Conversations with the Stars
CLICK HERE: Tyler Florence Full Biography
He’s been part of so many shows for so many years that if you’ve ever watched the Food Network then you’ve likely seen Tyler Florence. Even if you haven’t clicked the remote to the all culinary station, there’s a good chance you’ve caught him on another channel. The guy has cooked on Oprah and The View, and made guest appearances on Good Morning America, The Tonight Show, the Today Show and Access Hollywood. The chef has all the essential ingredients for his current role as Prince of Pans; he’s easy on the eyes, personable, well trained and talented, and his list of off camera's accomplishments is equally impressive. He’s a restaurateur, has two cookbooks to his credit, and has recently launched a signature line of kitchenware for the home. We peppered him with questions and here are his answers.
Fabulous Food Show: What are some things about you that your fans would be surprised to know?
Tyler Florence: I think some fans might be surprised to know that I now live in a small town called Mill Valley in Northern California, just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. For the better part of my adult life, I lived in New York City and about three years ago, my wife and I decided to move from the hustle and bustle of the city to a cottage in the redwoods to raise our family.
FFS: How did you end up in front of the TV cameras?
TF: I always say that it was truly a case of being in the right place at the right time. I was the executive chef of a hot NYC restaurant called Cafeteria and I started doing a few morning shows and fill in spots on the Food Network and it just kind of snowballed from there. I got lucky, in that the opportunity presented itself and I discovered that I not only loved cooking for the camera but that I was pretty good at it.
FFS: You cook, you write, you're a TV star- anything you can’t do?
TF: Well, let's just say that I'd trade cooking lessons with Tiger Woods if he could help me straighten out my 3 wood.
FFS: What kind of food did you eat growing up?
TF: I grew up in the South so we were all about my grandmother, Florence Mama's, fried chicken.
FFS: What influences shaped the way you think about food now?
TF: You know, I've been really lucky to be able to cook with fantastic chefs and ingredients from all around the world and I think that a little bit of every experience informs how I think about food now. In my mind, my food philosophy is a bit of moving target. Of course, I believe in clean flavors, pure ingredients and now more than ever, issues like sustainability and eating locally. But I feel the beauty in what I do is being able to adjust how I feel about my food from day to day. Now that I am in Northern California, I am really into the bounty that the region offers from briny Drake's Bay Oysters to tender Sonoma lamb and gorgeous produce from the amazing organic farmers of west Marin County.
FFS: Tell us about a typical day in your life these days?
TF: Well, it is busy, to say the least. If I'm not on a plane to get to a Today Show appearance or help out at a charity event, I'm at my headquarters in Mill Valley running my kitchen retail shop, planning my three new restaurant projects in San Francisco, Mill Valley and Napa and my next two books, or, if I'm lucky, spending some good quality time with Spongebob Squarepants, [and my kids} Hayden and Dorothy.
FFS: What are the basic tools every home cook should have? What are a few little special non-essential "extras" that you love to use?
TF: Good quality cookware and cutlery are a must. But there are certain extras that do make things a lot easier in the kitchen. Personally, I love my stick blender and I've really been having a lot of fun with a soda siphon lately.
FFS: You have a new signature line of cookware and cutlery. What makes it different?
TF: I'm really excited about my cookware and cutlery both. I worked on these lines for over two years to take all of the kitchen knowledge I've acquired and create the best product at the right price. My cookware is a fantastic technology that incorporates a hard annodized aluminum exterior that provides maximum heat conductivity with stainless steel inside for a non-reactive, non-stick surface that's easy to clean. My line is also dishwasher safe which is very hard to find. Throw on some sexy stay-cool handles and you've got one good looking set of cookware to boot.
My cutlery is just gorgeous and again, takes advantage of some really cool technology. The knives are jet black and coated in ultra hard titanium. They are razor sharp, virtually indestructible and great to look at. Plus, each knife comes in its own acacia wood block that is magnetized to fit together with all of the pieces in your set.
FFS: You did a cooking show for novices. What advice do you have to help people that don’t cook to get started making meals from scratch?
TF: The most important thing to do is just to throw your fears out the window and get in the kitchen and make it happen. Cooking is fun and you'll be surprised by how much you can do just by giving it a go.