The Dish Curtis Stone Makes When He Wants To Impress His Wife
Currently seen competing for "Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend" on Netflix, celebrity chef Curtis Stone received on-the-job training from London's legendary Marco Pierre White. Following his childhood dream, Stone cold-called White, working his way up from Chef de Partie to Head Chef at Quo Vadis. Despite working for the U.K.'s most celebrated chef at the time, it's two women in his life that Stone credits for teaching him everything he knows about food and cooking.
According to Stone's website, his "mum and granny" inspired Stone's obsession with food by the age of four. Both considered great cooks and bakers, Stone still calls his mother, Lozza, when he wants advice while developing a recipe. Stone can still recall his first bite of granny Maude's Yorkshire fudge, reminiscing about his "first, truly memorable food experience." As a homage to his first culinary mentor, Stone opened his first restaurant Maude in Beverly Hills, California (via the restaurant's website). Five years later, Maude was awarded a Michelin star.
Relocating to the U.S. brought another important woman into Stone's life. After a successful blind date, the chef married American actress Lindsay Price in 2013. Although Stone's chili crab dish sealed the deal for Price, per Daily Mail, when Stone wants to impress his wife these days, the chef has to try a little harder and dig deeper into his pockets.
Curtis Stone makes cooking a family affair
Between running three restaurants, being the recipes ambassador for Coles supermarkets (via The Australian), and supporting charities close to his heart, Curtis Stone doesn't have an abundance of free time (via Stone's website). But according to Los Angeles Magazine, when Stone has the chance to cook at home, the chef likes to prepare pasta from scratch for his wife. He joked, "I know she doesn't look like she loves pasta!" Although the family eats a lot of seafood at home, it's fresh cavatelli with mussels or clams that Price often requests.
Speaking with Holiday Travel, Stone turns it up a notch when he wants to impress Price, remarking, "My wife, Lindsay, loves homemade lobster pasta—expensive date, hey? So, whenever I have the chance, I try to whip up this dish for my love." Prepared at Maude occasionally, the chef believes "handmade pasta is so special and makes you feel a certain way." Stone's ability to prepare comfort food like homemade ravioli, which people immediately recognize and love, but elevated with a new technique, has become the chef's signature.
Often creating new seasonal dishes at home, Stone wants the cooking experience to be fun and also invites his sons to help him cook (via Honest Cooking). From gathering produce from their vegetable garden to setting the table, it's essential to Stone to create the time to enjoy his family's company over a delicious meal.