*Photographs and Recipes courtesy of Meredith Books and Tyler Florence
Tyler Florence has become virtually a household word—a brand, if you will. And though it was not exactly an over-night success story, he has achieved a notoriety among foodies and non-foodies that is almost unprecedented for a man of only 38. For those who didn’t know him from his wildly popular TV shows—How to Boil Water, Food 911, and Tyler’s Ultimate—his recent gig as an Applebee’s spokes-person gave him complete mass-market appeal.
The story of his childhood is unlike that of many chefs—that they grew up sitting with mom by the stove, or picking fresh vegetables with their grandfather. Florence describes himself as a “latch-key kid” growing up in the early eighties. His parents were divorced and he was at home from the time school ended to the time his mother got home at 6:30 in the evening. He was hungry after school, so he learned to feed himself—and developed a love of food in the bargain. “Pretty soon, I was the most popular kid in the neighborhood ‘cause I could cook. For years, I ran a very successful not-for-profit restaurant!”
At the tender age of 15, he started working in the restaurant business, doing anything and everything: washing dishes, busing tables, and dating the owner’s daughter. Because of that, “I got treated really well,” he says with a laugh. “But I found that I really cared about being in the kitchen. I took on any responsibility I could. I really loved the hum and the buildup as it got closer to dinnertime, walking through the dining room, seeing the starched white tablecloths. When the doors opened—bang—it was show time.”
That love of the kitchen served him well—through culinary school at Johnson & Wales, to working as an executive chef in Manhattan, and eventually to his debut on “a baby television network called The Food Network.” So once again it was show time. From his debut in 1996, he has become one of the world’s most recognized celebrity chefs, with his shows airing in more than ten countries, including Poland, Singapore, and Mexico.
But it seems that there’s a lot more to Florence’s work than fame. “TyFlo” as foodie wags have dubbed him, is a passionate man, and he cares about his work. I asked how the whole Tyler Florence phenomenon came about. “I was always saying yes. I just really loved feeding people—it’s so rewarding. And I take food very seriously.” But as he says of having several hit cooking shows, “You have to really want it. And I’m passionate about it. You just have to make things happen!” And while not all great chefs aspire to the limelight, his advice? “I tell chefs you have to look up from the cutting board once in a while.”
He may not have grown up cooking by his mother’s side, but his mom worked as a business manager at a local TV station, so he absorbed skills that have contributed to his success. He was comfortable in the studio environment, comfortable with the media, and clearly picked up some management chops along the way. Even with juggling four television shows, 75 celebrity chef appearances a year, five cookbooks, a line of cookware and cutlery, a baby food line called Sprout™ which debuted this year, a Tyler Florence wine line, a kitchen retail shop in Mill Valley, California, serving on Macy’s prestigious Culinary Council, and several restaurant projects in the works; he is still on the lookout for the next project.
When children came into his life, he and his wife made the move to northern California. “I’m a gut instinct kind of guy—it just felt like the right thing to do. Pretty much if it feels like the right thing, we do it.” He clearly prizes his time at home in Marin County—a family oasis he shares with his wife and three children aged 12, 24 months and 10 months—when Tyler isn’t on the road. But does he cook at home?
Yes, he says. “We are writing, cooking, creating recipes, and testing recipes everyday. I love writing books, that forced creativity. But the other day, I picked up some incredible farm fresh eggs and to go with them, I grabbed an onion, some kale, and some bacon and roasted them all together in some extra virgin olive oil. Everything has that nice oily pork taste and the vegetables were crisp and sweet. I served this alongside the eggs on top of slices of brioche topped with a little parm. My twelve year old ate two plates!”
His Sprout™ line of organic, sustainable baby food is another passion. He recalls a party at his house when a friend was visiting with her toddler. “She had the best available organic baby food that was out there at the time, and he just kept spitting it out and jerking his head around to avoid the spoon. So I cooked some carrots and pureed them with a little carrot juice and he loved it. We got out a piece of paper and starting drafting a plan.
“Most baby food just doesn’t taste good,” he says. “In fact, infants and toddlers have 10,000 taste receptors and by the time you get to be an adult, it’s dwindled to about 3,000. When we did a tasting in a grocery store, parents would walk by and say ‘I’m not going to taste baby food.’ And I’m thinking, ‘You would feed your kid something you wouldn’t put in your own mouth?’ ” But those who did taste the products were amazed by the great flavors. So after four years of research and development, Sprout™ is now available in more than 1300 stores across the country.”
In keeping with Tyler’s ultimate multitasking personality, in addition to his line of steel clad cookware, his Mill Valley retail outlet, The Tyler Florence Shop, opened in 2008. Florence may be a good family man, but most fans would agree: he’s hot. In fact, People magazine voted him Sexiest Chef Alive. When I asked how he felt about that he said, “Well, it was a big honor of course, but the picture they took of me was just horrific. They wanted me lying in bed making these dreamy bedroom eyes. And the make-up people jacked up my eyebrows so I looked like Groucho Marx. I wanted to be in the kitchen cooking! So they agreed they’d take some shots the way I wanted after their shoot. Well, I’m not even sure there was film in the camera. I took the worst ribbing when the magazine came out. People were emailing for weeks saying ‘Dude, nice eyebrows.’”
But one of the world’s sexiest chefs is doing his part to make the world a better place. No doubt harkening back to his latchkey kid roots, he serves on the board of the Afterschool Alliance, a non-profit organization devoted to ensuring that all children have access to quality afterschool activity programs.
TyFlo may be a man on the move, but I bet coming home to an after-school snack at the Florence residence is a pretty good thing. And the fact that he cares enough to take part in making that a reality for other kids is a testament to the fact that with all the multi-tasking mania, he hasn’t lost sight of his priorities.
These recipes are from Tyler Florence’s most recent cookbook, Dinner at My Place: My Favorite Recipes for Family and Friends (Meredith Books, 2008).
Smoked Ribs with Dry Rub
Serves 4–6
4 slabs baby back pork ribs (approximately 2 pounds each)
Wet ingredients for rub:
3⁄4 cup white distilled vinegar
1⁄4 cup water
Juice of 2 lemons
Dry ingredients for rub:
1⁄4 cup salt
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
3⁄4 cup garlic powder
1⁄2 cup oregano
1⁄2 cup celery seed
1 cup paprika
1 cup chile powder
Apple wood smoking chips, soaked in water
1. Turn on grill/smoker and heat it up. Place soaked applewood chips in smoker box and place over heat in grill (if you are using a charcoal grill, place the wet chips directly on top of coals).
2. Combine dry rub ingredients together, then take out a third of the mixture and set aside to dry-rub the ribs when finished. Add water, vinegar and lemon juice to the remaining 2⁄3 of the bowl to make a paste. Baste the ribs all over with the paste and set on the grill for two and a half hours. When just about done, give them a final baste so the dry rub will stick and shower with the remaining dry rub.
Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Relish
Serves 6–8
3 cups dried black-eyed peas
2 slices of thick-cut bacon
1⁄4 bunch fresh thyme
2 tomatoes, quartered
5 dried red chiles
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1 quart of low-sodium chicken stock
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 green onions, chopped
1 lemon, juice only
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
1. In a large pot, add dried peas, chiles, thyme, bacon, tomato and garlic cloves. Season with salt and pepper and pour over chicken stock. Simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour until peas are tender.
2. Drain peas, reserving the cooking liquid and discarding thyme and chiles. Cut up bacon and fold back into the peas with green onions, cilantro and fresh lemon juice. Take the cooking liquid and puree in a blender (you will still have the garlic and tomatoes in there which will help thicken up the liquid). Dress the peas with the emulsified liquid, and give it a final seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve with fresh cilantro, lemon and a drizzle of olive oil. Heirloom Tomato Chow Chow
Serves 4–6
1 quart apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons celery seed
3 tablespoons mustard seeds
11⁄2 tablespoons pickling spice
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1 1-inch piece of ginger, grated
2 lbs firm heirloom tomatoes, mixed color and variety, cut into large chunks
2 medium onions, sliced
1. Combine vinegar, sugar, celery seeds, mustard seeds, pickling spices, dry mustard, turmeric, salt and ginger in a large pot. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 15 minutes to extract the flavor of the spices. Return heat to high and add tomatoes and onions, stirring to coat everything evenly. Once the liquid begins to boil, immediately shut off the heat and allow mixture to cool to room temperature.
Jean Kerr is the editor of Taste, the author of three cookbooks and two-time Book of the Year Award nominee.
Tyler Florence has become virtually a household word—a brand, if you will. And though it was not exactly an over-night success story, he has achieved a notoriety among foodies and non-foodies that is almost unprecedented for a man of only 38. For those who didn’t know him from his wildly popular TV shows—How to Boil Water, Food 911, and Tyler’s Ultimate—his recent gig as an Applebee’s spokes-person gave him complete mass-market appeal.
Smoked Ribs with Dry Rub
Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Relish
Heirloom Tomato Chow Chow
