NEW JERSEY WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL 2024

We sat down and talked with Robby Younes, founder of the New Jersey Wine and Food Festival and Chief Operating Officer of Crystal Springs Resort for their premier celebration of world renowned and highly-regarded local chefs along with prized wines and spirits on May 3-5. This event will be headed by New Jersey native, multi James Beard Award Winner, Restaurateur, and host of Bravo’s Top Chef which just launched their 21st season - Chef Tom Colicchio (our MAR ISSUE #99 cover alongside Chef Kristen Kish and Gail Simmons). On May 3rd, he will kick off 1 of 3 events that night for his Five Course Wine Cellar Dinner. The meal will be paired with Napa’s Eisele Vineyard.

Attendees will enjoy more than 200 wines, dozens of spirits, and over top 30 restaurants from NJ. From tastings, seminars, dinners, and parties, they will be able to meet the chefs and winemakers!

We wanted to find out more about this event and to hear about what we should know from Robby.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What is the purpose of the NJ Wine & Food Festival and how many years has it taken place? 

ROBBY YOUNES: The New Jersey Wine & Food Festival is a celebration of the amazing diverse talent we have here in New Jersey. More and more top chefs have been drawn to the state like Marcus Samuelsson, David Burke, Marc Forgione and coming soon Morimoto – we’ll be having a preview of his new concept at the Festival’s signature event The Grand Tasting. We also have incredible home-grown talent like David Viana and our own Crystal Springs Resort Executive Chef Aishling Stevens. We started the festival in 2009 and the restaurant scene has only grown since then. This year will be the first festival since the pandemic and we are looking forward to a great event. 

AM: With it coming back this year for the first time since 2019, what can attendees expect from this year's event? 

RY: The festival’s return has been much anticipated. People have been asking me for several years when it was coming back so now I can finally tell them it’s almost here! We have three days of events starting with our Wine Cellar Dinner by Tom Colicchio and amazing wines from Eisele Vineyard, very highly allocated boutique wines from Napa Valley. We also have a dinner featuring three former contestants from Bravo’s Top Chef – Karen Akunowicz, Sara Bradley and David Viana which has been a favorite for many years.  

AM:This event will take place from May 3-5th at Crystal Springs Resort, why is this the perfect destination to host this event? 

RY: Crystal Springs is the largest four-season golf, spa and culinary resort in the Northeast. We are setting the standard for excellence in both the culinary space and service. Our collection of seasonally driven restaurants gives us access to the finest ingredients and our two hotels offer plenty of accommodations for guests to stay overnight. Plus we get to showcase amazing features like our award-winning Wine Cellar which is the second largest in the country and our outdoor wood-fired restaurant, the Chef’s Garden. 

AM: Chef Tom Colicchio is headlining this year's festival, and his Five-Course Wine Cellar Dinner is 1 of 3 events kicking off the weekend. What can you tell us about this event? 

RY: The Wine Cellar has been a passion of mine since I started at Crystal Springs. Together with the late Gene Mulvihill, the founder of the resort, we built a one-of-a-kind collection of fine wine and this dinner showcases the resort’s wine legacy. We have two intimate dining rooms surrounded by thousands of bottles of wine so we invite in a renowned chef to create a dinner paired with wines. In the past, we’ve welcomed Daniel Boulud, Jose Andres, Thomas Keller, Gabriel Kreuther and more. This year, we are excited to welcome Chef Tom Colicchio and his team. The winery, Eisele Vineyard, produces very little wine so this is a unique opportunity for guests to taste them. 

AM: In terms of those participating in this year's event, what did you look for in terms of chefs, restaurants, wines, and spirit events that are involved? 

RY: We always look to celebrate a range of cuisines and ingredients when working with New Jersey restaurants. The scene has evolved quite impressively so I make sure to check out new restaurants and make sure we have the best of the best. I’m very interested in spirits and fascinated by the growth of agave. We have a great seminar showcasing agave beyond tequila which I think will be a lot of fun. For wines, more and more winemakers are practicing sustainable practices and things like regenerative farming like this year’s guest Eric Jensen. 

AM: Saturday May 4th is packed with a number of events! Can you tell us about some of the VIP experiences? 

RY: The VIP experience is an exclusive part of The Grand Tasting on Saturday night. Guests get access to two lounges with some amazing chefs like David Burke, Jacques Torres as well as premium wines and Champagnes. We make sure to have some fun entertainment and lounge seating as well that sets the VIP experience apart. 

AM: On Sunday May 5th, you will have a Cinco de Mayo Sunday Brunch. Can you tell us about this? 

RY: It’s a happy coincidence to have our Sunday brunch land on Cinco de Mayo! We’ve added some fun Mexican food options and margaritas — of course! 

AM: Tell us about ticketing for this event. Can you tell us what events are sold out, and what are 3 events that you are excited about that tickets are still available? 

RY: Friday dinners are already sold out but for Saturday, I’m excited about the Trailblazing Culinary Women – I love hearing the stories of how chefs and winemakers found their passion. We’ll have a discussion with two amazing chefs who competed on Bravo’s Top Chef, Karen Akunowicz and Sara Bradley. Crystal Springs Wine Director Susanne Wagner will talk about her work here at the resort. And then we’ll taste some wines from Mary J. Blige’s new project, Sun Goddess.  

Glenfiddich Tasting — this is an amazing opportunity to taste some older expressions of whiskies from Glenfiddich with a tasting of 18, 21, 23 and 26 year olds. 

The Grand Tasting of course! You can’t go wrong with dishes from 30 top restaurants and more than 400 different wines and spirits to taste. What more could you ask for? 

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

9PLAYLIST 9COLLAB | CHEF TOM COLICCHIO, CHEF KRISTEN KISH, AND GAIL SIMMONS

Read the MAR ISSUE #99 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST 9COLLAB | Chef Tom Colicchio, Chef Kristen Kish, and Gail Simmons in mag.

THE 9LIST 9M3NU | CHEF TOM COLICCHIO, CHEF KRISTEN KISH, AND GAIL SIMMONS

Read the MAR ISSUE #99 of Athleisure Mag and see THE 9LIST 9M3NU | Chef Tom Colicchio, Chef Kristen Kish, and Gail Simmons in mag.

IN GOOD TASTE | CHEF TOM COLICCHIO, CHEF KRISTEN KISH, AND GAIL SIMMONS

We're excited this month's cover of Athleisure Mag is graced by Chef Kristen Kish (S10 winner of Top Chef, Fast Foodies, Restaurants at the End of the World), Chef Tom Colicchio (A Place at the Table, The Simpsons, Billions), and Gail Simmons (Royal Pains, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, The Food That Built America). We sat down with them ahead of the S21 premiere of Bravo's Top Chef Wisconsin. We talked with Kristen who is on the other side of the judging table as a host as well as her fellow judges Tom and Gail! In our interview, we spoke about the impact of this iconic food competition show, their approach to judging the dishes, what they hope viewers and fans enjoy when watching this show, and why filming is a bit like Summer Camp!

ATHLEISURE MAG: We are so excited to be able to talk to you guys as we have been fans of the show ever since the beginning! We have interviewed each of you individually over the years on various projects that you have been involved in, but to be able to have you guys as our cover for this month and to have you all together as S21 premieres on March 20th is amazing!

What was the dish that you fell in love with that made you realize that you wanted to be in the culinary industry?

CHEF KRISTEN KISH: Oh wow! Well I can tell you the first thing that I ever made when I was 5!

AM: Yeah!

CHEF KK: It was a chocolate pudding, but there was no chocolate or pudding. I saw my mom make Thanksgiving gravy and she would thicken it with cornstarch slurry and she would refrigerate it. It comes out and it looks gelatinized and so when I started watching cooking shows before I had any concept of food, flavor, or actual technique, I was like, “I could make a chocolate pudding.” So I had soy sauce, thickener, and cornstarch. I did that and it sat in the refrigerator and my dad came home from work and gave it a try and he said it was great and off I went!

AM: Oh my goodness, I love that!

GAIL SIMMONS: That’s a good dad!

AM: That was sweet. And Tom!

CHEF TOM COLICCHIO: It was no particular dish. I’m actually writing a book called Why I Cook.

AM: Nice!

CHEF TC: During the pandemic I was doing a lot of these Zoom cooking classes and I kept coming back to certain themes. There were 2 things in particular, both around my grandfather that I think led me to food. One, at a young age, I used to fish with my grandfather and I was responsible for 2 things – one cleaning all of the fish and crabs and clams before my mother and grandmother cooked them and my second job was keeping my grandfather awake on the ride home. So that was always fun! That meal, because it was a larger meal, it was 20 people around the table and I think that somehow I took away from that was that’s what food does, it brings people around the table. That was probably more important than the food itself.

Then I struggled as a kid with ADHD. I wasn’t diagnosed back then and my children are all clinically diagnosed and I found that cooking was something that I could figure out very easily. It came very easily to me. Once I started working in the kitchen, all that chaos just cut through the clutter in my brain and I was able to hyper focus on my cooking.

So it’s not a particular dish, but those are the 2 sort of memories that led me to a career of cooking.

AM: I love that. Gail?

GS: Again, I also don’t think that it was one particular dish, it wasn’t that one moment. My mother was an amazing cook when I was growing up and she had a cooking school that was run out of our house and wrote a column for our national newspaper of Canada as a way to be able to stay home and also work while her children were small. I had 2 older brothers and there was a lot of noise in our house. I think that it was just watching her do this all the time! She ran these classes in our house so there were always people in our home, she was always entertaining and I just saw how much pleasure it gave her and everyone and how fulfilling it was for her to nourish people and to feed people.

I remember that this wasn’t a real dish, but my favorite thing to do as a child while my mom was in the kitchen cooking was to put my little wooden stool at the sink and she would put a big pot in the sink and let me just invade her spice cabinets and I would squirt a bit of this and drizzle a little bit of that and take a big wooden spoon and I would make soup. It allowed us to be together and it gave me such purpose in doing that with her and it was just this imaginary game where I could be a chef and I think that that was sort of that feeling where this was just something that could sustain others and make me feel great and I just sort of loved that feeling of being in the kitchen.

AM: Wow that’s such a memory.

Well, Gail and Tom, you guys have been on Top Chef for 21 seasons and just seeing everything through this food competition, what initially drew you to being part of it and what do you hope that fans are getting out of it when they are watching you guys?

GS: Drew us to be a part of it. I don’t think that either of us were drawn to being part of it because when we started, it wasn’t a thing. There was no food competition reality shows. There was Iron Chef Japan, but obviously that was a very different kind of competition. So this was a real trailblazer at the time and when they came to both of us, neither of us knew what they were talking about, nor were we that interested necessarily because it didn’t seem like a rational thing to do with your career at that moment. I was working at Food & Wine Magazine and actually Bravo came to Food & Wine to partner with them, to teach them about the restaurant and food world and to help them with sort of part of the prize and to learn about the industry. They said, well in exchange, if we like one of your editors, we’ll put them on the judging table to represent the magazine as this partnership. I was chosen to be that person, but I very clearly remember that when my publisher gave me that news, I was sort of terrified!

AM: Gulp!

GS: But I was doing it for my job and I knew that I would still have a job after even if no one liked the show. I had this totally different job with the magazine and this became a side thing to try out to sort of – as a lark. But I knew that Tom was doing it and I had known Tom for many years. But more importantly, the magazine really trusted him. He was a Food & Wine Best Chef, James Beard Award Winner, and I knew that there was going to be a moral compass to the show because of that. So we headed out to San Francisco with very little expectations and I think that that has been the greatest surprise that it exceeded anything that I could have imagined!

CHEF TC: For me, I said no 3 times before finally being coerced into saying yes. I got a call from the producer who said they were doing a show and we think that you would be great. There was a show around that time that featured a chef and it wasn’t a competition and I was like, I don’t want to do that. Then they sent me some DVDs of Project Greenlight and I loved that show.

AM: Same!

CHEF TC: So they sent someone to get me on camera and they asked if I could come in for a screen test and I said no I’m not going in for that. There was a documentary done by a producer from ABC News on the opening of Craft so I sent them that and they said, they wanted to make an offer.

Part of the reason that I said yes and my wife always says that I shouldn’t tell that story, but I will! I got tired of going to food festivals and I’m sitting next to Bobby Flay and he signs 300 books and I signed 20 and I didn’t think that it was because he had a better book, it was because he was on TV!

GS: That’s a great piece of the story! Like if you were living in NY at that moment, everybody knew Tom Colicchio!

AM: Absolutely.

GS: He was the NY chefiest chef! He was the chef-y-chef and still is to the end! But he was such a NY icon, and there wasn’t like a history or a precedent yet where there were chefs that had huge national followings except for the few that were on Food Network. You had Bobby, Emeril, Wolfgang, and that was sort of it. So I think that that sort of recalibrated things.

CHEF TC: What I hope that the viewing audience gets from what we do is that – one thing that just drives me crazy is when people think that there is some kind of game that we are playing. That we are trying to promote one person over another. We don’t care who wins. I’m not a fan.

AM: We can see that when you’re talking on the show.

CHEF TC: Right. I’m not a fan, I’m there to do a job and to be as honest as possible. I hope that that comes across. We’re not playing favorites, we’re not saying that a woman won last season so a man needs to be in this one. No, we don’t care. We judge on the food and that’s it. The only thing that I asked the producers from day one is that judges make decisions. So far, we have made every single decision.

GS: And we have never regretted one either!

CHEF TC: Right! There is that little disclaimer that they say that they help us. If we’re stuck, they’ll say, “well you said this or you said that – what do you think about this?” But they don’t make the decision.

AM: It’s more like running the tape.

GS: Yeah!

CHEF TC: Exactly! It’s kind reminding us of things that we’ve said and trying to get us to discuss. But that happens so infrequently! It happened in a few finales where we were really stuck and because also I think in the finales we pay more attention to it because there is so much on the line and some of them were so close that it would just come down to –

GS: Tiny nitpicking things.

CHEF TC: But, yeah, that’s it.

AM: Kristen, we love that you won Season 10 and it has been great to see you come back for various guest judging, but now you’re on the other side as a host! How do you feel about that and what does it feel like to know how it is on both sides of the table?

CHEF KK: I mean – it’s still a wild thing to know that this is happening! But you know, I will say that having competed, guest judging and obviously when I was done with my season, developing a relationship with these two that went far beyond then the actual show itself, like coming back into it already felt like you were coming back into a family setting. You see producers that have been there since my season and long before, these 2 obviously, I’m very familiar with and so as new as the position was, me coming in and being with these people wasn’t a new thing. So that brought a lot of comfort. I think really the main difference between competing and judging and now hosting is that I get to be part of the whole thing! I get to experience all of the chefs and all of the different variations that they are and regardless of how long that they are there, I get to be there for the whole thing which is pretty fantastic! I also get to say that, “you’re Top Chef!”

GS: For us, where we stood, filling Padma’s (Top Chef, Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, Waffles + Mochi's Restaurant) very high heel shoes, there were very few people that we thought would fit all of that and I think that in a way, it was a very obvious choice to us. Especially because, we knew that we didn’t need to bring in for the 21st season, someone who had never been part of the show before.

AM: Right.

GS: It only made sense because we had created this massive family of 300+ chefs over the seasons who have gone on to such success that it would only make sense to bring someone in who had already been part of it and Tom and I were not the ones that were making the decision, let’s be clear about that. We were involved in the conversations, but it was just so natural and it made such great sense, because she has become such a leader in the industry because she won a season and went on to just – I mean, we have been sitting there being so proud of her for a decade watching as a friend! So, it just felt like the most natural, possible choice.

CHEF TC: I had conversations with the producers and no other name came up!

AM: There you go! We were so happy when we heard that it was you!

CHEF KK: Me too, me too!

AM: What did you guys love about being in Wisconsin for this season and where would you like to see it go for the next one?

GS: Wisconsin was interesting. We were just talking about this. We have been to every corner of this country at this point and we have been abroad, you know our last season, our 20th season Top Chef: World All-Stars was a massive milestone by being able to shoot the entire season in London and in Paris. That was extraordinary, but coming back home to the heartland, we hadn’t explored the Midwest. We were in Chicago in 2007 and that feels like it was an eternity ago especially in the life of restaurants. So I think that it was great to be able to go back to that part of the country and to explore its foodways (Editor’s Note: In social science, foodways are the cultural, social, and economic practices relating to the production and consumption of food. Foodways often refer to the intersection of food in culture, traditions, and history.), its indigenous culture, its agriculture, its history, the immigrant populations that brought so much of its food culture, and I don’t know, we had the greatest time! We ate a lot of cheese, we drank a lot of beer.

CHEF KK: There was a lot of custard!

GS: Oh yeah, frozen custard was obviously a highlight.

CHEF KK: I mean, thinking about where to go, I have only been to Milwaukee and Madison so the possibilities on my end – I mean wow, there’s so many places that we can go far and wide. But even from their perspective, they can speak to that, but after 21 seasons, there are just countless places that we can go and there are just so many options.

CHEF TC: The best parts of the show and they don’t get enough credit, the producers do such a great job. They’re on the ground 4 months before production starts, digging through, looking at different foodways, looking for interesting locations and really sort of teasing out some of these challenges. The team spends so much time doing it and yeah, we do a little bit of research. I mean, Gail does all of the research on the restaurants. I just tag along!

GS: I know where to go for dinner afterwards!

CHEF TC: But they do such a great job of researching for us and every season, it’s just beautiful because that location becomes its own character.

AM: Yeah.

CHEF TC: It becomes a real backdrop for everything that we do. Wisconsin was so great and the people were really friendly and so easy to work with.

GS: Coming from London, London was extraordinary for all the reasons that it was extraordinary, but London –

CHEF TC: Britain didn’t care about us!

GS: The UK doesn’t have Top Chef!

AM: Right.

GS: Their culture is all MasterChef all of the time.

CHEF TC: And the Queen died.

GS: Then the queen died in the middle of our season.

AM: Yes, that’s right!

GS: So then they really didn’t care about us. It was sort of refreshing, I liked that, but we were completely anonymous, no one cared, no one made a fuss over us, but sometimes you want a little fuss. I mean, you just want people to care that you’re there – just a little bit. Although I think it made us work harder and it challenged us in the best way, but coming back to Milwaukee – they were like – I mean, they were ready to welcome us with open arms! And that felt really nice.

AM: Love that!

And what about the 15 cheftestants this this season? Is there anything that we should keep an eye out for or what you were excited about or whatever you can share?

GS: I think that it’s really interesting that they’re fun, they’re all really good people, and they have great stories. Again, our casting team does the most amazing job because you think it’s just about casting the 15 best cooks that you can cast, but there are so many factors beyond that and our industry has changed so much and I think that it’s sort of a chicken and egg situation. Did we help mold the industry trends or did the industry trends help mold the show? I think that there is such an interesting interplay there, but you know, the diversity of our cast now versus 12 seasons ago in all senses right? Obviously people of color, we have always had a 50/50 women to men ratio which let me assure you is not the ratio in the real industry

CHEF TC: That’s right.

GS: It is such a massive undertaking casting people who are not only at the top of their game, but all have stories to tell and all can cook and talk at the same time, have perspectives and points of view that will carry over to our audience. It’s just an amazing thing the cast every season and the people that we meet and what we learn about them. I think that this year you will see a few really interesting things. Obviously stories from parts of the world from where they come from, their origins that we have never seen before which definitely is played out on their dishes and also, we’re talking a lot more about what it is like to cook with a disability in the kitchen. Which, this isn’t something that we have faced in a big way on this show. The chef who is actually from Wisconsin, Chef Dan Jacobs, the local chef and he has an amazing story to tell and I just think that it ups the level of appreciation for the craft.

CHEF TC: I think that this season, the chefs were somewhat a little inconsistent. One challenge, a chef would do amazing and then the next challenge it was – what happened? It was just hard to figure out –

GS: It kept us on our toes!

CHEF TC: It could have been nerves.

AM: Just looking at your face, we can see how you didn’t understand how that could happen.

CHEF TC: It was just so hard to understand because there were these ups and downs. But it was a great season and it was a lot of fun.

CHEF KK: It means that the challenges were very good though.

CHEF TC: Yeah, yeah.

CHEF KK: Because it challenged different parts of you and you couldn’t consistently be great at everything.

GS: And the same person wasn’t always on top.

CHEF TC: Yeah, it was an interesting season and there’s some fun stuff! We had a Sausage Race!

AM: When I saw that, I was like yes! Because I’m from the Midwest originally – I’m from Indiana!

GS: Oh!

AM: I was like what? They’re sharing the Sausage Race from the Milwaukee Brewers?

GS: It was the best! It was low hanging fruit. That kind of sounded dirty, but you know what I mean!

AM: Yes!

This season each episode is supersized for 75 mins. There wasn’t a Quick Fire in the first episode, the way immunity is handled – so what are the different twists that we can expect from this season?

CHEF KK: You know, I think that I’m really the most excited that I think midseason that’s after Restaurant Wars or something like that – that Tom and Gail are also part of the Quick Fire. So all 3 of us get to have the same conversation.

AM: Oh wow!

CHEF KK: Include it into the deliberation if you need it. It’s also nice to have the company and to have a little bit more time with them. So for me, that was one of the more fun changes that happened to do it with them.

AM: With the Elimination Challenge on the first episode, each of you had a task that the 15 cheftestants were divided to create 1 of 3 dishes. What was the thought behind the soup (Kristen’s Challenge), the roasted chicken (Tom’s Challenge), and the stuffed pasta (Gail’s Challenge)? Which we loved all of those.

GS: I think that we see patterns over the years right? We have been sitting in these chairs for a really long time Tom and I, longer than we want to admit and we see patterns in cooking. We see trends come and go, but even in the foundations of cooking, I feel that we and our producers have seen things that recur in good ways and bad, over and over again. There are certain foundations and techniques that every chef should have mastered long ago when they get to this stage, but amazingly, they get to the Top Chef Kitchen and it’s not that they don’t know how to make a roast chicken –

CHEF TC: Mmm

GS: And we know that they do it beautifully in their own kitchens.

CHEF TC: Mmm

GS: Or not.

CHEF TC: Mmm

GS: Some of them not.

ALL: Hahaha

GS: But it trips them up and they freeze and so we just wanted to first of all, put them in check and also, make sure that they understand that they shouldn’t be calling it in because something that seems really simple that we see so often on the show can be problematic and also for Kristen, I think that it was a great introduction for the first challenge because she had such a vivid memory in her season.

CHEF KK: We had to make a soup in order to make it to Seattle in the first place. So I cooked for Emeril in Vegas and there were 5 or 6 of us. You had to get his stamp of approval on the soup before you went on. So that was an easy choice for me!

CHEF TC: Roast chicken – if you’re a chef of this caliber and you can’t make a great roast chicken, maybe you need to rethink what you’re doing!

GS: Yeah!

CHEF TC: But also, there’s a certain maturity that you attain when you’re cooking for years, when you’re comfortable enough to leave something alone. I wanted to see who was going to over chef it.

AM: Right!

CHEF TC: Right? Versus having the confidence to just leave the roast chicken alone. I thought that it was a good way to start.

AM: Love that!

We all have our favorites whether it’s Restaurant Wars or certain guest judges that come in. What were your exciting moments of this season?

CHEF KK: Restaurant Wars was awesome! Restaurant Wars is fantastic and I love it so much. If I could ever go back in my life and redo one thing, it would be Restaurant Wars. I let it go.

GS: It ended up ok!

CHEF TC: I think you did alright!

CHEF KK: I just want to prove that I can do it! But it was nice to be part of it from the other side and now to be able to watch it when I see that episode – to see the thought process and the strategy that was played because I didn’t think about it in that way. So, throughout the season, I’m learning a lot about how to compete on Top Chef and I’m never going to do it again in terms of competing on Top Chef. But to also learn a thing or two with different perspectives and great chefs around the country who have something to teach us as well.

GS: I love all the challenges that take them out of the kitchen to cook in weird and wonderful places – on a farm, on a beach, in a baseball stadium. I think that it just changes everything and it gives us energy and it inspires us. But I also think that learning – everywhere we go as we obviously say – there are foodways, there are local traditions that we get to learn about and over the last several seasons gratefully, we have incorporated the indigenous foodways of everywhere we are – in Portland (S18), in Houston (S19), and certainly in this season in Milwaukee and I think that it really helps you take a step back from the way you think of food in the modern kitchen and in that sort of modernist way and we think that the way that we think of produce and agriculture gives us so much perspective as cooks.

CHEF TC: One of my favorite challenges was the Door County Fish Fry.

GS: Oh my God, wild!

CHEF TC: And the reason being was that there was this guy that does fish fry’s, probably 300 a year and he had a very specific way of doing it. We were all in the parking lot actually watching this happen and if you watch it with chef eyes, you’re like, “this is ridiculous. Why are you doing this?” You’re going against everything that you are taught. But the guy has been doing this a long time and it blew my mind that the chefs weren’t really paying attention to what he was doing. They were just like, I’m going to do it my way.

GS: Or I can make it better!

CHEF TC: Right, I can make it better. Yeah and it was interesting to watch.

AM: Oh wow!

CHEF TC: We also at some point, they were all calm and then you saw them all come to this realization that they really should have listened. Should have paid attention.

GS: They definitely should have paid attention in math class that day!

CHEF TC: Yeah.

AM: What can you tell us if anything about the finale that we should be looking forward to?

GS: I don’t know what we can tell you about the finale – there is a finale!

AM: There you go! There’s going to be people there.

CHEF TC: There’s people there.

GS: It’s not in Wisconsin. Every year it’s always a little different.

AM: So Tom, you always say that shooting this show is like Summer Camp.

CHEF TC: Yeah!

AM: What do you mean by that?

CHEF TC: Well I didn’t go to Summer Camp, but if I had –

AM: Neither have I.

CHEF TC: You go to Summer Camp, you have those friends. You see them for 6 weeks in the summer and you go back every summer and you see them. When we do this show, there’s probably 150 people on a crew these days. There has probably been about a quarter or 50 that have been doing this for 10+ years and so you see your summer friends. These are our summer friends and you hang out with them. You go out to dinner and a bunch of us play instruments and we get together and play so it’s fun!

GS: There are a lot of campfires!

CHEF TC: Yeah and it’s a fun get together and you fall right back into relationships as soon as you get there. It’s just immediately you’re right back into Summer Camp.

AM: What instrument are you playing?

CHEF TC: I play guitar!

AM: That’s what we thought!

CHEF KK: He’s very good!

GS: I play the cowbell! I’m joking!

AM: Kristen, what are you playing?

CHEF KK: If there was a keyboard, I would be playing.

CHEF TC: We’re going to get you a little accordion!

GS: Oh yeah!

CHEF KK: I will learn to play the accordion!

CHEF TC: Absolutely, we’re going to get you one so you can play.

AM: When we’re in the kitchen, we always love our favorite playlists while we’re making our dishes. What are 3 songs that you like listening to when you’re cooking?

CHEF KK: I don’t know if there is a particular song. But in my restaurant kitchen, there’s certain kinds of music that we go with the Beyonce, Whitney Houston vibe.

GS: Wow.

CHEF KK: Everyone loves it – it’s not politically drawn any which way.

AM: It’s just good sounds.

CHEF KK: It’s solid music. A lot of Earth, Wind, & Fire as well. At home, I listen to Van Morrison because I have great memories of my dad. My mom in the summertime in Michigan, all the windows in the house open and spring cleaning starts and my dad has like a CD player in the kitchen and it would blast through the house – Van Morrison – so for me, I always like to listen to Van Morrison.

AM: Tom?

CHEF TC: God, It all depends on what I am in the mood for.

GS: Yeah.

CHEF TC: I often cook with reggae and Grateful Dead - Anthony Bourdain just rolled over one time in his grave because he hates them, but it all depends. I do like cooking with music especially when I’m home.

We do have music in the kitchen here in NY at Craft, I stay out of it! I walk down there sometimes and I’m like, what the heck? But it’s like, do whatever you want.

AM: Gail?

GS: I would say the same. I love when I can be in my zone in my kitchen. I don’t like talking to people when I’m cooking, it's my quiet happy place. Everyone in my house knows that it’s my space. It’s not to say that I don’t speak to my family. I can also get them involved. But when I am in a rhythm with music, it really is my meditation in so many ways that that zone that you get into – but I listen to all kinds of things depending on my travels, where I have been, what’s happening in the moment. My husband actually works in the music industry. He creates playlists so there’s always playlists on my Spotify made from him. It also depends on my kids. My daughter has very strong opinions about the music so when she comes home she’ll often change it, but I just love a rhythm when I am cooking for sure.

AM: My last question has 3 parts, and is part of our feature, THE 9LIST 9M3NU, this month, it looks at: a) why you enjoy cooking in the Spring; b) what are spices that you enjoy cooking; and c) for Tom and Kristen, what are 3 dishes that we can enjoy are your restaurants and Gail, what are 3 dishes that we could enjoy if we were at your home?

GS: That’s a big 3 part question!

AM: We did this recently with Alton Brown and he got such a kick out of it!

So what do you love about the Spring when you are creating your dishes?

CHEF KK: I’m just excited to be out of fall! Because growing up in a 4 season kind of place, Austin is very different. I had to learn what food seasons there were. You had two tomato seasons – there’s a long story behind that. But you have 2 tomato seasons, 2 strawberry seasons. But I mean, for any season change that happens, by the time fall is nearing an end, I can’t do any more with squashes. I’m ready for the green fresh and the vibrancy! Now that my wife has started gardening, she has a whole Spring list that she is excited about. I’m excited about the fresh stuff at home and to be out of the fall vegetables!

CHEF TC: This time of year, morels, peas, and asparagus, fava beans, and rhubarb. I just shot photos of a book that I’m working on yesterday and it was Spring. There’s nothing happening in Spring right now although we had some great weather, but nothing is coming out of the ground yet. But in California, it’s already Spring and we had a bunch of stuff there that we shipped in. You know, it’s my favorite time to cook. I think that part of it is that it is Spring Renewal and you’re coming out of the winter, food becomes lighter, fresher, greener. The flavors are something that I really enjoy!

GS: I think that there is a reason that if you think about the rhythms of the world, like even in religion – Passover, Easter, or Eid, they all happen in the exact same time of year for a reason because it’s renewal, it’s celebration of the Earth and all of the waking up of the world again and so Spring is absolutely the best time of year to cook. All of the early berries and the rhubarb. All of the peas – I could eat peas all of the time, every moment of the year! But I don’t because they are so much sweeter and I like to eat them in the Spring and asparagus. All the fresh herbs, everything comes to life and I just feel like there is so much flavor there and you don’t realize until you get to cook with them, how much you have missed them through the cold winter months!

AM: Very true!

What are 3 spices that you like cooking with?

CHEF KK: Ooo someone else take this first so I can think about this one!

GS: Not together, but right now that I have been leading on a lot, sumac, smoked paprika, and cardamom. Again, not together!

AM: Right.

GS: But they are 3 spices that I find really add dimension to whatever I’m cooking.

CHEF TC: I love sumac! I always forget about sumac.

GS: I’m going to bring you some! I’m going to bring you some! I just received this giant pint container of the most beautiful sumac that I have ever tasted.

CHEF TC: Spice wise, pepper, black pepper, and long pepper which you don’t see a lot of. Fennel seed, I just can’t get enough of that!

GS: Oh me too!

CHEF TC: I absolutely love it, it’s one of my favorites. Gail and I are lovers of licorice, right here. The black ones, not the red stuff that’s candy. Actual licorice is my favorite.

GS: Ooo White Taragon is my favorite!

CHEF TC: Fennel – wild fennel fronds woo!

GS: Delicious!

CHEF TC: It’s the best!

CHEF KK: I agree on the black pepper! However, I like to toast my black pepper. So I toast my peppercorns before they go into the grinder. It just adds a whole other dimension of flavor. One of my favorite spice blends is Montreal Steak Seasoning.

GS: I love you for that answer!

CHEF KK: It’s so good!

GS: If I didn’t love you before, I love you now!

CHEF KK: It’s so good, so yes – Montreal Steak Seasoning.

GS: On everything? No matter what or just on meats?

CHEF KK: No, I do it on vegetables.

GS: Salty, smokey!

CHEF KK: I have it as a finishing salt on certain dishes. I don’t do it at my restaurant, I do it at home.

GS: I don’t know why it’s called Montreal Steak Seasoning.

CHEF KK: I don’t know either!

GS: It’s not particularly Montreal spices.

CHEF TC: It’s like why is that rice that San Francisco treat?

GS: That’s a really good question! It’s a mystery of the universe!

AM: Ha!

The last part of the question is for Kristen and Tom, what are 3 dishes that our readers should try at your restaurant that you would suggest for our readers to come and have?

CHEF KK: One of Arlo Grey's most popular dishes is this beautiful Malfaldini Pasta not that it was done intentionally, but I cooked these mushrooms several times and it just so happened to be a mushroom that got me my first win on Top Chef, but people love to come to the restaurant to try it. It’s like a 4 day sauce that you dehydrate and rehydrate it and it’s just humble white button mushrooms.

There’s this Crispy Rice dish which is my ode to crab fried rice in a lot of ways.

There are 3 dishes that will never change those two and the Lime Sorbet which has pink peppercorns, coconut, and people really love it and it’s like the dessert palette cleanser.

AM: Tom

CHEF TC: Well, it depends on the restaurant!

AM: Well choose your restaurant!

CHEF TC: So Small Batch out in Garden City, LI, I would say the Braised Chicken Thighs. We do it with semi-dried tomatoes, soppressata, lots of sherry vinegar, roasted garlic confit and really good.

Craft NY, the Braised Beef Short Ribs are the go-to there and any of the pasta dishes that we make are really good. We make them all by hand at Craft.

Then Temple Court, the Roast Chicken is really good! It’s a Spring roasted chicken with lots of garlic, ramps, and mushrooms.

AM: Gail, if we were to go home with you, what would we have for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner?

GS: Oh wait, now I have to give you a whole day? That’s a lot of things!

AM: Well, it’s 3 dishes!

GS: Alright, sure, ok! That’s fair!

Alright, I’m a big egg person so I would always make you eggs in the morning. I like just a simple, well I like eggs anyway that you give them to me, but one of my favorite ways is just a really simple soft scramble with some chives and a little parmesan. But I’m very particular, I hate when eggs are overcooked. I don’t want them undercooked.

CHEF TC: You hate the Spanish Fry.

GS: I hate – well I love them in a Spanish Tortilla but the fried egg with the crispy edges – I like it when the egg yolk is still runny.

CHEF TC: Ok.

GS: You know what I mean?

CHEF TC: Alright!

GS: There’s a delicate balance, but for a scramble or an omelet, it really drives me nuts when you get that brown crust on top! A soft scramble means cooking it slowly. People just want to pummel an egg and that’s not nice to the egg. So that’s what I would make you for breakfast.

For lunch, lunch is kind of random – it’s not like I’m making elaborate lunches! But maybe I would make a roasted chicken with some spring vegetables or make you a really big fresh salad with a beautiful piece of fish on top.

For dinner, my family, we love soups all year around. We make a lot of soup and braises as well as stews because it’s really great for families to eat and to make in big batches! But now that it is Spring, maybe I need to get out of that.

I’m trying to think of dinner because I don’t have a signature or a restaurant so I don’t have to cook anything ever more than once! I love that as a cook, I can make whatever I want.

AM: That’s right!

GS: So I think that it really depends on the time of year and where I’m coming from. Every time I’m coming back from a trip, I bring back with me these memories of a favorite thing that I was cooking then so I just got back from a trip from Quebec and all I want to eat now is Maple Syrup on everything. So, I might make you a very traditional Quebec Tourtiere which is a savory meat pie with a beautiful golden crust. It’s sort of like a chicken potpie, but it’s a little heavier. Or maybe a Tarte au Sucre which is a traditional Maple Sugar Tart – for dinner – just tart!

IG @bravotopchef

@kristenlkish

@tomcolicchio

@gailsimmonseats

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | FRONT COVER Stephanie Diani/Bravo | PG 16 - 39, BACK COVER + 9PLAYLIST COLLAB David Moir/Bravo |

Read the MAR ISSUE #99 of Athleisure Mag and see IN GOOD TASTE | Chef Tom Colicchio, Chef Kristen Kish, and Gail Simmons in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG ISSUE #99 | CHEF TOM COLICCHIO, CHEF KRISTEN KISH, & GAIL SIMMONS

In this month’s issue, our front and back cover story is with the legendary, culinary trio of Bravo Top Chef's Chef Tom Colicchio, Chef Kristen Kish, and Gail Simmons. We talk with them about S21 which premiered on Mar 20th, we find out about how they came to the show, what we need to know about the upcoming season, how they approach their roles on the show, and more. 

This month, we caught up Chase Stokes of Netflix's Outer Banks. He talks about the upcoming season, being a dog dad, and upcoming projects that he is working on.

We also caught up with 90s heartthrob, Joey Lawrence to find out about various projects he's part of, his podcast Brotherly Love that he does with his siblings, and the importance of oral care.

We had a great time sitting down with Access Hollywood and Access Daily with Mario and Kit host, Kit Hoover! We have been a fan of hers since we saw her on the first season of Road Rules.! From there, she took on hosting in entertainment and sports broadcasting such as ESPN and of course, she has been at NBC for the past 14 years! We talked about her career, how she approaches interviews, and her podcast that launches Apr 5th, The Coop. 

We also chatted with Brandon Soo Hoo of Paramount+ The Tiger's Apprentice and Netflix's Mech Cadets to find out about how he got into the industry, how he approaches his roles, the importance of Martial Arts in his life, projects he's excited about, and more.

We kicked off Awards Season by chatting with Charles Joly globally acclaimed mixologist who created craft cocktails at the Emmy's as Johnnie Walker Blue Label was the official sponsor. We end Awards Season by chatting with him about pouring for the Governors Ball, the after party of the Oscars. He talks about how Don Julio has an array of cocktails that we can enjoy whether we were there or want to celebrate the red carpet moments of our lives.

We always enjoy sharing our favorite Olympians with you! In this month's issue, we have 3X Olympic Medalist Team USA Gymnastics' Suni Lee! We talk about how she fell in love with this sport, how she trains, being at Tokyo 2020, and what the qualifications process is like as she works towards being on the team for Paris 2024.

When American Rust debuted in 2021, we thoroughly enjoyed this show which looks at a small industrial town that has to navigate their reality when they see that there has been a shift in the American Dream. In S2, they continue to grapple these issues while navigating dynamics where they all see justice for what they feel that they deserve. We had the pleasure to chat with Executive Producers of the show as well as various castmembers who are back for American Rust: Broken Justice.

This month's The Art of the Snack comes from Mishik which is located here in NY's Hudson Square. We wanted to know more about this elegant restaurant, what we should expect when we come in to dine with family and friends, and more.

We know that when you hit the Spring and continue into warmer seasons, we do all kinds of traveling, and staycations are a great way to be in a different area while still getting to know your city and neighborhood in a richer way! In Spring Staycation, we focused on SoHo and stayed At NoMo SoHo which put us in the heart of fashion, art, great eateries, and more. In our interview, you can learn more about this hotel, what it offers guests, those who are traveling, enjoying staycations, or live in the neighborhood. We also know that in a staycation, just because you're in one neighborhood, it doesn't mean that you can't hop to another. We included the UES' Chola which has been in NYC for 26 years! We share more information on the restaurant, it's dedication to Indian Cuisine, and more.

Next month, The Joy of Sake will be back on Apr 11th where guests can enjoy sampling an array of sake as well as participating restaurants. We spoke with the founder of The Joy of Sake's, Chris Pearce who talks with us about why he created this event that takes place here in NY as well as Honolulu. He also shares what we need to know about attending this event. 

We first got introduced to Brooke Burke on E! Wild On. We got to learn a lot about her and enjoyed traveling alongside her through locales all over the world. Since then, she has continued to host a number of shows, and she has acted in various programs, created a fitness/wellness platform, been a brand ambassador for amazing brands, and is an author. We talked about her career, her ability to take her passions and to build the life that she enjoys living. We also talked about upcoming retreats that you will want to know more about!

This month's Athleisure List comes from Nobu Barbuda, an exclusive Beach Club where can guests can lounge and take in experiences from this well known restaurant destination. We also have Music For A While which is located in the Selina Hotel in Chelsea. This lounge is definitely for those that enjoy their music and a vibrant environment.

We enjoyed Awards Season and this month, our feature 9R3DCARP3T looks at iconic talents that hit the runway along with exclusive thoughts about the creation of their looks from them as well as their glam teams! This month’s 9PLAYLIST comes from our cover editorial, Chef Tom Colicchio, Chef Kristen Kish, and Gail Simmons as they share their songs in 9COLLAB. We also habe actor Brandon Soo Hoo share his 9PLAYLIST as well.  Lionel Messi. Our 9LIST STORI3S comes from Kit Hoover and Brooke Burke. Our 63MIX ROUTIN3S comes from Chase Stokes and Suni Lee. This month's THE 9LIST 9CH3FS and THE 9LIST 9B-L-D comes from Chef Tom Coliccio of Craft Hospitality, Chef Kristen Kish of Arlo Grey, and Gail Simmons.

Read the MAR ISSUE #99 of Athleisure Mag.

RESPECT THE PROCESS | CHEF KRISTEN KISH

Over the past few months, we have caught up with Chef Kristen Kish to talk about TRU TV's Fast Foodies as well as her partnership with Jongga Kimchi. We love how she enjoys exploring food and the stories that it tells for those that also have taken care to share their experiences through it.

This month, she hosts National Geographic's Restaurants At the End of the World that takes her to exotic locales and showcases how people bring their visions to life, creating meals that pull from items that are local to their area and learning about how she can apply these lessons to her personal life; how she navigates her kitchen; and how she approaches food.

In this interview, we are talking about the 4 episodes that will drop each week on Nat Geo as well as streaming on Disney+. We talk about how the show took place, the process of selecting those that are featured and her feedback on dishes that were created during the episodes.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We had the pleasure of chatting with you a few months ago so we got to hear about your latest show and I just saw the 4 screeners in prep for chatting with you and I really enjoyed it! Why did you want to be part of this show and how did you get attached to it?

CHEF KRISTEN KISH: It started back in 2019 with conversations of this idea from a woman named Julia, and it was a scene of food, self-exploration and journey kind of show. Then 2020 happened and things went to a screeching halt and then we were able to pick it up back again. As we started to develop this treatment, the pitches come and when it got pitched, Nat Geo was like, we like this, but also, we’re Nat Geo and we can do something like this! I was like, yes whatever this is I’m totally in for it too! So although they’re very different, it started with this original idea that the core and the heart of this show is very similar to the 2 projects. I love Nat Geo.

AM: It was so good! Watching you immerse yourself in so many different situations, I had anxiety for you!

I saw the 4 screeners, but how many episodes will there be in total?

CHEF KK: We did the 4 and we filmed them over the summer. With any new series, we have a trial and error to see what works and what doesn’t and I can only just hope that we can continue exploring parts of the world.

AM: What was the criteria in terms of the locales you went to and the people that you featured? Everyone was so different and yet there was a common throughline as well.

CHEF KK: We have Missy, who is one of our Executive Producers and she was part of the creative and Nat Geo of course, has their resources obviously. As you can imagine, there are a lot of moving pieces. There were 100s of locations and subjects that were a potential. You know, it’s coming down to scheduling with them, especially with this first 4 and how we develop them, that we are able to communicate with them in English. I wish that I was able to speak another language and that I could speak all of their languages, but I can’t. It also came down to whether they had a real life thing that they were working towards. Like Chef Rolando wanted to cook for Charlie. Chef Gisela had these important guests that were coming into town – things like that were real. So they needed to have the story already happening in order for us to come in. There were so many that were a possibility and I just hope that we will be able to tap into them one day.

AM: What was your favorite dish to create? I know you didn’t create this, but I loved the Kimchi Sorbet, that blew my mind.

CHEF KK: Same! That blew my mind and I wish that I could take the credit for that one but I mean, he just dreamed that up in his head and I was just like, how is this going to work? I said, it’s not going to work, there’s no way that this is frickin’ going to happen and then I tasted it and I was like, “oh my God!” It makes sense, it’s actually, a really well balanced dish! I think that the best part of this series for me was that I got to go in, especially for this first 4 and some I created dishes on my own and others I didn’t. I got to go in with a place and to say, I’m your sous chef and I’m so happy doing that! I gave my 2 cents when they asked for it or asked my advice for things – no judgment or hard feelings. If they didn’t take it, I didn’t care, it was about the bigger experience not what I could give to them and what they could give to me in return. It was like this overall experience that we were working towards.

I think that the feeding bag cocktail challenged –

AM: I was going to ask you about that!

CHEF KK: Mind over matter on that one because it didn’t taste great, but it wasn’t awful. It was the color, the idea of what it was and it kind of throws your brain for a loop. Sometimes, you have to work your way through these. But I did find it incredibly impressive because I thought, who thinks of something like that?

AM: Yeah seeing it –

CHEF KK: Oh I know! The brown on the bottom – I was like, oh God!

AM: Just watching your face I thought, nope!

CHEF KK: But I will say that all of them as adventurous as it all was and as different as they each were, they had this care about what they were cooking. They genuinely wanted to show you and they cared for the product and they were excited about it. So that’s all you can really ask for when it comes to food!

AM: Yeah and I actually liked what you just spoke to, that you were happy being the sous chef. In other circumstances, I can see someone wanting to jump in and I could see the thrill that you had taking on something new and seeing through your eyes the sweet scallops! I would totally want to try that as it looked so amazing.

CHEF KK: Those! It was a wave of sugar! Normally, you’re judging scallops on their brininess and the sweet, salty, salinity and all of that good stuff. These were pure sugar and they were crazy!

AM: That is insane!

CHEF KK: It was absolutely wild! We got to go and I don’t know if it showed in the episode as there’s so much that happens in a week’s time to film this episode. Not everything can make it in. We go to go down and I went diving into it and I swam in between all of the scallops nests and oh my God, it was amazing!

AM: That sounds insane!

What is your biggest takeaway from doing this experience?

CHEF KK: There’s a lot! Professionally, I need to leave more room for experimentation and play without judgment. Whether I’m judging myself or having to serve it to someone that is going to judge me. I think personally, it was continuously layering in this empathy! I cared so much for these people. I cried in every episode for their kindness because these people were so nice to me! We’re often jaded and I think that the state of the world often jades us because reality sucks sometimes. There are a lot of things that are wrong. But when I got to meet these people and to spend so much time with them on camera and off camera with them and they were exactly the same kind of person – they were just so excited to show you who they are. That shit got me and I cried every time!

AM: That is beautiful! What would be the next places that you would like to go to should this continue? I hope it does because it is so beautifully done and I love the format.

CHEF KK: There are so many places that I know of and I don’t know of! There are pockets in this world that I don’t even know the name of! Things that were being tossed around during these first few episodes in trying to figure out where we could go, Mongolia was a place, different parts of Peru, there were places in Africa and I was like yes! Get me there! I want to go and I want to feel all of this stuff. There’s countless places that we can go, I just have to find the time and all the things need to align!

AM: Exactly! Well it was amazing to see it come together and of course, it always takes a community for things to thrive. In these stories, you really saw how those with different roles in the culinary community come together for sourcing, transportation etc and I feel like you really brought that out. I’m sure we’ll be talking soon about whatever amazing project you have going on whether it’s additional seasons/episodes of this show or something else!

CHEF KK: Oh yes! I’ll be talking to you soon and I appreciate you watching it!

IG @kristenlkish

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | PG 56 + 62 National Geographic/Autumn Sonichsen | PG 59 + 60 National Geographic/Missy Bania |

Read the MAR ISSUE #87 of Athleisure Mag and see RESPECT THE PROCESS | Chef Kristen Kish in mag.

S3. E3. | ATHLEISURE KITCHEN WITH RESTAURATEUR, HOST OF NAT GEO'S RESTAURANTS AT THE END OF THE WORLD, CHEF KRISTEN KISH

On today's episode of Athleisure Kitchen, over the past few months, we have caught up with Chef Kristen Kish to talk about TRU TV's Fast Foodies as well as her partnership with Jongga Kimchi. We love how she enjoys exploring food and the stories that it tells for those that also have taken care to share their experiences through it.

This month, she hosts National Geographic's Restaurants At the End of the World that takes her to exotic locales and showcases how people bring their visions to life, creating meals that pull from items that are local to their area and learning about how she can apply these lessons to her personal life; how she navigates her kitchen; and how she approaches food.
 
We talk about the 4 episodes that will drop each week on Nat Geo as well as streaming on Disney+. She tells us about how the show came together, the process of selecting those that are featured and her feedback on dishes that were created during the episodes.

You can also read this episode and see images from this show in the MAR ISSUE #87 of Athleisure Mag.

Athleisure Kitchen is part of the Athleisure Studio Podcast Network and is a member of Athleisure Media which includes Athleisure Mag. You can stay in the loop on who future guests are by visiting us at AthleisureStudio.com/AthleisureKitchen and on Instagram at @AthleisureKitchen and @AthleisureStudio. Athleisure Kitchen is hosted by Kimmie Smith and is Executive Produced by Paul Farkas and Kimmie Smith. It is mixed by the team at Athleisure Studio. Our theme music is "This Boy" performed by Ilya Truhanov.

ATHLEISURE MAG #87 | Chef Todd English

In this month’s issue, our front and back cover story is with 4X James Beard Award Winner, Restaurateur, Hotelier, Entrepreneur, Best-Selling Author, TV Host/Personality, Food Advocate, and Philanthropist Chef Todd English. We talked about how he got into the industry, his passion for food and upcoming projects that we should keep an eye out for. We also chatted with Chef Kristen Kish to talk about her latest show which is available on National Geographic and streams on Disney+ Restaurants at the End of the World. In our interview last fall, we heard a bit about this show, but now we're able to find out how this project came together, where she traveled to, who she cooked with and what she learned from this experience. With the final season of NBC's The Blacklist currently airing, we caught up with Hisham Tawfiq to talk about how a career in the Marines, being a Firefighter for the FDNY as well as a Correctional Officer in Sing Sing led to him being one of our favorite actors on this show. We also talked with Tetiana Gaidar a choreographer, dancer and tactical trainer who recently appeared as the antagonist in BOSCH: Legacy as well as a trainer for Keanu Reeves in John Wick 4. She tells us how she got into the industry, how she navigates between her skillsets and her upcoming projects.

We also have our editorial Weekend Muse which highlights looks from WFH, fitness, active and date night that we'll be wearing this spring. This shoot took place at The Muse New York Hotel in Times Square and includes some of our favorite items (MPG Sport, Dagne Dover, Tracksmith, Mavi Jeans, Athleisureverse, Sequin Jewelry, Fabletics, Athletic Propulsion Labs, Psycho Bunny and Lagos. We also interviewed the General Manager of The Muse New York to talk about the buildings history in the city, how it serves its guest and what amenities it offers. Our team for this shoot includes PHOTOGRAPHER Paul Farkas | STYLIST Kimmie Smith | MUA Hannah Lauren | HAIR STYLIST Brooke Bogle | MODELS/STATE MANAGEMENT Tora Rozario + Christopher Aldea.

This month’s 9PLAYLIST comes from EDM DJ/Producer Marshmello. Our 9LIST STORI3S comes from Leah Van Dale, a WWE Superstar who wrestles under Carmella. Our 63MIX ROUTIN3S comes from Tetiana Gaidar. We share our favorite looks from Awards Season in THE 9LIST R3DCARP3T where actors and their glam team share how they created the looks for their big night.

Our monthly feature, The Art of the Snack shares a must visit to A Fish Called Avalon in Miami’s Art Deco district. This month’s Athleisure List comes from Escape and Döner Haus in the East Village. As always, we have our monthly roundups of some of our favorite finds.

Read the MAR ISSUE #87 with Chef Todd English.

CHEF'S PLAYBOOK | CHEF TOM COLICCHIO

We've enjoyed eating at Tom Colicchio's restaurants in NY as well as hearing his wisdom as the Executive Producer, host and judge of BRAVO's Top Chef. Our favorite episodes are when he creates a dish to share with the chefs. Right before the Big Game, we took some time to talk about how you can prepare your dishes, how we can include sustainable brands within our menu and getting the scoop on Season 20 of Top Chef: World All-Stars that premiers on Mar 9th!

ATHLEISURE MAG: Before we get into the Big Game and all of the good food that we’re going to talk about. When did you realize that you wanted to be a chef?

CHEF TOM COLICCHIO: Oh, when I was about 15, I always cooked at home and my dad suggested that I become a chef. Actually, if you look in my yearbook, circa 1980, on the bottom of my photo, it says, “plan to be a chef.”

AM: Love that!

Clearly we’re all excited for the Big Game coming up on Sunday. It’s all about people coming together and the foods that we’re all going to eat. What are you excited about when it comes to watching the game and who are you cheering for?

CHEF TC: I’m an NFC guy so I guess I’m cheering for the Eagles. Also, the owner of the Eagles, Jeffrey Lurie, did us a great favor, he and his ex-wife at the time, they were our first investors in a film that my wife made about hunger in America, so I have a soft spot for the Lurie family.

AM: Noted!

CHEF TC: Yeah, we’re just going to enjoy the day with kids, some family and maybe some friends will pop by. We keep it pretty simple around our house and you know, it's the typical stuff that you would want to find around game day – nachos. There is this little steak dish that I do that’s almost like a salad and of course, there's wings. They're a favorite in my household almost every night and not just reserved for game day.

AM: Same!

CHEF TC: This particular recipe has a barbecue sauce that’s a little bit different which has sour cherries. So there is some garlic and some ginger, there’s onion, serrano chilies for some spice, lime juice and a little bit of vinegar for some acid and then the sour cherries provide a little bit of sweetness. Since it’s sour cherries, there’s a little bit of tartness as well. So it’s really well balanced.

More importantly, is the chicken that we’re actually using. This is a new company called, Do Good Chicken and it’s in your market, you can find it. What we do is that we take food from supermarkets that would normally go in the garbage and end up in a landfill and create methane, which then creates greenhouse gases and hurts our environment, we take all that surplus food on a massive scale, process it and turn it into an odorless, flavorless powder that we then turn into pellets and in turn, feed our chickens. We give them to our growers who are growing our chickens for us. So you can actually help save the environment by simply just buying a different chicken. So when you’re in the supermarket, you have a lot of different choices that you can make in chickens. You can just buy Do Good Chicken knowing that you can help the environment. So people, I think that they want to be able to do things whether they’re buying electric cars or maybe something else. But this is very simple, buy a different chicken! You can help save the environment! In fact, every chicken that you purchase from Do Good Chicken, takes about 4 pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere.

AM: Oh wow!

So obviously, you just shared with us this chicken recipe that looks amazing. What tips do you have for people that are entertaining their friends or family for the Big Game and how they can make it easy for them and enjoyable as well.

CHEF TC: Yeah, you have to start a couple of days in advance. Make sure that your shopping is done by Thursday. Make sure that your prep, you’ve started on Sat at least! Don’t wait until Sunday morning where you’re running around. Get all of that chopping out of the way. So if you’re doing this sauce, you can make it on Thursday or on Friday – it’s going to hold. Get your chicken wings. This is really important when you’re making chicken, you want it to be really really dry. So buy it a couple of days in advance, take it out of the package, keep it open, do not cover it in your refrigerator so it dries out. That’s how you get crispy crispy chicken. So that’s really important. But anything that you’re chopping, if you’re making salsas and things like that, just do it ahead of time. You don’t have to wait until the last second. Typically, when I’m cooking, if I’m making a dinner party at home, I want to get all of the chopping, the cutting and the prepping out of the way early. When I’m cooking, I’m not using a knife anymore, I’m just cooking and you can really just focus on that. Also, you want to keep this really simple because you want to spend time with your friends. The worst thing that you can do is have a bunch of people at your house and you’re stuck in the kitchen the entire time. You want to get out there and to enjoy the game as well.

AM: We couldn’t agree more and those are great tips! It’s kind of like Thanksgiving – prepping in advance!

CHEF TC: Absolutely! You’ve got to prep in advance and sometimes, a couple of days in advance! I think the other thing is that too often, I don’t think that we think about what we’re doing ahead of time. By now you should have your plays written out, you should know what your moves are going to be. You don’t want to call an audible the day of!

AM: Well, we’re sure that you have an awesome playbook coach!

CHEF TC: Haha you’ve got to read the defense too!

AM: Without a doubt!

We’re so excited for Top Chef to come out next month! It’s always exciting and we love when we get to talk to people that have been part of that universe. We’ve talked with Gail Simmons, Chef Justin Sutherland, Chef Kristen Kish and other people that have been cheftestants and Chef Nyesha Arrington is our cover for the JAN ISSUE #85.

CHEF TC: Oh yeah, she’s great!

AM: We love her to pieces!

So what can we expect for the All Stars, next month in London?

CHEF TC: Well, what’s really cool about this one is that it’s International All Stars. So, there are Top Chef productions all over the globe and so we’re taking the best over those regions – either winners or runners ups and bringing them all together. So we have contestants from Poland, Germany, Thailand, France, Brazil, Mexico, Canada and of course, the United States. It’s a great competition, it was a lot of fun shooting in London and it’s going to be fantastic!

AM: We’re definitely looking forward to that! Are there any other things that we should keep an eye out for because you’re always doing so many positive things and using your platform to let people know what you think about the state of things.

CHEF TC: Yes, I will continue to work on things for issues that revolve around hunger. There is the Farm Bill which is where all the hunger policies are contained. That’s happening and every 5 years, it’s debated so that’s coming up and I’m focusing on that and I am working on a new restaurant in Washington, D.C. that will hopefully open around Nov.

AM: That’s exciting, I always love when I go by Craft as we’re based here in NY. It’s amazing to be able to connect with you and to see what you’re doing and to watch Top Chef as well as to try out this chicken recipe.

SOUR CHERRY BBQ WINGS

• 4 lbs Do Good Chicken Party Wings

• 2 tablespoons salted butter

• ½ yellow onion, finely chopped

• 1 serrano chile, seeded and minced

• 2 garlic cloves, smashed

• ¾ cup sour cherry preserves

• 1/3 cup lime juice about 2 limes

• 1 lime, zested

• 1 tablespoon ketchup

• Salt and Pepper

• Flavorless oil, such as avocado or vegetable

Preheat the over to 450F and Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, toss the chicken wings in 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the wings to the baking sheets skin side up and bake for 45 minutes, until cooked through and crisp.

While the wings are baking, make your BBQ sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add half of the minced serrano pepper and smashed garlic and cook for 1 minute, until softened and garlic is fragrant.

Add the onion and pepper mixture to a blender along with the sour cherry preserves, lime juice, and ketchup. Blend until smooth.

Return the cherry BBQ sauce back and to the pan and stir in the remaining serrano pepper. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the BBQ sauce to a bowl.

Remove the wings from the oven when finishing baking and add them to a large bowl. Toss with one third of the cherry BBQ sauce.

Return the tossed wings back to the baking sheet and bake for an additional 5 minutes until sticky and caramelized.

Transfer the glazed wings to a serving dish, sprinkle with lime zest, and serve with the remaining glaze on the side.

If you’re looking for a sauce to cool you down, mix some cherry glaze with mayo for a cooler dipping sauce!

IG @tomcolicchio

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Tom Colicchio

Read the FEB ISSUE #86 of Athleisure Mag and see CHEF’S PLAYBOOK | Chef Tom Colicchio in mag.

S3. TEASER | ATHLEISURE KITCHEN

We're back for the 3rd season of Athleisure Kitchen! Our past seasons have shared incredible stories of how chefs and culinary enthusiasts connect with food and allows them to showcase their personalities. Last season we chatted with chefs that included Justin Sutherland, Duff Goldman, Kristen Kish and Jordan Andino! We had a pop culture meets foodie moment with Brian Baumgartner who played Kevin Malone in The Office.

This season, the stories continue as we dig into how chefs and those in the culinary industry embrace food and maintain their creativity. We will kick off this season with Chef Tom Colicchio right before the 20th season of BRAVO's Top Chef World All Stars which takes place in London. We also talk with our JAN ISSUE #85 cover, Chef Nyesha Arrington who is currently hosting FOX's Next Level Chef alongside Chef Gordon Ramsay and Chef Richard Blais.

Athleisure Kitchen is part of the Athleisure Studio Podcast Network and is a member of Athleisure Media which includes Athleisure Mag. You can stay in the loop on who future guests are by visiting us at AthleisureStudio.com/AthleisureKitchen and on Instagram at @AthleisureKitchen and @AthleisureStudio. Athleisure Kitchen is hosted by Kimmie Smith and is Executive Produced by Paul Farkas and Kimmie Smith. It is mixed by the team at Athleisure Studio. Our theme music is "This Boy" performed by Ilya Truhanov.

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

S2. E9. | ATHLEISURE KITCHEN CHEF KRISTEN KISH

On today's episode of Athleisure Kitchen, we catch up with Chef Kristen Kish who we enjoy seeing her hosting, judging a number of culinary shows and taking us through her recent trip to Seoul. We took some time to catch up with her since talking earlier this year ahead of TRU TV's Fast Foodies 2nd season. 

We talk about her co-hosting Netflix's Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend alongside Alton Brown, her new show on National Geographic - Restaurants at the End of the World and being on Selena + Chef on HBO Max. 

We also talk about her latest partnership with Jongga Kimchi, a worldwide number-one Korean brand. She also talked about their Generation Preservation campaign to preserve plant-forward foods, health and wellness through fermentation and the environment to minimize food waste.

You can stay in the loop on who future guests are by visiting us at AthleisureStudio.com/AthleisureKitchen and on Instagram at @AthleisureKitchen and @AthleisureStudio. Athleisure Kitchen is hosted by Kimmie Smith and is Executive Produced by Paul Farkas and Kimmie Smith. It is mixed by the team at Athleisure Studio. Our theme music is "This Boy" performed by Ilya Truhanov.

ATHLEISURE MAG #82 | OCT ISSUE

In this month’s issue, our cover story is with International superstar, recording artist, producer and Global Ambassador of UNHCR, MIYAVI. We caught up with him to talk about his latest studio album which has covers from anime programs, his current tour, his creative process and the importance of giving back to others through the power of his music. We catch up with the cast and filmmakers of Prime Video’s The Peripheral. We talked with Gary Carr, T’Nia Miller, JJ Feild, Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy and Vincenzo Natali. We catch up with Chef Richard Blais who talks to us about his love for chili, unexpected pairings and the second season of Next Level Chef which premieres Super Bowl Sunday. We also talk with Brookelyn Suddell Global Fitness and Strategy Development of Crunch Fitness as she talks about the brands’ ethos, the importance of group fitness classes and how they onboard their programs. Chef Nick Wallace talks about his passion for showcasing Mississippi cuisine, how we can make meals quickly that are full of flavor and of course, how he gives back to others. We also talk with Chef Kristen Kish to talk about a number of shows that we have seen her in recently, as well as her upcoming one on National Geographic. She talks about her partnership with Jongga Kimchi and shares a recipe with us that’s on our list for fall gatherings. We also talk about her upcoming projects.

This month’s 9PLAYLIST comes from EDM DJ/Producer Armin van Buuren. Our 9DRIP comes from chef and restaurateur, Chef Justin Sutherland. Our 63MIX ROUTIN3S comes from choreographer and Creative Director Tanisha Scott. Our The 9LIST STORI3S comes from beauty founders Deepica Mutyala and Trinny Woodall.

Our monthly feature, The Art of the Snack shares the perfect fall spot that is great for friends and family, Osteria Accademia. This month’s Athleisure List comes from PAVE and Ras Plant. As always, we have our monthly roundups of some of our favorite finds.

Read the OCT ISSUE #82 of Athleisure Mag.

S2. E3. | ATHLEISURE KITCHEN WITH CHEF KRISTEN KISH, CHEF JUSTIN SUTHERLAND, CHEF JEREMY FORD

On today’s episode of Athleisure Kitchen, I catch up with Chef Kristen Kish (Bravo's Top Chef Season 10 winner and chef/owner of Arlo Grey), Chef Justin Sutherland (Iron Chef America Winner, Top Chef Season 16 contestant and chef/owner of Handsome Hog) and Chef Jeremy Ford (Top Chef Season 13 Winner and Chef/owner of Michelin starred Stubborn Seed and The Butchers Club) who are in the JAN ISSUE #73 of Athleisure Mag. I chatted with the co-hosted trio ahead of the season 2 launch of Tru TV’s Fast Foodies that looks at your favorite comfort food dish and having it recreated by a chef and then making it again to put their own spin on it! We find out more about how they came together, filming the second season, who we can expect to see on the show and what they have in their kitchens for their Fast Foodies fix!  

You can stay in the loop on who future guests are by visiting us at AthleisureStudio.com/AthleisureKitchen and on Instagram at @AthleisureKitchen and @AthleisureStudio. Athleisure Kitchen is hosted by Kimmie Smith and is Executive Produced by Paul Farkas and Kimmie Smith. It is mixed by the team at Athleisure Studio. Our theme music is "This Boy" performed by Ilya Truhanov.