Meet Our Newest Chef...ANDY FLOYD
Andy is the newest chef we’ve added to our Seasoned Chef team, but he’s definitely not new to the kitchen. After growing up across England, France, Madagascar, Ohio, Morocco, Algeria, and Mexico, he landed in Washington DC, where he stayed for much of his early career. Andy speaks several languages fluently, but also learned how to cook at a young age, creating dishes such as Coq au Vin and Steak au Poivre when he was seven years old while living in Morocco.
Andy graduated from l'Academie de Cuisine's 2 year Culinary Training program and made his way to Colorado in 1990. In addition to working in many highly esteemed kitchens, Andy has always had a passion for teaching and began teaching at Culinary School of the Rockies in 1997.
About a year ago, Chef Dan reconnected with Andy to discuss helping with private events and to teach a class or two. Now Andy is teaching at least twice a month and partnering with us on our long term vision and development!
Keep reading to learn more about Andy (including his favorite recipe to make at home) and sign up to join his Couples Valentine’s Day class here!
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO JOIN THE SEASONED CHEF AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A PART OF THE BUSINESS?
After Colorado Culinary Academy closed, Chef Dan approached me to come teach at The Seasoned Chef. In the past year, I have taught several classes, including Spanish Tapas and Wine, Bison and Bourbon, Tacos and Tequila, A Tour of Southeast Asia, and Spanish Brunch, as well as jumping in on many other classes and corporate team builds.
I most enjoy the sense of community that The Seasoned Chef has built. It is a very different type of school than others I have been associated with because there is no pretension, which I think puts the guests more at ease.
Thus far, I especially love teaching classes that provide a little cultural context to the food that is being prepared, such as regionally specific classes of different countries - France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and the Middle East. I have traveled most of my life and love to absorb the food culture of every place that I visit. If there is wine involved, even better!
WHAT ARE YOU RESPONSIBLE FOR AT THE SEASONED CHEF? WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
Being an instructor, I am primarily responsible for coming to classes well prepared with delicious and simple recipes. In these classes, I teach recreational chefs how to cook in a fun and understandable way!
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF WORKING AT THE SEASONED CHEF?
My favorite part of teaching classes at The Seasoned Chef is that it provides me the freedom to teach classes in the way I like. I usually begin my classes with cultural and historical context for the food we are to prepare, and then we go into how the dishes will be made. The whole class culminates with a large buffet that all can enjoy and is usually accompanied with some regionally specific wines. I love how much fun all the guests have and the connections that the people make with each other. Many guests have left the classes as new friends!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE RECIPE.
There are so many recipes that I enjoy, but I would love to share Steak au Poivre, which I first started cooking when I was seven.
Ingredients
Your favorite cut of steak (for me that is a nice fat strip loin or tenderloin medallion)
¼ cup shallots
¼ cup cream (though have a little extra on hand)
¼ cup brandy
1 tablespoon butter
Your favorite cooking oil
Directions
Take your favorite cut of steak and season with salt and roll in cracked black pepper.
Get a sauté pan heated with a little oil to smoking and put the steak in the pan. Do not move the steak for about three minutes and make sure that your kitchen is well aerated and that you don't set off your smoke alarm. (If you don’t do this you will have an uncontrollable coughing fit as the peppercorn gas enters your lungs. Needless to say, not ideal.)
Flip the steak over and sear the other side for about 3 minutes. Place the steak on a sheet-pan and finish cooking in a preheated 300 degree oven to an internal temperature of 125 if you like a nice rare steak.
Meanwhile chop some shallots and, once the pan you cooked the steak in has cooled, put them in that same pan. Cook the shallots with butter until they are translucent, deglaze the pan with brandy and ignite (remember again about the fire alarm and have your extinguisher nearby). Once the flames have diminished, add a little cream and reduce until it is thick enough to coat a spoon.
Pull your steak out of the oven and allow it to rest about five minutes. Add any of the juices from the steak to the sauce in your pan.
Put the rested steak on the plate and pour your sauce over. Bon Appetit!