What are your earliest memories of being interested in food?
The earliest were with my family at holidays but I didn’t really fall in love with the idea of cooking for a living until I spent time with family friends at their country home outside Lyon, France.
What would you say has inspired your cooking the most?
A mix of traditions from France, Japan and the US.My style of cooking is ingredient driven but the attempt is to create meals that are distinctive to a particular place, in a specific season.
Describe how you see your own culinary style and how it has evolved over the years…
The menus at GT and Untitled are good example of how it has gone through a refining process: the Smoked Trout with onions and mussels with fava beans are good examples of simplicity, regionality and point of view that are involved in each dish
What are your most indispensable ingredients?
Garlic and salt.
What kind of experience do you aim to give guests at the restaurant?
We aim to give them a genuine welcome and we pledge to give them our full attention so that we communicate thatwe are truly ontheir side.
What would you say has been the most memorable moment in your culinary career so far?
Winning the JBF award for Outstanding Chef.
How do you feel about winning your award at the James Beard foundation gala?
Overwhelmed, humbled and driven to deserve it.
If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self, starting out a career in the world of food?
Stay focused on developing the unique qualities that are distinctive to your personality and your style of cooking. No one else can be you.
What’s next for you?
The list is long but continue to nurture and build GT, Untitled and Studio Cafe into loveable NYC restaurants.
Find out more information about Michael Anthony and Gramercy Tavern here |www.gramercytavern.com