Stewart Woodman facts for kids

Stewart Woodman is a famous American chef. He was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, in 1969. He is known for his amazing cooking style, which mixes modern American and French techniques. His restaurant, Heidi's, was even named the best restaurant in Minneapolis!

Who is Stewart Woodman?

Stewart Woodman is a well-known American chef. He was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, in 1969. He became famous for his restaurant, Heidi's, which was once called the best restaurant in Minneapolis. Stewart's cooking style is a mix of modern American and French techniques. He learned his skills at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Canada.

Early Life and Training

Stewart grew up in Montreal, Canada. When he was 20, he moved to Banff, Alberta, in Canada. There, he worked for three and a half years at the Banff Springs Hotel. He started as an apprentice cook, which means he was learning the basics of cooking from experienced chefs.

After that, Stewart became a sous chef at the William Tell Restaurant in Vancouver, Canada. A sous chef is the second-in-command in a kitchen, helping the head chef manage everything.

Becoming a Top Chef

In 1994, Stewart moved back to the United States. He worked as a line cook at Union Square Café in New York City. A line cook is in charge of a specific part of the kitchen, like grilling or making salads.

He then worked at other famous restaurants, learning from top chefs. He spent time at Lespinasse and Le Bernardin, where he was a sous chef. In 1999, he worked for the very famous chef Alain Ducasse in Paris and Monaco. He even helped open one of Ducasse's restaurants in New York.

Later, he worked at another restaurant owned by the well-known chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

Opening His Own Restaurants

In 2002, Stewart moved to Minneapolis. He opened his first restaurant there called Levain. After that, he opened Five Restaurant & Street Lounge. At this restaurant, he won the "Best New Chef" award from Food & Wine Magazine.

In 2007, Stewart opened Heidi's Minneapolis with his wife, Heidi Woodman. She is also a talented pastry chef and his business partner. Heidi's became very popular and was even named the best restaurant in Minneapolis by the Star Tribune newspaper in 2007. It also won "Best Restaurant Minneapolis" from CityPages in 2009. Heidi's closed in 2013.

Beyond the Kitchen

After opening Heidi's, Stewart started a food blog called Shefzilla: A Food Blog. In 2010, he wrote a cookbook called Shefzilla: Conquering Haute Cuisine At Home. This book helps people learn how to cook fancy, high-quality meals at home.

In 2011, Stewart was an "artist in residence" at the Minneapolis Sabes Jewish Community Center. This means he spent time there sharing his cooking knowledge and skills with the community.