The Journal

Life, Travel & the Kitchen

Everything about my world that doesn't fit in a cookbook — technique, travel, hygiene, kitchen life, and the odd recipe along the way.

ESCOFFIER 180

Escoffier at 180: A Tribute From the Disciples in China

One hundred and eighty years after his birth, every professional kitchen still speaks his language. A tribute from the National Secretary for China of the Disciples Escoffier.

KITCHEN HISTORY

Pêches au Cygne: The Swan Before the Melba

An opera, a swan carved in ice, a soprano — and the dessert Escoffier remembered three different ways. What came before the pêche Melba.

KITCHEN HISTORY

Crêpes Suzette: The Flame Escoffier Never Lit

A prince, an actress, a teenage waiter — and a recipe that was never meant to burn. The real history of crêpes Suzette, and why Escoffier used curaçao and mandarin.

TRAVEL

Face to Face With the Person of the Forest

Up the Sekonyer River into Tanjung Puting, Borneo — an orangutan on the path, and what a chef brings home from the forest.

KITCHEN HISTORY

Tournedos Rossini: Three Chefs, One Plate, No Birth Certificate

Carême, Dugléré, Escoffier — who really created tournedos Rossini? The history, the legend, and how the dish should be cooked.

FROM THE CHEF

Hello, and Welcome to the Table

Thirty years across France, Canada, China and Southeast Asia — four kitchens, one question, and why this Journal exists.

KITCHEN LIFE

The Hygiene Habits I Never Skip

Thirty years in professional kitchens taught me that the habits nobody sees are the ones that actually keep people safe. Here's what I still do, every single service.

TRAVEL

Coming Soon

More entries — on travel, technique, and life between two kitchens — arrive here as they're written.