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The bar at The Landing.
CULINARY, continued from page 18
Aikens in London," said Pineda. "That
was a great place. You get served a glass
of Dom Perignon when you enter and the
brioche with Maldon sea salt is incredible.
It's the best salt in the world. It has this
beautiful and bright-yellow butter so you
know the cows are well-cared for."
Growing up in a world populated with
culinary royalty sometimes wasn't what it
was cracked up to be. He loved going to
friends' homes where he was introduced
to many foods he still craves today. Suffice
it to say these foods wouldn't survive the
culinary chopping block at Biba's, Locke-
Ober or The Landing. He said the day he
discovered microwave popcorn, he was
bowled over.
"I was blown away. We wanted to
make popcorn and I was looking for the
kernels and a pot, so the first time I saw
that it came in a bag was just incredible. I
remember I even licked the inside of the
bag," Pineda said. "I also loved canned
pasta and meatballs."
Another item not likely to show up on
The Landing's menu? Asparagus purée
with grilled head-on prawns, haggis
fritter and blueberry crostini, a dish that
propelled Pineda into the finals of Food
Network's "Chopped: Alton's Maniacal
Basket Challenge" in the summer of
2021. While he didn't win, Pineda said he
learned a thing or two.
"Chopped was a great experience and
I have found that it's not so much about
how well you cook but the applications
that you have learned over the years that
will bring a win to the table," he said.
Pineda hopes to have five restaurants
up and running in the next 10 years, but
The Landing will always hold a special
place in his heart.
"It represents the beginning of the
foundation of what I think will be my
empire," he said. "This will always be my
home base, my baby."
Pineda married the love of his life,
Nikki Stalling (a model and Pilates
master), in 2017. The star-studded event
featured a five-course menu cooked by the
groom and his mother, with the help of
Gourmet Caterers, and a five-tier wedding
cake, created by Shire.
The couple moved to Marblehead three
years ago. Parents to eight-month old Max,
Pineda says Stalling is his polar opposite in
that she is calm, cool and collected while
he is not. The couple often joke about their
respective professions.
"We cornered the market," said Pineda.
"I make people fat and she makes them
skinny." X