I thought I was going to have a hard time interviewing a 16 year old superstar chef, but it was one of my funnest experiences I’ve had podcasting.
Logan Glueff has a huge list of culinary accomplishments at such a young age. He’s met President Obama, Gordon Ramsay, and other top chefs around the nation. Not only has he been on TV such as Master Chef Junior, and Good Morning America, he also has a really big heart and enjoys hosting dinners at his house. Oh, did I mention he has a cookbook?
So I ask some awesome questions to Logan and I got some amazing answers. I wanted to really see what drove him, and how he thinks of complex flavors. It all boils down to taste, texture and depth. Pay attention to this.
If you are any type of creative in the food space, you have to listen to this episode. The way Logan describes his competitive spirit, thought process and culinary experiences brings a type of curiosity and excitement I haven’t felt since I was a kid.
About Logan
Logan Guleff has been named one of the Most Influential Teens by Time Magazine and a James Beard Blended Burger Winner. Since becoming the 2014 MasterChef Junior champion he has become a rising star in the culinary world. He was named Southern Living‘s Best New Southern Cook and earned a spot on Fortune Magazine’s 18 Under 18 list; he’s also the youngest certified judge for the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in Memphis, Tennessee, and the youngest chef to cook at the historic James Beard House in New York City. Earlier this year, he judged the International Young Chef Olympiad in India and just launched his first cook, “Logan’s Chef Notes and Half Baked Tales”.
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Key Takeaways
- How Logan creates amazing dishes and his thought process
- Logan’s experience meeting Obama and Gordon Ramsey
- The fun way Logan did his cookbook
- I pitch to Logan about Food Science
Question Summary
How do you introduce yourself?: People call me a lot of things. Logan, Logan the Chef, Logan the Kid Chef. Most people aren’t chef, am I technically a chef? I’ve proven myself
What do you think you need to do to become a chef?: An extensive knowledge of techniques and flavors
How do you become a chef?: You can become a chef either trained in a restaurant or in a classroom
What would you like to do?: Either a TV show or a food truck. I couldn’t do a restaurant because it’s too much work managing people and people won’t listen to you as a kid.
Advice: The flavor of your restaurant changes with each chef. For example, Chinese Restaurant Chefs
What got you interested in food?: I started with morning coffee with my mom at 2 years old. Then pigs in a blanket, then deviled eggs, got into bread,
What are you fascinated with right now?: Vegan food
Front porch dinners – 9 courses. My fans never had my food and I wanted to feed them
Media journey: 7, 8 or 9, I entered competitions. My pasta was great, so I started to enter competitions
JIF peanutbutter sandwich contest – Made a complicated turkey burger – won 2nd place, got mad
Salty: millennial term that means grumpy
Kid’s day dinner contest. Won that, met President Obama (whaaat?)
Advice: Losing sucks, but chefs are very competitive. I still get salty about losing, but you don’t think about it every day
Skillset: The fire of competition pushes you forward
How was meeting President Obama?: Just being in the white house was amazing
James Beard Blended Burger Contest: The sustainability of meat and mushrooms
Friend who’s really into mushrooms
Cook down mushroom gills to make a meat. Add steak seasoning and make a burger. Milkshake (lavender cardomon milkshake) ahji paka peruvian red spice
When you do competitions, are you nervous all the time or not?: I don’t get nervous, when a problem arises in a competition, you have to just think, “huh, what went wrong?”. The element of surprise is tough
Demo at Duke University the students gave me random things and I had to cook themn
When you get surprises, how do you create a dish?: You think of flavor, texture, and depth. What components of the dish do I need and what components do I have?
Example: Resource + common knowledge base = making amazing food!
We like food that have multiple fun components like flaming hot Cheetos.
How logan cooks: Each dish should be essential to the dish so I can explain each ingredient and why it’s used
Julia Child
Reality TV: Usually unedited. I really enjoy being on TV
I’ve been on:
Master Chef Junior
Flip My Food Chef Jeff
Pickler and Ben
Today Show
How was working with Gordon Ramsey?: He holds you to the highest standard. He really wants you to do your best and that you’re growing
What is one thing you learned about Gordon Ramsey?: The kitchen is a tough place and you have a chance to create your best. Only serve the best
Dabbing
Who else do you admire: Bobby Flay. He has so much knowledge about flavor. He will plate you something delicious
How would you describe the way Bobby Flay flavors?: They are a bit heavy handed. You have to beat Bobby Flay using light flavors
What would you fight Bobby flay with?: Your signature dish. Mine is currently a salad. A roasted beet with a spiced honey gastrique. I hate it. I have to make it over and over again.
For me, I want to make one dish and move on to another. If I had a restaurant, I would do special of the day
Why Does Your Food job Rock?: You may have the most important job in the world, but my job is more important. My food makes people happy. Everyone’s gotta eat. You need to enjoy the best
What kind of trends are exciting you right now?: I want the trend of plating to die off. Like 3 hours of plating. However, Sous Vide is really cool.
What do you think about meat in the future?: You can’t grow a cow in space
The tick that makes you allergic to meat
Favorite book: Ender’s Game
Favorite Kitchen Item: Tongs
Favorite Quote: Einsteins’ definition of insanity.
What’s the best thing you ever eaten?: May’s Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant. Duck Confitt
What are your favorite flavor indicators?: I actually like a lot of bitter foods. Chefs who smoke makes food more saltier, Cold food sucks
Most challenging thing you’ve cooked: Figuring out the finale menu for master chef junior. They told me to memorize it and then I didn’t!
Logan’s cookbook: Cookbooks usually cost 30k, Girl in Indonesia created fan art of Logan. So we decided to have her do art for a recipe book
Any advice for people?: When you go for something new, 9 times out of 10, it won’t work
Where can we find you?: Website, instagram, youtube channe
Logan’s Social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoganJuniorChef
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LoganJrChef
Instagram: http://instagram.com/Logan.Jr.Chef
YouTube: http://tinyurl.com/ojtd2vg
Blog : http://orderupwithlogan.blogspot.com/
For my Youtube subscription, click on me below, http://tinyurl.com/ojtd2vg
Links
King Arthur flour bread course
Umami
Ratatoullie
Leonardo DiCaprio Invests in Beyond Meat
Research Chefs
McCormick
Ali Bouzari