Curtis Stone will let co-host Cat Cora cook for him any day.

Yesterday, we talked with Curtis Stone about his new Bravo show, life as a parent, and what it's like to film while traveling the world. Today, we move on to find out that this busy guy isn't content just doing television; he also has a new restaurant and cookbook in the works. Triple threat?

This is your second Bravo show, out of all of your co-workers, who would you want to prepare your meals?
It's such a tough choice because when we do Top Chef Masters we have, literally, the best chefs in the country coming together to cook for us day after day. It's just unbelievable food. So in that perspective, I'm pretty happy. Also, Cat Cora is a pretty amazing chef as well. I'd be perfectly happy with her cooking for me.

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In addition to being a Bravo-lebrity, Stone took fourth place on Celebrity Apprentice.

He has a new Bravo show and a recently born son, so it's a miracle that we got Curtis Stone on the line. Despite a whirlwind media day, the Top Chef Masters host gave us the scoop on Around the World in 80 Plates, traveling the world, and some destinations he'd like to re-visit.

You have a new show! How did you get involved in Around the World in 80 Dishes?
I was working with Bravo, obviously, on Top Chef Masters, and then they came up with this idea and I was like, "Are you kidding me? This is a dream." So of course, like anybody with a heartbeat and a hunger for food and travel, I signed up for it straight away. Then we had to work on the format and finding the co-host and putting it all into place. I had an incredible time shooting it.

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Hakkasan

We caught up with Chef Ho Chee Boon, the executive chef of Hakkasan New York, who talked about his 24 years of experience at several of the world's most renowned Asian restaurants. Chef Ho has been with the Hakkasan brand since its conception and was the chef behind the original Michelin Star-rated location in London, which opened in 2001.

The New York branch of the luxury chain opened early April steps away from Times Square. The restaurant is the world's only luxury Chinese restaurant chain and features elaborate dishes with price tags that go up to $888. The entire interview was conducted in Chinese. Translation after the jump.

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Marc Forgione digs spring produce.

Yesterday, Marc Forgione shared the details on his new Atlantic City steakhouse. Today, we bring him back to the city to find out what's up at his Tribeca restaurant, Marc Forgione, and what it's like to cook for a legendary chef . . . who happens to be your father.

What's new at your eponymous outlet Marc Forgione?
We're doing these beautiful local clams and serving them with garlic-infused Mangalitsa pork fat to dip in. We're also doing an English-cut lamb chop with chickpeas and fiddlehead ferns that's really impressive looking.

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Marc Forgione's got a new stake in steak.

He's food-scene royalty (Dad Forgione is frequently cited as the Godfather of American Cuisine) and a television darling but, all things considered, Marc Forgione is a pretty down-to-earth type of gentleman--but he's a busy guy who's tough to nail down. Although we'd be as well if we flip-flopped between his New York City restaurant, Marc Forgione, a just-opened Atlantic City steakhouse, and the Iron Chef kitchen stadium.

You recently opened in Atlantic City. Are you a gambler?
I wasn't before, but since I've been down there, I've had some lucky hands.

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Melissa Hom

Look for his spot on Cooking Channel soon.

Yesterday, we chatted with North End Grill's Floyd Cardoz about his new Battery Park City restaurant and his old one, Tabla, in Madison Square Park. Today, we touch upon the ever-evolving nature of restaurants then delve in to the world of reality television, Top Chef Masters, and the PBS show that chef Cardoz would like to put in place.

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Melissa Hom

You'll now see this friendly face in Battery Park City.

The new friendly face in Battery Park City, Mr. Top Chef Master and North End Grill headmaster Floyd Cardoz has certainly risen to the top of his game since opening Tabla in 1998. Now, with a few cookbooks and a line of foods at Fresh Direct, the India-born chef talked to Fork in the Road about the neighborhood he's bringing back into the dining game with his new nuanced touch with spices.

Last we spoke, Tabla was closing. Now you're at North End Grill. Can you tell us about the new restaurant?
North End Grill is what we like to call a new American bar and grill. We've taken the concept of a bar and grill and are trying to make it as fresh as we possibly can. Traditionally bar and grill's have chops and steaks, but we're focusing on seafood--whole fish and also lots of eggs.

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Imagine getting to play golf every day? This guy can.

Yesterday, we talked smelly cow's feet and kosher food with Kutsher's Tribeca's Zach Kutsher. Today, we continue by delving into the health advantage, or lack thereof, of using the rendered chicken fat known as schmaltz, his Dirty Dancing childhood, and what the Borscht Belt would be like if gambling was legalized.

Is there any health advantage to using rendered chicken fat/schmaltz?
I'm not going to pretend to be a nutritionist. I honestly have no idea. It's natural, compared to some, and it's certainly better than a processed oil. Obviously, you need to cook in some modicum of fat to get flavor, otherwise your food is going to be devoid of flavor (just like salt), so I would say the health advantage would be that you're using a natural product. Something that wasn't created by man that's made with chemicals.

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Memorize this face. He visits every table, every night at Kutsher's Tribeca.

You could call it the little Jewish restaurant that could, but that wouldn't be exactly correct in this case. Sure, bringing chopped liver and latkes to the Big Apple could be pretty tricky, but Zach Kutsher is a professional, and pastrami flows through his veins. Almost a year since it opened, Kutsher's Tribeca has not only earned rave reviews but continues to evolve, bringing special holiday meals and new dishes to Manhattan mouths and keeping the New Jewish cuisine trend alive.

Let's talk Jewish Food. Do you think Jewish food need to be kosher?
Actually, there was a big article in Jewish Week where I was asked that very question. I think that Jewish food and kosher, for the 99 percent, is totally irrelevant. One has nothing to do with the other. I think that Jewish food does not have to be kosher. The thing that's cool about Jewish food is that it's the stuff that you remember eating growing up, maybe having it at your grandma's house or your mom made it. It's part of your Friday-night dinner or a holiday festival. It's much more about family and tradition--cultural tradition on a totally secular level. I think that kosher is really, honestly, a racket in the sense that being kosher means being kosher certified. You have to go through all sorts of craziness, and you're really getting an inferior product for a more significant price.

I would never have a kosher restaurant because that's not how I eat. I wouldn't want a rabbi in my kitchen. And I think that it just totally limits your audience in a way, and I wouldn't want to do that. I think in a way, Jewish food is almost iconic New York. We do pastrami and matzo ball soup. Yeah, they're Jewish, but they're also New York based.

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This busy guy is planning a seafood place for Spring 2013.

Yesterday, we gabbed with Super Linda's Matt Abramcyk about the pressure for restaurants to provide both dinner and a show aspect to the meal. Today, we delve into the world of small-brand artisanal products, get the scoop on his cousins' sandwich shop, and find out why he has chosen Tribeca to put down his roots.

I think a lot of people are looking to transition to restaurants or want to create a small brand (did you read Artisanal Brooklyn in New York Magazine?). What do you think you brought from finance to the restaurant/club world?
I read that article. . . . I think it's important to question your assumptions. For the last few hours, before I came to meet you, I spend time with my cousin Michael, and his brother David--he wasn't there--but they're about to open up a sandwich shop, and they left great careers; one in real estate, the other an agent for creative arts. Both very smart, both from companies that were very sad to see them go. They want to do what you're saying--develop a small brand, a new brand that's artisanal quality, a New York experience. So what I was trying to do with them is work as a sounding board to remind them that these assumptions are not all to a business model. I try to show them what the different restraints are for a food operation. . . . It's most important to realize what it is you're trying to do and how it is you're going to do it.

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