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Steve Phelps
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Ever wondered what a chef is like outside of their kitchen? We asked five beloved local chefs—each of whom is at the helm of one of our 40 Best Restaurants—a series of rapid-fire questions about their favorite ingredients, junk foods, kitchen gadgets, dream last meal and more.
Steve Phelps
Indigenous, PigFish
What is your favorite secret ingredient?
Maple syrup.
Describe your food in five words or fewer.
Simplistic and strange.
What is your favorite local restaurant?
Pho Cali.
What would you eat as your last meal?
A perfect Reuben sandwich.
How do you wind down after service?
A gummy and a beer.
Is a hot dog a sandwich?
A sandwich is anything that comes between two pieces of bread. Interpret that how you want.
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Drew Adams
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Drew Adams
Meliora
What is your favorite junk food?
Sausalito cookies.
What is the best baked good?
Croissant.
What’s your favorite local restaurant?
Indigenous.
Describe your food in five words or fewer.
Food I want to eat.
What would you eat as your last meal?
A grilled rib cap with steamed crab and potato salad.
What is your must-have kitchen gadget?
Microplane.
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Florence Schmitt
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Florence Schmitt
Florence and the Spice Boys
What is your favorite junk food?
Cheetos. Sorry, not sorry.
What is your favorite local restaurant?
Hong BBQ & Hot Pot.
What is the best baked good?
The canelés at Atria.
Describe your food in five words or fewer.
Tangy, colorful and spicy.
What would you eat as your last meal?
English Sunday roast with all the trimmings.
How do you wind down after service?
Listening to a cozy crime novel while falling asleep.
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Daniel Dokko
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Daniel Dokko
JPan Sushi & Grill, Kôre Steakhouse
What is your favorite junk food?
Korean spicy instant ramen.
What is your best secret ingredient?
Love.
How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a chef?
16.
What would you eat as your last meal?
My wife’s Korean braised short ribs.
If you could live anywhere other than Sarasota, where?
Any big city like New York or São Paulo.
How do you wind down after service?
A glass of wine, of course.
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Christopher Covelli
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Christopher Covelli
Sage, Bijou Garden Cafe
What is your favorite junk food?
Pigs in a blanket.
What is the most versatile ingredient?
Truffles.
What is your favorite local restaurant?
La Violetta.
What do you eat for dinner when you aren’t working?
Either a sandwich, an omelet or homemade tacos.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee, caffè mocha.