18 OF NEW YORK’S FINEST CHEFS INTERPRET “AMERICA” ON A PLATE.
by ALEX BEGGS
Feel free to argue with us, but the best phrase in the Declaration of Independence has got to be “the pursuit of happiness.” Not even because it’s the only line to get its own Will Smith movie, but because we know what it really means: the right to eat good food. After all, every great American holiday is celebrated around either a grill or a dinner table. In honor of July 4th, we asked New York’s most esteemed chefs to serve us “America” on a plate—however they define that. We also asked each of them what beer will be in their cooler this weekend, and a surprising number of these master chefs are partial to Budweiser over boutique brews for their Fourth of July celebrations. From the technical wizards at Per Se, to the pizza gurus at Roberta’s, to the cronut inventor Dominique Ansel, this might be the most patriotic food porn you’ve ever seen.
JEAN-PAUL BOURGEOIS
Executive Chef, Blue Smoke
Dish: Barbecue spare ribs, mac ‘n’ cheese, pit beans, and corn bread.
In Louisiana, we could buy fireworks, so on Fourth of July we’d grill by the pool and then wait til the sun goes down to do some fireworks, or go in the cane fields, which were literally my backyard, and pop them there—it’s not dangerous when you grow up hunting and shooting guns. Fireworks are something you do as early as you can walk!
What’s the beer in your Fourth of July cooler?
Abita Light. I’m from Louisiana, and it’s the beer I’ve always drunk. On a hot day I want a lighter, crisper beer, and I’m always supporting my guys in Louisiana.
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AMERICA ON A PLATE
