September 1, 2010
One thing you don't know about me is that I love reading Regency romances and novels, especially Georgette Heyer.
If I could trade places with one person it would be David Nicholl, the f & b director for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel group worldwide. He is responsible for developing some fantastic destination restaurants. What fun to be able to conceptualize a restaurant, develop the menu and to do it for such a great organization worldwide. It's like being a kid in a toy shop.
One of my most memorable meals was at a little no-name trattoria just outside San Gimignano in Tuscany. I was 18 traveling through Italy with friends. There was no menu, we just ate what they served — a great rabbit stew followed by peach crostata. We drank red wine out of jelly glasses looking at cypress trees.
If there was no pasta, I'd have no reason to live. I'm talking about pasta in all guises, from angel hair to ziti, from rice noodles to ramen and couscous.
My go-to drink at the end of the night is an ice cold beer. A cup of Earl Grey with a splash of milk also hits the spot.
If I were on death row my last meal would be the clay pot rice my grandmother made. It had bits of pork, mushrooms and salted fish (a lot like baccala), with slivers of ginger. My mother tries to make it but it never tastes the same.
My worst culinary creations would have to be in pastries. I baked cupcakes for one of my server's birthdays that no one ate because they were like a lead ball.
If I could change one thing about me it would be better eyesight. It's really annoying cooking with glasses because you end up with oil spatters and other flying substances. On the other hand, they are like visors protecting your eyes.
My favorite junk food is McDonald's hash browns, although it has been ages since I've had any.
If I wasn't a restaurant operator, I'd love to be a hand model. Just kidding. Cooks generally have such scarred and calloused hands that you'd have to be blind to hire me as a hand model. Seriously, I think I would like to be a farmer and grow the most beautiful and well cared-for vegetables.
Chinese-American chef Patricia Yeo is among the country's top female culinary talents. She launched her career in New York where she most notably garnered a three-star review from The New York Times for her restaurant AZ. She arrived in Boston in Fall 2009 to open Ginger Park and offer a menu with a playful take on Southeast Asian street food, gleaned from two years of traveling throughout the region. The restaurant has earned critical acclaim, including a two-and-a half out of three star review from The Boston Globe.
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