Meet Your Beard Nominees: Mindy Segal
The James Beard Awards, the putative Oscars of the food world, are being held next Monday in New York City. We rounded up some of the Chicago nominees and asked them to share with us their thoughts on the awards, their work, and how they'll celebrate if they win. We'll be running their answers throughout the week.
We close our Beard Week with a chat with Mindy Segal, an Outstanding Pastry Chef nominee who's best known to Chicagoans as the owner of Hot Chocolate. She's also recently signed on with the not-yet-opened Elysian Hotel to oversee all their pastry services.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you about your nomination?
It’s a 5. You know, I’m honored to be part of a select few. It’s my third year being nominated, which is awesome, but I take it with a grain of salt that I throw on my back. I do a job every day, go to work every day, crack eggs, mix flour, butter, and sugar, and hopefully – hopefully – it comes out good. I’m got a business to run, so I’m a little jaded. You know what? Never mind, I’m so excited. It’s actually a 10 – I love going to the awards and I’ve met great people there. I'm excited!
What are you looking forward to about this year's awards?
I’m excited to be with my friends who are nominated, to see my friends who live in New York. I’m excited to see Pichet [Ong, another Outstanding Pastry nominee], he’s one of my closest friends, I adore him. I’m excited to eat in New York, to be a part of the whole scene. Plus, the owner and food & beverage director for the Elysian Hotel are coming with me, my chef [Mark Steuer] from Hot Chocolate is coming with me – it's all my favorite men! How lucky am I to go to New York with all my favorite men?!
Oh the other thing that's so exciting about this is that the guy who does my hair lives in New York, and he's coming to my hotel room and doing my hair. This year he’s bringing a makeup artist and I’m going to wear false eyelashes! That’s how you’ll know me – I’ll have eyelashes for days.
What Mindy's planning on wearing, and the bar whose decor she's modeled her apartment on — after the jump!
Who do you think is your biggest competition in your category?
They all are! It doesn’t matter who wins, we’re all good. To be nominated by your peers, that’s such an honor.
If you win, how are you going to celebrate?
By coming back to my restaurant and making excellent pastries! No, seriously, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. In fact, honest to god, and this is the truth, I did not start thinking about this until two days ago. I bought a dress at United Colors of Benneton on the fly, but I’m probably going to wear a dress that I already own. I just bought shoes, like, yesterday. I'm obviously not putting too much thought into this.
Do you think there's anyone who deserves recognition for their culinary efforts who the Beards haven't yet acknowledged?
Definitely. I think my chef will one day be nominated, Mark Steuer. For sure.
Anywhere in particular you're planning to eat while you're in New York?
For sure! I’m going to Blue Hill at Stone Barns, I'm going to Gramercy Tavern, I’m going to see my friend Missy [Robbins, former chef di cocina at Spiaggia] at A Voce. Fatty Crab is a not-miss when I'm in New York. Frank DeCarlo – Frankie – is my favorite chef on the planet — I never don't go to Peasant.
And lots of drinking! I like Employees Only, I like Death & Co., Smith & Mills is my favorite place – it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Definitely there. Love The Lobby Bar at the Bowery Hotel. It's exactly what I love. My apartment looks like that. I love it.
For more pre-Beard interview goodness, check out our Q&As with Monica Eng & Phil Vettel, Paul Kahan, Spiaggia's Sarah Grueneberg, Mike Sula, Koren Grieveson, and Brian Duncan.
[Photo credit: Martha Williams/Time Out Chicago]
