LIVE Magazine #251 Feb 10 2017

LIVEMAGAZINE.TV
exclusive
by Juli Ragsdale
On March 24, Gail Simmons will be hosting a highly anticipated annual
event, the James Beard Gourmet Four-Course Luncheon at Palm Desert
Food & Wine 2017, organized by Palm Springs Life magazine.
Co-producer Tony Marchese of TRIO Restaurant gave me a
chance to interview Gail before the big event. It is always a pleasure to
meet television personalities who are celebrities based on more than
just their beauty alone. Gail Simmons is just this type. She is as vivacious
and beautiful as a tv host could be. Yet on top of being a dynamic
television personality, Gail Simmons is a trained culinary expert and food
writer. She has been a permanent judge on BRAVO’s Emmy-winning
Top Chef since the show’s inception in 2006. Now in its 14th successful
season, Top Chef is rated the #1 food show on cable television. Previously,
Gail was head critic on Top Chef Masters and host of To p
Chef Just Desserts, Bravo’s pastry-focused spinoff of the Top Chef
franchise. She was also co-host of The Feed, which aired in 2014 on
FYI, A+E’s new lifestyle network.
Chef
Gail
Simmons
www.palmdesertfoodandwine.com
March
24-26
2017
Juli Ragsdale: Hello Gail, it is so great to connect. I always enjoy the
chance to see you on tv and I am honored to have a chance to chat with
you personally.
You are constantly on the road and in the media as a leading demonstrator
and a culinary event producer. How do you stay inspired? What
personal influences play into your choices of recipes for demonstrations?
Gail Simmons: Being on the road is what inspires me. I am constantly
traveling, tasting new foods or flavor combination, learning about cultural
and culinary traditions, meeting new people and exploring new places.
There is nothing I love more than bringing all of those lessons home to
my own kitchen to add my own twist, then test and taste. In terms of
what I choose to demonstrate or cook when I am at events, a lot of my
choices are based on where I have most recently been, what’s in season
locally where I am and what I am craving at that moment.
JR: You have been documented to be in Palm Springs many times. Any
stand out visits?
GS: I try to get to PS at least once a year. Two of our closest friends
have homes here and every time I come it is a reunion for us all as we
live on the East Coast and don’t get to see them as much as we wish
we could. We love checking out new restaurants, galleries and cocktail
bars but most of all, we love cooking at their homes, relaxing and catching
up together. That said, my most memorable visit to PS ever had to
be when Top Chef shot here in 2015. We created an episode around a
massive same-sex wedding ceremony for over two dozen couples. It was
extremely emotional for everyone and a moment I will never forget on the
show. It really highlighted how far we have come since our first season in
San Francisco, when we also did a same-sex wedding challenge. Back
in 2005 when we shot it, gay marriage was not yet legal in America. Who
knew we would be still making this show a decade later and able to celebrate
marriage equality in this way? It was beautiful!
JR: Have you any favorite restaurants, hang-outs, or activities in Palm Springs?
GS: Absolutely. I love Workshop for dinner and Hadley’s Date Farm for
shakes. I also love Ernest Coffee and Bootlegger Tiki! Of course a visit
to the Parker is always fun too.
www.palmdesertfoodandwine.com
Gail joined Food & Wine magazine in 2004, where she directs special
projects, working closely with the country’s top culinary talent and acting
as liaison between the marketing and editorial teams on events and chefrelated
initiatives. During her tenure, she has been responsible for overseeing
the annual Classic in Aspen, America’s premier culinary event.
Prior to working at Food & Wine, Gail was the special events manager
for Chef Daniel Boulud’s restaurant empire.
Born and raised in Toronto, Gail moved to New York City in 1999 to attend
culinary school at what is now the Institute of Culinary Education. She
then trained in the kitchens of legendary Le Cirque 2000 and groundbreaking
Vong restaurants, and worked as the assistant to Vogue magazine’s
esteemed food critic, Jeffrey Steingarten. Throughout her career, Gail has
contributed to several cookbooks, including It Must’ve Been Something I
Ate by Steingarten, Chef Daniel Boulud: Cooking in New York City and
The New American Chef, by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. Gail’s
first book, a memoir titled Talking With My Mouth Full, was published by
Hyperion in February 2012. She is currently at work on on her first cookbook,
to be released in late 2017 by Grand Central Publishing.
In 2014, Gail and her business partner Samantha Hanks, founded
Bumble Pie Productions, an original content company dedicated to
discovering and promoting new female voices in the food and lifestyle
space. Their first series, “Star Plates”—a collaboration with Drew Barrymore’s
Flower Films and Authentic Entertainment—premiered September
2016 on the Food Network.
In addition to her work on Top Chef, Gail makes frequent television appearances
on NBC’s TODAY, ABC’s Good Morning America, and Fox
& Friends, among others. She is regularly featured in such publications
as New York magazine, Travel + Leisure, GQ, People, Entertainment
Weekly, Los Angeles Times, and was named the #1 Reality TV Judge
in America by the New York Post. Along with her annual appearance
at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, she makes regular appearances
at the nation’s foremost culinary festivals, including the Austin Food &
Wine Festival and South Beach Wine & Food Festival.
Gail currently lives in New York City with her husband, Jeremy and
daughter, Dahlia Rae.
JR: I heard you have a young daughter. She is three? Do you find yourself
learning many things from her?
GS: Yes she just turned three! At the risk of sounding cliché, parenting
is the hardest, most surprising and most rewarding job I have ever had. I
learn from her every day: lessons in patience, in knowing the importance
of slowing down and finding joy in little moments together, and especially
how to problem solve in unexpected ways. Every child and every family
operates differently, has different likes and dislikes, and reacts uniquely
to any given situation. She has taught me to be so much more flexible in
my life and daily decisions, and to not sweat the little details but instead
enjoy the NOW. We laugh so much together which is the best feeling in
the world. I am so thankful for that!
JR: Any clues or teasers about what you may present at Palm Desert
Food & Wine 2017?
GS: I am doing a cooking demo on Saturday with Brooke Williamson, a
chef I have admired since she first set foot on the set of Top Chef in season
10. She returned for our most recent season in Charleston (season
14). We both fell in love with the city and its food, so it seems only fitting
that we cook a few simple but delicious dishes inspired by our experiences
there.
JR: Do you have any outstanding favorite wines at the moment?
GS: I rarely drink the same bottle of wine twice when I am out as these
days there are so many new winemakers and varietals I want to try. I love
the natural wine trend we are seeing now in wine bars around the country,
as well as all the orange wine available. These new, emerging wines
can be challenging in the best way, delicious and unusual.
JR: Any favorite charities?
GS: As mentioned above, I sit on the board of several incredible organizations
for causes I am passionate about, including Hot Bread Kitchen,
City Harvest and Common Threads. For 2017, I am also really excited
about working on projects with Chop Chop magazine (chopchopmag.
org) as well as Cycle Kids (Cyclekids.org) and the Environmental
Working Group (EWG.org).
JR: Palm Springs is a very giving town to the hungry so you fit right in
here! We look forward to seeing you at the festival. Thanks Gail!