I had the privilege of meeting Chad from Chadzilla while doing some work in Florida a few years back. I also met “Chef K”, Executive Chef of The International Trump Hotel in Hollywood, FL. After connecting with these guys, I called them up to attend a dinner called “Paradigm”. The dinner was an oppurtunity for the two chefs along with the staff to be creative & break out of the resort focused kitchen. You can find the courses posted on the blog along with what worked, what didn’t, and how to alter recipes. Not only is the blog about food, but is focused in foward thinking, but you fall in love with the personality of Chad and Kurt. These guys have great attention to detail, while still having fun in the kitchen & having no trouble drinking “High Life” (The Hillbilly Bubbly). This is a philosophy of mine and continues to shine through Stove Monkeys. Taste the food you cook, laugh with your guests, and punch the cook next to you.
Also, check out something Chef “K” & Chad do on Super Bowl Sundays. Sol Kitchen will deliver dishes “Sol” food for your tailgates on Sunday in Miami. For inquiries email solkitchenmiami@hotmail.com
This great forward thinking restaurant has closed it’s doors. Ferran Adria has decided to focus his culinary talents on creating an elite institution for chefs. Very exciting for the continued evolution of food!
Anthony & I heard of Flavor Tripping three years ago, and decided to throw a party. The party was a “trip” & since then we have teamed with Mberry for future parties. Mberry has taken the evolution a step further by teaming with Homaro Cantu of Moto & ING located in Chicago. Watch the video below to get an idea of how the miracle berry can improve the foods and drinks we consume daily.
Kombucha is a fermented tea and contains amino acids, active enzymes, organic acids, & probiotics.
I was first introduced to this a few years ago in Arkansas from a “Hippie” sous chef. This dude was a health nut and I shrugged this drink off. I ran into this product again the other day and stocked my refrigerator! I have offically fallen in love with this drink and encourage all my “foodies”, chefs, & “hippies” to try.
Where To Buy
Local Coffee Shop or Health Food Store
Check out GT’s Kombucha! I prefer the Multi-Green.
February 22, 2011 by The Stove Monkey in Events, Food
Stove Monkeys in partnership with Crisp Catering is presenting a food event for the Ladies! Come join this tasty FREE event at Suitte Six! Enjoy a tasting of champagnes, special chocolate martini w/ Paramount Whip vodka, a chocolate covered spread of assorted popcorn, chips, pretzels, strawberries, pineapples, and cupcakes from A Cookie and A Cupcake.
Event Starts at 8:00 and Chef Demo’s start at 9:00
September 17, 2009 by The Stove Monkey in Events, Food
A night of culinary greatness…for a great cause
I find it extremely rewarding, and humbling, to be able translate my culinary talent in helping greater social causes, and am completely stoked to be this year’s culinary chair for the Flavors of Northeast Ohio event.
Benefiting the American Liver Foundation, “Flavors” is a unique and creative culinary gala concept executed year-round by ALF chapters across the country. Each event spotlights premier regional chefs and creates a high-end, exclusive, gourmet experience for an intimate number of guests, who experience five courses of tableside-prepared culinary bliss, in addition to superb wine pairings.
Next Monday’s (September 21) particular event will be showcasing notable chefs and restaurants from around the fine city that is my hometown of Cleveland, and I can’t wait to cook my ass off alongside the likes of Brandt Evans (Blue Canyon), James Foreman (Chefs for Hire), Jeff Jarrett (North End Wine Bar), John Kolar (Thyme - The Restaurant), Jonathon Sawyer (Greenhouse Tavern), Kurt Steeber (Boulevard Blue), Matthew Mathlage (Light Bistro), Michael Nowak (Bar Cento), Peter Vaughty (Moxie/Red Cleveland & Sobe), Rick Carson (Vue), Steve Schimoler (Crop Bistro), and Timothy Maxin (Muse at the Ritz Carlton), among others.
Deliciousness will abound throughout the evening, with a menu that includes Scallop Ceviche, Seasonal Beet & Apple Salad, Tuna Nicoise and many more surprises!
Even better, the magic happens on the 21st in the awesome retro setting of the Silver Grille in Cleveland’s historic Higbee Building in Public Square. If for nothing else, you may know this building as the setting of the “visit to Santa in the department store” scene in A Christmas Story, which was filmed there. Groovy.
If you’re a Clevelander and have tickets for Flavors of Northeast Ohio, can’t wait to see you there…you’re definitely in for a treat. Otherwise, check out the list of other “Flavors” events around the country, and be sure to keep this on your radar screen for next year! www.liverfoundation.org/events/flavors/
Ah culinary consulting…not something you may have heard about before, and sounds a little like a financial analyst and a line cook had a love child. But in all reality, culinary consulting is actually a thriving field that’s full of many opportunities for the food professional. And…it’s also what I do for a living.
When I first “found” cooking it was in making daily meals for my two little brothers. They were always asking me to create new things, being the little brothers they were, and, being the awesome big brother I was, I would try and appease them (plus I was finding I had a real knack for and interest in cooking). Sometimes I’d even build a “food castle” out of whatever it was I was cooking—which they absolutely loved. I found that I really enjoyed making my brothers happy, and being able to bond with them over the seemingly simplistic experience of creating a meal. From this I came to value a greater ability in being able to make other people happy just by cooking for them. It seemed so easy.
As a private chef, my office shifts from my clients’ homes to the grocery store, and on Sunday nights, my own home where I work to prepare for the upcoming week. Yes, in a nutshell I cook food for my clients and their families, clean-up, and go home. But I am more than that, and I certainly didn’t just wake up one day and decide to do this. I could say I kind of fell into it, but thinking more carefully about it there was actually a definitive moment when I decided to give private chef-dom a shot. What did I do following that moment? Well, it was more of a process than something that happened all at once. So what advice do I have for all those out there that might be saying the very same thing?
Step One: Just jump in. Embracing the mindset that you ARE going to do this is my suggestion. Next, it’s time to direct that thinking toward finding a job—which, at first, may be more challenging. There are private chef placement agencies but I would suggest you network your ass off and stay diligent. I was initially introduced to the private chef industry while working with a family for whom I prepared meals in advance (i.e. could be reheated throughout the week without my actual presence). I casually mentioned one day that if I had a few more families that were interested in participating in this kind of program, I might be able to do it full-time. After a few months, I was referred to a family looking for a full-time private chef. I was hesitant at first, but decided to take a risk. NEVER in a million years would I have thought then that I would be here today. I know I know, you’re saying “I hear that all the time, whatever.” Although this isn’t something I thought I could ever do as an actual income-generating career, it’s also not what one typically thinks of when embarking on a culinary pathway. Reflecting on my decisions, I am so glad I took that leap of faith, which has brought me into the circle of love that is a family, and allowed me to help them share the rich experience of enjoying meals together.
We are currently selling our shirts at local kitchen supply stores and culinary book stores. Shirts can now be purchased at The Phoenix Knife House http://www.phoenixknifehouse.com/ (7607 E. McDowell Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85257). The Knife House also carries an inventory of imported Japanese Knifes. Store hours are Monday to Friday 10am - 6pm, Saturday 11am - 5pm Sunday Closed.
If you are a culinary student, foodie, or chef and have any recommendations on a store that may be interested in carrying our product please contact me sales@stovemonkeys.com.
We are officially in business and have made our dream a reality. Anthony and I have always wanted to develop a line of clothes to wear as chefs – something that could be worn on the street and keep up with the current T-Shirt fashions. We both wanted something to represent ourselves as chefs outside of the kitchen. I always wondered why other social groups, i.e. skateboarders, athletes, musicians, and even your A-List individuals, had their own identity for street wear. I remember as a teen that I was really into skating and had my own style and name brand of clothing that identified me as a skater. This was important to me at that age because that was what I enjoyed and was passionate about. The clothing allowed me to network and make new friends. Now this can apply to Stove Monkeys clothing for chefs and foodies alike. When walking down the streets of Cleveland, New York, San Francisco, Barcelona, Paris and wherever else a Stove Monkey may be cooking, you will see the Stove Monkey logo on the back of shirts and realize that that person is a chef or a foodie. Maybe it will be a celebrity chef or even an up and coming young chef with whom you could network and trade secrets.
Since the website was launched about a month ago, we have been included in a few blogs. Follow the links below for more info regarding Stove Monkeys.
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As a chef you can't make a great meal with poor ingredients and the same holds true with anything that you do in life. We pride ourselves in the quality of our work and stand behind each product. We know that the character of our merchandise speaks for itself and that you are proud to represent as a "Stove Monkey".
