Premium cookware brand All-Clad took over Russ & Daughters Cafe on Orchard Street for an unforgettable, one-day-only popup: All-Clad Premier Provisions with Chef Melissa King.
Are celebs just like you and me when it comes to pandemic travel? We caught up with a few you may know — and others you may not have heard of — to hear their travel tales.
Jacques Torres, celebrity pastry chef
I went to Bandon, a city between Toulon and Marseilles in Provence for five weeks in 2021. I grew up there. It’s famous for wine. I went to the beach. I enjoy the south of France for wineries and tastings. I felt safe traveling because this is a house I own.
Photo Courtesy of Facebook
Ben Johns, pro-pickleball player
No international travel. We go all around the US for tournaments. We don’t vacation. We just play pickleball. Even in 2021, there were full crowds. In July of last year, I played pickleball in Hawaii. October 2021, Las Vegas. I did go to Ecuador, but not too recently. I own a pickleball vacation company called Pickleball Getaways.
NOTE: Johns and his business partner, pro-pickleball player, Dekel Bar, have led trips to destinations including Riviera Maya, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Richmond, British Columbia.
Photo Courtesy of Facebook
Collin Johns, pro-pickleball player
A lot of times the pickleball tournaments are in locations where there are vacations. The PPA Masters November 2021 in La Quinta, California was like a hotel. It’s a nice area — essentially like a vacation. I go on all of the same tours as Ben. In the height of Covid-19, they were shut down for a couple of months, and there were travel restrictions.
Photo by Laurie Heifetz
Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada, artist
I did a trip from Barcelona to New York. We were in lockdown in Barcelona in the middle of the pandemic when no one was flying — May of 2020. I did an homage piece next to the Queens Museum to a Latino doctor who passed away. That flight was bizarre. It was a huge plane with two passengers. There was no food in the airport. The reason why the plane was larger was that it was used for cargo. It was filled with cars on the bottom floor!
Photo by Laurie Heifetz
Jet Tila, celebrity chef (“Food Network”)
I took my family to Hawaii in the height of Omicron, November/December of 2021. We were on the island of Oahu, which I love. We based ourselves at the Disney Resort, but we’d take day excursions. One callout excursion families need to know is Kamoauli, a 100-year old wooden canoe from Tonga staffed with teachers and native experts who tell the history. Basically, you’re whale watching, while they’re preparing native foods and teaching native history. It’s like a luau in a boat!
Photo by Laurie Heifetz
Photo by Pat Lambert
Deana Martin, singer-actor
My trip to Toronto last year was fantastic! I had light drinks — “sippy-poos,” as my dad would say — on the plane because you didn’t have to have your mask on. I did a debut of the documentary, “Dean Martin, King of Cool,” and won the IItalian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF) Excellence Award. It was one of those experiences where you go to this party and this press conference. We had excellent meals in Toronto.
Interviewed in NYC at: “Taste of the Upper West Side”; “Live with Kelly & Ryan”; “The Hug” statue unveiling for me2music.org’s “Monumental Moments” at Lincoln Center; CAMP’s flagship store Visit California media event; and Frank Sinatra’s birthday party at Patsy’s Italian Restaurant.
The interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity.
Preheat that oven ladies and gentlemen, because we have some recipes that you are not going to want to miss.
Sbe hosted the 4th annual Taste of sbe virtually this December and oh, was it a treat! The annual culinary event featured star chefs Dani Garcia, Masaharu Morimoto, Dario Cecchini, and Jose Icardi. Each chef was paired up with a celebrity guest for an interactive at-home culinary experience.
Attendees could purchase tickets to attend the 4 evenings of virtual cooking sessions, starting at $50 for all 4 sessions, and the proceeds helped restaurants and chefs struggling financially due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Each chef shared exclusive recipes to one of their signature dishes, and attendees were able to recreate the dishes in the comfort of their own homes (and probably pajamas.)
Celebrity guests included Nick Jonas, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Giuliana Rancic and Dutch designer Marcel Wanders.
We had the opportunity to speak with three (!!!) Michelin Star awarded chef, Dani Garcia, who was paired with Nick Jonas. Are we Jealous he got to cook with Nick? Yes, yes we are.
Check out the full interview with Chef Dani Garcia below.
The Knockturnal: What are you most looking forward to about the Taste of sbe?
Chef Dani Garcia: To be able to share our passion for food as well as our Mediterranean influence partnering with this great brand that is sbe and the celebrities they have partnered with. I hope one day we can also do a chef collaboration between all chefs that sbe has partnerships with. This is a crucial time and we are so thrilled to be able to highlight the cuisine of our restaurants through this virtual event.
The Knockturnal: Is there any particular celebrity you look forward to working with?
Chef Dani Garcia: If I had to choose I would say Nick Jonas, very talented artist and hardworking individual, and of course we are paired together. We had a blast working together on this.
The Knockturnal: What is your favorite dish that you will be making? Can you please explain the dish?
Chef Dani Garcia: Whole marinated Sea Bass. This dish highlights my roots from Malaga while also introducing the influences of my travels. Fish is placed in an ¨adobo¨ or marinated with a base of acidity and paprika for at least 24 hours, then is fried and placed over its own fried bones. Something I remember seeing for the first time in one of my travels in Asia. Very flavourful dish.
The Knockturnal: When did you begin cooking? What was the “aha” moment when you realized you wanted to become a chef?
Chef Dani Garcia: I´ve always enjoyed cooking, I remember being a young kid and seeing my mother and grandmother cook, but the moment that I truly decided to focus on it as a profession was at 16 years old. I began by studying in cooking school.
The Knockturnal: Which chef is your biggest inspiration?
Chef Dani Garcia: I have three main inspirations: Ferran Adria, Nobu and Robuchon. These are three chefs that are always looking to break barriers in their own way.
The Knockturnal: What advice do you have for someone that wants to become a chef?
Chef Dani Garcia: To follow their dreams, always. It is a very hard profession and there will always be moments and situations they will have to conquer. There are always naysayers and people with opinions, but the dream is always the most important part to conquer all.
Did you miss the event and the chance to see Nick Jonas in the kitchen? Don’t worry! Sbe will be streaming the virtual event for 30 days. So go grab your apron and get ready to check out the event here.
Celebrity world-renowned chef, Tom Colicchio, hosted an intimate dinner at Little River NYC for guests to try out his new sauce collections in partnership with The Jersey Tomato Company.
Wednesday night, I found myself on 55th and 6th avenue, at the electrifying and grandiose opening of Wagamama’s newest location.
Stella Artois has partnered with Chef Marcus Samuelsson to raise awareness of the global water crisis.
CityView hosted the second annual Celebrity Chef Tennis Challenge on August 26 at the Racquet Club.