Andrew Talks to Chefs Remembering Chef Tom Valenti (uncompleted, previously unaired conversation, circa 2020)
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The NYC and American chef community lost a beloved and influential figure last week with the sudden death of Chef Tom Valenti after a short illness. Tom presided over the kitchens of such fabled restaurants as Alison on Dominick Street, Cascabel, Butterfield 81, Ouest, and Cesca, among others. In addition to becoming known for a bold, lusty culinary style, Tom helped found the Windows of Hope charity to raise money for the families of restaurant workers who perished in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on New York City. He also possessed a quick wit and abiding gift for silliness. (In addition to all of that, he authored three cookbooks in collaboration with Andrew, who was also his publiciast in the 1990s.) In this episode, Andrew shares some remembrances of Tom, and airs a conversation with Tom that they began in 2020, and which was never finished.
We recommend you read the NY Times obituary of Tom Valenti mentioned in this episode.
And thanks to S.Pellegrino for their longstanding support of the pod.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.
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