Dad Chefs on Father's Day

Fathers Day is this weekend so we asked some chef dads how they like to spend the special day. Turns out they like the same thing as most regular, non-chef dads: hanging with the kids and eating a favorite meal. Wouldn't it be nice if families got to do that every Sunday?

Wolfgang Puck, chef/owner multiple restaurants nationwide (Spago and Chinois among them); has four sons: Cameron, 21; Bryon, 15; Oliver, 5; Alexander, 3.

What's your dream Father's Day menu?
WP: I would love to wake up have my wife prepare me her special Ethiopian coffee with a few flaky pain au chocolat, and about an hour later have a baked potato with caviar and a bottle of Krug Champagne with a raspberry soufflé to finish it off.

Do you take the day off or do you cook?
WP: I take the day off. Since my kids are very small, they bring me presents in the morning. My wife brings the coffee and the kids bring the croissants.

Did your dad influence your desire to become a chef?
WP: My father did not influence me. On the contrary, he wanted me to be a carpenter or mechanic or a mason, or any other "useful" profession. All my cooking was influenced by my mom -- my dad thought cooking was for women; not a profession for a man.

More interviews after the jump.
Emeril Lagasse, chef and TV personality; two grown daughters, Jessica and Jillian, and two younger daughters, EJ, 7, and Meril, 5.

What's your dream Father's Day menu?
EL: The menu would be planned by the kids. One of my favorite things is taking them to the local farmers market. We would fill up the basket with whatever looks the best, and then head home to see how everything fits together. I might help a little by pointing out some of the great looking produce or grab some meat or beautiful fresh fish on the way out, but I'd leave the rest of the shopping entirely up to them!

Do you take the day off or do you cook?
EL: Because we travel a good bit and are so busy during the week, it's important that we all sit down and have dinner as a family. When the weather's nice we love to fire up the grill and have fun outside. Cooking with my family dinner and sitting down together is one tradition that we try not to miss!

What do your kids do for you on Father's Day?
EL: Alden, my wife, and the kids love to make pancakes on the weekends. A simple pancake breakfast with fresh blueberries would be a great way to start the day.

Did your dad influence your desire to become a chef?
EL: My childhood was always centered around food and the family table. I was lucky because my dad, John, would always tend the grill at our house, but over the years he has graciously let me take the reigns from time to time.

Did your dad pass down a signature dish to you? Have you successfully replicated it?
EL: My dad started my love of grilling. I learned a lot from him over the years, but in my mind, he will always be the master of the grill in our family. Pork chops were one of my favorite things that he'd cook at family gatherings. There's nothing better than a moist, perfectly cooked chop. For my version I use lamb chops, and fresh summer herbs for a mint pesto, but his classic will always be special to me.

Michael Ayoub, chef/owner of Fornino Park Slope and Fornino Williamsburg restaurants, both in Brooklyn, NY; three daughters, Ashley, 24, Gabrielle, 21, and Alexandra, 16.

What's your dream Father's Day menu?
MA: Pizza, pizza, pizza.

Do you take the day off or do you cook?
MA: I love cooking on Father's Day for my family. Now that my daughters are older, it's not easy getting everyone together so it's nice to be able to cook for everyone.

What do your kids do for you on Father's Day?
MA: They don't give me too much of a hard time! Honestly, the thing they do is just show up and get together in one spot which is a real joy for me.

Did your dad influence your desire to become a chef?
MA: My father wasn't an influence on me at all. I actually fell in love with the kitchen cooking with my Aunt Rosie -- I fondly remember rolling rugelach cookies with her. I also used to make meatballs with my grandmother.


James Boyce, chef/owner of Cotton Row restaurant in Huntsville, AL; one daughter, 5, and one son, 3

What's your dream Father's Day menu?
JB: Grilled ribeye of Piedmontese beef, deep-dish eggplant parmesan, grilled asparagus;, blackberry cobbler with
butter pecan ice cream.

Do you take the day off or do you cook?
JB: I don't take the day off. It's too much fun cooking with my kids and wife in the kitchen and out on the grill.

What do your kids do for you on Father's Day?
JB: The kids are still at a really young age so they are just starting to take care of Dad. But some beautiful hand-painted pictures are expected.

Did your dad influence your desire to become a chef?
JB: My father did have an indirect influence on me becoming a chef due to the fact he could throw a heck of a party. It made me realize that food was a major part of having a great time with friends. Drinks help too. I found myself very interested in cooking and hearing people's thoughts. So one thing led to another and here I am with lots of people's thoughts.

Did your dad pass down a signature dish to you? Have you successfully replicated it?
JB: His best recipe was his grilled marinated chicken, and when he made it there would no doubt be a grease fire on the grill.


Michael DelGrosso of La Famiglia DelGrosso Premium Pasta Sauces, the oldest family-owned pasta sauce manufacturer in the United States. He has one daughter, Sofia, 4.

What's your dream Father's Day menu?
MD: Although I come from a Italian pasta sauce company, my dream Father's Day menu is an eclectic mix of international flavors! I would munch blue-corn tortilla chips with tomato-chipotle guacamole, sipping a German Hefeweizen as I fire up the grill to prepare a simple yet heavenly Italian dish. It's thinly pounded chicken breast with a layer of prosciutto di parma, provolone, fresh basil and a dollop or two of my father's "Uncle Fred's Fireworks Sauce." The chicken is rolled and toothpicked then grilled to perfection, creating multiple textures and a rich yet fresh flavor. I finish with mixed fruit topped with a mixture of honey, orange juice and Cointreau.

Do you take the day off or do you cook?
MD: I love to cook and nothing feels better on Father's Day than to provide my family with something they will love to eat.

What do your kids do for you on Father's Day?
MD: Sofia is almost 5, and she will want to help with every step of the process -- mixing, layering, pouring and anything else that makes her smile and keeps me entertained.

Did your dad influence your desire to become a chef?
MD: I never thought I'd work in the family sauce-making business, but I guess those influences early in my childhood eventually caught up with me. My father took pride in creating and innovating, filling weeknight and Sunday dinners -- real, simple masterpieces. My vision of a father was always one who could make people feel loved and appreciated through food. Every time I teach a cooking class or prepare recipes on camera, his influence is there.

Did your dad pass down a signature dish to you? Have you successfully replicated it?
MD: My father's "Fireworks" pasta sauce is his claim to fame -- in fact it's available throughout most of the country on supermarket shelves. Rather than replicate it, I use his jarred sauce and create my own variations -- adding cream or supplementing the sauce with grilled vegetables. Sometimes I add more "fireworks" with an extra sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes. But he's still king of the kitchen!


Quinn Hatfield, chef/co-owner of Hatfield's restaurant in Los Angeles, CA. He has one daughter, Paige, 2 1/2.

What's your dream Father's Day menu?
QH: Pan-roasted NY steak, at home.

Do you take the day off or do you cook? .
QH: These days, I take the day off but cook in the evening at the restaurant.

What do your kids do for you on Father's Day?
QH: My daughter gives me a wake-up call with espresso in bed, and then we go out to brunch as a family.

Did your dad influence your desire to become a chef?
QH: Absolutely, both of my parents have always been big foodies. In fact, my father was the one who urged me to get a job in a restaurant when I was 18.

Did your dad pass down a signature dish to you? Have you successfully replicated it?
QH: My dad passed down his simply cooked boiled lobster with butter -- I still make it the exact same way to this day.