Elizabeth Falkner (born 1966) is an American chef and restaurateur. She has appeared as a competitor and a judge on reality television cooking competitions, and she is a Top Chef television series alum.
That has been a great question for me these days. I’ve realized that the last restaurant I opened here in NYC, I actually left 3 years ago now and have never really been drawn towards opening a new one. So, as for what comes next, I’ve actually written a memoir which will be released later this year. I am also working on a collaboration with my brothers called “Paradigm.” It’s going to be an artful presentation of food outside the restaurant context. I love restaurants and dining at them but I want to present the current issues, similar to the way an art gallery installation would with their methods. We’ll be using audio-visuals and eating opportunities, almost like a tasting menu but without the sit-down aspect.
Just a little back history, I started out doing bistro work in San Francisco followed by a job in pastry. While I never originally set out to be a pastry chef, I realized I was pretty good at it. I also did a lot of catering work on the side and then opened my own place in 1997 — Citizen Cake. As I moved forward, I went from being recognized by James Beard in 2005 to being an Executive Chef to appearing on over 40 shows as a contestant or judge. All of these experiences have had an effect on my personal cooking style and what I’m cooking. Nowadays, I’m never very stressed when cooking under pressure since being a pastry chef makes you a very organized, disciplined individual and this has helped me in developing different techniques on all sides. I find my work has a different aesthetic than others’ baked goods as my style has always looked particularly modernist in comparison. Whether I’m cooking under the wire, in a restaurant or challenged to create something in under 30 minutes using limited ingredients on a TV show, I’m always learning.
I enjoy remodeling aspects in pastries to create a new architecture for flavors, which also helps me in savory cooking. I also try to integrate a lot of spices and herbs into what I’m making and will look to different cultures, languages and people to understand the foundations of certain cuisines and dishes to re-interpret without being offensive.
My process is about getting tired of everything else out there. A lot of times, menus and dishes are exploited so I take traditional plates and turn them into the unexpected. Other times, I find ingredients I’ve never heard of, like Sea Buckthorn, try them and they end up inspiring so many dishes, leaving me unable to get enough of them! I love to experiment heavily with a variety of dishes and ingredients like this to see how far I can take the flavors.
As a pastry chef, I never wanted to make super sweet dishes because that was not a driver for me. I like to look at classic themes and ask, “what else can we do with it?” We can’t just make and sell regular brownies. For example, instead of lemon cake, let’s make it with passionfruit. Often, it’s really about surprises in the familiar. My goal is to amplify certain tones while making others subtler, like sound design but in food.
Celebrity chef Elizabeth Falkner is a New York City chef who is internationally known for her frequent appearances as a competitor and judge on top culinary programs, including Iron Chef, Chopped, Top Chef and Food Network Challenge. She has opened several top restaurants in California’s Bay Area and won the World Pizza Championships in Naples, Italy in 2012.
Chef Elizabeth Faulkner Interview
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Who is Elizabeth Falkner?
Elizabeth Falkner (born 1966) is an American chef and restaurateur. She has appeared as a competitor and a judge on reality television cooking competitions, and she is a Top Chef television series alum. Elizabeth Falker was born in 1966, in San Francisco, California, and raised in Southern California. Her father was an art professor.
Who is Lisa Falkner?
Falkner has been featured in numerous publications such as Food & Wine, Gourmet, Pastry Art & Design and W. She has received many awards for her work with pastries, including “Pastry Chef of the Year” from San Francisco magazine, a James Beard Award Pastry Chef nomination in 2005 and Bon Appetit Pastry Chef of the Year in 2006.
What is John Faulkner known for?
Known for his rhythmic guitar playing, Faulkner came to prominence in 2007, with the release of his debut studio album, Hand Built by Robots. The album was certified double platinum in the United Kingdom, and yielded the singles, Dream Catch Me, I Need Something and Teardrop.
Who is James Faulkner?
James Faulkner on IMDb: Movies, TV, Celebs, and more – Photo Gallery – IMDb James Faulkner is an English actor best known for his roles as Pope Sixtus IV in the historical fantasy series Da Vinci’s Demons, and as Randyll Tarly in the HBO series, Game of Thrones.