Chef Preeti Mistry runs Charlie’s Café at Google in her job as an Executive Chef for Bon Appétit Management Company. An average day on her job includes 2000 made-from-scratch, seasonal, farm-fresh meals. Both Google and Bon Appetit have made a strong commitment to local farm-sourced ingredients as well as sustainable practices in the kitchen. Will Chef Preeti be able to bring the green to Top Chef Season Six? We ask her in this Eat. Drink. Better. interview.

EDB: 1. As your bio on the Bon Apeiti site quotes you, “…  my commitment to how I source my ingredients and more importantly why has been reinforced in such a way that I don’t think I could cook any other way.” Were local sourcing and a sustainable approach available to you in the Top Chef competition, and if not, how did you adjust to the change and not being able to source ingredients?

Chef Preeti: Honestly, it was quite difficult because we are essentially given the ingredients we are given, and one does not have a choice if the ingredients are part of the challenge.  Furthermore, when allowed to purchase our own ingredients there was not an option of where to source them from.  I adjusted by focusing on what looked good and healthy. Not much grows in a dessert so at the end of the day you look at what products do not seem like they have traveled too far or been sitting around for too long.

Interview continues after the jump.

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The Bravo TV Series, Top Chef, is one of the highest rated food shows on television right now, and it all started with Season 1 where Harold Dieterle won over the judges and emerged as one of the hottest new chefs in the country world.  But despite the fame and celebrity status that has ensconced him since his big win, Harold remains the picure of humility, reaffirming his commitment to hard work, passion for cooking and his one true love, food.

Although I spent most of season 1 swooning over him his dishes, I put on my journalist’s cap and was the picture pf professionalism in conducting an interview with him (thanks to Divya Gugnani, founder of Behind the Burner) where I learned that it takes more than just skills to create a culinary masterpiece.  It takes heart.  And that’s something Harold has by the measuring cup full.

Favorite indulgent food: Sun Chips & Ben Jerry’s Ice Cream

Favorite healthy food: Ripe Fresh Fruit

One kitchen tool you can’t live without: Vita Prep Blender

One ingredient you can’t live without: Salt

Your cooking philosophy in one sentence: Love it and it will do whatever you want
 
I couldn’t start out the interview without talking about Top Chef. What was it like to win such a fiercely competitive and high profile competition?

It was a great honor to be recognized by influential people in the food industry.  

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Behind the Burner brings us another beacon of culinary mastery, Gavin Kaysen, a renowned chef whose vibrant vegetarian dishes are as notable as he is, and whose unique approach to simplicity brings unexpected boldness to his creations.

Currently the Executive Chef at one of New York City’s premier dining destinations, Café Bouloud, Gavin blends international flair with practical application, and shares his real world tips, tricks and secrets from the celebrated chefs and famed kitchens that he’s had the honor to grace from around the globe.  From Food and Wine’s esteemed best new chefs listing to a stint on Iron Chef and dozens of other accolades in between, this modern day renaissance chef is full of surprises, and I had the chance to sit down with the man himself to learn more about why this promising young chef is one to watch.  And why he can equip you the tools, the confidence, and the kitchen know-how for carving your own culinary visions. (Your own restaurant not required.)

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As part of our Behind the Burner food series, I had the unbelievable opportunity to chat with John DeLucie, Executive Chef and Partner of one of New York City’s top celebrity hang outs, The Waverly Inn, a spot so exclusive, the dining is by invitation only.

Needless to say, this gastronomic gem has catered to the highest of high profile crowds, making it a venue to see and be seen while serving up some of the most extraordinary cuisine this side of Eden.  But thanks to the passion of Divya Gugnani, chef, foodie and founder of Behind The Burner, a website that brings the most coveted tips and trends in the culinary scene to the masses, dining like a star is as close as this blog post.

So, read on as we literally go Behind the Burner of the Waverly Inn and inside the creative mastermind that has turned dining into a red carpet event.  

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