Who is Ric Orlando anyway?
Hudson Valley, NY, United States
Chef Ric Orlando has been making culinary waves for over 25 years, rocking the roots of the Hudson Valley and Albany Food scene by bringing Global Comfort Food and Farm to Table together since 1989 — Ric's lusty take on global cuisines, renowned cooking prowess, and rock n roll pedigree have earned him a reputation as one of the Hudson Valley's most iconic spokespeople.
Ric hit the national circuit on the Food Network's popular CHOPPED, winning on his first episode "Wok this Way" and winning againin the playoff episode of the first Chopped Champions, leading up to the unprecedented $50K finale where he finally was chopped during the 50K finale, like Ned Kelly in the Iron Suit, by overcooking his damned Wild Boar. He also whooped Bobby Flay in the episode It's A Family Secret with his L.E.S. Hanukkah Latkes.
Ric is a regular on Northeast Public Radio's Food Friday, is a Hannaford Supermarket Chef partner and a regular source for food writers throughout the northeast. Before becoming a restauranteur, he worked at the legendary Harvest Restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, The Wild Goose and the European in Boston, Sugar Reef in Manhattan; and cooked in the kitchens of Bob Kinkead, Jake Jacobus and Emmett Fox.
He has written, guitared and sang for New Haven's Hot Bodies (1978-80) and TV Neats (1980-81), and Boston's psychedelic funksters (1982-88) SKIN and currently plays in a retro garage punk band called RIC THE CHEF with the legenday Andy Shernoff of the Dictators, Spike Priggen and Doug Wygal.
In the first installment of this two part podcast, I chat with James Beard Award Winning Chef Zak Pelaccio about his roots, his upstate comeuppance and his passion for the Hudson Valley. We chatted via Zoom while he was in Taos, New Mexico. We waxed philosophical quite a bit so I am releasing that part of the convo next week as a Part 2.
Learn more about Zak, his books, restaurants and more here.