Celebrity Chefs

East Meets West

By

ming_tsai_pic.JPG

Born on March 29, 1964, Ming Tsai was never a stranger to great food. His family owned a restaurant called the Mandarin Kitchen in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio. Ming Tsai worked alongside his parents gaining valuable experience.

Ming Tsai has a degree in mechanical engineering from Yale. He also holds a masters degree from Cornell University where he studied Hotel Administration and Hospitality Marketing. He studied under renowned Pastry Chef Pierre Herme in Paris and he later studied with Sushi Master Kobayashi in Osaka between earning his two degrees.

Ming Tsai had been exposed to East West cooking when he was in Paris. He gained more exposure to it when he worked at Silks, the Mandarin Oriental San Francisco’s east west restaurant, as a sous chef. Later he moved to Palo Alto, California where he served as the executive chef of the Ginger Club before moving again. This time he moved to Santa Fe to serve as executive chef of the Santacafe where he was honored as best chef.

Ming Tsai and his wife Polly now own their own restaurant, the Blue Ginger in Wellesley Massachusetts. It has earned many awards including three stars from the Boston Globe and Ming Tsai was honored 2002 Best Chef Northeast by the James Beard Foundation.

Ming Tsai has written three cookbooks. Blue Ginger East Meets West Cooking with Ming Tsai made it to the Food and Wine Magazine top 25 best cookbooks of 1999. His second book Simply Ming was published in 2003 and his third book Ming’s Master Recipes was released in 2004.

Ming Tsai first appeared on TV via the Food Network where he hosted the show East Meets West. The show won him an Emmy in 1998. Currently he hosts and produces the TV cooking show Simply Ming which was awarded the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award in 2005. You can also watch him on his other show, Ming’s Quest.

Ming Tsai is also a founding member of Chefs for Humanity, a charity organization created in response to the needs of those devastated by the tsunami in 2005. They organize fund raising and relief activities for those in need around the world.

Wolfgang Puck’s Food Chosen For Traveler’s Meals

By

puck-sm.jpg
One area that is very important when you are a regular traveler is the food area of any airport. You sometimes have a lot of time to kill between flights and you may want to grab a bite to eat while you wait. Thankfully, gone are the days when you would have to make do with just greasy food or the vendo machine.

If you are flying out from the T.F. Greenstate Airport in Rhode Island, you will get to enjoy the food made by Wolfgang Puck. Opening in October, the Wolfgang Puck Gourmet Express is an open-air style cafe. The menu includes the chef’s famous pizzas, soups and salads for traveler‘s enjoyment. Yummy!

The time may not go any faster (this is definitely beyond Chef Puck’s abilities) but thanks to his creativeness and dedication to quality, the waiting will definitely be a lot tastier. You may not even notice the time because the food is sure to be good.

More Michelin Stars For Gordon Ramsey

By

gordon_ramsay.jpg
It is an honor for any establishment to be granted a Michelin star. Earning Michelin Stars is like winning the Oscars or A Golden Globe for the professional cooking world and restaurants. Gordon Ramsey must be proud that two more of his establishments have been added to the book and awarded Michelin Stars.

Petrus is run by Gordon Ramsay’s protege, Marcus Wareing. It is one of only two restaurants to gain the honor of being added to the 2007 edition with two Michelin Stars. La Noisette, the newest of Ramsay’s restaurant is one of only thirteen to be given a Michelin Star this year.

There are only three restaurants in the country to have been given three Michelin Stars – the most coveted prize. One of these restaurants is Gordon Ramsay’s eponymous restaurant. Ramsay has 5 more restaurants with One Michelin Star each.

Gordon Ramsay must be well pleased with how his year is shaping up.