Chris Cosentino
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Chris Cosentino is an American celebrity chef and reality television personality known as the winner of '' Top Chef Masters'', a competitor on '' The Next Iron Chef'' and for his appearances on ''
Iron Chef America ''Iron Chef America'' is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's ''Iron Chef'', and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed ''Iron Chef USA'' that aired in 2001. The show is produced by Food Network, whi ...
''. He is known for his haute cuisine offal dishes, and was chef-partner at ''Incanto'' in San Francisco. ''Forbes Traveler'' called ''Incanto'' "perhaps America's most adventurous nose-to-tail restaurant … On offer are lamb's necks, pig trotters and a five-course nose-to-tail tasting menu perhaps including venison kidneys and chocolate- blood panna cotta." Incanto closed on March 24, 2014. In December 2014, he opened Cockscomb, a restaurant centered around his updated interpretations of classic San Francisco dishes. In 2017 he published the cookbook ''Offal Good: Cooking from the Heart, with Guts'', and he maintains an offal-themed website, "Offal Good".


Early life

Chris Cosentino was raised in Rhode Island and is a 1994 graduate of Johnson & Wales University.Johnson & Wales University: Chris Cosentino '94
In 2018, Cosentino gave a cooking demonstration to students at his alma mater, during which he offered students career advice to achieve their goals. While there, he also had a chance to thank one of his mentors, a chef, Jacques Pepin. He cited Pepin's cookbooks, ''La Technique'' and ''La Methode'', with their detail and step-by-step illustrations as helping him deal with
dyslexia Dyslexia, also known until the 1960s as word blindness, is a disorder characterized by reading below the expected level for one's age. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, r ...
and
attention deficit disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise Development ...
. Explaining what these books and Pepin's influence meant to him, Cosentino said that having dyslexia and attention deficit disorder prevented him from being able to read traditional textbooks and cookbooks. Raised in an
Italian American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...
community, he has stated that he hated offal as a child, especially the tripe his Italian grandmother prepared. Since becoming a chef himself, however, he has embraced a "whole-animal ethic": "What I try to do is make people understand a whole-animal ethic. When people realize that this is a whole animal, that there is more than just the skeletal
meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...
s, sometimes that makes people step back and they might not order any meat. They might have a vegetable entrée. Putting a face on what you're eating sometimes opens your eyes a lot."


Career

Cosentino worked at Mark Miller's ''Red Sage'' and later at ''Kinkead's'', in Washington, D.C. He then moved to San Francisco's ''Rubicon'', which was owned by
Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...
, Robin Williams and
Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...
. He went on to work at several prestigious restaurants, such as the ''Coach House'' on
Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the s ...
and Bay Area restaurants ''Chez Panisse'' and ''Belon''. He was then hired as a consultant to the ''Aqua'' restaurant group. While working with them, he opened several restaurants, including the highly acclaimed ''Nobhill'' at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. After 2002, Cosentino worked at ''Incanto'' in the San Francisco neighborhood
Noe Valley Noe Valley ( ; originally spelt Noé) is a neighborhood in the central part of San Francisco, California. It is named for Don José de Jesús Noé, noted 19th-century Californio statesman and ranchero, who owned much of the area and served as m ...
, serving as the executive chef. Local restaurant critics noted an upturn in food quality at ''Incanto'' after he took over. Working with co-owner Mark Pastore, Cosentino created a rustic Italian menu that included cuts of meat from whole animals and fish, including what would usually be discarded or used as an ingredient in animal feed. In 2007, Incanto held their fourth annual "Head-to-Tail Dinner." In 2007, Cosentino opened a
salumeria A salumeria is a food producer and retail store that produces '' salumi'' and other food products. Some only sell foods, while not producing on-site, and some have a restaurant with sit-down service. The salumeria originated in Italy, and dates to ...
named ''Boccalone: Tasty Salted Pig Parts'' in San Francisco's Ferry Building. This new company was following in his family's traditions, as his mother's family ran ''Easton's Sausage Company'' in Newport, Rhode Island from 1860 to 1942. He uses many of the original recipes from Easton's for Boccalone products. Under Cosentino's direction, ''Incanto'' launched a charcuterie selection, with all products cured in-house and ranging from
mortadella Mortadella () is a large Italian cuisine, Italian sausage or luncheon meat (''salumi, salume'' ) made of finely hashed or ground heat-cured pork, which incorporates at least 15% small cubes of pork fat (principally the hard fat from the neck o ...
to fennel salume, sweetbread terrines, and salt-cured pork liver. This product line is based on the community-supported agriculture (CSA) concept in which providing locally grown produce is the focus. Cosentino credits the late chef Jean-Louis Palladin with teaching him never to cook for reviews but only for the diners and himself. Palladin was an avid hunter and taught Chris to be realistic and respectful about the fate of an animal going from the farmyard or the forest to the dinner plate. In October 2007 Cosentino was a contestant on '' The Next Iron Chef'', competing with his former mentor at ''Rubicon'',
Traci Des Jardins Traci Des Jardins is an American chef and restaurateur who previously owned Jardinière, a French influenced California fine-dining restaurant in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco, California. She is also chef and partner of ''Publ ...
, still a close friend. On the third episode, when Michael Symon gave him
squab In culinary terminology, squab is an immature domestic pigeon, typically under four weeks old, or its meat. The meat is widely described as tastes like chicken, tasting like dark chicken. The term is probably of Scandinavian origin; the Swedish w ...
as a secret ingredient, his first action was to check the cavities for offal. It was implied that Symon had removed the innards; when Cosentino discovered this, Symon quipped, "No guts, no glory." In episode 7, 'Lead and Inspire', he was the last chef eliminated before the final battle. In November 2007, he was featured at the end of a ''
Modern Marvels ''Modern Marvels'' is an American worldwide television series that formerly aired on the History Channel and is currently shown on Story Television. The program focuses on how technologies affect and are used in modern society. It is History's f ...
'' episode about pigs, during which he showed his expertise in cooking pork brain.Modern Marvels episode: The Pig (ep. 491, Nov 27, 2007)
In August 2009, he and fellow '' The Next Iron Chef'' contestant Aarón Sánchez began hosting ''
Chefs vs. City ''Chefs vs. City'' is an American television show that aired on Food Network for two seasons from 2009 to 2010. The show stars chefs Aarón Sanchez and Chris Cosentino, who travel to different cities of the United States to challenge two local ch ...
'' on the Food Network. Each week they traveled to a different city, taking on two local chefs in a variety of food-related challenges. Repeated consumption of chili peppers resulted in Cosentino's suffering third-degree alkaline burns in his digestive system and losing intestinal motility. This injury took five years to heal. Cosentino is regularly featured on episodes of the Food Network series '' The Best Thing I Ever Ate''. He considers single-varietal extra-virgin
olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: f ...
s with their distinctive flavors as his culinary secret weapon. Cosentino's involvement with local farmers' markets has enabled him to develop close relationships with local food producers. These relationships are very important to him and allow him to be involved in the production of meat and other ingredients he uses in his many specialties. He has been especially dedicated to the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market. In his spare time Cosentino cycles on rugged Northern California mountain-biking trails on a one-speed bicycle, participates in endurance rides, and spends time with his wife "Treat Maven" and young son. In 2011 it was announced that Cosentino is teaming up with the publishers of ''Wolverine'' to write a comic book. In addition to helping out with the story, he'll also be featured as a character. He has authored a cookbook, ''Beginnings: My Way to Start a Meal'', published in May 2012. Michael Harlan Turkell is the photographer for the book, and Traci Des Jardin wrote the foreword. The book contains recipes for dishes for first courses (most vegetable-based, not meat-based, despite Cosentino's specialty), but also includes philosophy and reproduced handwritten notes and sketches. It is laid out by seasons. In March 2012, Cosentino partnered with
Adam Fleischman Adam Fleischman (born ) is an American restaurateur who founded the Umami Burger chain. He is also the founder and former chief executive officer of the Umami Restaurant Group. Early life Fleischman was born in Queens, New York and grew up in Si ...
and opened PIGG, "a tribute to all things pork around the world", at UMAMIcatessen in Los Angeles. UMAMIcatessen is a three-part cafeteria-style dining establishment on the ground floor of the Orpheum Lofts at 9th and Broadway. On September 26, 2012, Cosentino won season four of '' Top Chef Masters'' on
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, raising $141,000 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Cosentino and his partner announced on March 5, 2014, that they would close Incanto to open Porcellino at the same location. It was to be a more casual neighborhood dining option/retail space. With the opening of Cockscomb, however, it was closed. Cockscomb focuses on classic San Francisco cuisine more than to Italy. Oysters and shellfish are a major aspect of what the restaurant offers. In 2016, Cosentino announced that he would open Jackrabbit, his first restaurant outside of California, in Portland, Oregon. On October 21, 2020, Cosentino announced "We are closing Cockscomb permanently."


Television appearances

* 2005, ''Check Please! Bay Area'' * 2005, ''Martha Stewart'' * 2007, ''
Iron Chef America ''Iron Chef America'' is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's ''Iron Chef'', and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed ''Iron Chef USA'' that aired in 2001. The show is produced by Food Network, whi ...
'' * 2007, '' The Next Iron Chef'' * 2007, ''
Modern Marvels ''Modern Marvels'' is an American worldwide television series that formerly aired on the History Channel and is currently shown on Story Television. The program focuses on how technologies affect and are used in modern society. It is History's f ...
- Episode: The Pig'' * 2008, ''
Iron Chef America ''Iron Chef America'' is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's ''Iron Chef'', and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed ''Iron Chef USA'' that aired in 2001. The show is produced by Food Network, whi ...
'' * 2008, ''At The Table With...'' * 2009, ''
Chefs vs. City ''Chefs vs. City'' is an American television show that aired on Food Network for two seasons from 2009 to 2010. The show stars chefs Aarón Sanchez and Chris Cosentino, who travel to different cities of the United States to challenge two local ch ...
'' Food Networkhttps://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090422/tv_nm/us_food_1 * 2009, ''No Reservations'' Travel Channel, August 10 * 2009, ''The Best Thing I Ever Ate'' Food Network * 2011, ''Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern'' Travel Channel, March 1 * 2012, ''The Layover, San Francisco'', Travel Channel, January 9 * 2012, ''Top Chef Canada-Episode 4'', Food Network Canada, April 1 * 2012, '' Top Chef Masters'' Season 4, Bravo, July 25 * 2012, '' Time Machine Chefs'',
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
, August 16


See also

*
Animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...
* Italian-American cuisine * Local food * Locavore * Sustainable agriculture * Sustainable food system


References


External links


Offal Good
- Cosentino's professional blog
Cosentino's biography
at Starchefs

from AllYourTV.com
Boccalone

Incanto


Mission District writer Mary Ladd recounts eating an offal tasting menu at Incanto with
Anthony Bourdain Anthony Michael Bourdain (; June 25, 1956 – June 8, 2018) was an American celebrity chef, author, and travel documentarian who starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the human condition. Bourdai ...

Joshua M. Bernstein discusses Incanto/Cosentino and other US restaurants/chefs specializing in serving the whole animal.

KCRW radio's Good Food program
03/10/2012 Titled: Foie Gras and Jelly Doughnuts (Jonathan Gold reviews UMAMIcatessen, a collaborative restaurant featuring food by Adam Fleischman, Chris Cosentino and Micah Wexler, as well as cocktails by Adrian Biggs.) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cosentino, Chris American television chefs American male chefs Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Chefs from Rhode Island Cuisine of the San Francisco Bay Area Johnson & Wales University alumni Chefs of Italian cuisine Top Chef winners American people of Italian descent Chefs from San Francisco Television presenters with dyslexia