In the Kitchen with Marc Forgione
Get to know our newest Iron Chef, Marc Forgione: Take a tour of his restaurant and see what he whips up for his lunch.
Related To:
A New Iron Chef
Chef Forgione kicks back and shows us around his restaurant, Marc Forgione, in New York's Tribeca neighborhood.
A New Name
The restaurant was originally called Forge when it opened in 2008 — Chef Forgione changed it to his full name in 2009.
Welcome
The old Forge sign is still proudly displayed near the hostess stand.
Lunchtime Calm
Marc Forgione doesn't serve lunch, so the restaurant is relatively quiet with managers setting up for dinner service and a few cooks prepping in the kitchen.
Sandwich Mise en Place
Chef Forgione heads back into the kitchen to whip up his lunch.
Classic Combination
"It's kind of like a BLT with pork belly, pickled apples, lettuce and mustard. I use Honeycrisp apples, my favorite. Pork, apple and mustard is such a classic combination."
Quick Pickle
Chef Forgione makes a quick brine with turmeric, coriander, fennel seed, chili flakes and salt, and pours it over the apples and some sliced jalapenos in a little mason jar.
Late-Night Lunch
"We have pickled apples on one dish in the restaurant, pork belly on one dish, the jalapenos on one dish, so this is something I can throw together after service, which is basically my lunch."
Toasty Bread
"I made this for the first time last week and fell in love with it. We make potato rolls in the restaurant, and after service we use the extras and make sandwiches." Today, Chef Forgione uses a ciabatta roll.
Pressure Cooker Pork
"Something I learned on the show: It's really easy to do braises in a pressure cooker. Just buy some pork belly by the pound and literally all you do is close the lid and forget about it for 30 minutes."
Ready to Eat
"If you don't have pork belly, just use some bacon."
"BAD" Sandwich
"When we eventually open for lunch, this will be on the menu. I'll call it the B.A.D. Sandwich. Need to find something with a 'D' ... could be Bacon, Apples and Dill."
Get the Recipe: Bacon, Apples, and Dill (B.A.D. Sandwich)
Restaurant Ideas
"I want to open a restaurant someday called something like Back of the House. The menu would all be stuff like this that we make after service. It would be really cheap, open only from midnight to 4 am."
Back in the Dining Room
The rustic wood shelves are full of mementos and gifts people have brought to the restaurant over the years.
Awards and Bottles
The Champagne bottle commemorates Chef Forgione's Michelin star (left), and the 40 is for the "death of Forge": "There was a restaurant with the same name that threatened a lawsuit, so I changed the name!"
Team Forgione
"For my staff."
Potato Rolls
Chef Forgione's team bakes up about 300 potato rolls for dinner service every night and diners get as many as they want.
Vintage Stove
"It's a real antique from Massachusetts," says Chef Forgione. It still works, too. They use it to keep the potato rolls warm.
A New Beginning?
How has life changed for this laid-back chef since the show? Read our Q&A with Chef Forgione about his road to becoming The Next Iron Chef.
