Those who are fortunate enough to experience the Boston Chocolate Bar know how beautiful and sweet-isfying it is. And when you learn that this weekly cocoa extravaganza is just one of the many marvelous meal offerings at Boston’s historic Langham Hotel (www.langhamhotels.com/boston) it is easy to see why so many people return again and again to eat or to stay.

Since 1998, Executive Chef Mark Sapienza has been overseeing all that is food at the Hotel and regularly enhancing the rich menu of offerings. From the Chocolate Bar on Saturday and the City Brunch on Sunday to other offerings at the award-winning Café Fleuri, as well as the Langham’s famed afternoon tea (served on Wedgwood china, no less!) and the impressive nightlife at BOND restaurant | lounge and the always welcoming Reserve Lobby Lounge, and even including in-room dining for the Langham’s fortunate guests, the Bay State native (the Hotel’s first American-born chef) has an experienced hand in all of it! Combining his love of local produce (that has earned him such accolades as the 2010 Northeast Family Farms Award of Appreciation and the 2014 Massachusetts Oyster Project Award of Recognition) with a contemporary and international flair that comes from years of training at venues all over the world (including an early Italian trattoria, the Brazilian Court Hotel in Palm Beach, the Montauk Yacht Club and Inn, and the world-renowned Claridge’s hotel in London), Chef Sapienza has earned acclaim as an invited guest to the James Beard House, inclusion on the list of Best Hotels Chefs in America, and legions of lip-licking fans who come by The Langham, Boston whenever they are in town or who make special trips for chocolate, seafood, or any of Chef’s other specialties.

MM: How did you get into cooking?

MS: I have a big Italian family where cooking and eating together with our extended families was part of our culture.  Professionally, I started college in business management but did not enjoy it so I dropped out and started working at a factory. Without direction, a relative who knew I liked to cook suggest Johnson and Wales. I had never heard of it or even knew there was such a thing as cooking school. I went to an open house in June and then enrolled in the September trimester. I loved and went for four years to get my AS in Culinary and BS in Hospitality Management … the rest is history.

MM: Where was your first professional kitchen experience?

MS: At the Holiday Inn Woburn as weekend breakfast cook. I had never cooked before, was just about to start school. I went in on a Friday. The food and beverage director showed me how to “flip” eggs. The next day, I got there at 5:30 am, picked up the keys at the front desk and was on my own until the afternoon cook showed up.

MM: What is your favorite dish to prepare?

MS:  I love preparing a big Italian Sunday meal for my family- Antipasto, soup, pasta etc.  My son is in the act now and we make the family “gravy” (tomato sauce) together

MM: What is the best part of your job?

MS: Teaching and sharing my experiences with my team. When I was interviewing in college for my internship program, I was asked what I appreciated about the chefs at the school and the answer about them was the same – I said that I hope to be someone like them, that young cooks looked up to for guidance, and I have found it.

MM: Who is your favorite chef?

MS:  When I began my career, Jasper White had just opened Jasper’s on Atlantic Avenue in Boston and Lydia Shire was at the Bostonian. I still look up to both for what they did to create the restaurant revolution in Boston.  Presently though, I am still impressed but the detail and commitment of the food of Thomas Keller – simple, uncomplicated with surprises, but detailed with no concessions in the quality and approach.

MM: What do you usually make for yourself at home?

MS: A sandwich, anything between bread.

MM: If you could dine with any three people, who would they be?

MS: Paul Bocuse, Joël Robuchon and Marc Haerberlin.

Dan Tavan has been fostering an avid love for food his entire life, cooking at home from a young age. After graduating from Cornell’s Hospitality program, he moved home to California, working in both kitchens and dining rooms of several fine restaurants throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Napa Valley. While in Napa, he attended the Culinary Institute of America for culinary and wine studies. He then spent five years in various management roles with Danny Meyer’s famed SHAKE SHACK concept, starting at the original location in New York and opening new restaurants in Miami Beach and Boston. After learning from some of the best in the industry, Dan looks forward to starting a new chapter with True Taste Seasonal Kitchen (www.truetastekitchen.com), bringing his Paleo and allergen-friendly seasonal recipes to the Boston market.”

MM: How did you get into cooking?
DT: I grew up cooking with my mom, using lots of produce from the garden. I would regularly cook for friends and family and always had a passion for it.

MM: Where was your first professional kitchen experience?

DT: After graduating college, I was part of the opening team of Daniel Patterson’s Frisson Restaurant in San Francisco, working garde manger and expediting.

MM: What is your favorite dish to prepare?

DT: Osso bucco with risotto Milanese – I learned it from my brother in college and fell in love with braises and risotto.

MM: How do you make use of local bounty?

DT: My wife and I have been members of several local organic CSA’s, and I enjoy the challenge of cooking with odd ingredients and using everything available to me.

MM: What is the best part of your job?

DT: Feeding people has always been the greatest joy in my life, especially when they love dishes I’m otherwise critical of.

MM: Who is your favorite chef?

DT: Massimo Camia’s restaurant in the heart of Barolo served the best meal of my life (lamb chops seared on a hot stone with aromatics and polenta fritters).

MM: What do you usually make for yourself at home?

DT: I generally cook Paleo-style dishes at home using our local meat and fish CSA proteins with flavor influences from Thailand, Mexico, and California.

MM: If you could dine with any three people, who would they be? DT: Danny Meyer is my favorite person to dine with; we’ve enjoyed several incredible meals together. I’d love my wife to join us along with Thomas Keller.

A native of Hartford, CT, William Kovel escaped the insurance capital to make his own mark as a chef. Studying with such luminaries as Traci Des Jardins of Jardinière, he moved first to San Francisco, then to London, and then across the US, until finally heading back towards home and settling in Boston at the auspicious Aujourd’hui at the Four Seasons Hotel. When that historic kitchen closed, Kovel jumped the river to Cambridge, MA, where he has been wowing the biotech and bistro-minded foodies of Greater Boston for the past five years at his progressively well-named restaurant Catalyst (www.catalystrestaurant.com) and his latest creation, Catalyst Cafe (www.catalystcafecambridge.com).

No stranger to being busy or to juggling many duties, the father of three is preparing to open a second location around the corner. Catalyst Café is set to focus more on the morning and midday crowds that pile into tech-savvy Kendall Square every day, but will surely not skimp on any of his signature creativity or attention to detail, which are among the attributes that have earned Kovel recognition by Food & Wine and Wine Spectator (he is Level II Sommelier in the Court of Master Sommeliers), as well as a AAA Five Diamond Award and membership in the Chains des Rotisseurs.

MM: How did you get into cooking?

WK: I’ve just always known I wanted to cook.  My first memory of it was an elementary school assignment to write a book and my bio at the end of the book said I was a chef.  There was never a moment where I thought, “maybe I’ll try my hand at finance.”

MM: Where was your first professional kitchen experience?

WK: I headed straight for the West Coast after college and landed at Jardiniere under Traci Des Jardin.

MM: What is your favorite dish to prepare?

WK: Anything when it’s just my wife and me at home, but if given a full day and whatever ingredients I want, it would be a roast chicken with wild mushrooms and Madeira, potato gratin and a premier cru Burgundy.

MM: What is the best part of your job?

WK: The best part of my job is watching our team become leaders over the years.  We promote from within and it’s a great feeling to reward people for hard work and talent.

MM: Who is your favorite chef?

WK: There are a lot of talented chefs, but I have to pick Chris Coombs. We’re good friends and he’s the one I actually call.

MM: What do you usually make for yourself at home?

WK: I have three toddlers, so we just grill.  It’s a 23-minute window to cook and eat before things get crazy.  Grilled chicken, corn and a tomato salad are go-to dinners in the summer.

MM: If you could dine with any three people, who would they be?

WK: For a chef dinner, it would be Paul Bocuse, Alain Ducasse and Danny Meyer.

Having learned the craft from his father, Chef Yona Shemtov, Avi left the real estate business to open a commissary and food truck in 2010. With a curated menu that features traditional Israeli fare and creative takes thereupon and that makes use of much of Boston’s bounty (including Sam Adams beer!), Avi’s Chubby Chickpea is perennially one of the most popular purveyors in town. When not running the truck or running back to Canton to fill a banquet order, the author of The Single Guy Cookbook (which is a welcomed gift for married men and women too, as it offers recipes that pretty much anyone can do with little fuss or fear of failure) can often be found at charity events or spending time with his family.

What a mensch!

Matt’s Meals: How did you get into cooking?

Avi Shemtov: My father came to the States from Israel when he was 22 and stumbled into a job in a hospital kitchen. Somehow he ended up opening his first restaurant just a few short years later and he never looked back. I grew up in the basements and kitchens of his restaurants, and somehow I knew I’d end up in the industry eventually.

MM: Where was your first professional kitchen experience?

AS: When I was in high school I worked in the kitchen at the Wonderland Conference Center in Sharon, where I grew up. Other than that, my dad’s restaurants were my only experience until I opened my first place, the original Chubby Chickpea.

MM: What is your favorite dish to prepare?

AS: My favorite dish to prepare is halvah- an artisan sesame candy. Sugar work is something I’ve kind of taught myself and I really enjoy messing with the textures and flavors.

MM: What is the best part of your job?

AS: The best parts of my job are the passionate customers. My passion for food is based mostly in seeing other people pleased and enjoying what I’ve created and when that happens, it’s magic.

MM: Who is your favorite chef in Boston?

AS: I can’t say I have one favorite Chef in Boston. The first name that comes to mind is Dave Becker, whose first restaurant Sweet Basil is my favorite and whom I find personally inspiring. Andy Husbands isn’t only a BBQ champion, but he’s also a champion of some great causes and the industry in Boston. Josh Smith is the most talented and passionate Chef I’ve ever met. David Harnik of the Dining Car is so smart and knows everything there is to know about food- He’s like an encyclopedia of innovative food. I think there’s just so many great chefs in Boston who inspire me.

MM: What do you usually make for yourself at home?

AS: My go-to on a weekend is Shakshuka. I like to believe my Shakshuka is the very best in the world. It’s a dish my grandmother passed down to my dad and I kind of revisited after a trip to Israel a few years ago. Fresh tomatoes, soft cheese, roasted lamb and fresh pita- it’s always a hit with my two year old.

MM: If you could dine with any three people, who would they be?

AS: Haha, I love this question. I’d have to say Jay-Z, my grandmother on my Dad’s side and my wife Adrien. Jay because he’s been an idol of mine for a really long time, and I like to believe we’d have similar tastes and hopefully he’d pick up the tab. My grandmother because I never really knew her but I am conscious of her spirit and cuisine in everything I cook, so the opportunity to have her eat something I made would make for an unbelievable experience. My wife because she has great taste, in food at least, and her (and our two kids) are who I look most forward to eating with whenever I’m around for a meal.

Massachusetts native Brian Dandro has been part of the team at the Royal Sonesta Boston since he came on as Executive Sous Chef in 2008. Since 2011, he has overseen all food and beverage operations, including the new but already wowing ArtBar. Embracing locally-sourced ingredient whenever possible, Dandro makes art on each plate with his creative recipes and arrangements.

Though he was accepted at the prestigious Johnson and Wales University, Dandro chose instead to take “culinary boot camp” at the famed family-owned Castle Restaurant in his hometown of Leicester. It was here that her not only learned how to cook but how to work hard to make each customer and colleague happy.

After five years at the Seaport Hotel/World Trade Center, Dandro crossed the river to become Restaurant Sous Chef at the Hotel @ M.I.T. in Cambridge, which is now Le Meridian. While his local affiliation took a vacation when he opened the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, he soon came back to work for Chef Daniel Bruce as the Sous Chef of Meritage, from which he was “poached” to help redesign operations at the Sonesta. In a matter of months, he made ArtBar one of the most sought out patios and eateries in the region (in part by introducing such creative programs as RatPack Mondays, Beer & Burger Wednesdays and Lobster Fest Fridays) and continues to paint with a prodigious palette for each and every palate.

Matt’s Meals: How did you get into cooking?

Brian Dandro: I started washing dishes at 13 and was drawn to cooking right away.  Once I started I never thought of stopping.

MM: Where was your first professional kitchen experience?

BD: My first few experiences I must say I didn’t act very professional, so I’ll say it was my apprenticeship at the Castle Restaurant in Leicester MA where I really got serious in the kitchen.

MM: What is your favorite dish to prepare?

BD: It changes with the season but I love cooking scallops because it’s easy to throw an extra one in the pan for me to “test” the quality.

MM: What is the best part of your job?

BD: Building and developing my team.

MM: Who is your favorite chef in Boston?

BD: Everyone is so incredibly talented both in Cambridge and in Boston.  I will say that  I’ve never left Oleana disappointed,  Ana Sortun is amazing at what she prepares; the thought and the ingredients she puts into each dish is just extraordinary.

MM: What do you usually make for yourself at home?

BD: I don’t have much time to cook at home but in the summertime I’m grilling any chance I get and when it gets cold I’m making soups.

MM: If you could dine with any three people, who would they be?

BD: I love going out with my mother and introducing her to new things, she lived in such a small culinary bubble her whole life. My son because his faces when he tries new foods kill me. After that, it’s anybody that likes to share as I always like to try as many things as I can on a menu.

www.artbarcambridge.com

Matt Drummond

Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar

412 West Broadway, South Boston

www.locosouthboston.com

The fact that he grew up in in the relatively small town of Williamstown, MA, may somewhat explain how Chef Matt Drummond is able to do so much in such a small space as his latest creation, Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar on West Broadway in South Boston. No matter where he has been, however, he has always been able to bring big flavors and big personality. From his early days in a Greek-Italian pizzeria to a French-style bed and breakfast and the famed Brasserie Jo at the Colonnade Hotel and Temple Bar in Cambridge to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center and a popular Italian spot in Providence, Drummond has always been eager to try and combine new flavors and new ideas. At Loco, the Johnson & Wales grad and devoted Pats fan brings together the native New England raw bar with the South of the Border taco preparations and a glistening menu of tequilas to please folks from either old or “new” Southie and to entice visitors from much further afield.

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Olivier Senoussaoui

Precinct Kitchen + Bar

154 Berkeley Street

Boston, MA 02116

www.precinctkitchenandbar.com

Born in the Dordogne region of France (where he stared cooking at age 15!), Chef Olivier Senoussaoui now brings his Continental sense of how to use fresh local ingredients to the Loews Hotel in Downtown Boston. Having started his career with the luxury chain in Orlando in 1999 (after time spent in such legendary and Michelin-starred venues as La Bastide in London), Chef Senoussaoui came to the Hub in 2013 and immediately fell in love with the flavor and flavors of New England. Not content to ride on his reputation, Chef Senoussaoui insists on being in the kitchen and on the line every night and makes personal connections with all of his suppliers so that he can bring their best and his to every guest.

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Robert Fathman

Bel Ari

107 South Street, Boston

www.belariboston.com

Les Zygomates

129 South Street, Boston

www.winebar129.com

Having formerly been the man behind the pans at such local legends as Legal Seafood, XV Beacon and the Lenox Hotel in Boston, and the Red Lion Inn in Cohasset, Robrt Fathman is now in charge of both the musically-minded French bistro and wine bar Les Zygomate and its new modern Italian sibling Bel Ari (which is run by the family behind Pastene, so it must be autentico!). From salad Nicoise to pasta primavera, Fathman has the skills and experience to make it work and to give you two great places to go during or after work (or just for fun).

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Michael Schlow

Tico

222 Berkeley Street, Boston

www.ticorestaurant.com

Long synonymous with the Boston dining scene, Michael Schlow continues to expand his own horizons while expanding the palates of his dining guests. Having won raves and ravenous fans for his acclaimed Via Matta, and two Alta Strada restaurants (the other of which is at Foxwoods), Schlow’s now taps the flavors of Latin America for Tico, a new tapas-based dining concept in the heart of the Back Bay. With its open kitchen and wide selection of tequila and cerveza, Tico is a great place to eat or just gather with friends and to see what Schlow comes up with next. Continue reading →

Maxwell Thompson

Tavolo

1918 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester

www.tavoloristorante.com

Having recently celebrated its two-year anniversary, what was once known as the “little brother” to the nearby Ashmont Grill (which is also under the ownership of Chris Douglass) has come into its own and is now a favorite of both locals and visitors alike. Adjacent to the new Ashmont T station, Tavolo is easy to reach from nearly anywhere and definitely worth the trip (especially on Wednesdays, when Tavolo features a three-course communal-style pasta meal for $18), thanks in great part to Chef Maxwell Thompson.

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