DineLA Roundtable Roundup

Naming a theater REDCAT sounds ever so edgy – even if REDCAT is simply an acronym for "Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater." Still, it's a fine space, adjacent to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles. And it was on Tuesday June 8th that an audience of 200 gathered to listen to half a dozen of LA's great culinary luminaries speak at the dineLA Chef Roundtable about how they went from peeling potatoes to cooking up the sort of dining trends that have influenced the way we eat in these United States today.

            The bold-facers were introduced by radio host Lisa Foxx, who was clearly Star (Chef) Struck – she simply gurgled with the thrill of being in the presence of LA's top chefs. (I couldn't help but think how much more fun it would have been, if the host was, say, the acerbic Anthony Bourdain…or perhaps Howard Stern's Stuttering John.)

            Seated at the roundtable (which wasn't round, just a straight line) was, from left to right: Wolfgang Puck, Karen Hatfield, Joachim Splichal, Susan Feniger, Josiah Citrin and Mark Peel. And the first thing we discovered was that there were no degrees of separation between them; at one time or another, virtually all of them had worked together – though mostly the dynamic was that the four younger chefs (Hatfield, Feniger, Citrin and Peel) had worked for the eminence gris (Puck and Splichal). Indeed, as Mark Peel put it, "Wolfgang and Joachim sprang full-grown out of the earth."

            Indeed, it was Peel whose career began in 1975, peeling (no pun intended) vegetables for Puck, who he calls, "my mentor." And who taught him the most basic lessons of his life: "What did I learn? I learned that it's all about  hard work, organization and consistency. That's it. That's the secret. Don't tell anyone."

            To which Puck added, "And good ingredients. Don't forget that one."

            "That," said Peel, "is a given."

            So, indeed, were warm and fuzzy words of advice.

Peel spoke of how, "Farmers have become partner in our cooking, rather than just suppliers."

Feniger explained that, "Even with simple products, you can make a great meal -- from basmati rice and dal, to foie gras and truffles."

Citrin exhorted the audience to, "Stick with your vision, and create a strong foundation. You need to read, eat out, gather knowledge, then follow your heart. It takes a lot of energy and passion. You are performing every night."

And of course, it was Puck who summed up the night, reminding the audience and his fellow chefs to, "Believe in yourself. With talent, love and hard work, you just might hook yourself a good career." And a seat onstage at the REDCAT talking about the cooking he was probably itching to get back into the kitchen to do.

--Merrill Shindler