Curtis Stone’s bright smile and sunny disposition need no introduction. This last week has been a big one for the celebrity chef with the birth of his second child, Emerson (congratulations!), and the launch of his new and very affordable kitchen range for Target Australia today. The 80-piece range called ‘The Curtis Stone Collection for Target’, features cookware and tableware ranging from $4 – $100 and covers everything in the kitchen from preparation, bake, table and serving with a selection of fun, functional and innovative items.
We were lucky enough to catch up with Curtis (online of course) and get an update on where he is, what he’s doing, his new range and what’s next for the Curtis Stone brand. He even kindly shared some great food styling tips and his very own Mac ‘n Cheese recipe which you can find here – yum!
JC x
1. Curtis, where in the world are you right now and what are you working on?
Right now I’m in LA working away on the line and developing menus for my little 25-seater restaurant Maude as often as I can. Maude has been up and running for about nine months now and we’ve had such great support from all of our guests. I’m lucky to have a talented, tight knit group of chefs working alongside me. Of course, the range in Target launched today too, and I’ve also just wrapped writing my sixth cookbook to be released next year so things are in a really, really incredible place.
2. You have just launched your first range of kitchen and tableware. Could you tell us about the inspiration behind the design?
Years of experience in professional & domestic kitchens led me to design the new 80-piece range cookware and tableware created specifically for home cooks. My inspiration was to take as much pressure off the home cook as possible and to make it completely fool proof as well as limit the cleaning and create ample space to work in.
3. What are your favourite pieces in the range and why?
Definitely the Workbench! It’s a cutting board with a drawer and a little hole in the back of it that you can drop all waste in and for me that makes food preparation so much easier. Equal second would be the range’s knife block and my oil can with the little spout for the perfect pour.
4. Do you have any quick and easy food styling tips you could share?
– Add splashes of colour – think a sprinkling of fresh herbs or a spice like paprika, even a nice flourish of extra virgin olive oil will make a meal look and taste that much more delicious.
– Serve food family-style, as in, serve a dish like Sunday’s Bolognese in a nice big dish in the middle of the table and let everybody help themselves. Pile that rich, meaty sauce and plenty of freshly grated Parmesan on top of the pasta and again, it looks rustic and beautiful and tastes bloody delicious too. You can apply this ‘family-style’ serving technique to any number of your favourite dishes.
– Put your head into as many cookbooks and foodie mags and websites as you can and pick up little food styling tips as you go. In some respects, food is fashion and food is art and is forever evolving so keep your eye out for trends you like and photos that grab your attention and bring that inspiration into your own presentation.
5. Where are your favourite places to eat when you are back in Oz?
The thing I love about eating out in Oz is you get great quality across the board from the high-end restaurants to your corner café. I love Ben Shewry’s Attica in Melbourne and of course I love coming back to Melbourne for our coffee and brunches. The guys at Pillar of Salt in Richmond put up some of the best coffee in Melbourne so that’s one of my pit stops each time I’m back in my home city.
6. A lot of American food trends find their way back down under, what new trends can we expect?
Tasting menus are really hot right now in the States so I think we might see a little more of them filtering into the Aussie restaurant landscape. Food trucks are absolutely massive here in LA, they started out here and are ingrained in the culture. Melbourne has a couple of trucks but I think they’ll become more and more prominent across Oz over the next couple of years.
7. What is next for Curtis Stone?
I’m working on expanding my cookware range so you’ll just have to watch this space! Of course, as I mentioned above, I have cookbook number six coming out next year. Six! That really gives me the chills that I’ve been lucky enough to work on all of these books over the past ten years. Also, our menu changes monthly at my restaurant and each menu is inspired by one key ingredient so right now I’m tinkering with the seasonal ingredients to feature in 2015. And above all, I’ve got two little boys – Hudson and Emerson (Emerson’s just a week old!) – keeping me busier than ever before but I wouldn’t have it any other way. They’re so, so sweet and I couldn’t be more excited for our adventures together as a little family of four.
All images supplied by TBT.
Website: http://www.curtisstone.com/
Twitter: @curtis_stone
Facebook: Chef Curtis Stone
Instagram: @curtisstone
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