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Eric Greenspan

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Restaurant(s): Mare, Greenspans Grilled Cheese, The Roof on Wilshire

Position: Chef / Owner

Cuisine focus: Modern Comfort

Notable Awards:  2008 Winner Grilled Cheese Invitational, Winner Iron Chef America Battle Goose, Cutthroat Kitchen Celebrity Sabotage.

Eric Greenspan graduated both from Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and Le Cordon Blue Culinary School in Paris; he has trained with celebrated chefs including Alain Ducasse, David Bouley, and Joachim Splichal.  In spring 2007, Eric opened The Foundry on Melrose to similarly rave reviews and resounding success.  The Foundry was runner-up for Los Angeles Magazine’s “Best New Restaurant.”  Condé Nast Traveler named it Best New Restaurant; it made Los Angeles Magazine’s Top 75, as well as the “Essential 99” restaurants of then LA Weekly’s Pulitzer-winning food critic Jonathan Gold. The Foundry was also a semi-finalist for The James Beard Foundation’s Best New Restaurant in America. Eric was recently the host of National Geographic’s “Eric Greenspan Is Hungry.” He has competed on numerous culinary competition and food-reality shows, including Food Network’s “Cutthroat Kitchen All-Stars,” “Chopped All-Stars,” “Guy’s a Grocery Games All-Stars,” “The Next Iron Chef,” “The Next Iron Chef: Redemption,” “Iron Chef America Countdown” and  “Iron Chef America” where he defeated Bobby Flay in a throw-down.  Eric is the Executive Chef and owner of Greenspan’s Grilled Cheese, The Roof On Wilshire and Maré. He lives in LA with his wife and son, Max.

1. What’s your regular comfort meal?

Chili cheese fries at Pink’s.  Done.

2. Tell us about one Kitchen Disaster story.

Too many to count.

3. Do you have any kitchen battle scars?

The tip of my thumb is sewed on after being sliced off by a meat slicer and the palm of my left hand is burned from a rendering duck.  Does my soul count?

4. If your last day was tomorrow, what would be your last meal?

Sushi Nozawa omakase – blue crab hand roll, uni, monk fish liver.  The Works.

5. What is and who makes your favorite knife?

Not a fan of fancy knives. It’s he who wields it, not who forges it.

6. Finish this sentence:

If I wasn’t a Chef, I would be a teacher because that’s what a chef does.

7. After a long work day, what do you do to decompress?

Can’t put it in print.

8. What do you wish you had more time to do?

Sleep.

9. Besides cooking, do you have any other talents?

Incredible singer.

10. What is your culinary “best case” scenario?

I’ve been able to make so many people happy, be a mentor for so many young cooks, and love what I do. Already living the best case scenario.

Mussels-with-spicy-sausage-romesco-broth
Mussels with spicy sausage romesco broth

Learn more about Chef Eric Greenspan on his Chef’s Roll profile here.
Chef Eric Greenspan will be participating at Puerto Rico Meets NYC in October 2015.  Learn more about the event by clicking on the image below.
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