for the love of food

Celebrity BS

Brad Sorenson ……………is a line cook at ASTI Trattoria.

but his celebrity status is about to unfold on national television. he is one of 12 competing chefs for this seasons “The Next Food Network Star”.

newly arrived in austin texas  - from columbus ohio - brad casually attended a casting audition for food network.  following additional interviews and a trip to NY– brad was casted !  the next few months remain top secret. as much as we have  (respectfully) tried to pry - brad is not budging.

Upon his return to austin – and the reality of life as he knew it - brad found his way to working with us at ASTI.  his day job finds him slinging cap neo’s & pizza pie - but come sunday - june 6^th - with the start of season 6 - his world is about to be rocked. 

saturday night at the restaurant - brad & ASTI staff strike the “sorenson pose” !

who knows how far he’ll go – will he be the next food network star ?   

we’ll be watching.

in the meantime - i got in line to ask brad a few ( okay 20 ) questions - here’s what he had to share.

Do you have a mentor ?

I have worked at a lot of different places, and have been lucky to have been able to work with some great chefs. With every place I definitely picked up new things and added new tricks to my bag. 

 What is the best advice he or she gave you ?

Mike Voltaggio was my chef at the Ritz Carlton for a little while, and he told me to cook every dish like I was cooking for my mom.

Are you on the ‘organic - local – anti - industrial chicken pork & beef ‘ bandwagon ?

I believe that happy food tastes better. Any chance you have to eat food grown or raised the right way you should take it. When I had my restaurant in Ohio we tried to use as many Ohio grown products as possible. If the animal is treated proper and raised in an environment to grow well of course its going to taste better.

Are you a hunter ? a fisherman ? a gardener ?

I’m not unfortunately, I have done each of those before but it never turned into a real hobby. If I lived at a place that had a lawn I might have a garden. That does sound like fun. 

Do you have a blog ?

No I don’t have a blog, but I have been thinking of getting one.

Do you follow any food blogs ?

I’m just getting into the blogging world as far as checking out food blogs. Right now some of the food network blogs are pretty interesting.

Do you collect cookbooks ?  what did you last purchase ?

I have a pretty cool cookbook collection. Some early prints of Escoffier and Julia Childs are highlights. I have a few autographed books like Ripert and Boulud that are pretty cool. I haven’t bought a new one in a while, but my newest favorite is “The Flavor Bible.”  

Is there  a food you will not eat ?

I really cannot eat raw onions at all. I think they take over the whole flavor of a dish and mask other flavors they are with. Don’t get me wrong I understand some raw onion on some chili, a hot dog, or a burger…it’s just not for me.
Oh and there are very few things in this world i dislike more than ranch dressing, it’s just horrible. Stop putting it on everything!

Is there a dish your mom made while you were growing up that you still prepare?

While there is not a specific dish that I make, I take a lot of the food memories from her dishes into consideration when cooking. One of my favorite things growing up was the browned burnt cheese on the edges of my mom’s baked mac and cheese. In my house wars could be started over that burnt cheese.

What is your favorite ‘closet’ food ?

Chili Cheese Fritos are fantastic. I dont eat them very often, but I highly recommend them. Grab a bag next time you’re at a gas station and I promise you will thank me later. 

What is your beverage of choice on a Saturday night  ?

If I am working it is a combination of lots of water, red bull, and possibly some expresso. If I have the night off I’m probably drinking an arizona ice tea or mucho mango beverage. Theres another thing you should try, mucho mango by arizona, get some when you are grabbing the fritos.  

Who of present days chefs  would you most like to work with ?

Out of the chefs out there, I would like to work for Ferran Adria. I don’t know how long I would make it at El Bulli but I would love to give it a try.

Where in the world would you like to travel to learn the food and culture ?

If I was to take a food trip it would have to be Europe. I’ve never been there and I can’t pick just one country. I’m not sure what the plan would be but I’m sure lots of wine would be involved.

What else are you passionate about ?   what would you be doing if not cooking ?

It’s hard for me to imagine what I would do if I didn’t cook, but I would probably teach. It would be cool to be a detective or something exciting. As far as passions go a few things come to mind. I’m pretty goofy about The Beatles, it really is great music though. I read a lot, I always have a book going, recently I’ve been reading some really good biographies.

How competitive are you in the kitchen ?

I can be a pretty competitive person, but most the time the kitchen is a team environment. In the rare circumstances that cooking is a competition, I have a lot of fun with it. The last job I had in Columbus I had to do a cook off as part of the interview process.   

What is the bug that got you to the CIA at 17 ?

I started working at a local restaurant and fell in love with it. I started reading a lot of books on cooking and in a lot of the CIA was spoken highly of. Kitchen Confidentail was probably my favorite books and Chef Bourdain’s college experience made the school very appealing to me.

A must ask - what would be your last meal ?

If I new the next thing I ate would be my last; it might be crazy but I would have to cook it myself. A few roasted and braised meats, really fresh vegetables, and sauces that have been cooking for days. Great wine and some good conversation would be a must as well. 

Do you have a sweet tooth ? do you have talent in pastry as well ?

I do really enjoy sour fruit candy. I also like cake without frosting.
Desserts may not be a strong suit of mine but I can fake my way through one pretty well. 

What is your favorite dish on ASTI Trattoria menu ?

The pizzas are really good at ASTI. I find myself eating those more than anything else there. The Rigatoni with ASTI sausage is pretty damn good too. You can print that without the damn if you want, but thats how I would describe it.

good luck brad !