Stirring the Pot: Conversations with Culinary Celebrities – Laurent Tourondel

Laurent Tourondel will discuss the Art of the Burger with host Florence Fabricant, acclaimed food writer and regular contributor to The New York Times dining section. Book signing to follow. A native of France, Chef Laurent Tourondel parlayed his love of food at an early age into a four year program at Saint Vincent Ecole de Cuisine in Montlucon, France where he earned a “d’Aptitude Professionnelle de Cuisinier.” After graduating he received his first post in the kitchen as chef to the Admiral in the French Navy. He came to the states to open BLT Steak, BLT Fish, BLT Prime, BLT Burger, BLT Market, LT Burger in the Harbor and most recently LT Signature in Panama. Currently, he is also the Executive Chef at Brasserie Ruhlmann in Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. In October 2007, Bon Appétit named Tourondel Restaurateur of the Year. This award guaranteed his place among the top in the culinary world. Tourondel has published three cookbooks, Go Fish: Fresh Ideas for American Seafood (J. Wiley & Sons, 2004), Bistro Laurent Tourondel: New American Bistro Cooking (J. Wiley & Sons, 2007), which earned him a 2008 James Beard Foundation Award nomination and Fresh from the Market: Seasonal Cooking with Laurent Tourondel, (J. Wiley & Sons, 2010).