By Deena BustilloPLAY Columnist
Good cookin’ and good lookin’ -that’s why I like Dave Lieberman. If you’ve never heard of this star chef, start searching. While you do that, here’s a rundown of the hot young cook – an introductory appetizer, if you will. Not only is the 27-year-old Yale grad one of People’s 50 Hottest Bachelors, but he is the host of Food Network’s “Good Deal with Dave Lieberman” and your soon-to-be BFF (best food friend) – that person you don’t really know, but really like eating with, or watching while you eat in this case.
Lieberman’s cooking philosophy gives me renewed faith that college cuisine doesn’t have to be at the mercy of a blue Kraft box – it is possible to have champagne taste and make those dishes on a beer budget. Finding inexpensive ingredients and dressing them up means that you can prepare “sexy” and “silky” salmon tartare for a special date and still have the cash to go to a movie afterwards. Compromising quality and complexity are unnecessary, thanks to Lieberman’s instruction.
He describes his cooking to me as “streamlined but unique.” The aim is to create full flavor with simple recipes, he says.
As a college student, Lieberman says he was a dining hall salad bar regular. And as we all know, that gets old fast. But he started his own campus cooking show and catering service, and was discovered by the New York Times in 2003. Northwestern might be down a Dave (as in we don’t have one), but before you throw in the towel on classy cuisine, turn to his first cookbook, Young & Hungry. It is filled with fool-proof ideas and recipes for throwing a fantastic dinner party, indoor tailgate, happy hour or weekday meal without spending a fortune and slaving away in the kitchen all day.
Whether it’s a special event or plain chow for two, milk, eggs, flour, canned tomatoes and pasta are the five things Lieberman says to have on hand at all times. To spice up your life keep salt, pepper, oregano, curry and cinnamon stocked too. If you can afford a splurge to go along with these no-frills staples, Dave suggests white truffle oil for use on toast, pasta, soups and as a garnish – think of it as that great accessory you throw on to dress up plain jeans and a T-shirt.
Today I am going to buy some white truffle oil because Dave told me to. He says he most appreciates compliments from little kids, if he could cook for anyone in the world it would be sponge cake for the grandmother he never met and if he wasn’t a chef he’d be a bum – and he loves to eat. I’m sold.
Medill junior Deena Bustillo is the PLAY assistant editor. She can be reached at d-bustillo@northwestern.edu.
