A Quick Q&A with Chef Waxman

Chef Jonathan Waxman is coming to the Farm for our A Roaring State of Mind event in March. Want to know what Chef Waxman listens to while he cooks? Get to know a little more about our visiting chef and turn up the volume on a playlist of all his favorite artists to listen to while he cooks!

What three ingredients can you not live without and why?
Chef Waxman: Onions – They are the glue that bind, flavor and heighten any savory dish.
Butter – It’s the secret ingredient that makes any dish more robust and richer. Butter is the ultimate umami ingredient.
Sea salt – the seasoning of all seasonings! Too little, and a dish is flat. Too much, and the dish is a failure. The right amount creates subtle fireworks.

What are your pasta secrets?
Really salt the cooking water. Buy the most expensive pasta. Cook and taste as you go: the right moment is fleeting – too hard one second, overcooked if you wait too long. Always include the pasta cooking liquid (water), as it has salt and the right amount of starch to help make your sauces shine.

What musicians – living or past – would you want to share a meal with?
John Lennon, JJ Johnson, Issaac Stern and Jimi Hendrix

What lessons do you apply from your career in music to your career in cooking?
Practice makes almost perfect. Study under a great chef. Be humble. Taste everything! Be intrepid. Be hyper-critical. Don't be afraid to improvise. Make mistakes and learn from them.

What are your secrets to elevating the most basic ingredients?
Use great pans, knives and cutting boards (never plastic!). Sharpen your knives. Take your time choosing produce. Wash greens thoroughly. Let the ingredients tell you how they want to be cooked.

What is the secret to your JW Margarita?
Don't add too much lime (also never frozen, nor pre extracted). Use great Blanco tequila. Stir, don't shake.

What books - cookbooks or otherwise - are you reading?
Harpo Marx’s autobiography, Harpo Speaks, and Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen.

Aside from your mother, who are your culinary heroes?
Alice Waters, Frédy Girardet, Julia Child, Diana Kennedy, Michel Guérard and Elizabeth David.

Click here to push play on a playlist of Chef Waxman’s favorite artists to listen to in the kitchen!