Emma Hearst, Sunday’s edition of Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” featured Emma Hearst, a chef who grew up in the Capital Region. Emma Hearst is the chef and also owner of Sorella, a restaurant on the Lower East Side of Manhattan that opened in November 2008.
According to Gayot.com, Hearst is named one of the “top 5 rising chefs” in America for 2011. Hearst also recently opened a bakery-cafe called Stellina next door to Sorella.
In Sorella, which means sister in Italian, Hearst based her menu on her travels to Italy’s Piedmontese region. Hearst is part of the publishing dynasty started by great-great-grandfather William Randolph Hearst. The dynasty includes the Times Union, of which Hearst’s father, George Hearst, is publisher.
According to Food Network, Hearst, 24, is the youngest chef ever to compete on the show.
The following is the interview of Emma Hearst with Antoinette Bruno from Starchefs.com
Antoinette Bruno: What are your favorite restaurants?
Emma Hearst: I love Gramercy Tavern and Franny’s out in Brooklyn. I just ate a great meal at Aldea.
Antoinette Bruno: What inspired you to pursue cooking professionally?
Emma Hearst: Well, when I was four years old, a really little baby actually, my mother would try and put “normal-kid” shows on, but I would only want to watch cooking shows. I knew I wanted to open up a restaurant at the age of four. I started working professionally in kitchens at 13 as a prep cook.
Antoinette Bruno: Do you recommend culinary school to aspiring cooks?
Emma Hearst: I went to culinary school. I went to the CIA. It gives you time to build a lot of good relationships. I met my best friend and my business partner in culinary school. As far as prepping you for the real culinary world, and what it’s like, it’s a complete fantasy-land. The good schools give people time to practice the things they would not get much time to practice in a restaurant setting. I learned by traveling and eating. I don’t think there’s enough emphasis on how much going out to eat can act as a learning device. I don’t have the most impressive résumé and I’m 23, but I know what good food is supposed to taste like.
Antoinette Bruno: What is your philosophy on food and dining?
Emma Hearst: Keep it clean, keep it simple. Don’t mess with it too much. You should keep a high level of integrity while cooking and you should keep the integrity of the ingredients you’re cooking with high, too.
Antoinette Bruno: What goes into creating a dish?
Emma Hearst: Seasonality for sure. All we do is talk about food and what we are craving at the moment or if we have recently had something really great to eat. When we want to play with a certain ingredient or idea, the dish just kind of builds organically. I’ll sit down at the end of the night with my kitchen staff and some wine and talk about where we are going with flavors and techniques. Our mission is to always make the new dishes better than the last. We must always be moving forward and never go back. I make sure my cooks and I all have the same palate.
Antoinette Bruno: What is the biggest challenge facing your restaurant?
Emma Hearst: Running a business. The hardest part for me and my business partner has been trying to control the restaurant rather than the restaurant controlling us.
Antoinette Bruno: What is the toughest thing you’ve had to do in your job?
Emma Hearst: I don’t want to say ‘prove myself,’ but we didn’t tell anybody our age or names when we opened this place up—no PR. We were very low-key. We’re just trying to cook some honest food and do what we love, but we got really lucky with this experience. Slowly, over time, we let people know our story.
Antoinette Bruno: If you had one thing you could do again, what would it be?
Emma Hearst: I wouldn’t change a thing. We made a lot of mistakes, but I am cool with making mistakes because we have learned so much from them. Being a creative mind and in the kitchen, I think for me the hardest thing is to be aware of the numbers, to be aware of questions like “Are you profitable?” Because you can make the tastiest food on the block, but if you don’t have the numbers, you won’t make it.
Antoinette Bruno: What trends do you see emerging?
Emma Hearst: I try to veer away from all food trends.
Antoinette Bruno: What chef would you like to cook for you?
Emma Hearst: The grandmothers in Piedmont.
Antoinette Bruno: If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing?
Emma Hearst: I’d probably be a makeup artist. Or a professional eater.
Antoinette Bruno: What’s next for you? Where will we see you in five years?
Emma Hearst: Hopefully surfing on the North shore of Oahu. We have a new project in the works right now. I don’t think there will be another Sorella. But you know, never say never, right?
Antoinette Bruno:What is the toughest thing you’ve had to do in your job?
Emma Hearst: I don’t want to say ‘prove myself,’ but we didn’t tell anybody our age or names when we opened this place up—no PR. We were very low-key. We’re just trying to cook some honest food and do what we love, but we got really lucky with this experience. Slowly, over time, we let people know our story.
Antoinette Bruno: If you had one thing you could do again, what would it be?
Emma Hearst: I wouldn’t change a thing. We made a lot of mistakes, but I am cool with making mistakes because we have learned so much from them. Being a creative mind and in the kitchen, I think for me the hardest thing is to be aware of the numbers, to be aware of questions like “Are you profitable?” Because you can make the tastiest food on the block, but if you don’t have the numbers, you won’t make it.
Antoinette Bruno: What trends do you see emerging?
Emma Hearst: I try to veer away from all food trends.
Antoinette Bruno: What chef would you like to cook for you?
Emma Hearst: The grandmothers in Piedmont.
Antoinette Bruno: If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing?
Emma Hearst: I’d probably be a makeup artist. Or a professional eater.
Antoinette Bruno: What’s next for you? Where will we see you in five years?
Emma Hearst: Hopefully surfing on the North shore of Oahu. We have a new project in the works right now. I don’t think there will be another Sorella. But you know, never say never, right?
Antoinette Bruno: What trends do you see emerging?
Emma Hearst: I try to veer away from all food trends.
Antoinette Bruno: What chef would you like to cook for you?
Emma Hearst: The grandmothers in Piedmont.
Antoinette Bruno: If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing?
Emma Hearst: I’d probably be a makeup artist. Or a professional eater.
Antoinette Bruno: What’s next for you? Where will we see you in five years?
Emma Hearst: Hopefully surfing on the North shore of Oahu. We have a new project in the works right now. I don’t think there will be another Sorella. But you know, never say never, right?
According to Gayot.com, Hearst is named one of the “top 5 rising chefs” in America for 2011. Hearst also recently opened a bakery-cafe called Stellina next door to Sorella. In Sorella, which means sister in Italian, Hearst based her menu on her travels to Italy’s Piedmontese region. Hearst is part of the publishing dynasty started by great-great-grandfather William Randolph Hearst. The dynasty includes the Times Union, of which Hearst’s father, George Hearst, is publisher.
According to Food Network, Hearst, 24, is the youngest chef ever to compete on the show.
The following is the interview of Emma Hearst with Antoinette Bruno from Starchefs.com
Antoinette Bruno: What are your favorite restaurants?
Emma Hearst: I love Gramercy Tavern and Franny’s out in Brooklyn. I just ate a great meal at Aldea.
Antoinette Bruno: What inspired you to pursue cooking professionally?
Emma Hearst: Well, when I was four years old, a really little baby actually, my mother would try and put “normal-kid” shows on, but I would only want to watch cooking shows. I knew I wanted to open up a restaurant at the age of four. I started working professionally in kitchens at 13 as a prep cook.
Antoinette Bruno: Do you recommend culinary school to aspiring cooks?
Emma Hearst: I went to culinary school. I went to the CIA. It gives you time to build a lot of good relationships. I met my best friend and my business partner in culinary school. As far as prepping you for the real culinary world, and what it’s like, it’s a complete fantasy-land. The good schools give people time to practice the things they would not get much time to practice in a restaurant setting. I learned by traveling and eating. I don’t think there’s enough emphasis on how much going out to eat can act as a learning device. I don’t have the most impressive résumé and I’m 23, but I know what good food is supposed to taste like.
Antoinette Bruno: What is your philosophy on food and dining?
Emma Hearst: Keep it clean, keep it simple. Don’t mess with it too much. You should keep a high level of integrity while cooking and you should keep the integrity of the ingredients you’re cooking with high, too.
Antoinette Bruno: What goes into creating a dish?
Emma Hearst: Seasonality for sure. All we do is talk about food and what we are craving at the moment or if we have recently had something really great to eat. When we want to play with a certain ingredient or idea, the dish just kind of builds organically. I’ll sit down at the end of the night with my kitchen staff and some wine and talk about where we are going with flavors and techniques. Our mission is to always make the new dishes better than the last. We must always be moving forward and never go back. I make sure my cooks and I all have the same palate.
Antoinette Bruno: What is the biggest challenge facing your restaurant?
Emma Hearst: Running a business. The hardest part for me and my business partner has been trying to control the restaurant rather than the restaurant controlling us.
Antoinette Bruno: What is the toughest thing you’ve had to do in your job?
Emma Hearst: I don’t want to say ‘prove myself,’ but we didn’t tell anybody our age or names when we opened this place up—no PR. We were very low-key. We’re just trying to cook some honest food and do what we love, but we got really lucky with this experience. Slowly, over time, we let people know our story.
Antoinette Bruno: If you had one thing you could do again, what would it be?
Emma Hearst: I wouldn’t change a thing. We made a lot of mistakes, but I am cool with making mistakes because we have learned so much from them. Being a creative mind and in the kitchen, I think for me the hardest thing is to be aware of the numbers, to be aware of questions like “Are you profitable?” Because you can make the tastiest food on the block, but if you don’t have the numbers, you won’t make it.
Antoinette Bruno: What trends do you see emerging?
Emma Hearst: I try to veer away from all food trends.
Antoinette Bruno: What chef would you like to cook for you?
Emma Hearst: The grandmothers in Piedmont.
Antoinette Bruno: If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing?
Emma Hearst: I’d probably be a makeup artist. Or a professional eater.
Antoinette Bruno: What’s next for you? Where will we see you in five years?
Emma Hearst: Hopefully surfing on the North shore of Oahu. We have a new project in the works right now. I don’t think there will be another Sorella. But you know, never say never, right?
Antoinette Bruno:What is the toughest thing you’ve had to do in your job?
Emma Hearst: I don’t want to say ‘prove myself,’ but we didn’t tell anybody our age or names when we opened this place up—no PR. We were very low-key. We’re just trying to cook some honest food and do what we love, but we got really lucky with this experience. Slowly, over time, we let people know our story.
Antoinette Bruno: If you had one thing you could do again, what would it be?
Emma Hearst: I wouldn’t change a thing. We made a lot of mistakes, but I am cool with making mistakes because we have learned so much from them. Being a creative mind and in the kitchen, I think for me the hardest thing is to be aware of the numbers, to be aware of questions like “Are you profitable?” Because you can make the tastiest food on the block, but if you don’t have the numbers, you won’t make it.
Antoinette Bruno: What trends do you see emerging?
Emma Hearst: I try to veer away from all food trends.
Antoinette Bruno: What chef would you like to cook for you?
Emma Hearst: The grandmothers in Piedmont.
Antoinette Bruno: If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing?
Emma Hearst: I’d probably be a makeup artist. Or a professional eater.
Antoinette Bruno: What’s next for you? Where will we see you in five years?
Emma Hearst: Hopefully surfing on the North shore of Oahu. We have a new project in the works right now. I don’t think there will be another Sorella. But you know, never say never, right?
Antoinette Bruno: What trends do you see emerging?
Emma Hearst: I try to veer away from all food trends.
Antoinette Bruno: What chef would you like to cook for you?
Emma Hearst: The grandmothers in Piedmont.
Antoinette Bruno: If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing?
Emma Hearst: I’d probably be a makeup artist. Or a professional eater.
Antoinette Bruno: What’s next for you? Where will we see you in five years?
Emma Hearst: Hopefully surfing on the North shore of Oahu. We have a new project in the works right now. I don’t think there will be another Sorella. But you know, never say never, right?
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