Winner of "Chopped" (The Food Network)
Jeremy Bringardner is the Corporate Executive Chef at LYFE Kitchen in Palo Alto, CA and recent winner of the popular television show Chopped on the Food Network. He is a graduate of the highly acclaimed Culinary Nutrition program of Johnson & Wales University. Chef Jeremy’s father, Steve Bringardner, is a Pastor at Dexter United Methodist Church.
Discover Dexter: First of all, congratulations on winning Chopped! You had quite a big audience here in Dexter cheering you on. Was it fun competing on national television?
Chef Jeremy: Thanks so much! That's so cool! Glad to hear it about all the wonderful support!! It's blows my mind to realize how many people are watching CHOPPED these days. Yes, it was super fun and intense and challenging and exciting to compete on the show! I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity. And, of course, it was super satisfying to come home with the win!
DD: Are the pressures of competition on the show in any way comparable to the pressures you experience in your restaurant?
CJ: Yes, sort of. We always have a time pressure in the restaurants. We try to get the food cooked and on the table in front of guests in under 12 minutes. That's pretty fast for fresh made to order foods. Of course, the creative pressure is not there the way it is on the TV show. I do all the creative work in developing recipes for LYFE kitchen when I'm in R&D mode. We rollout all the menu changes and a few new menu items once every 6 months. After it's rolled out to the restaurants and everybody is fully trained, then our cooks just make and repeat. Also, on the show they love to give you bizarre ingredients in the mystery basket. It makes for a good challenge and I think ppl are very entertained by that. At LYFE kitchen I love to introduce intriguing vegetables and other tasty, healthful ingredients, such as chia seeds, chayote squash, and kale, but I never add ingredients just for novelty sake. It has to be incredibly delicious and incredibly nutritious.
DD: You lean towards fresh and healthy ingredients. How would you describe your style of cooking and who/what influences you in the kitchen?
CJ: Yes, I'm all about "fresh and healthy." My mission in life and at LYFE is to show people that food can be both great tasting AND good for you! I know from personal experience that you do NOT have to sacrifice flavor to eat better and enjoy a healthy lifestyle, and I want to help show the world how it's done. My style of cooking is inspired by the natural flavors and textures of fruits, vegetables, fresh herbs, spices, whole grains, and responsible portions of sustainably raised animal proteins. It's all about starting with clean, whole, non-processed foods. I'm a HUGE fan of nutrient dense SUPERFOODS! I'm as inspired by the complex flavors of Southeast Asia as I am by the simplicity of rustic Italian cuisine. I love it all! What really gets my wheels turning these days is a visit to the farmers market. The neatly stacked piles of produce; beets, ramps, heirloom tomatoes, corn, fava beans, etc, just start talking to me, and I get so many ideas that I always end up buying way more veggies than I would ever have time to cook.
DD: How old were you when you realized that being a chef was the right path?
CJ: I remember doing serious cooking projects at home as far back as age 10. My dad made cooking a lot of fun at home. We (my siblings and I) each took turns cooking with Dad on sundays. I landed my first job spinning pies and perfectly arranging pepperonis at Dominoes Pizza at age 14. I graduated from pizza to full service restaurant kitchens at age 16, and worked my way up in the restaurant world ever since. All the way from Bill Knapps to Charlie Trotters, the #7 ranked restaurant in the world. Cooking and me have always been a match made in heaven. I love to make things with my hands, and I love to eat! Cooking is a creative outlet, and is physically engaging. I have so much fun cooking that I never considered doing anything else for a job. The funny thing is I didn't realize I could actually do it for my career until the girlfriend of my college roommate (CMU) suggested I go to culinary school. I was like, "gee, why didn't I ever think of that? " So, I dropped out of college immediately, re-aligned my path and eventually went to culinary school in Providence, Rhode Island (Johnson & Wales University). So, to answer your question, I have loved cooking for as long as I can remember, but it wasn't until I was halfway through college (age 20) that I realized I wanted to become a chef.
Jeremy Bringardner is the Corporate Executive Chef at LYFE Kitchen in Palo Alto, CA and recent winner of the popular television show Chopped on the Food Network. He is a graduate of the highly acclaimed Culinary Nutrition program of Johnson & Wales University. Chef Jeremy’s father, Steve Bringardner, is a Pastor at Dexter United Methodist Church.
Discover Dexter: First of all, congratulations on winning Chopped! You had quite a big audience here in Dexter cheering you on. Was it fun competing on national television?
Chef Jeremy: Thanks so much! That's so cool! Glad to hear it about all the wonderful support!! It's blows my mind to realize how many people are watching CHOPPED these days. Yes, it was super fun and intense and challenging and exciting to compete on the show! I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity. And, of course, it was super satisfying to come home with the win!
DD: Are the pressures of competition on the show in any way comparable to the pressures you experience in your restaurant?
CJ: Yes, sort of. We always have a time pressure in the restaurants. We try to get the food cooked and on the table in front of guests in under 12 minutes. That's pretty fast for fresh made to order foods. Of course, the creative pressure is not there the way it is on the TV show. I do all the creative work in developing recipes for LYFE kitchen when I'm in R&D mode. We rollout all the menu changes and a few new menu items once every 6 months. After it's rolled out to the restaurants and everybody is fully trained, then our cooks just make and repeat. Also, on the show they love to give you bizarre ingredients in the mystery basket. It makes for a good challenge and I think ppl are very entertained by that. At LYFE kitchen I love to introduce intriguing vegetables and other tasty, healthful ingredients, such as chia seeds, chayote squash, and kale, but I never add ingredients just for novelty sake. It has to be incredibly delicious and incredibly nutritious.
DD: You lean towards fresh and healthy ingredients. How would you describe your style of cooking and who/what influences you in the kitchen?
CJ: Yes, I'm all about "fresh and healthy." My mission in life and at LYFE is to show people that food can be both great tasting AND good for you! I know from personal experience that you do NOT have to sacrifice flavor to eat better and enjoy a healthy lifestyle, and I want to help show the world how it's done. My style of cooking is inspired by the natural flavors and textures of fruits, vegetables, fresh herbs, spices, whole grains, and responsible portions of sustainably raised animal proteins. It's all about starting with clean, whole, non-processed foods. I'm a HUGE fan of nutrient dense SUPERFOODS! I'm as inspired by the complex flavors of Southeast Asia as I am by the simplicity of rustic Italian cuisine. I love it all! What really gets my wheels turning these days is a visit to the farmers market. The neatly stacked piles of produce; beets, ramps, heirloom tomatoes, corn, fava beans, etc, just start talking to me, and I get so many ideas that I always end up buying way more veggies than I would ever have time to cook.
DD: How old were you when you realized that being a chef was the right path?
CJ: I remember doing serious cooking projects at home as far back as age 10. My dad made cooking a lot of fun at home. We (my siblings and I) each took turns cooking with Dad on sundays. I landed my first job spinning pies and perfectly arranging pepperonis at Dominoes Pizza at age 14. I graduated from pizza to full service restaurant kitchens at age 16, and worked my way up in the restaurant world ever since. All the way from Bill Knapps to Charlie Trotters, the #7 ranked restaurant in the world. Cooking and me have always been a match made in heaven. I love to make things with my hands, and I love to eat! Cooking is a creative outlet, and is physically engaging. I have so much fun cooking that I never considered doing anything else for a job. The funny thing is I didn't realize I could actually do it for my career until the girlfriend of my college roommate (CMU) suggested I go to culinary school. I was like, "gee, why didn't I ever think of that? " So, I dropped out of college immediately, re-aligned my path and eventually went to culinary school in Providence, Rhode Island (Johnson & Wales University). So, to answer your question, I have loved cooking for as long as I can remember, but it wasn't until I was halfway through college (age 20) that I realized I wanted to become a chef.
DD: What advice would you give young aspiring chefs eager to start a culinary career?
CJ: Get a job at a restaurant (not just any restaurant, but the best restaurant you can find) and work your way up the line. It's the only way to find out if you're really cut out for it. It's a tough business, and anybody can succeed in the restaurant business, if you're willing to work very hard at it. It's all about determination and perseverance. Be obsessed with food! If you're not extraordinarily passionate about food, don't even bother. Lastly, have patience. Cooking is a craft, and it will take time to master...at least 10,000 hours! Lastly, don't be afraid to fail. Failure is an important part of the learning process. I had to screw up the cheesecake every possible way before I had truly understood and mastered the cheesecake. It was in failing, but observing and learning from my mistakes, that I derived my success.
DD: You are an Executive Chef at LYFE Kitchen, what does LYFE stand for?
CJ: I'm the Corporate Executive Chef, which means I don't do that much cooking anymore, but I do do a lot of emails! Lol. Seriously though, I develop all recipes and oversee food production and maintain food quality at all LYFE kitchen restaurants. That's the jist, but I have my fingers in all departments. I work on supply chain, kitchen design, food costing, nutritional analysis, and much more. I'm responsible for all things food. And my new responsibility, ever since CHOPPED aired, is to go on media tours and do demos and interviews with news channels, bloggers, yelpers, etc.
DD: Do you have a signature dish?
CJ: I have several signature dishes, but the one that may be most loved is my chocolate budino. It's a very tasty, rich, decadent dessert that has fantastic health benefits, as it features four superfoods (chocolate, coconut, pomegranate juice, chia seeds), and not much else.
DD: Apple or Android?
CJ: Apple. I'm a sucker for design.
DD: What’s next? Books? Cooking show? New LYFE Kitchen locations?
CJ: Lots and lots of LYFE kitchen locations. Were currently in a string of openings, so I'm racking up the air miles. Just was in Evanston last week for their recent opening. This week I was in Dallas to welcome those three new stores into existence. Next week, I'll be in Vegas for that opening ceremony.
Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to share with us at Discover Dexter. We hope you can make it to Michigan sometime soon and best of luck in your endeavors.
CJ: Get a job at a restaurant (not just any restaurant, but the best restaurant you can find) and work your way up the line. It's the only way to find out if you're really cut out for it. It's a tough business, and anybody can succeed in the restaurant business, if you're willing to work very hard at it. It's all about determination and perseverance. Be obsessed with food! If you're not extraordinarily passionate about food, don't even bother. Lastly, have patience. Cooking is a craft, and it will take time to master...at least 10,000 hours! Lastly, don't be afraid to fail. Failure is an important part of the learning process. I had to screw up the cheesecake every possible way before I had truly understood and mastered the cheesecake. It was in failing, but observing and learning from my mistakes, that I derived my success.
DD: You are an Executive Chef at LYFE Kitchen, what does LYFE stand for?
CJ: I'm the Corporate Executive Chef, which means I don't do that much cooking anymore, but I do do a lot of emails! Lol. Seriously though, I develop all recipes and oversee food production and maintain food quality at all LYFE kitchen restaurants. That's the jist, but I have my fingers in all departments. I work on supply chain, kitchen design, food costing, nutritional analysis, and much more. I'm responsible for all things food. And my new responsibility, ever since CHOPPED aired, is to go on media tours and do demos and interviews with news channels, bloggers, yelpers, etc.
DD: Do you have a signature dish?
CJ: I have several signature dishes, but the one that may be most loved is my chocolate budino. It's a very tasty, rich, decadent dessert that has fantastic health benefits, as it features four superfoods (chocolate, coconut, pomegranate juice, chia seeds), and not much else.
DD: Apple or Android?
CJ: Apple. I'm a sucker for design.
DD: What’s next? Books? Cooking show? New LYFE Kitchen locations?
CJ: Lots and lots of LYFE kitchen locations. Were currently in a string of openings, so I'm racking up the air miles. Just was in Evanston last week for their recent opening. This week I was in Dallas to welcome those three new stores into existence. Next week, I'll be in Vegas for that opening ceremony.
Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to share with us at Discover Dexter. We hope you can make it to Michigan sometime soon and best of luck in your endeavors.