Richness.

One of my first restaurant jobs.

Umberto's.

A rotisserie the size of a garage door.

Learning about wine.

Writing menus.

Cantaloupe sorbetto.

One night, after we were closed, the owner, Mike, came up to me and said, "Leave the back table set up. A friend of mine is coming in for dinner and I want you to meet him."

That night I sat and ate dinner with Mike and Chef Seifert. This was my first face-to-face meeting with a god. I had known the wonders of his Gourmet Market and Spagio, but now I was sitting at this guy's table. He was pouring me wine.

I remember the butter. I was astounded by the amount of butter he put on his bread. He had a whole chicken from the rotisserrie, a loaf of French bread, butter, and a bottle of chardonnay ( I wish I could remember the label).

I don't remember what we talked about, I just remember how much he enjoyed every single morsel of that meal.

I was learning ...

Chef was recently interviewed by Traveling Taste Buds ...

One ingredient you couldn’t live without and why?
HS: Butter. You can finish any dish with just a spoonful of butter. It adds richness and beautiful flavor – you can’t beat that.

Must have kitchen supply or utensil in your kitchen:
HS: Big, oval, heavy-duty cast-iron pot, made by French manufacturer, Staub. I own two, but only use one. All you need is a burner and this pot and you can cook anything, from stews and soups, to sauces and roasts.

What can always be found in your refrigerator?
HS: Double-smoked slab of bacon I get from Albert, owner of Thurn’s Specialty Meats. Thurns cold-smokes the bacon and I cut the slab at home. This is the best place to get meat. They do it right and they have the real smokers, versus so many of the over-processed, machine-manufactured meat. Other items: onions and heavy bread, like a pumpernickel or a rye, but heavier.

Read the rest here.