Dan Barber facts for kids
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| Born | October 2, 1969 New York City, New York, U.S. |
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| Cooking style | Farm-to-table, ethical eating |
| Education | French Culinary Institute Tufts University |
| Spouse | Aria Beth Sloss |
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Current restaurant(s)
Blue Hill
 Blue Hill at Stone Barns  |
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Previous restaurant(s)
Bouley (New York City)
Chez Panisse (Berkeley, California) Campanile (Los Angeles) La Brea Bakery (Los Angeles) |
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Award(s) won
Food & Wine
2002 Best New Chef – Blue Hill James Beard 2006 Best Chef: New York City James Beard 2008 Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America Time 100 2009 Most Influential James Beard 2009 Outstanding Chef Award James Beard 2015 Writing and Literature Award James Beard 2017 Leadership Award |
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Dan Barber (born October 2, 1969) is a famous American chef. He is also the co-owner of two well-known restaurants. These are Family Meal at Blue Hill in Manhattan and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York. Chef Barber is also an author. He wrote a book called The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food.
Contents
Education and Early Life
Dan Barber studied at Tufts University. He graduated in 1992 with a degree in English. Later, he went to the French Culinary Institute. This is where he learned to become a chef.
Chef Career and Innovations
Dan Barber runs the Blue Hill restaurants. These include Family Meal at Blue Hill in Manhattan. He also runs Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York.
Creating New Foods
Around 2009, Chef Barber worked on a special project. He helped develop a tiny butternut squash. He worked with Michael Mazourek to create it. This new squash is called the honeynut squash.
Later, Dan Barber and Michael Mazourek started a company. It is called Row 7 Seed Company. This company sells special seeds. They offer unique gourds and other specially-bred seeds.
Writing About Food
In 2014, Chef Barber published his book. It is titled The Third Plate: Field Notes On the Future of Food. In this book, he talks about how food has changed over time. He divides the story into four main parts: "Soil," "Land," "Sea," and "Seeds."
Adapting During Challenges
In May 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused many changes. Restaurants could not host diners as usual. To keep his restaurants and suppliers going, Barber started the resourcED program. This program offered boxes of ingredients from the Stone Barns farm. Customers could then cook these meals at home.
In August 2020, Barber announced a change in his kitchens. He planned to step back from cooking at Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Blue Hill in Greenwich Village. The kitchens were to be led by different chefs. This new idea focused on bringing in diverse chefs. This change was a response to the Black Lives Matter protests. These protests highlighted unfairness in the restaurant world. As of 2022, Chef Barber has returned to cooking at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.
Awards and Recognition
Dan Barber has received many important awards. In 2002, Food & Wine magazine named him one of the Best New Chefs.
James Beard Foundation Awards
He has won several awards from the James Beard Foundation. This foundation gives awards to top chefs.
- In 2006, he won Best Chef: New York City.
- In 2009, he received the Outstanding Chef award.
- The James Beard Foundation also named him the top chef in America in 2009.
- He won the Writing and Literature Award in 2015.
- In 2017, he received the Leadership Award.
Other Honors
Also in 2009, Time magazine recognized him. They named him one of the world's most influential people. This was part of their annual Time 100 list.
President Barack Obama appointed Dan Barber to a special council. He served on the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. He is also an advisor for the Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment. In 2015, Chef Barber was featured on Netflix's Chef's Table series. He appeared in the second episode of the first season.
Cooking Philosophy
Dan Barber learned from famous California cuisine chefs. These included Mark Peel and Alice Waters. He has written articles about food and farming policies. His writings have appeared in publications like The New York Times and Gourmet.
Talks and Ideas
In 2008, he gave a TED talk. He spoke about foie gras that was made without force-feeding. He described a farm in Spain that produced it naturally. He called it a "Garden of Eden".
In 2010, he gave another TED Conference talk. He shared his discovery of extensively farmed fish. This fish came from Veta La Palma, Spain. He explained how farming systems that are good for the environment can make food taste better.
Personal Life
Dan Barber is married to Aria Beth Sloss. They have two daughters together.
