Interview with Michelle Steffens on the Business and Pleasure of Food!

Click here to listen, download or podcast this interview

On this Zigory Show, Michelle Steffens, who has been a chef at Bobby Flay‘s Mesa Grill and Bolo restaurants in New York, and who operates her own catering business in New York and New Jersey, talks about the business and pleasure of food, with anecdotes from her career, and tips on making your own dishes more flavorful.

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Michelle Steffens has worked with celebrity master chef, Bobby Flay, pictured above.

Topics covered include

All about Michelle Steffens’ business: Michelle’s Creative Catering based in Lincroft, New Jersey. How she set it up, what inspires her, how she makes it a success.

Off-premise and on-premise catering. Hiring kitchens. Small parties versus larger ones. Food for every occasion! The Italian-American influence. How did Michelle’s wedding lead to her changing careers? How her first career in advertising as a producer transferred to her career as a caterer?

Presentation versus flavor. Standard menu items but variations with the four seasons. What is a good indicator of food freshness in a restaurant? What should you avoid to make sure food is fresh at a restaurant?

Bobby Flay, now a famous chef, hired Michelle at Mesa Grill in her first culinary job while still in training. Experiences with Bobby Flay. How Bobby Flay became a “superstar” chef. What characterizes his food?

Chef “brigades.” What distinguishes one cuisine from the other. Which cuisine is most familiar to Michelle. Why it’s fairly easy for a chef to change from his most familiar cuisine to a less familiar one.

What makes the restaurant business difficult? Consistency. Seasoning. Recommendation of a good source of recipes. Texture and “mouth feel”.

And here’s how you can contact Michelle’s Creative Catering:

Phone her on: 732-450-1905 (USA)

Click here to listen, download or podcast this interview

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