← Bobby on the Beat
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- [00:01]
A
Bobby on the Beat. Hey, everybody, I'm Bobby Flay and welcome to our very first episode, Bobby on the Beat podcast. Check us out on YouTube and of course, on all the social platforms that you could possibly have. Before we jump in, make sure you turn on your notifications so that you get alerted when we have a brand new show. And in fact, every Monday, there's a new episode. Really kind of delving into the. Into the digital world here. I think you're going to see some things that you have not seen. With my traditional TV life. I've been on Food Network for, like, 30 years. This is going to be a little different. You're going to get a little behind the scenes. My personal life, a little bit, of course, my career. And just so you understand, this is a no hater zone. We're here for positivity, but it's not just about restaurants and food. It's all about lifestyle and travel and all the delicious things in life. Today, my co host, I am so happy for my very first episode to have Ayesha Narjaya here. Aisha is the newest titan on Triple Threat. She has crushed it in her first season. She was almost close to unbeatable. And I have so much love for Ayesha for so many reasons. She's a wonderful chef. She is a wonderful person. Brooklyn's in the house, baby. We got Brooklyn in the house. Welcome, Aisha.
- [01:18]
B
Thank you, chef.
- [01:18]
A
Is your life any different than it was a year ago?
- [01:20]
B
It feels different. It does, it does. It's just really, I think it's the positivity because, you know, I think we all put ourselves out there, whether you're on TV or not, even as a chef in a restaurant. Yeah. In this day and age, like, people kind of come at you sometimes and not. And I don't want to say negative, but like, with these expectations or like they were always trying to size you up.
- [01:38]
A
Yeah.
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B
And I feel like this time around, really, honest to God, like, there was all positivity surrounded by it. So it feels good.
- [01:45]
A
In talking to the executives at the Food Network, obviously they were very curious as to who I was going to pick. Now, I will tell you something. I'm a lucky person. They have confidence in me at that network for making those kinds of decisions. Most of the time, those decisions are not made by the person hosting or producing the show. It's done by executives around a table and. But they obviously have confidence. I created the show. I picked Brooke. I picked. I picked Michael Voltaggio. I picked Tiffany. You know, very, very slowly and very carefully. And when Tiffany decided to move on, I thought about you immediately because of the most important reason was you're a damn great chef. You're an amazing cook, and there are differences. And sometimes people say to me, oh, why did that person say, you're a good cook? Aren't you a chef? They're two very different things. That's the greatest compliment. Thank you.
- [02:36]
B
Ever.
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A
That you can give somebody like us is say that we're good cooks. And I was never not confident because I knew that in the final analysis, you would rely on who you are and your skill set. And frankly, you made me look really smart.
- [02:51]
B
I trust you, and that's a big thing for me. You know, trust is a big thing on the table when you're, you know, you were, you know, after we already said yes to the show, like, you were like, we're partners now. And that really meant something to me.
- [03:02]
A
Well, I also know where you come from. You come from a place in Brooklyn where loyalty is very, very important, you know, ingredient in terms of sort of getting along in your neighborhood. And so I. I kind of grew up in neighborhoods like that as well in New York City. And so, like, I. The one thing that I wanted you to do is. Is to trust me. I wanted to make sure that when I said something that was going to happen, that I was going to try my damnedest to make sure that it happened. Now, maybe every once in a while, I can't deliver what I hope to, but for the most, you know that I'm always going to try and that. And to me, that's the key, because I need you to feel good and comfortable. Congratulations on getting another season. You are coming back, right?
- [03:44]
B
Yes, According to that. No. There's something on the Internet right now that you and I had an explosive argument and that I have said farewell to the fans.
- [03:53]
A
What?
- [03:54]
B
And I'm not coming back.
- [03:55]
A
This is unbelievable.
- [03:57]
B
People really don't have. And the people are pouring, reaching out. Please tell me this isn't true.
- [04:01]
A
Are you serious?
- [04:01]
B
And this is how I found out about it. Yeah. I am coming back. I'm so excited for season four. Still nervous. I think people confuse being on TV and cooking.
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A
Right, right.
- [04:10]
B
It's really about cooking. It's not about anything else.
- [04:13]
A
Yes. And that's the most important thing to me. No gummy bears on this show. Well, I'm glad you're coming back. And, yeah, the rumors are untrue. We get along perfectly. Thanksgiving week. Is Thanksgiving a big deal to you? Cause we do something called Crabsgiving, which is obviously not Thanksgiving, but it all started and a lot of people that I work with, staff and stuff like that that come over to my house and we get stone crabs from Florida. My man Jimmy V, who everybody that knows me knows Jimmy, knows and loves Jimmy V. And he orders the crabs himself, he pays for them himself, and he cracks them himself. So I want to show you what crabs giving is all about. B, B, B, Bobby on the beat. We're like, all family, and crabs giving is one of those things that started out as a work event where we would cook stone crabs and serve stone crabs, like, in the office, like before Thanksgiving. So we called it crabsgiving. And it was like a pre holiday holiday lunch. And then it just kind of turned into at my house, after Covid and Jimmy orders all the crabs from Florida. Stone crabs are a very, very, like, specific regional kind of crab. They're amazing. What's really cool about them is they. They take off one of the claws and then they throw them back in so they regenerate. You actually have to work a little bit. Gloves are a key.
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B
Otherwise you're gonna be freaking bleeding. Thank you.
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A
Gloves are the key. Just found out that this will be the 11th year of Crabsgiving. That's Jimmy. He cracks the crabs. Jimmy V in the house.
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B
Jimmy cracks crabs.
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A
Jimmy cracks crabs. We have Brooke, chef from California, better known as the girlfriend. We got Larry Kay. Hold on one second. Lawrence Kretschmer, my business partner. We have Sophie, my daughter, the journalist Sally, whatever. We got the VP of Koi Meats Grill. We got Gigi, the executive assistant. And we have April, Lawrence's girlfriend. So we have linguine with white crab sauce, mezzo rigatoni with red crab sauce. We have Jimmy's cracked crabs. We have a Castle Franco salad with arugula and almond goat cheese and like, a champagne and honey dressing. We had the coconut shrimp before. Then we're gonna have some coconut custard pie and some key lime meringue pie for dessert. Look at that. Look. Perfect knuckle.
- [06:43]
B
Good pinching tails and sucking heads.
- [06:51]
A
Bobby on the beat. I mean, you know, it's. It's so fun. And it's a great way to, like, kind of bring my staff together too, like, for a meal. And, you know, as you know, everything good happens around the table. So Jimmy V, he is obsessed with food. In fact, we're gonna actually send him out into the concrete jungle of New York, and he's going to be America's food critic. So we're going to send him we're going to send Jimmy to like all these viral places.
- [07:15]
B
This is his best role he's ever played.
- [07:17]
A
No, no, he considers himself a food enthus. So that's, that's, this is. And he's, he really is like America's food critic. Like he, he's going to represent the every. The every person, the everyday person.
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B
Yes.
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A
And, and he, and he has an amazing palette. And also everybody loves Jimmy V. So it's like I expect Jimmy V. To become like a superstar.
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B
I love this for Jimmy.
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A
Yeah. What happens at your house on Thanksgiving?
- [07:39]
B
Well, to be honest with you, it's like the best holiday because I don't cook.
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A
Oh, you don't?
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B
No. For the first, I mean, 20 years of my career, I worked on Thanksgiving. Really? And it was like my favorite holiday. So my family was so gracious and they would celebrate like the day after.
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A
Yeah.
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B
So my mother and my brother have it on lock. The feast of the seven fish. And all the other holidays I can get, I could get away with like non traditional dishes. But when it comes to Thanksgiving, like, I want the turkey butter basted.
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A
You want the American style?
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B
Yes and no. I want the things that my mother makes, but at least my mother makes a regular turkey and I just want that and the five sides and I'm a happy girl.
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A
This year, Brooke and I are cooking together. She's gonna come to my house. You know, I have a bunch of friends and family coming over.
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B
It's like the hottest ticket your Thanksgiving. Every time somebody comes on Bebopy flay.
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A
I saw a party of your Brooklyn crew at the party that you threw for. You're sort of coming out on triple threat at one of your restaurants and like the whole. I felt the entire borough of Brooklyn was there. But you know who I love is your mom.
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B
Yeah.
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A
Like, she is such obviously an important part of your life. And did she teach you how to cook?
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B
You know, I grew up in a household where my parents were amazing cooks and I just ate really well. But she did not teach me how to cook, which is wild.
- [08:48]
A
Listen, this is my podcast, so I always have to feed people here when they come. So I made you a dish. So this dish is actually from a book called Sundays with Sophie. So basically it's about Sunday cooking. I wrote it mostly during COVID Wow. When we were all cooking three meals a day. First time in my life, I actually wrote something down. You know, it's like we just cook. And like, what. What did I do like two weeks ago? Like, talk about like cooking out of your refrigerator. That's what you know was about. Exactly. And so my friend Jet Tila, who is an amazing Thai and also Chinese cook, talk to me about this red curry roasted chicken.
- [09:26]
B
I was like, damn, that sounds good.
- [09:28]
A
I love both of those things. I love red curry and I love roasted chicken. Let's put them together. And so I called him up. I was like, tell me more about it. I'll show you how to make it. B B B on the beat all right, we're gonna make some red curry roasted chicken. Okay. Just think about it as a roasted chicken with lots of flavor. First the marinade. Some coconut milk, some honey. We have some red curry paste. All the flavor is in that container. Smells so good. Some green onions, and then a little bit of grass, of lemon, better known as lemongrass. All this goes into the blender, which is gonna blend it up. A little cilantro, some ginger, fresh ginger, of course. Crush up a couple of nice garlic cloves. Put that into the blender as well. This is gonna be just the most delicious marinade. I'm thinking about making this for my Thanksgiving turkey. Blend it all up. If it's a little too thick, you can add some more coconut milk or just a touch of water. And then we're gonna. Or butterfly the chicken so it cooks nice and evenly. Put that delicious marinade all over the chicken. You wanna let this marinate for at least 4, 4 hours, up to 8 hours, or actually even overnight. Put it in 375 degree oven. Look how beautiful caramelized this thing looks. It smells so good when it comes out of the oven, I promise. I know you can't smell it, but it does. And then I'm gonna cut it up into pieces. Cut the breasts, the wings, the thighs, the legs, Put them on your favorite platter. You know, if you want to make this boneless, you can do that as well. This roasted chicken spatch cocktail, about just less than an hour, but obviously no bones, a lot less. And then some sweet Thai chili sauce. You can buy a great quality one. There's lots of good ones out there. Or make your own, of course. Gotta put a lime on it, some fresh cilantro, squeeze some lime over it and then take a bite. And man, yeah, I'm definitely doing this for Thanksgiving. Bobby on the beat. So actually we're gonna, we're gonna cook turkey, but we're doing like a red curry turkey for Thanksgiving.
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B
Are you?
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A
Which is not something I usually do.
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B
I wouldn't, I wouldn't think that you like, go so off the charts with.
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A
Something like this, we usually pick a theme.
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B
Okay.
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A
But, like, you know, like, the wildest theme we did was like, you know, Tuscany, you know, something like that, like, which obviously is not American, but still, like Italian flavors with turkey, et cetera. But, you know, Brooke loves Asian ingredients and stuff like that. So we just. We went down this rabbit hole one night, like, texting back and forth. We kind of have, like this semi, you know, long distance relationship, and she lives in la, and so it went from, like, red curry turkey to like, she wants to do, like, a wild mushroom and chestnut crispy rice, and then, you know, like, sweet potatoes with noct cham. And I was like, actually, it all sounds kind of delicious. Yeah.
- [12:14]
B
Really?
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A
How do you like that?
- [12:15]
B
This is phenomenal.
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A
Is it?
- [12:16]
B
This is like true Bobby Flay. Because you're like, okay, the chicken's good. Does it really need the sauce? And then you get. Oh, my God, yes, it does. And then you get the crunchy from the peanuts and then the pickly stuff. And, you know, I love cilantro and mint. It's fire.
- [12:28]
A
Thank you. We need to talk about your restaurants a little bit because they're so good people. Just. Absolutely. I'm not just saying this because you're sitting here and I love you to death. People love your places. Like, where did this obsession with this Mediterranean cuisine come from? Where do we get the dips from?
- [12:45]
B
When you cook Italian and you study Italian, my first 12, 14 years of my career was all Italian. You want to eat something else when you go out. And I was always interested in those flavors. And whenever I had a chance to travel to the Middle east, like, I would jump on it. And there was something about, like, the convivial style of eating that I loved. I loved all these small, bright flavors. You know what I call the rip and dip now. And the thing about the Italian cuisine was, yes, they were the antipasti, but you knew that it was followed by pasta and by the secundi, whatever it was, whether it was a roast parmigiano, whatever it is. And it was like, I was getting tired of that. And that's not a bad thing. It's just like, you know, you see it all day if you're cooking in a restaurant and then you kind of like want to have this, like, non committal situation where maybe you're just having a dip and a kebab. Maybe you're just having, I mean, I don't know, a tagine with a side of couscous and maybe some hummus and really, that's how it started.
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A
Yeah. I mean, interesting. I have a similar story. I mean, I became known for cooking Southwestern American food, and I'm a native New Yorker. Chili peppers don't grow in the middle of Manhattan.
- [13:48]
B
Right. And then I just really went full speed ahead, and it was. I think it was New Year's Eve nine years ago. And they were like, what do you want to do? And they want to do a prefix. And I said, if I see another prefix, I'm going to shoot my foot. And I was like, let's just turn this into a shook. At the end of the day and night, I was like, go buy some fabric from the garment district. We'll hang it on the ceiling, we'll hire a belly dancer, and I'll just make this food. Like, what's the worst that could happen? And they were like, are you crazy? And they were like, listen, if you get 100 people, we'll do it. And now, you know me, I'd make one phone call, 78 people. I was like, new Year's Eve, this is what you're doing. We fill the place, the kitchen.
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A
I know. You bring the party with you. Yeah, pretty good.
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B
Was also very challenging. You know, pasta was my passion for so long. And if you were like, you know, throw eggs and flour at me, I could make 15, 16 shapes like this. And this was something where I was like, on. On the spot kind of tweaking, right? Like, too much turmeric goes. It goes left really quickly, right. Harissa. There's so many different types of it. Like, what are you using? Are you doing it to build flavors? Are you finishing a dip with it? So it was, like, such a. Like a beautiful challenge to have that I really just embraced myself in. And now, you know, Shuka just turned eight in September. Shukat just turned four in July. And it's really a pleasure.
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A
Yeah, I mean, you do such a great job. There's a lot of that kind of food around New York City. But I have to say, like, yours is easily the best that I've ever had. Is there a book happening or what's happening there?
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B
The book is happening. The book I'm actually really excited about because everyone wants to make that food.
- [15:14]
A
That's what I want to know. I want to know how you make the things that we see versions of in lots of different places, but yours just have an edge on every other one. Those are the kind of secrets that I'm looking forward to in your book, for sure. You like going out to restaurants It's a 5050 split.
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B
I love the restaurant business, and I love dining out.
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A
Have you ever been to a Gordon Ramsay restaurant?
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B
I have not.
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A
Okay, well, I have restaurants in Vegas. I have Amalfi and Brasserie B. But. And Gordon is kind of like my. He's kind of like my chef brother at Caesar's palace, because we both have restaurants in there. You know, he's got Hell's Kitchen, which is the restaurant named after his very, very famous and successful show. But I've never been there. And so I went and I do something called Insta Reviews, where I go and hang out outside of the restaurant, and I interview people coming out, and I ask them, like, what should I have?
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B
These are people that have dined there.
- [16:07]
A
Yeah. They're coming out of the restaurant after their dinner. Not everybody wants to talk to me, but some people want to talk to me, and I interview them, and I'm like, what should I have? Because I've never been here before. So let's take a look. B, B, B on the beat. Did you guys just eat here? We just ate here, yes. How was it? Epic. Epic. So I've never eaten in Hell's Kitchen. I've known Gordon forever. But I'm gonna have dinner either tonight. Like, I'm talking to a bunch of people coming out. What's the consensus? What should I have? The scallops, the Wellington, and the toffee pudding. What were your favorite dishes? Scallops, man. Definitely the scallop. Perfect. Beef Wellington was good, but I prefer the ribeye. Give me, like, the best things that you had tonight. I really liked the very short rib. The Mac and cheese was very good. Very.
- [16:46]
B
It was very rich, but it's very good. And the mashed potatoes, they were, like, the smoothest I've ever had in my life.
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A
Okay. You must watch a lot of cooking shows.
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B
Who's your favorite chef on tv, you or Gordon Ramsay?
- [16:59]
A
Very good answer. Take a meal. Gordon Ramsay, for sure.
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B
The Mac and cheese was good.
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A
Yeah. Sticky top. You put it Fire, fire, fire, fire. Okay.
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B
I love the beef Wellington.
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A
Did you?
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B
Yeah.
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A
I had to have the scallops. He's so known for the scallops. What did you have that you loved?
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B
So I had the Wellington, which was great.
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A
Did it exceed your expectations? No, when I do my Wellington, I sear it before. Oh, wait a second. When you do your Wellington. So you're challenging Gordon to a beef Wellington? Dog. Beef Wellington. How was. Okay. Beef Wellington is his thing, right? It was perfect. Perfect. Yeah. It was the first time I've ever had one. It was perfect. Best meal in my life. Really? Just now? Yes. We're witnessing history. Witnessing history. Great experience. Great experience. Was Gordon in there? No, he wasn't. It's okay, though, because we're big fans of you. So you just. I'm substituting for Gordon tonight at Hell's kitchen. Rank them.
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B
1, 2, 3 Wellington, 1 Toffee, Two, three scallops. Okay.
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A
Toffee putting. One scallops, two Wellington, three. Okay, perfect. Now I know what I have to eat. Okay, thank you so much. You want the scallops, the pan seared scallops. We want the beef Wellington, the braised short rib, and we want the baked macaroni and cheese. Gordon and his crew sent out a couple of dishes. This is a hamachi dish with an aji amarillo, some raw hamachi, yellowtail, one of my favorite fish. Good. This is the scallop dish, right? Very good. That's the famous beef Wellington. I think we should save that for last. The Mac and cheese gratin. They sent out these carrots that are very, very delicious. And then the short ribs. Let's start there. Short ribs of beef. Actually, a couple people really, like, touted this. That's good. Very tender. The potato puree is really silky. Check out the Mac and cheese. Better not be on a diet. Good. It's like, some good, sharp cheese in there. Like, sometimes Mac and cheese can be, like, rich in, like, one note, but there's, like, some good sharpness in here, which is very good. So you have, like, the beef, the mushroom duxelle, puff pastry on the outside, the demi glace sauce. You know, it's like a reduction of veal stock, etc. Good puree. I have to say, the food is really good. Gordon knows what he's doing. I think the short rib is totally the winner. Very good texture, well seasoned, well cooked, very tender. Very delicious short rib. Randy's signature sticky toffee pudding with speculous ice cream. This is the moment, I think, actually the sticky toffee pudding got the most votes. Delicious has, like, that gingerbread kind of thing going on. So good. But we hit a home run grand slam, baby. I love it. Yeah, I love it. I'm very proud of Gordon. I'm very proud of him. You're gonna be proud of all of us. Yes. You saying that? No, no, it's great. You guys did a great job. Thanks, man. You're the best. And I like your hairstyle too.
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B
Thank you.
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A
Yeah, you look good, man. Thanks, Chef. Thank you very much. Thank You. Thank you. Thanks, guys. Thank you. It was great. Bobby on the beat.
- [19:54]
B
Is it tremendous, the restaurant?
- [19:56]
A
Yeah, the restaurant is very big, and they do tons and tons and tons of business there. I mean, like, it's one of the highest grossing restaurants in Las Vegas. Listen, he's got star power. He's a great chef, and people watch the show. That's his triple threat.
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B
Right.
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A
You know, and, you know, and that restaurant's very, very busy. And so I had never been there before, and I was really impressed with the food. It's one. Look, here's the thing that some people like Gordon and I, and some plenty of other people deal with, which is, you know, we are chefs first and foremost. And then the. The landscape of food media changed. Food Network, obviously, Gordon is on Fox. You know, there's food media now everywhere. It's given people like us opportunities to do things other than just only cook in our restaurants, which, by the way, when I first started cooking, that was my dream, was just. Just to be able to cook in a restaurant and then own your own restaurant or two. Right. Obviously, the food media changed the landscape with that, with that. With those kinds of successes come people that want to say, oh, well, now you're not really a restaurant chef, or you're not really a chef, you're a TV chef. And that sort of diminishes your skills somehow. Somehow in the. In. In. In front of the camera, you've. You've lost the skills that you've always had, which of course is not true. You know, you've entered the TV world here. Have you felt any of that at all?
- [21:18]
B
No.
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A
Yeah, well, it's.
- [21:20]
B
I'm just saying it's early in it, but I've seen it, and I've seen people say it.
- [21:24]
A
Yeah, of course. Yeah. The other thing that's really funny is like, you know, perception and. And chatter and rumors and all these things like that. People think Gordon and I don't like each other because we give each other a hard time. Like, on social media, we're playing. We have complete. I have. I'll speak for myself. I have complete respect for Gordon. He is one of the hardest working people, period, in any business. Obviously, he's an amazing chef. He's got, you know, three star Michelin restaurants in England and et cetera, and he's been incredibly successful in lots of different things, including television. I like the fact that we. We like to give each other a hard time. There's always been some chatter that there's going to be the ultimate showdown, one day where we're gonna go out versus Gordon. Exactly. Yeah, I think it's gonna have to be pay per view. Anyway, I want to thank you so much for being here. Where can people find you on socials and stuff like that?
- [22:18]
B
You can find me on Aisha, underscore, rare on all social platforms.
- [22:23]
A
Okay.
- [22:23]
B
You can find me at Chuk and Chuquette.
- [22:25]
A
Yes.
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B
And in the next five minutes, I'm gonna finish my delicious chicken.
- [22:27]
A
Okay, that sounds perfect. All right. Thanks so much for watching our number one episode. Our first episode, Bobby on the beat podcast on YouTube. Make sure you, like, subscribe all the good things to let us know that you want to see more of this and make sure your notifications are on so we can send you notifications. But I'll tell you right now, every Monday, there's a new episode. This week we had our amazing co host. Aisha was fantastic. And next week we're gonna have another chef, Brooke Williamson. You might know her, also my girlfriend. And so we can give her a hard time about all the things. So we'll see you then. B, B, B Bobby on.