Tag Archives: Alex Stupak

Paxia – Daniel Ovadía’s Passionate Paean to Mexico

On the second day of the inaugural Mesamerica Congress in Mexico City in July, the ambitious and talented young chef Daniel Ovadía gave his presentation on using traditional Mexican ingredients in new ways. His approach was heartfelt and artistic, but the most emotional [...]

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A New York Week

A New York minute is the equivalent of an instant anywhere else. New York just moves at such a fast pace and so much gets packed into a period of time. Such was the case with the week I just [...]

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Sunday Photo – Enrique Olvera

Mexican chef Enrique Olvera of the restaurant Pujol in Mexico City is one of my absolute favorite chefs anywhere. His cooking is clean, focused and pure of flavor. He has also managed to refine his native Mexican cuisine, while staying true to [...]

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StarChefs ICC 2012 – Day Three Overview

The final day of each StarChef ICC is always bittersweet. It’s a power-packed day of demos, workshops, competition finals and great food and drink, but then it is over for another year. Unfortunately, for the final day, my team was [...]

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StarChefs ICC 2012 – Day Two Overview

The second day of the ICC tends to be the busiest. Presenters, attendees and sponsors have settled in and the Congress is in full swing. This year’s ICC was no exception. It began at 9AM and finished with the ever [...]

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A Birthday Dinner at Empellón Cocina

When we were seated for our 8PM reservation, my first thought was, “I hope I didn’t make a big mistake.” The room was very dark, the restaurant was mobbed and the noise loud. The environment wasn’t quite what I had [...]

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NYC Sizzling Again!

It’s been a little while since I have been as excited about the NYC dining landscape as I am now. I love Italian food as much as anyone, but when every other new restaurant is a variation on the same [...]

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Brunch at Empellón Tacquería

Empellón Tacqueria is the Mexican restaurant run by former WD-50 and Alinea Pastry Chef Alex Stupak and his wife Lauren Resler. He runs the savory kitchen, while she handles the pastry side. When it opened last year, Stupak and Resler’s approach was [...]

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El Empiezo de Empellón

I must admit, I went to Empellón with and still have mixed feelings about the place. I mean, Alex Stupak is (or was) one of the very best Pastry chefs on the planet, let alone New York City! Sure, I [...]

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Pastry Chefs Cook Savory at Aldea

Johnny Iuzzini, Alex Stupak, George Mendes, Brooks Headley & Michael Laiskonis
Aldea is a special restaurant to me in so many ways. I love George Mendes' cooking. I love George Mendes – in addition to being a superb chef, he [...]

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