Interview with Chef Brad Long

Hailed by celebrities, critics and chefs alike for his fresh cuisine, Executive Chef Brad Long shows us how a cookbook changed his cooking style and how he keeps Italian tenor Andrea Boccelli cheering.

CanadianLiving.com:  Have you always wanted to be a chef?   
Chef Brad Long:  God no! It never occurred to me. I was a musician and every time I was on the road, I ended up in the kitchen, that’s really how it all began.

CL: Did you cook at home with your parents?
BL: Yes, a little bit. They both cook classically, nothing fancy. They grew up in the depression, so everything is very simple.

CL:  What were some of your favorite childhood dishes?
BL: Cooking my own eggs in the morning – which my mom taught me how to do. And a dish my mom used to make called, “Saturday chicken”- which was chopped up chicken thrown into a stew with dumplings that covered the whole top of the pot. Also, my dad’s homemade burgers. Thanksgiving, Christmas and all the food linked to occasions were great as well.

CL: What is your cooking trademark?
BL: Fresh ingredients. I am intense about respecting where things come from not changing them. Interesting foods with a history tell a story, and I like to keep them that way.

CL: What are some of your favorite cookware items?
BL: A well balanced and sharp knife and a wood rasp which I use throughout all stages of a meal. Professionally I would say, to be efficient and fast, a good pair of tongs while cooking in a kitchen. They are practical and safe, nobody likes a burn.

CL:  What is your foodie pet peeve?
BL: When people say they are allergic to things they just don’t like or want to try. Just say you don’t like it!

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