What the Chef Eats
Recipe by Mary Kay Waters, owner, Waters Fine Foods & Catering I definitely grew up thinking about food. My father planted apple and pear trees, and all winter we had apples and vegetables in our …
Recipe by Daniel Manrique, executive chef, the Red Door To tell you the truth, my mother wasn’t a good cook. I started to cook for my little sister by the time I was nine or …
Recipe by Bradrick “Coop” Cooper of Coop’s West Texas Barbecue I’ve always had this thing for cooking. I grew up in San Diego with my mom. She and my aunt owned a soul-food restaurant in …
Recipe by Ben Diaz, Executive Chef, McCormick & Schmicks at The Omni Hotel My father was a chef. When I was about 15, he used to bring me into his kitchen to peel potatoes. I …
Recipe by Colin Maclaggan, executive chef and owner, Avenue 5 Restaurant I’ve always enjoyed cooking. I grew up in Serra Mesa, and at family gatherings, the action was always in the kitchen. Even in college, …
Recipe by Rene Herbeck, executive chef, Au Revoir Bistro My dad was in the Foreign Legion and when he was in Vietnam, he met my mother. I was born there and lived in Vietnam until …
Recipe by Anthony Sinsay, executive chef, Harney Sushi, Old Town I come from an Asian and Filipino background. My dad was in the Navy for 17 years and was the cook in our house. He …
Recipe by Roberto Gerbino, Executive Chef, Il Fornaio, Del Mar If you ask me what age I started cooking, I will tell you I was born in a restaurant. My father had a restaurant and …
Recipe by Mark Pelliccia, chef and co-owner, 25Forty Bistro & Bakehouse Many chefs cook the kind of food they like to eat. I am simple when it comes to the food I eat. Eggplant parmigiano …
Recipe by Craig Jimenez, executive chef, Craft & Commerce I never thought cooking would be a career. It wasn’t until I failed miserably at a T-shirt business when I was in my 20s did I …
Recipe by Chef Evan Cruz, executive chef, Pacifica Del Mar For me, it’s a funny story. I was going to become a chiropractor. But when I was going to chiropractic school, I got into a …