Tom Colicchio Won't Travel for a Bagel

"Both the book and the restaurant helped to define the New American cooking movement of the early 21st century, but these days, Colicchio is taking a stand against one of the era's most enduring developments: small plates. "This whole idea of six people putting the food in the center of the table and scraping it off onto their own little share plate is just a terrible way to eat," he says."

""If I order something I want to eat, but they put it in the center of the table - by the time I get it, it's just a smudge on the plate. What am I gonna do with that?" He compares the "everyone shares everything" approach to a buffet: "That's what you're doing - order your own appetizer! Eat it. And if you're still hungry, order another one," he says. "Share plates make me crazy.""

Tom Colicchio marks major milestones: his cookbook Think Like a Chef turned 25 and his restaurant will reach 25 next year, with Top Chef debuting nearly 20 years ago and Colicchio returning after shooting the latest season. Both the book and the restaurant helped define New American cooking in the early 21st century. Colicchio opposes the contemporary small-plates, communal-sharing trend, calling it a poor way to eat, likening it to a buffet, and recommending individuals order their own appetizers. He describes a morning walking his flat-coated retriever Tiki, visiting Bagel World, and buying bagels for his family.

Read at Grub Street