Foodservice News Names Top Corporate Chefs

Restaurant chefs get all the media attention, but top talent can be found everywhere in the profession. It's absolutely true in the category of "corporate chef," and it only makes sense: These chefs are responsible for feeding hundreds--if not thousands--of people a day.

They've bundled a book with their current issue that includes biographies of chefs who oversee some of our largest local empires, including Todd Bolton of Parasole, Jay Sparks of D'Amico Cucina, Dave Hawley of the Blue Plate Restaurant Group and Asher Miller of 20.21--as well as several of their favorite recipes.

The best quote comes from Hawley, regarding his first job, washing dishes at the Copper Stein in Excelsior when he was 13: "I was way too young to be washing dishes until midnight, I but I found myself going home and not being able to sleep, because I couldn't wait to get back there to wash dishes." (Sorry ladies, he's taken!) To give you a taste of the recipes, I've printed Il Gatto's Grappa Sour below, but you can download the rest on the left-hand side of FSN's website.

Il Gatto's Grappa Sour (not for the faint of heart)
1. Fill a pint glass with ice.
2. Add 4 oz of Grappa, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 oz of simple syrup, 1 egg white.
3. Cover and shake like the devil until your wrists hurt and your hand is frozen to the glass.
4. Strain into a martini glass or champagne coupe.
5. Add 1/2 oz of Cynar liqueur.