Steak Frites

Whenever I am asked the Last Meal question, which chefs like to discuss and debate among themselves (there’s even a fun portrait book about it called My Last Supper), I have my own unvarying response. And as it is for most chefs, that meal is a simple and familiar one. Not thousand-dollar-a-pound-Kobe-beef or otoro tuna heaped with the finest caviar (though I once had both at Masa in New York City and they were pretty stunning). Chefs can get that kind of stuff because of the nature of their work. Chefs want the simplicity and deep emotional connection not always available in their uncommonly busy days. Cooking accessible food is how they connect to life and to the past. They often want food from the mother or grandmother in their life (sometimes, but rarely, the father or grandfather, I’ve noticed). I too want simple and familiar.