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I have always said that I am an “ace picker” when it comes to selecting chefs, artisans, purveyors, restaurant designers, and a host of other clever culinary individuals to write about. I seem to have a specialized ability, like a truffle-sniffing pooch. My claim to picker fame is an advanced sense of what sets something or someone apart from the crowd, and who or what will likely advance to the front of the pack.

The moment I began researching Brad Farmerie, Executive Chef of PUBLIC, The Monday Room, Double Crown, and Madam Geneva in New York City, I had that gush of enthusiasm that I always feel when I am on the hunt, and discover, a winner.  I was on a quest to secure chefs’ that would meet the essential project criteria for inclusion in my cookbook, “AWAY FROM the KITCHEN.” Prerequisites: successful, unique style and vision, developed sense of humor, blessed with abilities and passions beyond their professional chef status, as well as something, again, that set them apart from the pack. I never anticipated that tucked into the book’s assemblage of chefs, I would not only discover that Brad carries a set of working keys to the Prince of Pork kingdom via his Cochon 555 award, but is also an expert on blood and its numerous renditions. Who knew? It certainly was not one of my screening questions as you can imagine. I was primarily looking for chef expertise and experiences away from the kitchen, and certainly outside the nose-to-tail and encyclopedic blood intelligence realm.

I suppose my compensation for “picking” Brad from the massive pool of chefs, are bragging rights. With every opportunity he provides me, I will.

KING OF BLOOD – Farmerie, one of the few experts on the topic of blood, has just landed on the cover of Food Arts Magazine with his superbly written and researched feature article, Blood Work: FoodArtsMagazine_BloodArticle-1. To facilitate a painless assimilation, he sweeps the subject knowledge into dignified categories such as blood cookery, blood laws, blood rituals and use around the world. Of note is the feature’s creative flair and approach that entices the reader to venture into the otherwise avoided world of blood. Fascinating, extremely enlightening and wonderfully creepy. When a chef has the courage to declare, in print, “I first fell for blood….”, you have to conclude that this is someone who is innately a front-runner.

PRINCE OF PORC – A leader-of-the-pack would naturally have the necessary ambition and courage to skillfully claim or represent two titles, therefore, it is no less amazing that Brad was recently crowned “The Prince of Porc” by taking first place in the NY Cochon 555, known as the “Super Bowl of pork,” a premier event featuring 5 Chefs, 5 heritage breed pigs, and 5 wineries. Brad and his crew from PUBLIC, battled it out, and claimed the gold pig by creating a number of fantastical pork dishes including a pig’s blood popsicle and pork-infused cocktail.

What next bewitching, curious, or intriguing things are we going to discover out about Chef Brad Farmerie? There are many surprises in store and much more to learn about this multidimensional chef,  featured in my book, AWAY FROM the KITCHEN.