Test your design IQ

MANILA, Philippines - Who is the American-Armenian celebrity chef known for his dynamic modern American cuisine in restaurants like Country, Patroon, the Lambs Club, TOWN, and Tudor Club?

He was born in 1959 and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts. He began his culinary career with an associate’s degree from the Culinary Institute of Åmerica in New York.

In 1982, he joined Le Cirque, where he developed his technical foundation under French chef Alain Saihac, and rose to his first executive chef position at the legendary 21 club in 1987.

The following year, he was hired by Jeffrey Chodorow to be executive chef at 44 at the Royalton Hotel, which became an icon of ‘80s chic and heralded a new era of glamour in hotel restaurants.

In the ‘90s, he opened Blue Door at the Delano Hotel in Miami and was executive chef at Patroon in New York. Blue Door was  one of South Beach’s first boutique hotels, which became an instant hit and a symbol of the South Beach’s late ‘90s revitalization, while Patroon was awarded Three Stars by the New York Times.

From then on, he opened his own critically acclaimed restaurants that both received a three-star review from the New York Times:TOWN in 2001 and Country in 2005. This made him the first NY chef to receive three straight three star reviews.

In 2010, he opened his third restaurant, The Lambs Club at the Chatwal Hotel in New York, which the New York Times described as “one of the best of the year” by food editor Amanda Hesser. The same year, he opened The National at the Benjamin Hotel in New York, which was named to the Sifty 50  list of top restaurants by New York Times food critic Sam Sifton.

When he opened Tudor House in Miami in 2011, it was awarded 3.5 stars by the Miami Herald.  In 2013, he launched Ocean Blue, The Raw Bar, and Ocean Blue on the Waterfront, on Norwegian Getaway, the largest luxury vessel to port in New York City. Ocean Blue is a fine dining seafood concept; The Raw Bar is a walk up bar featuring shellfish, crustaceans, and wine by the glass; and the more whimsical Ocean Blue on the Waterfront serves up quick seaside favorites.

His style is described as modern with roots in French cuisine, or as he describes, “dynamic American.” Fashion and design provide inspiration as well.  “Food goes through similar style trends and redefinitions as fashion,” he says. “You need to know the landscape and to understand how to achieve something timeless.

Already established as America’s favorite judge on the Food Network’s Chopped, he emerged victorious in the 4th season of The Next Iron Chef, Super Chefs, earning the title Iron Chef.  Currently, he is featured regularly on Iron Chef America and on both The Best Thing I Ever Ate and The Best Thing I Ever Made.

He won the James Beard Award for Chopped and in 2014 assumed the role of chairman of the food rescue organization City Harvest to lead its Food Council in fighting hunger in NYC

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Last week’s question: Who is the American design icon known for his involvement in Fluxus and also for his national design projects in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Wales?

Answer: Ken Friedman

Winner: Criselda Domingo of Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya

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Text your answer to 0915-6486414 with your name and address. One winner will be chosen through a raffle of texts with the correct answer. The winner will receive P2,000 worth of SM gift certificates for use at Our Home, SM Department Store, or SM Supermarket. They can claim their prize at Our Home in SM Megamall. Call the store manager at 634-1950.Bring photocopies of two valid IDs and a clipping of the Design Quiz issue in which you appear as winner.