The Champion Artist’s FaveWe asked Chef Fred “The Champion”, his favorite dessert, favorite pastry, favorite sweet, and he consistently gave us the same answer: Chocolate Falling Down Cake (Chocolate Lava Cake or Chocolate Molten Cake to some). According to Chef Fred, no one makes it like Olives, Todd English’s restaurant in Boston. Thankfully, Olives’ recipe is online for all of us to enjoy the deliciousness of a dish that’s “never, ever been off the menu, and it never will be.” Find the recipe here!
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These Are A Few of My Favorite Things…FRUIT
We asked the Chefs what their favorite fruits were and here’s what they had to say: Chef Toby: Apples Chef Fred: Melons, Cantaloupe in particular Chef Peter: Fresh figs, but not from the US.” (He probably means freshly picked off the trees in Greece knowing Peter!) Chef Joann: Blackberries Chef Justin: Watermelon and Apples Please share your most favorite fruits with us in a comment below. |
Hell’s KitchenIf you can’t stand the heat…get out of the kitchen!
If you’ve ever watched Gordon Ramsay’s hit reality show, Hell’s Kitchen, you probably think he’s an over-the-top monster. There’s no way real-life chefs are like that, right? Unfortunately, wrong. Our very own Chef Fred and Chef Toby have personally worked under chefs like Gordon Ramsay—and liked it! Both saw their time under hellish chefs as unparalleled learning experiences, a time in which they were forced to constantly rise to the challenge. Chef Fred remembers, “He was a hard guy and the business was hard, if you couldn’t handle him, you couldn’t handle working in the field.” Chef Toby had the heat behind him while he paused (above) for a very quick photo. |
Chef Fred Part 1: The Champion When we said Chef Fred is a champion, we weren’t kidding. He’s won gold in the National Association of College & University Food Services’ (NACUFS) New England Culinary Challenge, which recognizes outstanding food preparation and presentation skills in collegiate dining services. It’s sanctioned by the American Culinary Federation, so you know it’s legit! His winning dish? A Kansas style beef tenderloin with corncakes and apple braised rainbow chard. Yum! Chef Fred’s also a member of the Boston Epicurean Club, which brings together chefs in the food service and hospitality profession. He went to Germany with the Boston Epicurean Club for a competition and helped the New England team win sixteen gold medals, three of which won distinction—for a perfect score. After experiencing culinary glory, Chef Fred seeks to instill his love of food and competition in others: he recently competed on another NACUFS event with Chefs Toby and Justin! |
Introducing Executive Chef Fred: The Champion Food Artist“We live in a fast paced society. We tend to lean towards fast and easy processed foods. Slow down and get back to basics.”
Check out our interview with Tufts’ own Chef-Artist: What’s something people wouldn’t know when they meet you? Favorite food? Comfort foods like Smoked Shoulder Favorite thing to cook/bake? Best thing about working with Tufts Dining? Best memory while working with Tufts Dining? Do you cook a lot at home? To read more about Executive Chef Fred and our other chef bloggers, scroll through the About page of this blog. |
Executive Chef Fred grew up with five brothers in a family that believed everyone should help out so he was forced to learn his way around the kitchen at an early age. Since then, he’s won the gold at National Association of College & University Food Service competitions, cooked an inordinate amount of holiday dinners for over 28 guests, and been to Germany on cooking competitions.