How Ingredients Shaped a Chef

Culinary Historians of Chicago

How Ingredients Shaped a Chef with Chef Peter Hoffman Come join us as acclaimed New York chef Peter Hoffman, author of the recently published book “What’s Good?: A Memoir in Fourteen Ingredients”,reveals why he combined the story of his career with profiles of the favorite ingredients that he found at his favorite farmers market. Hoffman, founder of iconic Manhattan restaurants Savoy and Back Forty, describes his journey from line cook to chef/owner during New York’s culinary shift from French dominance to a more global and farm-to-table approach. Chef Hoffman will also read an excerpt from his pepper chapter that touches on the issues of scarcity versus abundance; how we approach our available resources; and how we treat one another. He will discuss the history of pepper distribution across the globe, celebrating this vegetable for its abundance, its flavor and its ability to thrive globally And he will be available to answer your questions via Chat. BIOGRAPHY: Named “A Locavore Before the Word Existed” by the New York Times, Hoffman sat on the board of Chefs Collaborative from 1997 until 2010, acting as its national chair from 2000-2006. He has published numerous articles in Edible Manhattan and guest essays in the New York Times. He has also contributed to NPR’s Marketplace. For more than thirty years, he has cycled to the Union Square Greenmarket to source the best in local and seasonal ingredients, the core of his cooking. Chef Hoffman actively consults for food businesses interested in improving their work culture, sourcing, and messaging. Many of his recent interviews and book notices are posted on his website, peterhoffmancooks.com or on IG @peterhoffmannyc. For information on Chef Hoffman’s book, “What’s Good?: A Memoir in Fourteen Ingredients” and to order a signed copy, go to https://www.mcnallyjackson.com/whats-good-signed Recorded via Zoom on September 29, 2021 CulinaryHistorians.org