There’s nothing like a warming bowl of chili on a cool fall day. That’s especially true if you’re tailgating with the family this fall, or just hanging with the crew over the weekend. The thing is, chili has about a million variations. So to help you sift through it all, we’re dropping a very easy yet delicious classic chili recipe (with beans, if you like).
Below, I’m breaking down a classic ground beef chili recipe (I’m using ground bison). I know that real Tejano chili is made with stew meat and a chili paste base. I’m not making that. Sorry, Texans. But if you want to make that version, here’s a great recipe right here. This is about classic chili that you can easily make without braising or making your own chili paste. All of this is easy to find and creates a great-tasting and very satisfying bowl of chili.
Yes, with beans if you want. Don’t let anyone police your chili choices.
The best part is that this is pretty low-impact when it comes to cooking. You’ll need to prep for about 30 minutes to get this on the simmer. Then it’s just a matter of simmering for an hour or two until it’s thick and spicy. Let’s dive in!
Check Out These Other Recipes From Flavored For You:
2 dried ancho chilis (rehydrated and finely diced)
1 yellow bell pepper (finely diced)
1 yellow onion (finely diced)
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. Kosher salt
2 tbsp. black pepper
15 oz. can black beans (drained)
15 oz. can pinto beans (drained)
Neutral Oil
All of these ingredients are readily available at any grocery store. Even though I’m using ground bison, you should be able to get that at any grocery store or Costco these days too.
Optional:
Add cayenne pepper to taste. A full tablespoon will give you a solid heat that might make you break a sweat. A teaspoon will still be hot but not burning hot. I like a large pinch (maybe a small or half teaspoon) as it adds a light warmth without a burning heat. Remember, you can always add more heat later in the bowl, you can’t take it away though.
What You’ll Need:
Large pot
Cutting board
Kitchen knife
Small bowl (with lid)
Collander
Wooden spoon
Method:
Boil some water and cover the dried chilis in a small bowl with a lid, allowing the hot water to rehydrate the chilis. Let sit for about 15 minutes.
In the meantime, finely dice the onion and bell pepper.
Put the large pot on medium-high heat with about a tablespoon of neutral oil. Add the onion and bell pepper with a large pinch of salt. Cook until the onion is translucent.
Take the dried chilis out of the water and finely dice. Add the chilis to the onion and bell peppers and cook until very fragrant. Add the chili-steeped water to the onion-chili mix and simmer off, infusing the base with a deep chili flavor.
Move the onion and chili pepper mix to the side of the pot and then add the ground beef (or bison). Add salt and pepper. Brown the beef and mix in the onions and peppers. Allow to cook while the liquid from the meat simmers off (about 10 minutes).
Once the meat is sizzling, add the spices and stir into the meat. Add the crushed tomatoes, broth, and beans and stir until well combined. Turn the heat down to medium and bring the chili to a low simmer.
Allow to simmer until the liquid is simmered off and the chili is thick (about an hour) while stirring occasionally. Once thickened, salt and pepper to taste if needed.
Serve (in a bowl, over rice, baked potatoes, or hot dogs with diced onion and shredded sharp cheddar cheese).
Bottom Line on the Chili:
Zach Johnston
This is good and hearty chili with a deep chili pepper warmth, but not burning hot. That means that you can taste the sweetness of the onion and bell pepper with the savoriness of the meat and tomato. The cumin, paprika, and oregano shine through with a classic taco truck spice vibe.
I like beans in my ground meat chili; I forgo them in a stew meat chili. You can easily remove the beans from this recipe if you’re so anti-bean in chili that you can’t handle them in there. I think they add a nice textural bite to the dish with a little extra fiber (and carbs and protein!). Still, telling people they can’t have beans in chili is up there with not letting people put ketchup on hot dogs or use flour tortillas with tacos.
All in all, this is the perfect fall meal. It’s a warming bowl of chili with just the right warmth. The fresh onion and cheddar help it go to the next level of flavor with a nice fresh crunch and cheesy counterpoint to the umami chili. Maybe some diced onions and a dollop of sour cream on top? Whew, you’re in bliss.
Doja Cat’s Scarlet Tour kicks off tonight in San Francisco and then, just days later, heads to her hometown, Los Angeles for a show at Staples Cen– Crypto.com Arena (groan). Downtown LA can be a madhouse at the best of times, so when one of the biggest stars in music comes to town, you know that getting to the arena — and parking near there — is going to be A LOT. Fortunately, we’ve got a handy guide for finding parking near Crypto.com Arena for Doja Cat’s Scarlet Tour show when it arrives.
First things first, you can head over to cryptoarena.com for an interactive parking map which presents the lots on Chick Hearn Court, L.A. Live Way, South Flower Street, and West Olympic Boulevard. Each of these lots is an official lot connected to Crypto.com Arena itself, but there are also plenty of independent lots in the downtown area within walking distance of the arena.
In fact, DTLA’s official website also has an interactive parking map of these lots, along with their respective prices. There are even a few on the other side of the 110 that only charge five bucks. Then, of course, there’s street parking, which is hard — but, from personal experience, not impossible — to find in the downtown area. Take advantage of this info to make sure you show up on time for both Doja and her opener, Doechii, who is also worth checking out (again, from personal experience) and have time to grab some of the tour’s merch, as well.
Family Business is BET’s crime drama based on the popular book series of the same name, which follows the complicated Duncan family who operate an exclusive car dealership in New York…while also living a dangerous, crime-fueled double life. Thanksgiving must be fun for them.
The first four seasons of the drama recently hit Netflix and the show already landed on the streamer‘s Top 10 list, so fans are itching for news on the upcoming fifth season.
Series creator Carl Weber recently updated his Facebook page (so retro) with some news regarding the series. He said, “I’ve been hibernating and working overseas while the writers were on strike. Now I’m just waiting and hoping the Actors settle so I can get back to work on Family Business TV show: we were about 40% finished with new season when things went to hell!” He explained. He also confirmed that the first four seasons of the series had dropped on Netflix, so now is the time to tune in before season five premieres.
As for when the new season will air, it’s hard to say, but Weber seems ready at any given moment. It also seems like the full cast is expected to return, including Ernie Hudson, Valerie Pettiford, Darrin Dewitt Henson, and Javicia Leslie.
A breastfeeding mother’s experience at Vienna’s Schoenbrunn Zoo is touching people’s hearts—but not without a fair amount of controversy.
Gemma Copeland shared her story on Facebook, which was then picked up by the Facebook page Boobie Babies. Photos show the mom breastfeeding her baby next to the window of the zoo’s orangutan habitat, with a female orangutan sitting close to the glass, gazing at them.
“Today I got feeding support from the most unlikely of places, the most surreal moment of my life that had me in tears,” Copeland wrote.
“I visited Schoenbrunn zoo in Vienna whilst on a mini-break with my partner and son. We nipped in to see the orangutans at the end of our day who were happily playing in the enclosure, so I went to the window for a closer look and sat down by the window so my lb could see the orangutan who was roughly 5/6ft away. She then got up, carried a piece of cloth to the window and sat down with me. She looked directly into my eyes then placed her hand up as if to touch my son. I was in awe of this beautiful creature already.“
“My son wanted feeding and as it was quiet I fed him whilst I sat there. The way the orangutan reacted took my breath away she kept looking at me, then my son then back again,” she continued. “She sat with me for approximately half an hour, kept stroking the glass and lay down next to me as if to support and protect me.
I had to share this because my mind was blown. We may be a species apart but breastfeeding connected us today in a once in a lifetime moment that will stay with me forever. I’m also incredibly lucky that my partner caught all of this on video 💕”
The Facebook page added a story about a gorilla being taught to breastfeed by women from La Leche League, an organization dedicated to supporting breastfeeders:
“Did you know that women from La Leche League once taught a mother gorilla to breastfeed? The Mamma gorilla had been born and raised in captivity and didn’t know what to do with her firstborn, and her baby sadly died. When she next became pregnant, breastfeeding women volunteered to sit beside the gorilla’s enclosure and breastfeed their babies, showing the gorilla what to do. When the gorilla gave birth, a volunteer came over and breastfed her baby, showing Mamma gorilla what to do, step by step. Mamma gorilla watched, and then copied, and went on to successfully feed her baby“
The story has been shared more than 37,000 times, with many commenters stating how beautiful and moving it was. Others, while appreciating the beauty of the animal encounter, expressed sadness at seeing such a creature in captivity. As with practically every post about animals in zoos, debate broke out over whether or not zoos are helpful or harmful to the animals they house.
And like most debates, people’s opinions fall along a broad spectrum. Some feel that zoos are the best way for people to learn about animals first-hand, which leads them to care more about protecting them in the wild. Some acknowledge that captivity isn’t ideal, but that many animals die individually or go extinct as species without the work they do. Some feel that it’s always wrong to keep an animal in captivity, no matter what. Even animal experts don’t agree on this front.
And not all zoos are created equal. Many zoos have moved more toward a rehabilitation and conservation model, and there’s no question that many animals who have been raised in captivity would not survive if they were suddenly released into the wild. There’s also the issue of whether trying to limit natural breeding in captivity falls under the ethical treatment of animals, as breeding is a natural animal instinct. And what about the animals that have gone extinct in the wild and can only be found in zoos? There are a million questions with a million unclear answers when it comes to zoos.
However there is one thing most can agree on. Whether or not you think zoos are helpful or harmful, necessary or not, they largely exist today because of human activity mucking with nature. The same nature that compels this creature to connect with a human mother, despite her unnatural surroundings. The same nature that humans are destroying to get palm oil for our cookies and soaps, leading orangutans to the brink of extinction. The same nature that we are all responsible for protecting.
Whether we find this story sweet or sad or something in between, the reality for orangutans in the wild is worth our attention. Visit www.theorangutanproject.org/ to learn more about how to help.
Actor, comedian, and self-proclaimed “voicetramentalist,” Michael Winslow was just about everywhere in the ’80s. His incredible ability to make sound effects with his voice and uncanny beatboxing skills landed him the role of officer Larvell Jones in all seven “Police Academy” movies.
He also did voiceover work in “Gremlins” and appeared in Mel Brooks’ “Spaceballs.”
But Winslow was forced to scale back his career in 1993 after the death of his first wife Belinda Church. As a single father, he had to stop appearing in films so he could spend more time with his children.
He continued to star in the occasional commercial, perform stand-up comedy, and make guest appearances, but he didn’t have the profile he once had.
Back in July of 2021, Winslow stepped back in the spotlight with a performance on “America’s Got Talent.” After some prodding from his son, he decided it would be the perfect venue to relaunch his career on television.
In the ’80s, he was known as “The Man of 10,000 Sound Effects,” but things have changed since then, he now claims to have “hundreds of thousands.”
“Now, after raising my two kids, I’m in a different phase. I think this is my time,” Winslow, 62, said on the episode. “And America’s Got Talent is the place for me to show the world I still have something to offer, I still have some sounds to make. There’s still room for a little more.”
Judge Simon Cowell was excited to see Winslow when he took the stage. “We know you!” Cowell exclaimed. “I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that you are here!”
Winslow then gave a stunning performance where he impersonated the chimes on an airplane, beatboxed to Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust,” and performed Jimi Hendrix’s version of “The Star Spangled Banner.” His performance was proof that after five decades in show business Winslow hasn’t lost a step and, in fact, he may be at his peak.
After his performance, Winslow won a standing ovation from the audience and four “gigantic yeses” from the panel.
“My life has changed again for the better, and I’ve gotten another blessing,” Winslow told Terry Crews after leaving the stage. America’s Got Talent is the place for me to show I still have something to offer. I’ve still got some sounds to make, and there’s still room for a little more.”
Winslow is a great reminder that sometimes when celebrities seem to fade away, it isn’t necessarily because they’re washed up or past their prime. They are humans with real challenges just like the rest of us and real-world events can affect their career trajectories. It’s great to see such a wonderful performer get another shot at the big time.
The Washington Commanders are having themselves a bit of a fire sale. After a 3-5 start, the Commanders have decided to unload some of their star defensive linemen on the rest of the league, acquiring some draft capital for next year in the process after investing heavily in that line recently.
Early on Tuesday, it was Montez Sweat who got moved to the Bears in a fairly surprising deal, given Chicago is struggling this season and didn’t figure to be buyers. For Sweat, who had 32 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks, the Commanders got a second round pick from the Bears, which could be a very good one.
Sources: The #Bears and #Commanders are in agreement on a massive trade for star pass-rusher Montez Sweat to land in Chicago in exchange for a 2nd round pick. pic.twitter.com/lyZOSMt3YG
Once Sweat got dealt, other teams began sniffing around and there were rumblings former No. 2 overall pick Chase Young could also be on the move. Sure enough, word broke on Tuesday afternoon that Young was headed to the San Francisco 49ers for a third round pick, as the Niners look to beef up a defense that has struggled some in recent weeks.
Sources: Former No. 2 overall pick #Commanders DE Chase Young is being traded to the #49ers. Incredible. Likely a mid-round pick in 2024.
Young has 15 tackles and five sacks on the season as he finally seems healthy again, and he’ll now work opposite Nick Bosa in San Francisco, as the two former Ohio State Buckeyes will look to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks. When he’s been able to be on the field, Young’s shown flashes of that superstar potential, but injuries have derailed the last two years prior to this one. In San Francisco, he’ll have a chance to reestablish himself as a premier rusher on a contender, while the Commanders will be looking to reset some things once again in the nation’s capital with a pair of picks in next year’s draft.
Diddy recently reflected on rumors surrounding his relationship with Jennifer Lopez years back during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. While he denied certain things, it is true that the two used to date — making frequent headlines and red carpet appearances along the way.
Here’s what to know about Diddy and J. Lo’s past relationship.
The two originally began dating around 1999 and stayed together for a few years. In 2001, they appeared in matching outfits at the MTV Video Music Awards, and Diddy was also by her side when she wore her iconic green dress.
However, Diddy and J. Lo also had chaotic moments. She reportedly spent hours in jail after Diddy was involved in a fight — and things escalated into a club shooting. Both were arrested.
“I was in this relationship with Puff where I was totally crying, crazy, and going nuts, it really took my whole life in a tailspin,” Lopez told Vibe Magazine in 2003 (via InStyle) about how he was unfaithful repeatedly. “I never caught him… but I just knew. He’d say he was going to a club for a couple of hours and then never come back that night.”
The romantic-comedy, written by Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner during his legendary run, is the Gilmore Girls of movies: peak fall vibes. It also has one of the most iconic scenes of any film released in the 1980s, when Sally (played by Meg Ryan) has a fake orgasm in front of Harry (Billy Crystal) in Katz’s Delicatessen. “I’ll have what she’s having.”
I (and Reiner’s mom) no longer want what she’s having, however, after The Daily Show swapped out Sally’s moans of fake pleasure with the indescribable grunts that have come out of Donald Trump’s mouth. I’m sorry in advance.
To mercifully get back to the original topic, Ryan’s son, The Boys star Jack Quaid, waited years before watching When Harry Met Sally for, um, obvious reasons. “I saw When Harry Met Sally for the first time recently,” he said in 2018. “Guys, when your mother has one of the most famous orgasm scenes of all time, you do not jump to the film, OK? I saw it because I was doing a rom-com, and that’s like the rom-com, and I watched it, and then afterwards I cried for so long, because I was so proud of her.” Quaid called his mom and told her “I’m so sorry I missed this movie.” She replied, “I’ve seen it like one time.”
That’s also the number of times I’ll ever watch “When Harry Met Donny.”
Next year, “Dance The Night” singer Dua Lipa is slated to make a starring cameo in the spy film Argylle. But, the musician’s avid fans are the true detectives. Today (October 31), Dua continued her cryptic album rollout with an update to previous video posts. According to rumors, the recording artist isn’t set to make her full musical return until 2024; she’s keeping her supporters on the edge of their seats with hints.
On her official X (formerly Twitter) account, Dua shared an extended teaser of her forthcoming single. Based on the coded message plastered at the end of the clip, the song appears to be titled “Houdini.”
Considering the mirrored effect applied to her past releases’ cover art on Apple Music, the apparent song name is the perfect fit. However, one of the entertainer’s top fan pages also offered another layer to the song’s title. The page pointed out the similarities in the forthcoming album’s imagery to Kate Bush’s The Dreaming, which the users emphasized also contains a record titled “Houdini.”
| Fans notice that the #DL3 imagery is similar to that of Kate Bush, particularly her album “The Dreaming”, which also features a track titled “Houdini” pic.twitter.com/Sirc5Y3Qp6
The page reposted a message Dua posted to her WhatsApp community page that could serve as another clue. “If you’re good enough, you’ll find a way. Love, 4-21-1,” read the note.
“I try to think about a perfect bite when I’m making a dish,” Sophie Dalah says. “It’s one thing to serve a steak… but you have to think about what’s acidic, what’s textural in the bite.”
Dalah thinks deeply about such matters. The private chef and founder of Sophie’s Table — an entertainment industry-beloved catering company — specializes in intimate family-style experiences and highly crafted cuisine, using food as a vessel for storytelling. For Dalah, it’s not enough to build a menu that follows simple parameters. Instead, she spins meals into conceptual journeys, each bursting with big ideas and yet never losing sight of deliciousness.
Recently, at Uproxx’s SOUND + VISION launch, Dalah referenced the event’s “Bourbon Tasting Library” by serving whipped “corn butter” — made with corn husks simmered in cream, strained, and churned by hand. It was an extraordinary level of effort just to underscore a connection with bourbon (also made with corn), but was in that simple (seeming) dish that Dalah revealed just how thoroughly she imagines all of the food she serves.
More than a month after the event (and with her cooking still hovering in our collective memories), we reached out to Dalah to talk about how her passion for food began, what drives her creativity in the kitchen, and why seasonal ingredients are your best culinary tool. She also provided a season-specific pickled carrots and tarragon recipe for you to make for the people in your life this fall.
So I come from a family of food people. We were all obsessed with food. My dad had a catering company in Australia, so I grew up sort of in that world a little bit, but I never would’ve imagined it was something that I was going to do professionally.
I was always obsessed with cooking. I was the kind of person who would come home on a Friday for Shabbat, I would make food for my entire family. I wanted to perfect xiaolongbao, and I wanted to make perfect dumplings for my family of seven. I just really loved it. I also had a food blog in school. It’s funny because even though I was really into it, it wasn’t ever something that I thought would be a career.
And then I moved to LA. I was out here acting, and I found myself cooking a lot and I just kept it up my entire life until one day I had an opportunity to cook for one family for a couple of months. And then from there, it was just word of mouth and I started cooking for multiple families and then it turned into events and then it’s just been growing and growing and building ever since.
You mentioned some of the dishes that you were experimenting with when you were younger. What cuisine do you think unlocked the possibilities of what cooking could be for you? What’s something that inspired you and deepened your love for food?
Well, my dad did this thing every day when we were kids, I still look back at it, it was one of my most loving memories. He would come home and make my entire family a huge bowl of Israeli salad. It was perfectly diced. I would come home from school and he’d be just sitting there and cutting Israeli salad. And it’s kind of the whole reason why I think I have great knife skills.
I’ve always wanted to make my Israeli salad the same as my dad’s. I always wanted to make it perfect like he did, and I would show him my job, I’d show him what I was doing. He’d be like, “No, cucumber needs to be smaller.” And it was just… I don’t know, I think I became really into cooking because I loved the ability to get better at something and to make something more perfect all the time. My whole family is into that.
You bring something to the table and we talk analytically about what it was and if it was good or what we could do differently next time. That’s how I got into food.
My dad was born in Baghdad but grew up in Israel and I really love cooking Middle Eastern flavors. When I was in school I wouldn’t eat regular toast in the morning, like toast, butter, and Vegemite. I would come downstairs and I would make myself green tea, and soba noodles every single morning, and I would ice them and everything.
I’m a peculiar person. I look back and I’m like, “Yeah, that was weird.”
Who makes the better Israeli salad now?
Definitely still my dad.
Would he agree?
Definitely. Or… I don’t know, he probably wouldn’t. He’d probably say “she does a good one, she does a good salad” but there’s something in his salad that makes it special.
So tell me about Sophie’s Table and the main ethos of your catering company.
Well, the main ethos for the catering company is that I like to bring beautiful food into people’s homes and I like to work with brands and figure out what it is that they’re doing, what they’re trying to achieve… A lot of these brands and these events are trying to launch a new product, and I love to find out what it is and bring that through the food as well. So trying to make the food as much of the experience that is tied to the brand as possible.
Then sometimes clients just want me to go to the market, see what looks good, and make something based off of that. I love working with people and figuring out what they want and making their hosting experience feel really special, ’cause I love hosting. For me, it comes so naturally.
I love doing it, and so I feel like I give people help and confidence to do that in their own homes or at their events.
Where does that storytelling aspect come from? Why is that an important component for you to latch onto these products and think about how to incorporate what you do into another brand?
It allows me to be creative because it puts me within parameters. It gives me great starting off points, and making sure that every event is different puts into perspective what I’m trying to do. I just think it allows for greater creativity and a more unique event and that’s why it’s cool to me.
I was looking into your website and I noticed you mentioned a lot about seasonal dishes. I saw that you think the best food is the food that’s in season.
Yes, absolutely.
I’m the same way. I’m always complaining to people when they’re buying strawberries off-season. It’s like, why are you even buying strawberries right now?
Oh my God! My mom does it all the time. It’s so frustrating. It’s so frustrating. I’m like, “Mom, why are there plums? It’s winter. This is Australia.” She’s like, “Oh, they brought the cherries in from America.” And I’m like, “Mom, that is so bad. Just wait for cherry season.”
You might not have a favorite but I wanted to ask, what’s your least favorite season when it comes to ingredients to work with?
Oh, interesting. What’s my least favorite? Oh, that’s so hard for me to answer. I look forward to the change. I actually get sad when seasons go. My dream in life is to have a fruit tree in my yard for each season so that while I might be sad about the loss of plums, I’ll be so excited about persimmons coming in, and so there’s always something that I’m so excited to see at the markets.
I’m going to mourn the loss of tomatoes, but persimmons are coming, so it’s a win-win.
Let me twist the question a little bit then. What’s a season that you find difficult to work with or find that other people think of it as difficult to accept?
I guess I have to say winter but… I feel like I truly don’t think any season is hard because we have cauliflower in winter. That’s a good vegetable. We’ve got persimmon in winter. Cabbages. I love cabbages. That’s one of my favorite vegetables. How could I say winter? I’m not going to say summer. Well, spring would be crazy.
You’re asking me to do the impossible.
I’m sorry.
No, that’s great. I think that reveals that there is no excuse for not trying to eat seasonally. How could you say one season is better than the other? It’s different and different is good.
Yes! There’s so much to look forward to in each season.
What does cooking seasonally like this teach you about cooking in general?
Well, personally, it just makes me feel really good to cook seasonally because I know not only am I doing the right thing for the environment, but it feels like what we’re supposed to have done for our bodies, and it teaches you to sort of do less.
When the vegetable is really in its prime and hasn’t been on a ship, or plane, for whatever it is, however, they commute vegetables… You go to the farmer’s market, you’re picking a vegetable that was probably either picked very early in the morning or the day before. It’s at its prime. You don’t need to do much to it.
Doing less with vegetables and making things simple is what it teaches you. A perfect peach really does not need much. It’s the best on its own.
And I think that kind of goes back to this idea of parameters, right?
Absolutely. It puts you on a path. It’s like, this is what I’ve got to work with — so what are we going to do? How are we going to do it? This tastes good like that. Yeah, exactly. That’s a good way of putting it.
You mentioned that you love hosting. You love feeding people, but what do you like to eat? When you’re indulging, what’s your go-to food?
Probably what we call “yum cha” in Australia, what you call dim sum.
That, and Japanese. I love going to Omakase, but yeah, I had to say that dim sum was maybe my number one “indulge day” food. Like, go sit and have just lots and lots of dim sum.
What do you love specifically about dim sum and Japanese food?
Well, what I love about dim sum is just how comforting it is, how warm it is — how it’s just a burst of flavor. It’s like every little bite is just so perfect and constructed so perfectly. It’s like a perfect food, in my opinion.
I would say Japanese food is similar. They’re the two things that I always really want to eat when I’m going out. They’re the two things that I can try and make and I can try and make, but nothing is going to be as good as getting it out elsewhere.
It’s interesting that you say that because dim sum has this comforting, warm quality and that high level of construction, and the same with an omakase tasting — high level of construction, high level of craft… that’s exactly what you’re doing. You’re not making those specific foods, but what you are doing is also comforting as a caterer and host and yet it’s highly constructed. So I think it’s interesting how your preferences kind of reflect what you do.
Thank you. Thank you. That’s a huge compliment. I try and think about a perfect bite when I’m making a dish. I think about it, it’s one thing to serve a steak, but you have to think about what’s acidic in there? What’s textural in there? Considering what’s a great bite of food is super important to me.
LA has a pretty famous food scene, a lot of great food here. But I constantly hear about how most people are sleeping on the food of Australia. Since you’re from Australia and living in LA, where’s your favorite food scene? Who do you think is doing it better? Is there a “better?”
I don’t think that there’s a better, but I do think the general standard of… look, I’m probably going to get slaughtered for saying this, but I think the general standard in Australia is very high. I think you can go to pretty much any place and I think the level of excellence is the same. On one hand, if you’re going to a restaurant and if you’re trying to eat an excellent meal prepared by an extremely experienced chef, I think Australia and Los Angeles are probably on par with each other.
But the general standard of what’s available and the quality of ingredients that are kind of accessible to everyone in Australia is a little bit higher because I think food is really important to people in Australia. Cafe culture is huge. Coffee culture is huge. It’s just the lifestyle. But I mean, I think the level of restaurants and really good chefs I think is on par.
It is a good question because I think about that a lot, a lot of Australians will tell you “Oh my God, Australia just has so much better food. We just get it. We just know. Perfect toast, perfect salad.” Australians will say that to you and as someone who’s lived here for eight years, I’ll say right back, “No, you just don’t know really where to go.” It’s all about finding and knowing where the good food is here… but it’s more accessible, I would say, in Australia.
I want to talk a bit about what you did at the Sound + Vision launch, tell me about this corn butter that you made with the corn husk and how it connected to Michter’s bourbons.
That corn butter idea just stemmed from me staging at Birdie Gs. I was working with sous chef CJ Sullivan, and he made this ice cream that is maybe one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. It’s corn husk ice cream. He doesn’t use any corn in it. He just makes it from corn husks. When I was there, I made tomato leaf butter with them, and so I tasted the corn husk ice cream and was making the tomato butter with the tomato stems and I thought that it would be an interesting idea to make a corn butter.
Growing up, I danced. I was a dancer. I did it for seven hours a day on a Saturday and pretty much every second day during the week.
But the one thing I liked about it, was that there was a farmer’s market right across from my dance school. So every Saturday I’d spend my hour break in the farmer’s market, and I mean, who doesn’t love corn and butter? But every Saturday I was just eating giant corn all day. I practically drank corn on the cob smothered in butter. So I love corn butter, that’s my personal connection.
And it was so much fun making butter at Birdie Gs.
Does it take long to formulate and idea like that? How much time do you generally have between when a person hires you and when you’re developing this menu? Is it kind of like a rush to do it, or are you always thinking of ideas?
A client might give me an appropriate amount of time, but the problem is that I have multiple events and different menus every single week, and that’s really, really, really tough. I would love, so love, eventually to build my company to a place where I get to do some more R&R and get to think even more deeply about my ideas.
With the ideas that I have, I’ll try the dish one or two times, or maybe sometimes it’s like I’m just working on an element and I’ll work it until it’s perfect and then I have to construct it and then I have to alter it, cause sometimes with the events that I have with all of the different menus… It’s hard.
I know the restaurant industry must be so difficult, I don’t want to take away from that but it would be pretty incredible to recipe-develop a menu, and then execute that same menu every single night. To me, that sounds pretty incredible. You could get your food to such a perfect place. For me, every menu is so different. The sort of development that goes into it is not as extensive as it might be for a chef who’s working at a restaurant. And I would love to sort of change that, but I do the best with what I can and with my bandwidth.
1 pound young carrots, any color, trimmed, peeled
1 shallot, peeled, quartered
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 red or green Thai chiles
2 sprigs tarragon
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
RECIPE PREPARATION
Pack carrots, shallot, garlic, chiles, tarragon, peppercorns, and coriander seeds in a large heatproof jar.
Bring vinegar, sugar, salt, and 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan, whisking to dissolve sugar and salt.
Pour pickling liquid over carrots to cover. Let cool; cover and chill at least 24 hours.
DO AHEAD: Carrots can be pickled 5 days ahead. Keep chilled.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
“
sign up 
| Fans notice that the 
| “If you’re good enough you’ll find a way. Love, 4-21-1” — 