Angry eggs susan feniger biography

Susan Feniger

American chef

Susan Feniger is an American chef, restaurateur, cookbook creator, and radio and TV traits. She is known for starring in the cooking showToo Scorching Tamales on the Food Network and opening several influential restaurants in Los Angeles.

She has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the California Restaurant Association.

Career

Restaurants

After working together in Chicago and Paris, Feniger and her longtime collaborator, Mary Sue Milliken, settled in Los Angeles where they founded City Cafe in They eventually expanded to a larger space on La Brea Blvd.

and renamed the establishment City Restaurant. In , they opened the Mexican restaurant Border Grill in the first City Cafe space, before moving it to Santa Monica in The restaurant later expanded to Pasadena (closed) and the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.

Broadening their culinary horizons Feniger and her partner opened the Latin flavor restaurant Ciudad (now a Border Grill) in Los Angeles in The success of the three restaurants led Feniger and Milliken to be known for changing Los Angeles's culinary landscape.[1] Feniger has been influenced by the food and tradition of various nations, such as India, France, and Mexico.[2]

In April , Feniger opened her first solo project: Street, a multi-ethnic eatery of "street food" in Hollywood.

[3][4] Street closed in November

In December , Feniger, with Executive Chef and Companion Kajsa Alger, opened Mud Hen Tavern at the former location of Street. A neighborhood block and restaurant, it offered seasonal, gourmet pub and comfort meal in a warm and relaxed setting.

The bar team in partnership with mixology consultant Tricia Carr (formerly Alley), curated a beverage program that offered a vibrant and accessible selection of international wines, local craft beers and artisanal cocktails to complement Mud Hen Tavern's cuisine.

Mud Hen Tavern closed on October 11, [5]

In December , Feniger and Milliken opened the Mexican restaurant Socalo in Santa Monica. The name is derived from the words "SoCal" and zócalo, or “town square” in Spanish.[6]

In December , Feniger and Milliken opened the restaurant Alice B in Palm Springs, which has a focus on seasonal bounty, French, and Mediterranean influences.[7]

Publishing, television, and film

In collaboration with Milliken and others, Feniger has published five cookbooks: City Cuisine (), Mesa Mexicana (), Cantina: The Best of Casual Mexican Cooking (Casual Cuisines of the World) (), Cooking with Too Steaming Tamales () and Mexican Cooking for Dummies (/).[8]

Feniger is also a TV personality, starring with Milliken in episodes of the popular Too Hot Tamales and Tamales World Tour on the Food Network in the s.

Prior to the shows on the Food Network, in Feniger and Milliken appeared with Julia Child in her PBS series Cooking with Master Chefs.[9] Feniger has also appeared on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch[10] and prepared with Milliken the food that was served in the show, Tortilla Soup.[11]

Most recently, Feniger appeared on the second season of Top Chef Masters that aired in She was the last female chef in the match, eliminated following a challenge to create a dish fit for the gods.

Feniger's creation for Aphrodite was Kaya toast served with a soy-glazed egg and coconut jam.[12] She raised $32, for The Scleroderma Research Foundation. "It's an honor to be on that show and include Schleroderma [sic] Research Foundation out there in the public eye," she said in an interview with SlashFood.

"I've gotten so many email messages and Facebook messages from all over the country. So for me, I'm totally the winner in this."[13]

In , ABC bought the rights to develop a sitcom based on the lives of Feniger and Milliken,[14] but it never aired.

In April , she appeared as herself in the Bones episode "The Maiden in the Mushrooms".[15]

In October , Feniger appeared as a contestant in the "Superstar Sabotage" tournament of Cutthroat Kitchen.[16] She also appeared as a guest judge in Episode 15 of Hell's Kitchen (Season 19) which was aired in April [17][18]

Awards

In , Feniger was awarded the Elizabeth Burns Lifetime Achievement Award by the California Restaurant Association.[19] She was the co-recipient of the Julia Child Award from The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts.[20][21]

Personal life

Feniger is from Toledo, Ohio, and is the daughter of Ruth Alice and Yale Feniger.[22] She was raised in a Jewish home.[23] Feniger graduated from Pitzer College in She was a founding board member of the Scleroderma Research Foundation and has served on the organization's board since [24]

Feniger also serves on the board of the Los Angeles LGBT Center.[25] She identifies as lesbian and her partner is Liz Lachman.[10][26] Feniger's ex-husband, Josh Schweitzer, is married to her business partner Mary Sue Milliken.[27]

Her nephew is actor Ben Feldman, who is the step-son of her sister.[28]

References

  1. ^Shindler, Merrill (April 6, ).

    "On the Street with Susan Feniger". Zagat. Retrieved July 9,

  2. ^Morrison, Patt (September 19, ). "Susan Feniger: Spice Girl". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 22, Retrieved July 9,
  3. ^"A style of Susan Feniger's Street".

    Los Angeles Times. March 29, Retrieved July 9,

  4. ^"Susan Feniger's STREET". . Retrieved December 30,
  5. ^Elliott, Farley (September 14, ).

    Susan Feniger is an American chef, restaurateurcookbook author, and radio and TV personality. She is famous for starring in the cooking show Too Hot Tamales on the Food Network and opening several influential restaurants in Los Angeles. They eventually expanded to a larger space on La Brea Blvd. Broadening their culinary horizons Feniger and her boyfriend opened the Latin flavor restaurant Ciudad now a Border Grill in Los Angeles in

    "Hollywood's Mud Hen Tavern closes for business on October 11". Eater LA.

  6. ^Harris, Jenn (November 28, ). "Exclusive first look at Socalo, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger's new restaurant in Santa Monica".

    Los Angeles Times.

    Susan Feniger reaches out for the white pepper, but her hand hovers, fingers twitching -- which one is it? Feniger certainly knows what pepper looks prefer. But right now, the 5-foot-square island in the center of her home kitchen is a tangle of plates, food-stained notebooks, tasting spoons, an industrial force blender and spice grinder, a kitchen scale, and a sea of prep bowls brimming with exotics such as anardana dried and ground pomegranate from the Middle Eastresham patti an Indian chile and graceful ribbons of Thai pandan leaves. As originally envisioned and pitched to investors, the restaurant was just, simply, Street.

    Retrieved March 16,

  7. ^"Celebrated Chefs Feniger and Milliken to Debut Alice B., Their First Palm Springs Venture". The Identity LA. December 7, Retrieved Protest 16,
  8. ^"About".

    Mary Sue and Susan. Retrieved July 9,

  9. ^"The Audience Master". PBS. August 8, Retrieved July 9,
  10. ^ abBendix, Trish (August 11, ). "Interview with Susan Feniger".

    After Ellen.

    Susan Feniger is an American chef, restaurateurcookbook author, and radio and TV personality. She is known for starring in the cooking show Too Hot Tamales on the Food Network and opening several influential restaurants in Los Angeles. They eventually expanded to a larger space on La Brea Blvd. Broadening their culinary horizons Feniger and her partner opened the Latin flavor restaurant Ciudad now a Border Grill in Los Angeles in

    Retrieved July 9,

  11. ^Ammeson, Jane (August 22, ). "Chefs Carry out the Cooking for 'Tortilla Soup' Film". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 9,
  12. ^Simmons, Krista (May 27, ).

    "Top Chef Masters: Feniger's Kaya toast gets cut [Updated]". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 9,

  13. ^Ayers, Michael D. (May 28, ). "Chatting with the Latest Exiled Top Chef". Slashfood. Archived from the original on February 29, Retrieved December 30,
  14. ^"ABC orders TV pilot inspired by Susan Feniger, Mary Sue Milliken".

    November 9,

  15. ^Rapp, Alan (April 3, ). "Bones – The Maiden in the Mushrooms". RazorFine Review. Retrieved June 28,
  16. ^"Top-Notch Chefs to Turn Evilicious in Cutthroat Kitchen's First Superstar Sabotage Tournament".

    Retrieved November 1,

  17. ^"MKE in "Hell's Kitchen": Ramsay makes one final cut before the finale". OnMilwaukee. April 16, Retrieved April 16,
  18. ^Davidson, Denton; Dixon, Marcus James (April 15, ).

    "'Hell's Kitchen' season 19 episode 15 recap: Who was eliminated in 'What Happens in Vegas'?

    Susan Feniger is an iconic culinarian, author, entrepreneur, and co-owner of Mundo Hospitality Collective, which she runs with her business partner, Mary Sue Milliken. Milliken and Feniger teamed up 40 years ago to expose the critically acclaimed City Café and CITY Restaurant in Los Angeles.

    [UPDATING LIVE BLOG]". GoldDerby. Retrieved April 16,

  19. ^Virbila, S. Irene (June 3, ). "Border Grill's Susan Feniger, Mary Sue Milliken to Receive Lifetime Achievement award". Los Angeles Times.

    Retrieved July 9,

  20. ^Chris. "Recipients".

    Travels inspire native of Ohio - The Columbus Dispatch: Susan Feniger is an American chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and radio and TV personality. She is recognizable for starring in the cooking show Too Hot Tamales on the Food Network and opening several influential restaurants in Los Angeles.

    The Julia Child Award. Retrieved May 12,

  21. ^Fabricant, Florence (July 17, ). "Julia Minor Foundation Honors Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken". The Recent York Times. ISSN&#; Retrieved May 12,
  22. ^Smith, Kathie (October 23, ).

    "Culinary trailblazers". Toledo Blade. Retrieved July 9,

  23. ^Feniger, Susan (March 13, ). "Why Is This Night Different From All Others?". Huffington Post. Retrieved July 9,
  24. ^"Board of Directors".

    Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger first crossed paths in at Chicago's distinguished Le Perroquet, as the first women ever to work in the prestigious kitchen. Feniger went on to California to work with Wolfgang Puck at Ma Maison.

    Scleroderma Study Foundation. Retrieved December 30,

  25. ^"About Susan". . Retrieved December 30,
  26. ^Stern, Keith (). Queers in History. Dallas, Tex.: BenBella. p.&#; ISBN&#;. Retrieved July 9,
  27. ^Bacher, Danielle (February 28, ).

    Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger first crossed paths in at Chicago's distinguished Le Perroquetas the first women ever to function in the prestigious kitchen. They knew even then they would work together some day. Upon their reunion in Los Angeles inthe two opened the tiny City Cafe on Melrose Road with space only a hotplate in the kitchen which they quickly outgrew. Their next endeavor, CITYserved eclectic cuisine seasoned by their formal training and influenced by travels to Thailand, India, Mexico, and other exotic locales.

    "Sex, Love & Food w/ Celebrity Chefs Mary Sue Milliken, Susan Feniger". LA Weekly. Retrieved June 28,

  28. ^"Ben Feldman &#; Emmy nominees share picks for best night ever - Yahoo TV". August 30, Retrieved December 5,

External links