Awards Watch: Reception Chefs Q & A

by jbfauthor on April 27, 2010

The 2010 JBF Awards are just days away, and we're so excited to see our reception chefs and taste what they have in store for us. In anticipation of the big shindig, we picked these cooks' brains about everything from where they first toiled in the restaurant industry to their lofty ambitions. Perhaps the most amusing discovery was that chefs—whom many of us expect to possess an indiscriminate love for all things food—can still be picky eaters. Look below to see some of their aversions: "Canned tuna.  No matter how “good” any brand is, it is always terrible." –Christopher DiMinno, Clyde Common, Portland, OR "Greasy food." –Noriyuki Sugie, IRONNORI, Venice, CA "Balut." –Kevin Binkley, Binkley’s Restaurant, Cave Creek, AZ "Savory ice creams and sorbets." –Pastry Chef Dahlia Narvaez, Mozza, Los Angeles "I don’t like anything with a base of dark chocolate." –JBF Award Winner Jean François Bruel, Daniel, NYC "Any food prepared without love. You must respect food no matter how insignificant it may seem." –Sam Mason, NYC "Chicken feet and cantaloupe." –James Kent, Eleven Madison Park, NYC and U.S.A.’s Bocuse d’Or Representative "Chicken feet. I love to cook with them but hate to eat them." –Eric Klein, Spago, Las Vegas "Poi." –Andy Nusser, Tarry Lodge, Port Chester, NY "I detest American canned tuna and truffle oil." –Michael Tusk, Quince, San Francisco "I’m not crazy about liver and onions." –Priscila Satkoff, Salpicón, Chicago "Pseudo-Japanese dishes that claim to be Japanese food. And Japanese dishes prepared by Japanese chefs who obstinately reject all culinary elements besides those that are Japanese." –Isao Yamada, Upstairs at Bouley, NYC