A Conversation with Chef and Author Rozanne Gold -

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A Conversation with Chef and Author Rozanne Gold

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By Victoria Forrest

Posted August 6th, 2007

Recipes 1-2-3: Fabulous Food Using Only Three Ingredients

As culinary director of the renowned restaurant consulting firm, The Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman Company, Rozanne Gold is one of the country's most influential food consultants and chefs. Chosen by Business Week as a "mover and shaker", she is both an award-winning author and consulting chef to two of New York's most glamorous dining spots, the Rainbow Room and the new Windows On The World.

Ms. Gold is the author of the innovative new book Recipes 1-2-3 (Viking Penguin). Her first book, Little Meals: A Great New Way To Eat & Cook, won a l994 James Beard Award in the Best General Cookbook category. Little Meals was also chosen by Julia Child as a "Best Cookbook" on Good Morning America.

When Ms. Gold was 23 she already was leading the way for women chefs in this country. She created and held the position as first executive chef at Gracie Mansion for the Mayor of New York. As chef for Ed Koch, she cooked for Presidents and Prime Ministers. She then became the youngest female executive chef in the country for a major corporation, Lord & Taylor.

Gold is a prominent food writer and contributing editor, has written for The New York Times, New York Daily News, Cooking Light, Prodigy, Working Woman, Self, Restaurant Business and Cheers magazine.

Adding to her many accomplishments Ms. Gold is Culinary Counselor to Dunnewood Vineyards, which is owned by Canandaigua, the country's largest publicly-held wine company. She worked with the company to develop the industry's first "peel-off wine label" featuring recipes from Recipes 1-2-3. She also lectures extensively about food and wine. Ms. Gold can be seen on T.V. regularly on national programs like, Lifetime's "Our Home," featured chef on "Regis & Kathie Lee," "Good Morning America," "Today Show," "Modern Cuisine with Robin Leach," and is currently the regular guest chef on the TV-Food Network's "In Food Today."

Rozanne Gold Interview
When I received a copy of Rozanne Gold's cookbook, Recipes 1-2-3, (Viking Press, $22.95), I knew that this was a person filled with creativity and a true love for what she does. I think that what this innovative book does for the world of cooking is similar to what yoga does for the body and soul. Ms. Gold took time out of her busy schedule to talk with Fabulous Foods from her office in New York.

Fab Foods: Where did the idea for this cookbook come from?
Rozanne Gold: Actually, I woke up in the middle of the night and said to my husband Michael..."I've got it...it's 1-2-3." He said something like, yeah sure and turned over and went back to sleep. That was the beginning of the book.

Fab Foods: And the message other than using only 3 ingredients?
Rozanne Gold: There is one but it is not just from my thoughts. It seems to be what the public wants. They want to go back in the kitchen and cook. The message is simple but it took the messenger a while to put it together. This is not an "I hate to cook book," quite the opposite. I think it takes time to put the entire concept together..then the process begins for everyone.

Fab Foods: When you are at home, how do you cook?
Rozanne Gold: It depends. There are times I put twenty-five different ingredients in a pot and see what comes of it. That is where I do my thing. I work on my menus and fine tune my recipes. But my ideas still seem to come back to the less complicated. Now I am not saying that just because there may be 3 main ingredients (not counting salt, pepper, water) that you will finish cooking in record time...it is still getting back to bringing family and friends together again, cooking.

Fab Foods: How about a tip you would like to share?
Rozanne Gold: Whatever you do, spend a little time buying the best; for instance if the recipe calls for asparagus look for the freshest. There is something else to think about. You won't be spending time in those long check-out lines!!!

Fab Foods: Why do you think this book is so "with it," now?
Rozanne Gold: Five to seven years ago I would not have had the success. The main reason being, the food is better now. I can give you an example. I use sun-dried tomatoes in oil all the time, they are wonderful, and always in my house. Where were sun-dried tomatoes seven years ago....let's say they were not as readily available to the public. Of course gourmet stores had them but now the public can go to their local supermarket and pick-up a bottle of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, anytime.

Fab Foods: What are the three ingredients that everyone should have in their home?
Rozanne Gold: Vanilla beans (fresh, fresh, fresh) I make vanilla sugar and keep it in a container at all times. Great for desserts, cookies, etc. Next, as I said earlier, a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil. Roasted red peppers, the best quality that you can find. They are so good to use for so many dishes. You will see that I use them a lot in my book.

Fab Foods: Alright for the skeptics who scoff "it sounds too easy," what would you say ?
Rozanne Gold: I never said it was fast or easy. The easy part is the fact that you can cook with flavor using only 3 ingredients. The reality of some people saying you can have the marvelous meal on the dinner table in ten minutes (if you buy my cookbook) is simply not feasible. It takes longer than 10 minutes to read some of those recipes.

Fab Foods: How do you see yourself (pertaining to this book).
Rozanne Gold: Maybe an interpreter.

Fab Foods: Do you think you are ahead of your time?
Rozanne Gold: No, not at all. I am right with the times. This felt good from the beginning.

Fab Foods: Is there a "next" book in the works?
Rozanne Gold: Isn't there always that next book? Maybe next September or October.

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