Chef and Retailer Michael Chiarello

As I travel and taste I always have my recorder and camera with me and I share those interviews with you at What Goes With What.

We met at a wine tasting event in Chicago and on a trip to Napa and Sonoma I had an opportunity to meet with and interview chef and retailer Michael Chiarello of The Food Network and The Cooking Channel.

On the scheduled day of the interview his terrific assistant called and to tell me that Chef had a conflict, so I’m assuming that we’re canceled.  But no, she asks if we would be willing to come to his home in St. Helena on Saturday!  When we arrive, we find him on a small tractor tilling his vineyard. It was a hot day in Napa, but we sat on his lovely veranda for over an hour (listen to the birds in the background) as we discussed food and wine pairing and cooking philosophy.

Please enjoy Chef Micheal’s thoughts on:

• Pairing food and wine
• The style of comparing and contrasting
• How flavors develop
• The philosophy of flavors
• The philosophy of the seasons and flavors
• The style of his wines