![]() This success inspired a cookbook ( The Good Stuff Cookbook) and multiple locations across the country and overseas. His burger joint quickly became a favorite of political elites, including President Barack Obama. In 2008, Chef Spike Mendelsohn opened up the first restaurant in his culinary empire on Washington DC’s Capitol Hill: Good Stuff Eatery. Other TV credits include hosting Midnight Feast and Food Network’s Kitchen Sink. After making his television debut on Bravo TV’s Top Chef, Mendelsohn went on to appear on several other cooking-related shows, including Life After Top Chef, Iron Chef America, Late Night Chef Fight and Beat Bobby Flay. After graduating from the Culinary Institute Of America, Mendelsohn worked with some of the world’s most renowned chefs and restaurateurs, including Gerard Boyer, Thomas Keller, Sirio Maccioni and Drew Nieporent. My parents always wanted to be on television, so I figured I’d give them that nod.By Darren Paltrowitz 0 Chef Spike Mendelsohn On The Growth Of PLNT Burger, His Early Days As A Chef, “MXC” & MoreĬhef Spike Mendelsohn’s career spans nearly three decades, with success found as a chef, restaurateur, television personality, product developer, podcaster and consultant. It’s an interesting perspective for people to see a little bit more about how we run our businesses. So to me, it was a great canvas to show people my team and all of the people that supported me and helped me get to this point – because a lot of people think it’s just you. When you see Gordon Ramsay, you don’t think of the people that helped him get to that point – his mentors and all the people that work for him on a daily basis. There’s an actual restaurant – those people that work for you, work with you, support you and make you who you are. But there’s definitely a behind the scenes that people don’t understand. We have fun we travel and things like that. I also had the notion that people think we live these really lavish lifestyles, and we do. I wanted to show how the success of a show can really launch your restaurant. I decided to do it for a couple of reasons. How does that all play into Life After Top Chef? What made you decide to do it? I worked all over the world and then decided to be on Top Chef. I’ve been in the kitchen since I was thirteen years old – even younger. The TV stuff can go away any day you never know what will happen. If you want to be the next Food Network star, then you need something to rely on. My opinion for younger chefs is get your formal training and learn how to cook before you jump to the next stage – because there’s no working backwards. Once you master that skill, it gives you a really nice base to go anywhere with. ![]() You need that training and experience of cooking at a restaurant and running a restaurant. But, if you want to be a restaurant chef and run a restaurant, then you need to go learn the basics. As far as the young kids, (in my opinion) do what you want to do. So, are they chefs? Are they TV chefs? It’s just so difficult to put a label on it. All these Food Network stars are chefs, but they have no restaurants. The word ‘chef’ is a little bit abused these days if you know what I mean. Younger chefs are definitely excited about TV and going that route. It’s been pretty intense you just cross your fingers and hope it lasts for your lifetime.ĭo you think it messes up the priorities of young chefs coming out of school? It’s been this crazy phenomenon with chefs and TV (and chefs being the rock stars). There are all different types of competition shows these days. Everyone wants to be on TV it gets diners in the chairs of their restaurants. The food industry – TV wise – has become super competitive. How has the food TV industry changed since you started? I’d do the morning Pho from the street, then I’d proceed to a little dumpling place in Saigon.įor dinner, I would fly to Greece and have lamb on a spit with potatoes, Greek salad and all sorts of Greek fare. Then, I would fly over to Vietnam and go to the street markets and have a couple of noodle dishes at different little shops. I would wake up in Montreal and I’d go to Fairmount Bagel and have a bagel with cream cheese, chicken livers and sliced tomatoes. We chatted with this new icon on trends, TV and where he just loves to eat… He’s the kind of chef the food TV movement was made for (we’re thinking he was a talk show host/Ryan Seacrest type in another life). Mendelsohn (and his famed fedora) have been at the forefront of food TV for quite some time. After competing on Top Chef Season 4 in Chicago, he moved on to Top Chef All Stars and then to Life After Top Chef. Spike Mendelsohn – the restaurateur/chef at the helm of Good Stuff Eatery – basically has his own Top Chef franchise.
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