Gala Chef Q & A: Melissa Perello

by JBF Editors on May 06, 2013

Melissa Perello, Frances, San Francisco

What’s your go-to guilty-pleasure food?

Ice cream and doughnuts.

Describe the last great meal you ate.

Some memorable dishes of late: tiger salad from Mission Chinese, chicory salad with dates and crispy chicken skin at Rich Table, smoked potatoes with pickled ramp mayo at Bar Tartine,a guinea hen dumpling at State Bird Provisions, yogurt at Manka’s Inverness Lodge, and a Meyer lemon semifreddo that my pastry chef made.

What’s the dish you’re most proud of?

I like to think that I dominate in the whole soup category.

What’s your favorite movie snack?

Salty buttered popcorn (homemade when possible).

What’s your earliest food memory?

My grandmother’s peanut brittle.

What do you eat for breakfast?

Does coffee count?

What’s your... Read more >

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America's Classic: Frank Fat's

by JBF Editors on May 06, 2013

806 L Street, Sacramento, CA 
Owners: the Fat Family

Frank Fat’s is a political landmark in California, once known as the “Third House” and one of Sacramento’s oldest restaurants. It serves Chinese-American food and is renowned for honey- walnut prawns; Frank’s-style New York steak (grilled, sliced, and smothered in sautéed onions and oyster sauce); Fat’s brandy fried chicken; and banana cream pie.

Kevin Hefner, writing about the restaurant’s 70th anniversary in 2009 in Capitol Weekly, said: “The restaurant often was the site of political meetings that, according to some, sometimes accomplished more than those in the Capitol. The most notable of these deals was the “Napkin Deal” of 1987, written on the back of a napkin by the participants that defined a multimillion-dollar pact between the lawyers, insurers, doctors, and business interests over tort reform.”

Willie Brown, former assembly Speaker and San Francisco mayor, recalls that it was the place... Read more >

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Winner Recap!

by JBF Editors on May 06, 2013

Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America Inductee: Eric Asimov, Author and Journalist, NYC

Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America Inductee: Dorothy Kalins, Editor, NYC

Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America Inductee: Barbara Lynch, Chef and Restaurateur, Boston

Best Chef: South: Tory McPhail, Commander’s Palace, New Orleans

Best Chef: West: Christopher Kostow, The Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena, CA

Lifetime Achievement Recipient: Cecilia Chiang

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Gala Chef Q & A: Thomas McNaughton

by JBF Editors on May 06, 2013

Thomas McNaughton, Flour + Water, San Francisco

What’s your go-to guilty-pleasure food?

Pita chips and spicy hummus. Though when in Jersey, pork roll sandwiches.

Describe the last great meal you ate.

I finally took some days off and went to Sayulita, Mexico. Margaritas and tacos on the beach were exactly what I needed.

What’s the dish you’re most proud of?

It’s hard to say. We’re constantly trying to evolve our dishes, and they’re always changing. Perfection is a journey and not an end goal.

What’s your favorite movie snack?

Salumi and cheese at home.

What’s your earliest food memory?

It’s funny because I’m now obsessed with natural fermentation, but as a kid I hated pickles. If my burger came with a pickle and it was touching the fries, I wouldn’t even touch the fries.

What do... Read more >

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