He may be the David Chang of the West Coast. At 29 (two years younger than Sir David) Nate Appleman of A16 and SPQR is on the verge of opening an A16 offshoot in Tokyo, a new restaurant in San Francisco, has penned an award-winning cookbook and been showered with praise. Now, after three years on the nominee list, he is the owner of the Rising Star Chef James Beard Award. We caught up with Appleman yesterday afternoon to chat about his wayward childhood, why he lives in California, whole animals and his favorite kitchen utensil -- a bloody cleaver.

What did it feel like to finally win?
The third time is the charm. It was incredible. It was kind of all surreal.

How did it feel when you were passed over for the second time?
It was disappointing, but I thought, I got next year. (A Rising Star must be 30 or under.)

What's it like to be the only non-New Yorker to win a national award?
That's a huge, huge honor. It's not a secret that the awards are New York-dominated. To win from being outside of New York makes it that much sweeter.

Are you originally from the Bay Area?
No, I am from Ohio; a small town called Greenville, near Dayton.

What did your parents reaction when you told them you were going to culinary school at the CIA?
I think they were just happy that I was going to do something. They probably figured I was not going to amount to anything.

Why do you say that?
I was a troublemaker and got in trouble my whole life. I didn't get good grades. And for them to hear that I was actually going to do something, I got all the support in the world from them.

How did you end up in San Francisco?
I was living in Italy for awhile and I moved back and wanted to go to a place that resembled Italy. And what I mean by that is respect for ingredients and great ingredients. And the only place I could think of was California.

How would you describe your cuisine?
Italian rustic with a focus on using whole animals. [I cook] economically; to do it cheap and responsibly means using whole animals.

How is it responsible?
It's supporting the farmers. Most people don't want [to eat] all parts. Most people want pork chops. If all those parts are not getting used, it's not good for anyone.

Where doe the name A16 come from?
It's a highway that runs through southern Italy. A16 [the restaurant] is focused on Campagna and southern Italy.

SPQR?
It's Latin for Senatus Populusque Romanus. SPQR is kind of like our Roman wine bar. The new place focuses on another region.

What's the name of the new place?
Urbino. It's a city in the region of Marche.

When is it opening?
We are shooting for a November opening.

Do you ever see yourself opening a restaurant in Vegas?
I like Vegas, but the rents are too high.

What is one tool in the kitchen you cannot live with out?
Cleaver. A nice, dirty cleaver. I do a lot of butchery.

What's the most overused tool in the kitchen?
Nonstick pans. You don't really need them if you know how to cook. I am not opposed to them, but you don't need nonstick.

What's your favorite cut of meat, any animal?
Favorite all time would have to be pork ribs.

What's your least favorite cut?
Least favorite!

What, people rarely ask that?
Actually, no one ever asks that. I will have to think about that one. (Long pause.) Pork tenderloin. It's just kind of there. It's not offering anything. There is no fat. It's kind of mushy and doesn't have a lot of flavor. I just grind it up and use it in sausage.

What's the most the most invaluable thing you learned in culinary school?
The focus. Knowing that cooking is what I wanted to do. It gave me that. Sure, I learned a lot, but it gave me a compass.

Is there any one person who you try to style yourself after?
I would say a mix of a lot of different chefs: Alice Waters, Julia Child, Fergus Henderson.

What advice you give to a home cook?
Don't be afraid of salt. I think our generation, growing up, was afraid of salt. It can really make an OK meal great.

What is one trend you would like to see die?
Molecular gastronomy, which is the opposite of what I do. I think you are getting too many young kids who are not doing the basics and doing this newfangled cuisine and I think it's going to create really bad cooks in the future.