Still not announcing any concrete plans to move into our neighborhood, Todd English continues to make us swoon from afar. Now that he's got da Campo Osteria in Fort Lauderdale, Figs in Palm Beach Gardens, and Wild Olives coming to Boca in the old Opus 5 location (oooh--was I supposed to let that cat out of the bag?), I'm willing to bet it's just a matter of time before he gets a hankering for the Miami lifestyle. Of course, there's also the matter of him being a singleton again... surely he knows all the hot chicks are down here, right?
In the meantime, as I yet again am encouraged to visualize him glistening from the sheen of olive oil (read on to understand where that comes from), here are this sexy celeb chef's top 10s:
New Times: What was your most embarrassing cooking-related moment?
Todd English: I was in an off-Broadway production called Chef's Theater where I actually sang and cooked on-stage, and at one of the performances I was so into singing my Dean Martin number--You're Nobody 'Till Somebody Loves You--that I knocked over the dish I was cooking onto the stage.
NT: What food/utensil/technique still confounds you?
A rolling pin for pizza dough--it's gotta be hand-tossed baby!
NT: Which chef, alive or dead, would you like to challenge in Iron Chef fashion, and why do you believe you could kick his or her ass in the kitchen?
The great Julia Child. And she'd probably kick mine, but she's one of the only chefs I'd actually enjoy losing to!
NT: What three people, places, and things would best describe your ultimate foodie fantasy?
1. My three kids -- Oliver, Isabelle and Simon.
2. Italy.
3. Big bowls of pasta.
NT: What's your favorite soundtrack/song to cook to?
Anything Sinatra.
NT: What is your dream culinary trip?
Argentina is high on my list--it's a carnivore's dream! I'd eat some of the world's greatest beef and drink some of the world's greatest Malbec wines
NT: If you weren't a chef, you'd be...
A rockstar! I play the guitar and sing and have even taken a crack at writing my own songs.
NT: What's your favorite junk food and where do you get it?
I have to admit that when I'm traveling, one of my guilty pleasures is peanut M&M's from the hotel mini bars.
NT: If you could be slathered head-to-toe in one food item--without fear of getting an allergic reaction--what would it be and why?
I'm a purist, so it would have to be a fine olive oil: tastes great and even better for the skin!
NT: How would you complete this sentence: Never trust a chef who/that...
...doesn't eat their own food.
