BrieSearch Subject : Christophe Bonnegrace

What's up I ate already I'm sorry about that we can talk about something else
 my guest today is a saucy Frenchman who started his career in the culinary arts at 14 is travel the world open quite a few award-winning restaurants and been voted one of the best chefs in America he is known some of the Rock and ride chef but I know him as my friend Kristoff how are you play so you can think of having a chat where are we and what are we drinking well right now we are and having a ways to big bowl of Ice Cube's open and I've been treating my backyard so I'm watching them right now and let me tell you that you need well tonight yes they can look you for sure okay I don't have access to amazing Japanese whiskey at my house so I'm turning regular whiskey for you but also I didn't want to open an entire bottle of red wine would be trouble and I'm not drinking much these days so I went for a single shot of whiskey Choice drink of choice will be on the regular wine so I'm doing a Chardonnay the truck Chardonnay I needed for about 30 minutes in the freezer like this is nice and cold I always put an ice cube in it yep yep gets me in trouble all the time I accepted if I'm not for sure but I'm at home I know that I can get I cannot get myself in trouble I'm a french guy born and raised in friends everybody has friends or midget real true friend people are small people like in Spain motherfuking aptitude your professional that's what he's called and my father ride with my bus into Chinese for 5 Years first Contact cited that oldest thing was not good for me I was not in the in the belief of what the French government was doing to New Jersey by night as I treat my first thing was when I get you a lie I'm going to buy me the real Hollywood onion lights will get into your culinary path but I want to go back to your experiences with the military so you were enrolled in culinary school you are 14 and then enrolled in the military at 17 tell me about what you did in the military and there's one particular story that I want you to tell and I bet you know which one it is or which one it is in your spine you know I'd I did not forget it and trust me or of my age right now I do not forget I'm still right here every single day kids who was never in school always skip school always for is my my friends my mom my owner chooses why I was not in school and actually I was at the beach and screwing up the French Riviera at least we need like literally by the beach sign in there was a mass so it was a French test I did not going to school I didn't like it so I was always at the end of the class but then at the end of the honest truth is easy for me the troll books or crayons or anything yeah I know it was I was your back so is 14 with the consent of course you are allowed at friends to the school system have to join so I didn't know what I wanted to do I knew I wanted to work out of the blue shoes because I've been cooking with my my mom and you don't during the weekend when I was young and I love to help my grandmother and my answer to her and I don't mean that in all city was a disaster the chef was horrible Jake one day I came into the kitchen and I'm going to be a cook yes and I'm ready for what do you mean in a fire oil sitting on the on the fire on the stove inside ice and water and you looked at me and you said give me your hand in my hand and throw my waking into ice basically shop stuff and I freaked out I scream ran out of sync my bicycle you and I will go back later. My father was a chef and I stayed three years working from starting 8 in the morning to 2:00 in the afternoon take a break and come back at 4 until 1 in the morning and then do it again are landing at your bags now you going to show me how bad you are and you sign me for the Special Forces for 3 days past the physical mental and everything went through the training when the training with donda the basic the boot camp in all the training I actually love this for sure you are such a mind in the physic don't follow but like I said I was proud of myself then what you want to hear about some reason you're sure you want to hear it I just think I know your I think it's not anytime videos I want my free high net-worth some miniature people got anything that happened and actually in the crotch or anything that you can do anything and everything possible and that's my belief so I can you mix of French and German plane meters in feet don't know but I will let you know right now best types of static line the table and then you jump. So I jumped not like it is easy when you know how they are going one way they never meet but sometimes they do need and when they do it creates a bubble of emptiness there is nothing planned for some time in the fall of the plane is pretty big but it goes by so fast single kid my lightweight I don't know I was probably a hundred times you close so you fall back fall back and start all the chords I try to put it back open but it happened so quick. And of course you get scared you get the flashing through your mind I'm done what I've been through. This position and when you go back to that position to just taking me with it so I can start digging my own hole stop talking so quick and didn't. I was in my own great basically my buddy was so warm so hot and I didn't go in on the lift me up when I stop feeling theme like oh my phone was going to go call my phone was going together it was grinding together and then the guys right people they gave me a nurse that she was talking to me and she was about to fall asleep and did she fall asleep and I was getting more and more morphine I was asking you what's going on a double bed which they put your body inside of this bed and then we moved to retract the are the bones formed around your body and he loves you and you can't move her she was like right now I can't tell you because you inside of you okay you talkin and and I woke up I woke up and was not it's a pretty sore on my leg was part of the knee was like but she can't picture my bottom part of my leg was chasing my face basically my leg bone and you caught me on the bottom I don't know what it was compacted into your abdomen and somehow they stressed you back out and now you survived literally falling out of a plane right cuz they had to like rebuild all of your phone so I need a new set of me how every probably every year of what I do my activity for the year or so by my hips pop and Folk on one side so I had to go see her doctor to put it back in place and thanks to whoever is upstairs to give me a chance to walk again and I did and then I jumped again after the accident I went back into jumping out of an airplane on my God to make sure that I was not afraid of doing so for sure are building a career for myself and I think I did and I'm doing pretty good from culinary school then to Los Angeles you've liked essentially traveled the world extensively it or not you know everything that I wanted to but my parents always supported except my bad behavior but supported what I wanted to do so when I left friends after you are me and my only option was either when I was in the join the Marines to get my citizenship and all you doing in the tree of life in my three years Trenary in Friendship but show United States and you take orders and you know I always wanted to do my own thing I always wanted to be me and everything that I do the cooking so can I put my love my going around after that I was the last Chef in the restaurant looking for Gene Kelly and Gene Kelly passed away probably a month after that after visiting my brother I cook for Geena Davis and I was like it was there and then from there I am working hotels Bryce I did 9/11 I was super happy over there and it was a phenomenal job in all the hotels in the whole ship because the travel industry stuff falling down as usual airplanes and right away I got a job Royal Lahaina Resort but yeah when I was my way I meant to people and one of them boys who is doing the time of French Asian fusion and I was like what he was doing and you know he was born in Asia or not he went to Asia to study Asian Cuisine and then when friends are study French all I have to do is learn the Asian Asian products learn from them for sure and then I might like I was saying and plating train with blades in the flavors and Nixon. Anything else not to put in the trash things that are horrible but I was determined to today wanted to ask you about the mixing of styles but what is that the core of French cuisine cuisine in stations love fractions and you know how to know how to put it together so we have different type of cuisine a lot of influence with it's a mixture of the Spanish and Greek in shoes on most of them I'm going to say yes okay KO French people and with the sausage we're really good. I cannot deny that we're really good because everything has some type of a saucy sometime when you could have spent some time with the olive oil or lemon juice is in all Cuisine is patient love ingredients of cooking but that's a much better answer we want to go that route arnicare any cuisine and the Grove not commercial and I'm sorry to say this but like United States everything is commercial everything and nothing tastes like nothing basically anymore in United States for sure because I visited coming with a cases of green tomato Grange Middle Chamber and then it's a big jazz she can I hear some of the big company and not going to give the name but you know they inject them with some type of Love silicone edible I can you get in my entire life I never see his like chicken breast it looks like a freaking ostridge all that is it you know and that's I guess that's the years in the generation will not show recipes from like your family recipes when you were growing up that you remember not really CD because I was too young to remember them or like you know exact amount but I do have a question I said I answered that I do remember most of my favorite dish from both of my Grandma's favorite dish from my grandfather's old side and my mother's I do remember the flavor and I still have it to this day. Flavor profile so I remember exactly what it is by mine pictures in my mind the best company I ever had in the end. I love that neighborhood surprise in there in New York where a more adventurous exotic forces in the rabbit who wants to talk to you and I'm like everything okay and she's crying okay I'm right I thought I but you don't my mind I was like the phone and he's crying because it's hurting his mouth and all my children that he stood as he said can I give you a hug and I'm right now again in your hug and the rabbit looks like you are the only shut so far that reminded me my grandmother Rapid City that's awesome and his grandmother was also making she was also with making a mustard rabbit with mushroom and green olives is my mother the way mine did and he was crying your memories can just be brought back to you by some of your senses I think it's interesting for you from your chosen profession and your talent and your skills the fact that your memory your senses like senses that contribute to your memory are taste and smell and culinary aspects where you can say I remember this moment in taste and I can recreate it myself now by putting together the flavors as a chef it's different from a musician or an artist or someone else that that uses their senses in a different way taste and flavor yeah yeah you close to your family to your grandmother to your mother to Father cooking for French people trying to find meeting Sunday one weekend like okay we going to Grandma and Grandpa next week and I don't know if I can call that it's a ritual and we are very close to the time of the year it when you were over there an all day cooking paella and then drinking and then this course and then that course and then drinking after the my it is and all day Excursion of Sunday lunch why we are able to do this in your memory did the amazing moment that you were remember all your mom and grandma are you going to watch this same thing when you were in the kitchen with your mom your grandmother moment that was special moment and it's got moment you remember all your life and I remember to bring my grandmother makes my favorite and children's Dave I never found anybody that can recreate that accept me now and I have still at the movie in my mind I can still see my grandmother the way she was cutting the the Lord on you know the small cubes and then the red cabbage juice I got you a nice race yellow cord freezing letters and then the small pieces of bread with a French card list of vegan the kitchen they created those moments for me again here nowadays and it's a broken it would not into physical pain in the the spending hours in the but when you transferred to being a chef and and opening restaurant professionally what's the Ambiance like in your kitchens that you run like what are you listening to how's the vibe you try and recreate that like Sunday afternoons or is it much more Chef time no different type of Chef not as far as cooking oil the battle of the atrocities that I witnessed everything that happened to me life is too short to whatever it would be was fun and it is no fun if we can ask you if I can ask all my books and everybody and also make what's the most my sous-chef I'll stay in touch with me and they still ask me if I have a job with them they want to come back to work not too well that is more fun next car singing or I start listening last for 45 minutes an hour and before anybody if you don't love yourself in the moment that you find yourself in the weed in the in the kitchen because it's so busy watch what's going to happen and happiness yeah it's a better and it's a beautiful world and I refuse to listen to be. Because as a leader you cannot leave your guys to pay you after you are the leader you're the number one guy and you have to read them to success because if they are successful guess what I'm successful one cooks for me they Cooks whatever I thought them skills and opinions and experience what's the current restaurant Trend that annoys you are frustrates you or you think needs to change and freshen this brief time you got a newcomers rainwood money or with friends that will invest Instinct have the money. Okay what do you know about wrestling nothing but I have money Okay cool so what they do is like a chef what's the difference between so now he's at he's doing is pissed by putting s*** together it's not eatable or that's what I know I know exactly what goes into the dish I know what's how much it cost I know you look in that position and try is best in restaurant industry right now and I'm not saying all of them are like that but it is what I just gave me is modern slavery just in the name of money because you can use someone or even someone call me and ask me to take over there when I went to the restaurant and met with the owners they asked me what was my location I don't need much I will be okay with that are you you don't need this weekend those guys have been working that I saw four years for the same guy I never got a raise but don't care about you and I said okay What's your deal you work 7 days the next week you were kicked me the next week you work seven days and I'm like with all due respect sir and said I'm not going to be disrespectful or anything what you offering me right now as far as the salary I will not set my alarm to wake up and I told him to his face he's like what do you mean one more time you got call me I didn't call you and that p**** because you know I threw out my career and do you beat the level that you are right now and that we can ask all my foot always want for my Cook's first to give them more money Cook's that I work in New York in Miami in Los Angeles has all those people work two jobs three jobs because they want to make it some of them that work for me for years was 7 days a week and when I was asking what's your day off of their own you work early morning evening and in real life when do you sleep is that well sometime I go to sleep one hour then I have to take the bus or the train back you know what you're crazy I still can give me the name of the restaurant that you would give me the name of the chef this is Chef wants to work looking for a third job I'm going to hire him because he's a good guy and give him Sunday Monday Tuesday what whatever we together given the same things off but I do see has two days off you have to ask him a question and they never by Bus and Train and whatever because they were working three jobs in the city and bouncing from restaurant to restaurant then came to the restaurant go straight to the bathroom in the bathroom I think that's a whole side of the restaurant industry that people don't necessarily get to see his how demanding both physically and mentally the whole industry can be and kind of how people struggle with that and I was going to ask you like healthwise the physical and mental health struggles the sacrifices that people make to pursue these goals and how often taken damage other side of the lights I mean we've seen we seen multiple chefs Anthony Bourdain being one of the biggest most recently but multiple chefs that are battling all kinds of demons and those are just like the big note people that people know about there's lots of people in the restaurant hearing industry that are struggling with stuff like that so I think even just shining a light on it so the people are more aware what a struggle it can be on both sides is helpful you know when you're hiding level Chef is true because more you get up into more as the menu of you why is a battery that you are getting paid or anybody you know because you know I have you know I have my own story about that but I brought you to the fact that you basically to sleep in a restaurant never need the restaurant where those insane hours of the restaurant so you start your family your wife your dick 3 years ago myself 7 8 9 months outside of California not not in my house working 7 days a week for 4 months and if I had to change the next one Sunday to say okay cool tomorrow I'm going to try and then overcome anything knowing what you know is there a balance of how to have both sides of this last year in my personal life and career. I realize that money is not all that money is good for sure but this is not a situation where I keep trying to take care of your family and what you doing tonight Michelin star you just do whatever I have to find adjust the middle right in the middle where what do I need to survive what do I need to live in what do I need to be happy you know and I said to myself and not going to worse because I don't need much anymore you know I don't know what I have around and what makes me happy is amazing friends I can count but I know if I can I Jardin a lot in my life and it is what it is by your man all my children by 5 children's are going up beautiful I'm building for myself now I'm enjoying I have no stress no stress travel and how much do you know true honest connections and end up holding it with people are just kind of you know what I'm trying to do with this so I agree I also I do want to talk about cooking and you're a culinary instructor let you give some tips to people about cooking in general what's the hardest cooking skill you think there is two master or that you had to master through your culinary learning parties are you saying tricks the nice and who you are and in the type of person you wanna one or two I have it for many many many many years what I do I buy still that have it for many many many years when I was young and upcoming no one no one believed in me and what I was doing or saying your cooking is not the right way you have to change your way you have to go and I never did is to not listen not giving up on yourself everybody can cook at a certain level teach yourself and listen to some certain does I still learn today believe it or not I have student that has showed me in the kitchen how do you do this yeah yeah yeah this is awesome and I'm the teacher play learning the skill will be not to stop believing in yourself and what you do or what you wanted everybody is different everybody has their own style of cooking all they need is a little guidance of how to put it together how to use this and this is why I like me that's what we transferred to the Young The Young to take that and made it their own for them to be successful you know of course I love that was underneath amazing talented chef and I love when they go through on the Instagram on my ninja is Kristoff and then so that's the hardest don't don't lose focus on who you are and what you want to do cast iron skillet cast iron skillet a cast iron skillet and I have no idea how to use did you sleep very heavy now I need to figure out what I can do with you or too chicken to meet to get it in one cast iron crop tops and desserts amazing apple pie into I want you to my grandmother so yeah I'm going to say cast iron skillet. Give us an Insider tip when dining out what to order what to avoid what you should judge on the menu how you should judge a dish give us an Insider tip for eating at a restaurant I like it's a big noodle avoid Seafood special special again I know it's good good because we all do it we usually order Christmas crack what you ordered well depending on how you are on the menu if you don't understand the sentence of word of the description of the the dish or if the description doesn't make any sense because it doesn't mean that is that it means that sometimes and to be honest with you all my dish that sells describing the dish and this dish is so confusing because you did so much to it and you can't even describe it using word is you are yourself confused as well again if you don't understand a word you can understand the sentence again probably will find flavors taste and also that you will not like what I'm saying like this before but like the first way you taste something is by reading what it is and imagining what those flavors would taste like that's how you decide something is preferable right like that's how you decide on something that you want to take you can't figure out what that is you're going to be disappointed with whatever you got whether it's good or not exactly. Restaurant visits in expecting you heard that because that you were not sure of what it was what the hell is this different and that's because because of the description because you couldn't understand gypsies right disorder what you find me here with like ingredients wise if you understand the broccoli the description of the dish what do you understand you don't know what to say cauliflower that was my trick San Diego what would your last meal be would you cook it or would you have someone else cook it and what would it consists of know okay so not last minute like ideal meal have someone else cook it for you it would be grilled some bread and some cheese great glass of wine and then great company yeah I guess so answer to one question about your future what would the question be I have no question I don't want to know anything really don't want to know anything I just need my life happily and then it is what it is I who wants to love me they love me if they don't want it though you know it's just I don't I don't care about all that anymore I'm not going to worry about it right now. The restaurant industry covid-19 level pandemic because not important. Going to the Firehouse sting not one person. One person that one person was less than a foot apart from each other kissing so you know other restaurants opening in friends of mine are open that are just like ready to go to restaurant ever seen the day on the news baba baba police brutality Long Beach and they forgot about it they going to be today restaurant you know I was reading on the news today that I don't know how many restaurant over two to three hundred restaurant here in Los Angeles I'm not respecting the rules of the Coronavirus you know and I'm not saying like nobody listens I guess we'll see what happens in two weeks when all these people who haven't been distancing what happens if people get sick so well we shall see wish I see what are you looking forward to what's coming up for you are you cooking somewhere are you Consulting with that I work either or two is a Tennessee Cruise Line laser out of the Geneva right now they were Japanese restaurant the other we don't do anything without projects that's what I'm looking for a sign in the street just hit the first day of the big time and you know the story was over reopen for business but it's coming up pretty soon so then I will I will work on the Japanese restaurant and then I'm supposed to do also as well I did last year they want me now to open a bigger restaurant Board of this ship so that's what you think that I'm looking forward to as well and hopefully what I'm looking for 2 or so I get to spend more time with my close friends and enjoy each other and make a really real life everything is bunch of bulshit just friendship with you know in a barbecue at home enjoy each other as much as we possibly can I am looking forward to that as well I think that this is kind of reprioritize a lot of things are people so I'm looking forward to reconnecting with the people who have stuck through exactly and it's funny they making more stuff how many people text you to check on you yes on my side and I know a lot of people on my side people who check on me need to check on it is what it is you said it you realized really what's going on exactly how I look whatever you want to drink waiting for those recipes to arrive cuz things to cook so let me know which one you're with your FaceTime I got you through FaceTime if you get for me because I actually see what you doing and I can stop you when you do something wrong yes for the first time yes I can probably make a cross to I'm not now that they're the one that my grandmother puff pastry freezing our affection is good just has a little bit about it let me know when when you're not busy FaceTime call yeah yeah no quarantine is the best thing ever tomato because everything I buy now because I threw my avocado seeds in pots on my patio with Romaine lettuce onions and root vegetable celery and stuff I'll just put the the bottoms in a pot and they start growing cucumbers growing on my patio right now and I think we're getting too hot that was fun stay safe for sure