The Dish Wolfgang Puck Needs Every Time He Comes To Atlanta

Wolfgang Puck really needs no introduction. As a celebrity chef, he has cooked for kings and presidents, all the while building a restaurant empire that continues to dazzle diners around the world. We were lucky enough to sit down with Wolfgang at CUT to ask him a few questions.

From his 3 favorite food cities to the one dish he has to have whenever he is in Atlanta, this is What’s Eating Wolfgang Puck…

Atlanta Eats: What are your 3 favorite places to eat around the world; breakfast, lunch and dinner…and you can’t choose your own restaurants!

Wolfgang Puck: But why wouldn’t I go to my own restaurants?! If you have a beautiful woman at home, why would you go elsewhere?

AE: Research?

WP: Ah! I’ll have to use that one! Ok, for breakfast, I would go to Paris and eat right on the Seine at Fouquet’s. Croissant and a cappuccino; I like to keep my breakfast classic and simple.

For lunch, I would go to Capri and dine at Quattro Passi, The Four Steps. Tomatoes, buffala mozzerella and fresh caught fish.They have the most amazing fish!

For dinner, I like a show. And nobody is doing that like The Fat Duck in Berkshire, England. I would just let (Heston) Blumenthal feed me.

fatduck

AE: You’ve cooked for presidents and kings. Have you ever been nervous to cook for anyone?

WP: *With a slight grin* Oh, I haven’t been nervous since the first time I was with a woman!!

But there was an Economic Summit in the 80s where I was cooking for Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, German Chancellor Helmut Khol, and many more. Khol took me aside at one point, thinking I was German ‘So that’s why this ran so smoothly, they put a german in charge!’ I did not correct him.

AE: What are the top 3 food cities in the world at this moment?

WP London, which was definitely not true 20 years ago, Florence for the history and the culture, and of course Paris cannot be rivaled.

AE: We’ve seen you around Atlanta a few times. What brings you to the South?

WP: I like to bring my kids to Atlanta for Spring Break. I want to show them the US, so I bring them to Atlanta. Next is Washington DC and then either Savannah or Charleston.

AE: When you’re in town, where do you love to go?

WP: Whenever I am there, I just let Pano (Karatossos of Kyma) take me to eat. And I love the Top Chef with the big red beard (Kevin Gillespie). I had a wonderful meal at his restaurant. And I always take my children to the Aquarium.

AE: Is there anything you always have to have when you’re in Atlanta?

WP: I always crave fried chicken! You’ll have to tell me where to go!

AE: For fried chicken, we love JCT, Watershed and One Eared Stag!

WP: You’ll have to show me around next time!

AE: With pleasure, Chef. Thank you for your time!