Chef Pepín, the most loved Latin celebrity chef, is on a roll. He’s been invited to participate in two separate events by Huffington Post Live, the live online video channel from the renowned publication, with top celebrity chefs and a well-known TV host.
The occasion? Mega celebrity Chef Emeril Lagasse and former “Extreme Makeover” host, Ty Pennington are launching a new cooking competition show on TNT called “On the Menu”. The show will feature competitors preparing dishes for various restaurant chains, and the winning dish will then be served at the particular restaurant chain the day after the show airs.
Live from Miami via Google Hangout, Chef Pepín, in his charismatic style, asked questions that provided the audience with an insider’s perspective, while maintaining his characteristic sense of humor.
Emeril Lagasse takes questions from Chef Pepín in the Huffington Post Live interview.
One of the more memorable questions Pepín asked Emeril about had to do with what one needs to give up in order to make the transition from chef to restaurateur; his answer was clear: if you don’t have the passion, don’t get in the kitchen. Emeril mentioned some of the sacrifices he’s had to make—missing out on celebrating Mother’s Day with his mom and other holidays—but said he had no regrets. Pepín was also curious about some of the inner-workings of the show, like how they accounted for the immense variety of palettes while determining which dish would be a hit at the different restaurants. Emeril and Ty explained how executives from the restaurant chains were involved in the final selection process and tended to have a good pulse on what their customers wanted out of their meal.
During Chef Pepín’s second appearance, he sat down with Celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck to discuss the launch of his new rapid pressure oven. This counter top oven toasts, roasts, bakes and reheats 70% faster than traditional ovens.
Known for always giving things his own personal touch, Pepín asked Wolfgang Puck about his favorite ingredient or spice from childhood that still influences his food and brings back those wonderful childhood memories, Puck answered, “cinnamon”. While growing up in Austria, his mom used to make a brioche with cinnamon, raisins and nuts in it that woke up the whole house in the morning.
Pepín then showed Puck dulce de leche macaroons that he had just made, and Puck smilingly said that he loves dulce de leche. Who knew?