All in the Industry ®

Alex Stupak, Empellón and Mischa

Episode Summary

On today's episode of All in the Industry®, Shari Bayer's guest is Alex Stupak, Chef and Co-Owner of NYC-based Empellón restaurant group and Mischa, his latest restaurant, where we are on-location. Born in Massachusetts, Alex became a scholar of the avant-garde and molecular gastronomy movements. He worked as the pastry chef at Clio in Boston with Ken Oringer, then at Alinea in Chicago with Grant Achatz, and (subsequently) at wd~50 in New York City with Wylie Dufresne. He went on to open multiple restaurants under the Empellón brand, including a Midtown Manhattan flagship location, currently ranked No. 19 on the New York Times‘ “100 Best Restaurants in New York City” list. Alex was selected as one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in 2013 and has since received multiple James Beard Foundation Awards nominations, including one for his 2015 book Tacos: Recipes and Provocations [Clarkson Potter]. Today's show also features Shari's PR tip to do the unexpected; Speed Round; Industry News Discussion on New York Magazine naming Matthew Schneier as its new Restaurant Critic, and the Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare in NYC naming two new chefs after its acclaimed chef's firing; plus, Shari's Solo Dining experience at Taqueria Ramirez in Greenpoint, Brooklyn -- known for its CDMX street tacos; and the final question. ** Check out Shari's new book, Chefwise: Life Lessons from Leading Chefs Around the World (Phaidon, Spring 2023), now available at Phaidon.com, Amazon.com and wherever books are sold! #chefwisebook **

Episode Notes

On today's episode of All in the Industry®, Shari Bayer's guest is Alex Stupak, Chef and Co-Owner of NYC-based Empellón restaurant group and Mischa, his latest restaurant, where we are on-location. Born in Massachusetts, Alex became a scholar of the avant-garde and molecular gastronomy movements. He worked as the pastry chef at Clio in Boston with Ken Oringer, then at Alinea in Chicago with Grant Achatz, and (subsequently) at wd~50 in New York City with Wylie Dufresne. He went on to open multiple restaurants under the Empellón brand, including a Midtown Manhattan flagship location, currently ranked No. 19 on the New York Times‘ “100 Best Restaurants in New York City” list. Alex was selected as one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in 2013 and has since received multiple James Beard Foundation Awards nominations, including one for his 2015 book Tacos: Recipes and Provocations [Clarkson Potter]. Today's show also features Shari's PR tip to do the unexpected; Speed Round; Industry News Discussion on New York Magazine naming Matthew Schneier as its new Restaurant Critic, and the Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare in NYC naming two new chefs after its acclaimed chef's firing; plus, Shari's Solo Dining experience at Taqueria Ramirez in Greenpoint, Brooklyn -- known for its CDMX street tacos; and the final question. 

** Check out Shari's new book, Chefwise: Life Lessons from Leading Chefs Around the World (Phaidon, Spring 2023), now available at Phaidon.com, Amazon.com and wherever books are sold! #chefwisebook **

Photo Courtesy of Alex Stupak and Shari Bayer.


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