Cook Like a Chef with Stephanie Izard

Q: What was your favorite part about competing on—and becoming the first woman to win—Bravo’s Top Chef?

The best part of being a woman on Top Chef were all the awesome friendships that came out of it—even after sharing one bathroom with 8 people!

Q: You’ve built a tremendous brand centered around goats. Can you explain the significance of the goat to you?

My last name, “Izard,” is a type of mountain goat in the French Pyrenees! I thought it would be a fun connection when we were thinking of names for Girl & the Goat, and we’ve stuck with the theme ever since.

Q: What inspired you to want to go into culinary arts?

My mom was a really great cook. She used to find interesting recipes in cookbooks and had a lot of fun creating them. I loved cooking with her from a young age, and when I was figuring out what to do with my life, I wanted to explore an option that I loved.

Q: What’s your inspiration for creating dishes that bring together different cultures, like those found at your Chinese-inspired restaurant Duck Duck Goat?

My love of traveling and of foods from all over the world mostly stems from my mom and her introducing me to different cultures when I was growing up. She wasn’t much of a meatloaf mom, she used to make things like moo shu pork—and we actually still use her recipe for Mandarin pancakes at Duck Duck Goat!

Q: Why did you decide to create a globally inspired spice and sauce collection?

Celebrating flavors from all over the world has always been my style of cooking in my restaurants and most of the spices and sauces we use in This Little Goat are created directly from recipes I’ve served at the restaurants for years. For example, the Southwest Asia sauce is used in Girl & the Goat’s green beans and the Hong Kong sauce is on Duck Duck Goat’s beef and broccoli.

Q: What makes your Yucatan Chicken Thigh Tacos recipe a favorite?

This recipe is so yummy and flavor-packed and so super easy to make. It’s a weeknight staple at my house! The corn and avocado make it feel like a more balanced meal, even if it’s on the go.

Q: Given that March is Women’s History Month, do you have any women chefs or restauranteurs who inspire you?

I am surrounded by a ton of inspiring women chef friends! This March, we’re hosting a brunch at Girl & the Goat that benefits The Abundance Charity with some of my favorites: Sarah Grueneberg, Diana Dávila, Mei Lin, Britt Rescigno and Beverly Kim.

Q: How has being a woman shaped your experience as a business owner?

Sometimes I look back at when I was 27 and opened my first restaurant, Scylla, in Chicago. I was only able to do it with the support of people who shared their insights on how to start a business. I learned that there’s nothing wrong with asking for advice from people and now I am always happy to share little drops of wisdom with people just getting started.

Q: What’s your best advice for women aspiring to open a restaurant or pursue culinary arts?

The best thing you can do when you’re opening a restaurant is surround yourself with smart people that you really trust, so that you can have people to lean on and can focus on having some work-life balance while you’re doing it. Opening restaurants is a lot of work!

Q: What are some staples in your kitchen?

I always have Hidden Valley Ranch, Kewpie Mayo and Red Boat fish sauce on hand, plus tons of rice because it’s my son, Ernie’s, favorite thing to eat. The top shelf of my refrigerator is full of This Little Goat sauces that I use all the time!

Q: Do you have any pro tips you can share with us?

A quick way to add a ton of flavor to dishes is to grind hondashi into a powder and add it to any spice mixes that you have at home. It adds a huge blast of umami!

Q: Are there any food/culinary trends that interest you?

I’m not great at staying up on current trends, but I have been really focused on diner foods lately. Little Goat, our diner in Chicago, is moving to a new neighborhood and we’re adding some fun new things to the menu.