Chef’s Kitchens « Gourmet and Comfort Food Blog by Two Hot Potatoes

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Chef Graham Dodds Kitchen

Wednesday March 14th 2012

Meet Graham Dodds, award winning Executive Chef from Central 214.

You might recognize him from the glossy magazine features in American Way, D Magazine, and even Bon Appetit has tipped their hat to the chef who prides himself on using locally sourced ingredients as much as he possibly can. And, from the look inside his personal fridge, his farm to table lifestyle is carried right on home with him.

A few highlights I’d like to point out in Chef Dodds’s fridge now: Jean’s Raspberry Jam (his Moms preserves), and Homemade Bacon! Hello gorgeous!

Hi Graham, we’ll start with something easy. What was for dinner last night?
Cheese lasagna with garlic bread

Sounds great, we’re suckers for cheese, garlic and pasta! Speaking of favs, what are three ingredients you always keep on hand in your kitchen or pantry?
I’ve always got Honey, Cheese & Bacon

That homemade bacon in your fridge right now looks fantastic! With the spring/summer season fast approaching – what seasonal ingredients are you most looking forward to utilizing & what would you do with them?
Fava Beans – they are so labor intensive but I adore them. I like to make a fava bean puree – it’s smooth like hummus, but it has mint, parmesan and truffle oil. Also looking forward to Green Garlic – it may just be the best ingredient on the planet.

What is the most unique condiment in your fridge?
My mom makes preserves, so I always have a jar of her preserves on hand. Great on toast, in oatmeal and spooned over ice cream or greek yogurt.

We know you’ve cooked all over the world, and both Sarah & I love to travel so we’re dying to know your favorite dining destination city (outside of Dallas, of course)?
New York City – it’s the ultimate place to eat – can’t get enough of it!

Well Sarah and I won’t argue with that. Thanks for letting us peek inside your personal kitchen Graham! Next time we’re going to ask for a look inside your beehives…

Chef Scott Gottlich

Tuesday September 20th 2011

It’s that time again! Time to peak into the refrigerator of one of our favorite Dallas chefs – Scott Gottlich.

Isn’t he handsome?

I met Scott a few months ago on my first trip to Bijoux. Bijoux had been on my radar for a long time, and I’d heard really great things, but for some reason I hadn’t gotten around to dining there. But after spending a romantical, undeniably uh-mazing meal there for my 31st birthday I seriously can’t wait to return. Scott Gottlich and his team did not disappoint.

Considering his background, it’s no surprise I loved the meal from Scott. After culinary school, working for Chef Tim Goodell at Auberge in California then working for my dream chef boyfriend Mr. Eric Ripert at Le Bernadin in New York, Scott landed in the Big D at one of my old Dallas favorites – Lola. And after Lola he consulted at Toulouse – another favorite of mine.

Scott opened Bijoux in 2006 and partnered to open the highly acclaimed Second Floor Bistro at the Westin Galleria in 2009. So he’s a busy man.

But most importantly, what’s in chef Scott’s fridge?

So Chef Scott, tell us what you had for dinner last night. We’re always curious to know where chef’s dine.
Tacos at Torchy’s Tacos with my two boys.

Yum, we like Torchy’s as well. Now that it’s finally starting to cool off in Dallas tell us what your favorite fall craving is.
Kohlrabi.

Okay, I honestly had to look that one up. The word kohlrabi is German for cabbage turnip (kohl as in cole-slaw, and rübe for turnip) though kohlrabi is more related to cabbage and cauliflower than to root vegetables. You might have to whip us up a kohlrabi dish this fall so we can see what that craving is all about.

We know you’re busy, so you have to eat leftovers at some point. What dish do you think tastes better as a leftover?
Spaghetti with red sauce.

Agreed. I even like it cold. Is there something that is ALWAYS in your fridge or freezer?
Milk and corn dogs…I have a five and two year old.

What’s the one thing you wish was in your fridge right now?
Nancy’s Camembert.

This hot potato has a cheese weakness as well. Speaking of weakness, what’s your least favorite kitchen chore?
Cleaning any kind of pots or pans.

Totally agree. I love to cook and hate to clean. Thanks again for showing us the inside of your fridge and answering a few of our super tough, investigative questions.

Readers can experience the culinary brilliance of Chef Scott Gottlich at either Bijoux or The Second Floor.

Chef's Kitchen: David Anthony Temple

Friday July 1st 2011

Who dat wit dem underground dinners? Chef DAT, that’s who.

Chef David Anthony Temple (a.k.a. DAT) has stirred up quite a following with his underground dinners in the past few months. DAT creates a dining experience unlike any you’ll experience in the metroplex.

Here’s how it works- If you’re on the “list” you’ll get an email early in the week describing what he has in store to offer for a 5-12 course menu. If you’re intrigued, then you simply write him back to confirm your seats. The day of the dinner you will be sent the address for the secret location, and when you arrive with a bottle of wine be ready to mingle with other wonderful folks with the same in common as you- a love of excellent food prepared to perfection.

If you haven’t been to one of the secret dinner soirees yet, then you can contact him here to get on the email chain. I suggest you reserve your seat for these dinners at first word- they fill up fast!

I got to sit down with DAT recently over a glass of vino and here is what I learned about this underground chef’s personal kitchen.

Chef's Kitchen: Diane Fourton

Wednesday April 27th 2011

We first officially met Diane and her partner Justin Fourton at the Chef’s for Farmers Dallas event last March. They were the crowd favorite at this cafeteria-style line up of chef’s around Dallas. And they won over the group with their tender-juicy burnt ends and the banana pudding. Sarah and I were quite impressed and intrigued to learn about this hot spot serving up Southern home cooking in the farmers market downtown. So after a few tasty trips out to Pecan Lodge I wanted to dig a little deeper and see what these southern chef’s keep on hand in their own kitchen.

Hi Diane, tell us – what did you have dinner last night?
Grilled shrimp with black beans, yucca and plantains.

What are 3 ingredients you always keep on hand in your kitchen?
Mexican vanilla, bacon, and wine (and not necessarily in that order).

Easter was just last Sunday, what was on your holiday menu?
Brown Bag Ham (my MIL, Sally Walls’ recipe), Deviled Eggs stuffed with white cheddar-cilantro pimento cheese, Pecan Lodge Mac ‘n Cheese, Mini Coconut Cream Pies, plus various and sundry dishes prepared by family and friends joining us for the holiday.

Sounds like a good ol’ southern Sunday feast to me! What are some of your other favorite holiday food traditions?
I make my grandmother’s cornbread dressing every year on Thanksgiving. The smell of sage or vanilla always reminds me of her. She was a fantastic cook.

What’s the most unique cooking technique you’ve ever tried?
I once made grilled cheese sandwiches and scrambled eggs outdoors using nothing but a cast iron skillet heated by the mid-August Texas sun. I call it Plein Air Cooking. Just kidding. I didn’t do that.

Ha ha- That reminds me of kindergarten when I tried frying an egg on the sidewalk using the heat of the hot summer sun. It was a gooey disaster. My parents weren’t too happy about it either, they made me clean up the stinky mess when they discovered it later that afternoon. Have you ever experienced any kitchen disasters?
Managed to catch my hair on fire a few times. No kidding. I really did that.

Wow, the smell of burnt hair and sidewalk-fried eggs is not too appetizing. What’s one thing you hope to never eat again?
I’m going to go with tripe.

Amen to that! Good thing we don’t have to worry about tripe popping up on the PL menu anytime soon. We’ll be sure to catch back up with you for big helping of southern comfort and a side of your Aunt Polly’s banana pudding soon though. Thanks for sharing with us Diane!

For more from Diane and her partner Justin be sure you check them out at Pecan Lodge nestled in the Farmers Market downtown (in shed 2).

Chef Kent Rathbun's Kitchen

Friday January 14th 2011

Our next Chef’s Kitchen interviewee is a pretty well known figure here in the Dallas dining scene. If you haven’t heard Kent Rathbun‘s name before, then surely you’ve heard of at least one of his many restaurants across town: Abacus, Jasper’s, Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen, and Zea Woodfire Grill. Not to mention he recently launched a new food product line.

Yes, Kent Rathbun is definitely “the man” when it comes to dining in Dallas – whether it’s frequenting one of his many restaurants, or cooking at home, recreating his renowned dishes with the delectable sauces and seasonings from his Elements collection. We’ve heard of the legendary soirees Chef Rathbun has thrown down at his penthouse in The Heights at Park Lane (if you’re friends with him on facebook you can sneak a peak at the amazing views). So we were especially excited to see what was tucked inside this chef’s high in the sky penthouse kitchen.

Read more…

Chocolatier Zach Townsend's Kitchen

Friday December 17th 2010

At the Chefs for Farmers event in Fort Worth we had the grand pleasure of eating Zach Townsend’s chocolate pave creation as our final course. This was a chocolate dessert unlike any other. Rich with a perfect slight bitterness, creamy, indulgent, but not so overwhelmingly so that I didn’t finish the entire dish.

But who is Zach Townsend? And did I really care after he induced me into a full blown chocolate coma? Not really. But now that I’ve recovered, I can’t wait to try another one of his creations from Pure Chocolate Desserts (which actually has more options than just chocolate). And to learn a bit more about Zach, I obviously went to the most reputable source: Twitter @ZachTownsend.

According to this trusted news source Zach has been a pretty busy guy lately. He recently posted a picture of a giant Chocolate Nutmeg Buche de Noël, more of his famous Chocolate Pave, Valrhona Dark Chocolate Cognac Truffles that he made as wedding favors AND he also recently delivered desserts for former President George W. Bush and his staff for their lunch. Seriously? This guy is a chocolate wonder.

And he’s beyond legitimate. He studied by taking baking and chocolate courses at the Cordon Bleu in Paris, France and is a graduate of the Ecole Chocolat Professional School of Chocolate Arts. I’m not sure how DFW was lucky enough to be his landing spot, but we sure hope he sticks around.

So of course we just had to know- what does a fabulous chocolatier like Zach like to keep on hand in his personal kitchen…?

Chef Matt McCallister's Kitchen

Monday December 13th 2010

I was lucky enough to pick the brain of Matt McCallister, former executive chef of Stephen Pyles, at the Chef’s for Farmers dinner last weekend, and it was such a pleasure to hear about what gets him stirring in the kitchen.

Matt just had his last day at Stephan Pyles namesake restaurant about a week ago, and while we are all extremely sad to see him leave – we are even more excited to hear about all of his “staging” adventures across the nation over the next year or so.

He’s kicking off his culinary tour at McCrady’s in Charleston, South Carolina with James Beard award-winning chef Sean Brock. Then he moves on to Napa Valley for the rest of the summer, working with the legendary French Laundry chef Thomas Keller. After that, potentially Alinea in Chicago, and Daniel in NY. Could this possibly be the best of the best staging tour across America?

I can’t wait to see what McCallister is going to start up in Dallas after his staging tour is over. Until then, he’s enjoying a little quality time at home. Here’s a peak inside what’s cooking at the McCallister household these days.

Two Hot Potatoes Kitchen

Wednesday December 8th 2010

We figured we can’t very well be asking to see the inside of our favorite chef’s kitchens without sharing ours first. So to kick off our new Chef’s Kitchen category Sarah and I took the time to interview each other, and below is an exclusive look inside these Two Hot Potatoes refrigerators. Enjoy.

Peak inside >>

Coming Soon!

Thursday December 2nd 2010

Stay tuned for a sneak peak at the inside of all your favorite chef’s kitchens! In this new category we’ll be peaking inside the personal kitchens of our favorite chefs from around town to see what they like to keep on hand in their own homes, and interviewing them to find out what lights them up in the kitchen.

So, which Dallas chefs are you most intrigued to get to know?

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