie’s Kleber Alix patisserie.  It was here that he furthered his knowledge on pastry making as well as traditional French cuisine.  Aside from this, he also found work at a variety of top restaurants in Paris, some of which include Maxim’s and Le Lido.  In 1958, Chef Guerard received his first award while he was working as the Hotel de Crillon’s pastry chef.  He was awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France Patisserie.

It was in 1965 that he decided to launch his first restaurant in Asnieres.  He bought a bistro and named it Le Pot-au-Feu.  Good and famous friends such as the Troisgros brothers and Paul Bocuse as well as Alain Chapel, among others, came to attend the opening of his first venture.  Two years later, Chef Guerard earned his first Michelin star in 1967, and in 1971, it earned is second star.  His restaurant was doing very well until a road-widening project made him close shop.

The next year, he met Christine Barthelemy, his future wife.  Her father owns the Biotherm chain of spas and hotels, and when they got married in the mid 1970s, he relocated with her to Eugenie-les-Bairns where she was managing and operating an ailing spa.  Together, they decided to completely revamp the spa.  The couple not only restored and refurbished the spa’s building, but Chef Guerard also made a totally new cuisine to suit the purposes of the spa, thus, the Cuisine Minceur.  It was like the Nouvelle Cuisine but much more lighter and much more healthier than the former.  Pretty soon, his cuisine began receiving the attention of Parisians who not only want to eat healthy foods but to also enjoy delicious meals at the same time.  In no time at all, people began trekking to their spa.  Three years after, he received his third Michelin star.

Chef Guerard opened other restaurants in the area with his wife, and they also subsequently received accolades and awards from numerous award-giving bodies such as the Michelin Guide.  As a chef, Chef Guerard also received numerous honors such as the Chevalier of the Legion d’Honneur and Chevalier of the Ordre du Merite Agricole, among others.

Chef Guerard has written numerous books that have been well received by the culinary community.  Some of his books include Grande Cuisine Minceur and La Cuisine Gourmande.  Aspiring chefs from all over the globe also come to his restaurants to work under his tutelage.

Chef Michel Guerard’s Armagnac-Drunken Capon

Ingredients:

• 1 young capon, about 2.8 kg/6 lb.
• 2 large pig’s feet, pre-cooked and quartered
• 250 g (9 oz.) smoked bacon, in 16 thin slices
• 50 g (3 tbsp.) butter
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Marinade:

• 400 g (14 oz.) carrot
• 200 g (7 oz.) onion
• 750 ml (3 cups) red Madiran wine
• 1 large bouquet garni
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 2 large pieces of orange zest

Sauce and garnish:

• 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) Armagnac
• 1 liter (4 cups) chicken stock
• 2 tbsp. powdered sugar
• 50 g (2 oz.) flour
• Salt and pepper
• 16 balls of pumpkin, cooked in salted water
• 32 pearl onions
• 32 small white mushrooms
• 1 bunch of parsley

Procedures:

Marinating the capon – the day before:

1. Cut the capon up into 16 pieces.
2. Lay them out on a work surface and season with a few grindings of pepper; the salt will be provided by the bacon.
3. Wrap each piece of capon in a slice of bacon. Fasten each bacon slice with a toothpick to keep it in place.
4. Place the bacon-wrapped capon pieces in a bowl; cover with the diced carrot and onion, bouquet garni, garlic cloves, orange peel and Madiran wine.

Cooking the capon:

1. The next day, drain the capon pieces and pat dry with a cloth.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. When it begins to smoke, brown the capon pieces for 5 minutes on each side.
3. Drain the capon pieces and transfer to a preheated Dutch oven containing 50 g (3 tbsp.) of heated butter. Add the drained diced carrot and onion from the marinade (4); continue sautéing, sprinkling the sugar over top, then the flour, and cook uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spatula. Place the quartered pig’s feet on top of the mixture.
4. Pour on the Armagnac, flambé, and add the wine from the marinade (4) with the bouquet garni, garlic and chicken stock.
5. Bring to a boil, cover and cook in a low oven at a bare simmer for 1 3/4 hours.
6. A half hour before the end of the cooking time, add the pearl onions and mushrooms, sautéed until golden brown, to the pot.

Finishing and serving:

1. Once everything is cooked, remove the capon pieces, pig’s feet, pearl onions, mushrooms and bouquet garni with a skimmer. Remove the toothpicks and keep everything hot.
2. Pour the cooking liquid into a blender with half the diced carrot and onion and the orange peel. Purée to make a smooth sauce.
3. Return the capon, pig’s feet and remaining diced vegetables to the Dutch oven (or a more elegant serving dish, if you wish) .
4. Strain the sauce through a sieve and pour over the capon. Sprinkle the pearl onions, mushrooms and coarsely-chopped parsley over top.
5. Garnish with 16 little pumpkin balls.

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Chef Luisa Valazza is the head chef of Al Sorriso, and together with her husband, they are managing their family-owned hotel/restaurant.  The couple has turned it into not only one of the best hotel/restaurants in the heart of Italy but also one of the best in the world.  This year, Chef Valazza shared her culinary talent at the 2011 Bocuse d’Or as she partnered up with other celebrity female chefs to take charge over the gala dinner.

Chef Valazza was born on the 20th of December 1950.  A native of Sorriso, Italy, she earned a degree in arts after graduation; however, life and choices took her in another direction.  Her husband, Angelo, works in the restaurant industry.  Not only does he train people in the international hotel and restaurant scene, but he also works as a consultant for the same industry, sharing his expertise and entrepreneurial skills.

In 1981, Angelo decided to open a family-owned hotel/restaurant in Sorriso, Novara and named it Al Sorriso.  Chef Valazza, with no formal culinary training or education, decided to teach herself cooking to help in the family business.  However, when their former head chef opted to leave Al Sorriso, she finally decided to take control of the kitchen.

She taught herself by reading anything related to cooking that she could get her hands.  Books and recipes published by famous chefs became her companion throughout her self-taught education, and their culinary philosophies served as her inspiration to developing her own culinary philosophy, style, and techniques.

Aside from these, she also drew her inspiration from the local dishes of her hometown.  She studied the traditional way of cooking their native dishes and the concepts behind them, and she made use of local as well as seasonal products and ingredients to enhance the natural flavors of her dishes.  In pursuit of the freshest ingredients that can be seen locally, she goes on hikes and walks along the mountainside where she looks for fresh herbs such as wild sage as well as thyme.  She also looks for wild edible flowers that shecan use in her dishes such as violets.

Through her culinary journey to becoming what she is right now, Chef Valazza’s culinary expertise has grown from traditional French and Italian cuisine to even international cuisine such as Mediterranean.  Her cuisine speaks of hearty dishes that are highly influenced by the traditions of her hometown, and her dishes also reflect another aspect of her life, her artistic side.

Visitors and guests who come to their restaurant will always appreciate her culinary and artsy side.  You will see the meticulousness she gives to even the minutest details in her dishes, and you will also see the colors of nature reflected unto her cuisine.

Right now, she is one of the few female chefs to have ever received three Michelin stars, and Al Sorriso has become one of the restaurants that you should definitely visit whenever you are in the country.  Her culinary talents may have pushed the restaurant to the top and earned her three Michelin stars, but she has always remained humble and modest.

Chef Luisa Valezza’s Appetizer of Bread, Tomato, and Basil

Ingredients:

Bread and Tomato:

• 300g tomato
• 2 shallots
• 250g dry bread
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 40ml olive oil
• 1 bunch rosemary, thyme and basil
• salt and pepper

Basil sauce:

• 1 bunch basil
• olive oil
• pine nuts
• parmesan reggiano, grated
• 2 ice cubes

Procedure:

Bread and Tomato:

1. Sauté the chopped garlic and shallot in a little olive oil.
2. Add the diced tomatoes and cook for 20 minutes, making sure it is not too wet.
3. Blend the tomatoes, cook and refrigerate for one hour.
4. Heat the olive oil to 80°C, add the rosemary, thyme and basil.
5. Cook slowly for 15 minutes.
6. Place the dry bread in a bar mixer, add the tomato mix and herb flavoured oil.
7. Mix all ingredients.
8. Check seasoning.
9. Place in the fridge.

Basil Sauce:

1. Prepare the sauce by blending all ingredients together.

To Assemble:

1.  Place the sauce on a plate.

1. With an ice cream scoop portion the bread mix and place it on top of the sauce.
2. Garnish with fresh basil.

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Chef Heinz Winkler is the proud owner and head chef of Residenz Heinz Winkler, a restaurant that not only has three Michelin stars under its belt but also a restaurant that has produced some of the top chefs in the world.  Chef Winkler is known worldwide for his exemplary culinary skills.  In fact, he is the first Italian chef to have ever been awarded three Michelin stars at the age of 32 years old.

Chef Winkler was born in Brixen on the 17th of July 1949 and is the youngest sibling out of 11 children.  Having grown up on a farm, he has learned early on to appreciate nature, especially the crops and products that they produce on their family farm.  He has always had the feeling that he wanted to work with food products and create excellent dishes out of it, so he pursued a culinary career.

His first step towards his journey towards being a chef was to become an apprentice at the Hotel Laurin in Bozen.  After his apprenticeship, he then went on to hone his culinary skills at some of the best hotels and restaurants in Europe.  He traveled to not only Germany but Italy and France as well.  He has also been to Switzerland to further his culinary talents.  From 1973 to 1977, he was the chef de cuisine of the Bad Schachen Hotel during the summer season; and during the winter season, he was the chef de cuisine of two top restaurants – Schlosshotel Pontresina as well as St. Mortiz’s Hotel Kulm.  He also found work at the famous kitchens of Lucern’s Hotel Palaceas well as Interlaken’s Hotel Victoria-Jungfrau.

To enhance the culinary skills that he honed at these top restaurants, he then found work at the kitchens of the very famous and legendary Chef Paul Bocuse where he stayed for one year.  After his year with the master chef and creator of the equally famous Bocuse d’Or international competition, in 1978, he became the executive chef of Tantris, a world-renowned restaurant situated in Munich where he got to work with its famous chef and owner, Chef Eckart Witzigmann.

It was at Tantris that he received his first Michelin star in 1979, a year after he became a chef at Tantris.  Two years after, at the age of 32 years old, Chef Winkler finally earned his third Michelin star, making him the youngest chef in Germany with three Michelin stars in under his belt.  He stayed at Tantris from 1978 and 1991 before deciding to open his own restaurant.

In the mid to late 1980s, when Chef Winkler was on a journey to Salzburg from Munich, he came across a late medieval building in Chiemgau, Aschau that dates back to the 15th century and promptly fell in love with the place.  He purchased the old building in 1989 and hired contractors to start a very extensive conversion work on the premises.  In 1991 when the project was completed, he then decided to leave Tantris and try his fate on launching his own restaurant, the Residenz Heinz Winkler.  It proved to be a very good decision for him because more praises, awards, and recognitions poured in, not only for himself and his culinary skills but also for his very own restaurant.

All throughout his career, he has received numerous awards from different award-giving bodies such as the Michelin Guide and the Gault Millau Guide.  He has also been named as Chef of the Year by the Michelin Guide and the Die Bunte Magazine.  These awards have only proven to the culinary world that he is among the top chefs not only in the country but worldwide as well.  This has also made him a must-apprentice-at restaurant by young chefs who want to get ahead of the pack.

Chef Heinz Winkler’s Asparagus Chartreuse with Smoked Sturgeon Mousse and Osietra Caviar

Ingredients:

Mousse:

• 1 shallot
• Butter
• 200 g (7 oz.) smoked sturgeon fillet
• 2 tbsp. white wine
• 2 tbsp. Noilly Prat vermouth
• 100 ml (6 tbsp.) fish stock
• 100 g (6 tbsp.) cream
• Juice of half a lemon
• 4 sheets of gelatin
• 2 tbsp. whipped cream
• A pinch of salt
• 4 Lobsters
• Butter
• 10 Asparagus spears
• Salt and sugar

Finishing:

• 18 g (1/2 oz.) osietra Caviar
• 18 g (1/2 oz.) trout caviar
• A few leaves of purslane and curly endives
• Dill

Procedure:

1.   To make the mousse, melt some butter in a pan and sauté the diced shallot. Add half of the sturgeon fillet.

2.   Add the white wine and Noilly Prat, then the fish stock and reduce. Add the cream and reduce again. Add the juice of half a lemon and salt to taste.

3.   Remove the sturgeon from the pan and press through a sieve with the liquid. Mix in the gelatin, which has been softened in water, and let cool.

4.   Fold in the whipped cream.

5.   Boil the Florida lobster in salted water for 3 minutes and remove from the shells.

6.   Peel the asparagus and cook with some sugar in salted water for 8-10 minutes until done.

7.   Cut the spears in half lengthwise and into 5 cm (2″) long pieces.

8.   Divide the asparagus among 4 metal rings. Chop the remaining sturgeon, combine with the mousse and pour into the rings. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

9.   Sauté the Florida lobster in butter.

Finishing:

1. Remove the chartreuse from the ring and cut in half with a knife.
2. Arrange on a plate and garnish with Osietra and trout caviar.
3. Lay a lobster tail in front and garnish as desired with purslane leaves, frisée and dill.

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