Chef James Kenji Lopez-Alt is not your typical chef.
Chef Lopez-Alt's cuisine combines flavors and techniques from around the world, mixes them up with a touch of mad science, and refines them with a fine-dining sensibility. The results is food that is as unique as it is delicious, and as surprising as it is comforting.
Having graduated with an engineering degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he takes an unusually analytic approach to food, placing a keen interest on the role of science and experimentation in the recipe development process. As an editor at Cook's Illustrated Magazine and co-host of America's Test Kitchen, he has produced recipes that have made headlines within the food world, quickly becoming some the most talked-about recipes in the media. In everything from examining the role of alcohol in gluten development in pie crust, to capturing and bottling his own liquid smoke, Chef Lopez-Alt likes to re-examine food, deconstructing, perfecting, and rebuilding it as only an engineer and craftsmen could.
Like his recipes, his career as a high-end chef was built from the gound-up the old-fashioned way: through apprenticeships and hard work, refining his craft under the tutelage of some of the best chefs in the world, including Barbara Lynch of No. 9 Park, Ken Oringer of Clio, and numerous stints in Michelin-starred restaurants around the globe. As an avid traveler, he has immersed himself in local cuisines, taking cooking lessons at everywhere from schools in Bangkok to private homes in Colombia, expanding his repertoire and palate with every journey.
As a strong supporter of the sustainable foods movement (he writes about it on his blog here) Chef Lopez-Alt likes to be involved with his food in every step of the process. He has spent time working on organic vegetable farms, is an avid fisherman, and evens slaughters his own chickens and ducks. He has a passion for charcuterie and pickling, and nose-to-tail cooking, preferring to start with whole, well-raised animals whenever possible.
His cooking philosophy? Start with the best ingredients, and treat them with intelligence and respect. The result is food that is nothing short of stunning.
Chef Lopez-Alt's cuisine combines flavors and techniques from around the world, mixes them up with a touch of mad science, and refines them with a fine-dining sensibility. The results is food that is as unique as it is delicious, and as surprising as it is comforting.
Having graduated with an engineering degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he takes an unusually analytic approach to food, placing a keen interest on the role of science and experimentation in the recipe development process. As an editor at Cook's Illustrated Magazine and co-host of America's Test Kitchen, he has produced recipes that have made headlines within the food world, quickly becoming some the most talked-about recipes in the media. In everything from examining the role of alcohol in gluten development in pie crust, to capturing and bottling his own liquid smoke, Chef Lopez-Alt likes to re-examine food, deconstructing, perfecting, and rebuilding it as only an engineer and craftsmen could.
Like his recipes, his career as a high-end chef was built from the gound-up the old-fashioned way: through apprenticeships and hard work, refining his craft under the tutelage of some of the best chefs in the world, including Barbara Lynch of No. 9 Park, Ken Oringer of Clio, and numerous stints in Michelin-starred restaurants around the globe. As an avid traveler, he has immersed himself in local cuisines, taking cooking lessons at everywhere from schools in Bangkok to private homes in Colombia, expanding his repertoire and palate with every journey.
As a strong supporter of the sustainable foods movement (he writes about it on his blog here) Chef Lopez-Alt likes to be involved with his food in every step of the process. He has spent time working on organic vegetable farms, is an avid fisherman, and evens slaughters his own chickens and ducks. He has a passion for charcuterie and pickling, and nose-to-tail cooking, preferring to start with whole, well-raised animals whenever possible.
His cooking philosophy? Start with the best ingredients, and treat them with intelligence and respect. The result is food that is nothing short of stunning.
