10 questions with ... Tyler Florence
By Susan Dyer Reynolds - Photos by John Lee

Whenever I interview celebrity chefs, I’m not sure who I’m going to get – the TV star or the real person. I must say that over the past several years of writing this column, I have been pleasantly surprised by how nice and how humble most of them are. Still, of all the celebrity chefs I’ve met, Tyler Florence takes the cake for the most down to earth and genuine. He has worked hard for his success, and after just a few moments of conversation, it becomes obvious that he never takes a moment of it for granted.

Florence recently moved from his hip former bachelor digs in New York City to Mill Valley (his wife of two years, Tolan, is from Marin). He is beaming, and with good reason: He and Tolan have two beautiful children – son Hayden, 18 months old and daughter Dorothy, 3 months old. They share their 1926 Craftsman bungalow with their Boston terrier, Jake, and Florence’s 12-year-old son, Miles, visits during the summer.

A South Carolina native, Florence loves northern California and has set down some strong career roots as well. He has also been tapped as dean of culinary studies at COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, in Napa, where he says students will be “cooking out of Julia Child’s The French Chef like a bible.” (At press time, Copia had suddenly closed its doors, but Florence’s affiliation will continue. It is expected to reopen in the coming months.) In June, he opened the Tyler Florence retail store in downtown Mill Valley, which is more drool-worthy than the best-stocked Williams-Sonoma, and features everything from French copper cookware to antique chopping blocks to Marin County preserves. Florence recently turned his passion toward winemaking and his first restaurant, Bar Florence, is scheduled to open next spring in San Francisco’s old York Hotel, now the Hotel Vertigo (“We’re shooting for stars,” he says).

On October 21 he released two new cookbooks, Stirring the Pot and Dinner at My Place. The first is filled with Florence’s kitchen tips and sensible, appetizing recipes; the second is an intimate look into Florence’s life at home set to food. As if all that isn’t enough, he’s filming the new season of his hit Food Network show, Tyler’s Ultimate, between book tours and cooking demos.

Sitting on a sofa in the green room at Macy’s Union Square, he is preparing for a capacity crowd in The Cellar, where he will chat with Harry Denton and sign copies of his books as a member of the elite Macy’s Culinary Council. “I love what I do – I love doing live demos and getting people excited about food and cooking,” he says earnestly. “I am jazzed to be me for a living.”

Fun Fact: Florence’s Boston terrier, Jake, might better be described as a Boston terror – he was kicked out of Philadelphia after he ripped apart furniture and turned wicker into pretzels at a hotel. “I tipped the bellman to watch him, and when I returned to the room after a 14-hour day, it looked like Armageddon,” Florence says. He received a bill for $2,800.

Last thing you cooked for yourself?
Two eggs over easy and bacon from the Mill Valley Market – I love bacon.

Favorite food from your childhood?
Fried chicken. I make great fried chicken. I didn’t learn to cook at home – I came from busy single parents. I learned in culinary school. I started working in kitchens when I was 15. I washed dishes in a restaurant and started dating the owner’s daughter, so I moved up quickly (smiles). I fell in love with cooking. I went to Johnson & Wales in Charleston [S. Carolina] and graduated in 1994. I received an honorary doctorate in 2004.

How would you describe working in your kitchen?
At home with family and friends and wine and music, it’s relaxed. Professionally, it’s intense. When people are paying for dinner, that’s different.

Something in your fridge or freezer that would surprise people?
Homemade baby food – most store-bought baby foods are highly processed, and it’s really easy to make healthy versions at home. There are some recipes in Dinner at My Place. And a bottle of Dom because you never know.

A meal or a dish that, as a young chef, was an inspiration or a revelation?
When I was a line cook in South Carolina, I took the train to New York City and spent an entire paycheck on dinner at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s restaurant, JoJo. That was a tipping moment – I came home with empty pockets, a matchbook and ideas. A week after I graduated, I packed my meager belongings and moved to Brooklyn. I ended up working with Charlie Palmer.

Last restaurant you ate at?
The new Balboa Cafe in Mill Valley.

Your signature dish?
I don’t have a signature dish – it’s more signature styles. On TV it is giving viewers the tools to get a good dinner on the table; at the restaurant, it will exemplify who we are, and I’m really excited.

If you had to eat one thing for a week, what would it be?
Sushi; I could eat sushi every day.

How did you and your wife, Tolan, meet?
We met at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah – Tolan was working as a publicist for Rocco DiSpirito and he introduced us.

Did she know who you were?
Yes, she did.
Tolan: (laughs) No, I didn’t!
Tyler: She was hard to impress …

For more information about Tyler Florence, visit www.tylerflorence.com.

Have a favorite chef you’d like to see interviewed? Send your suggestions to susan@northsidesf.com