This is part of Restaurant Hospitality's special coverage of the 2013 Food & Wine Classic held in Aspen, Colo., June 14-16. Follow all of our coverage >>
June 14, 2013
Every year the Food & Wine Classic takes place over Father's Day weekend, so we asked chefs if their dad has a favorite dish they make.
Jonathon Sawyer, chef/owner of The Greenhouse Tavern and Noodle Cat, Cleveland
My favorite taste memory of being with my dad was going into our family garden and picking tomatoes and cucumbers. We would use them to make a tomato sandwich. So, every summer at the Greenhouse Tavern we include a menu item called Dad's Tomato Sandwich in honor of my dad. It's basically tomatoes, cucumbers, cultured butter and salt on whole wheat toast. It's a big seller.
Viet Pham, executive chef of Forage, Salt Lake City
My dad always looks forward to me roasting a whole fish over fire when I come home. We either roast snapper, halibut, mackerel or sardines, his favorite. We typically make a Vietnamese dipping sauce utilizing fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and garlic or sometimes we make a chimichurri sauce with cilantro.
Jason Franey, executive chef of Canlis, Seattle
My dad loves great comfort food, like a perfectly cooked steak and a special macaroni salad that includes tuna, eggs and pasta all in one. If we spend Father's Day together, that's what we would cook together.
Missy Robbins, executive chef of A Voce, New York City
My dad is a bit biased. He likes anything I make. But he loves fresh tuna. So anything with tuna would be a bonus. He's also the griller in the family. He makes a great burger.
Ricardo Zarate, chef/owner of Mi-Chica, Picca and Paiche, Los Angeles
My father is no longer with us, but he saw me early on working in a restaurant where I made him a plate of mashed potatoes with roasted lamb. My dad was so proud of me. He had tears in his eyes. It made me feel good about what I'm doing for a living.
Tim Love, chef/owner of The Woodshed Smokehouse, the Lonesome Dove Western Bistro and The Love Shack, Ft. Worth, Texas, area
My dad is Canadian, unlike myself who is a born Texan. He enjoys lamb, but doesn't like any cut of lamb other than the rib lamb chops. They're like a steak for him. He also loves sweets and chocolate. So for him I make him grilled rib chops with lingenberry glace and some avocado. He goes nuts for it.
Ming Tsai, chef/owner of Blue Ginger and Blue Dragon, Boston Area
He loves a red-roast pork shoulder. I take a whole roast pork butt, not the belly, braised in dark soy sauce, red wine, ginger, chilis, garlic. It's braised until the fat cap, which is two inches thick, becomes succulent and tastes like Asian foie gras. Its a dish my grandfather used to make and it evokes childhood memories for my dad. Does my dad think my version is as good as my grandfather's? I doubt it!
Matt Danko, pastry chef for Greenhouse Tavern and Noodle Cat, Cleveland
My dad moved from Cleveland to West Virginia so he's not around much, but he's seen the success I've had [Danko was nominated for a James Beard Award this year] and he's very proud. He's a man of simple tastes, but he appreciates what i'm doing and the artistic integrity behind my work. He's an artist and it's something we share.
Floyd Cardoz, executive chef of North End Grill, New York
My dad passed away before he ever saw what I achieved in my career. But when I was 12 he took me for my first fine dining meal, a place in Bombay, and it's something I'll never forget. They put all this silverware in front of us and I looked at my dad and he said, "Look at me and do everything I do." Early in my career he was my biggest critic and my biggest cheerleader. Those were great memories.
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