Real Aphrodisiacs for Valentine's
Making Chocolate from Wild Cacao
How to Make a Marshmallow Pop
Valentine Gifts for the Five Senses
McBites = Modern McNuggets?
Sausage Recipes of the Month
—THE CHOW 13—
CLICK THUMBNAIL FOR EACH PROFILE
enlarge imageDUANE SORENSON
Stumptown Coffee
Duane Sorenson calls himself a “cuddly family guy.” For a cuddly family guy, he inspires a lot of vitriol. There are many people in New York uttering the refrain: “There was PLENTY of good coffee before Stumptown got here, and he’s trying to act like he brought it.” But those haters are wrong. He kind of did.
We’re in a golden age of coffee, where young people are hard-core geeking on single-source beans, home roasting, and even the brand of contraption previously known as a coffee maker. And Stumptown is one of a handful of specialty roasters responsible for the craze. After spreading his delicious beans around his native Pacific Northwest and along the West Coast, the Motörhead-loving Sorenson decided to rock New York City, infamous for (and proud of) its weak, pansy coffee. In 2008, he uprooted himself to Brooklyn, opened up a local roastery, and managed to insert his beans into some of the coolest coffeehouses, restaurants, and specialty stores around the city. Then he opened his own café in the bottom of the chic new Ace Hotel. Yeah, there were other good coffee places starting to open in town, but few had locally sourced beans, or Sorenson’s flair for showmanship. (Baristas at the Ace’s café wear ties and vests, like 1930s-era barbacks.)
Sorenson will most likely be the man credited with showing New York what good coffee tastes like. Even if New Yorkers won’t admit it.
How did you develop your palate?
“I was raised in Seattle, and my father was a professional sausage maker. He was always pointing out specialty foods. We had relationships with dairy farmers, butchers, cattle raisers, and spice dealers. In high school and college I worked in coffee carts and coffeehouses but then got an apprenticeship at a roaster. I found I had an enthusiasm for wanting to roast the best coffee I could. So I dropped out of college.”
Who inspires you in the food world?
“Marlow & Sons, for the quality of their food, how they team up with their producer partners, and their casual vibe and design. Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo [Frankies Spuntino, Prime Meats], who are dear friends and business partners, and Taavo [Sommer] of Freemans. I enjoy what he’s doing with the restaurant, clothing line, and barbershop. I got my mustache trimmed there the other day.”
What was the last most satisfying meal you had?
“A liver and onion sandwich at Prune, yesterday, for lunch. It was just really great.”
I am so deeply over Slow Food USA. Was cool in 2000, definitely does not merit attention now. 300 picnics is the stuff of revolution? Big time boring, just like Slow Food has been for...um....the past decade? Novella deserves the shout out, awesome.
But, it's the first time you guys are doing this so I am sure it will get better!
I have to disagree-What Sam Calagione is doing for beer has brought the craft beer movement to a whole new level. Just one example is Dogfish Head's ancient ale series, or "liquid time capsules." They recreate and reinterpret ancient brewed beverages based on chemical analysis of pottery shards from archeological finds. You may think that this idea is purely novel, but the ales are intricate,...+READ
I have to disagree-What Sam Calagione is doing for beer has brought the craft beer movement to a whole new level. Just one example is Dogfish Head's ancient ale series, or "liquid time capsules." They recreate and reinterpret ancient brewed beverages based on chemical analysis of pottery shards from archeological finds. You may think that this idea is purely novel, but the ales are intricate, unconventional, and most of all delicious! Beer is the new wine, and Sam Calagione proves it.-COLLAPSE
@davina-thank you pointing me in the right direction and highlighting each illustrator in the comments box. They all rock!
HillJ -- we love our illustrators, there are four of them and we're so proud of the work that they did. They are Nathan Fox, Yuko Shimizu, Frank Stockton, and Eamo. Their credit lines are underneath each image.
Props to the "head shot" illustrator. They too deserve credit....heck, why not credit them!
Just because people have been doing coffee bars since 1988 doesn't mean they've been doing them right.
::cough::Starbucks::cough::
And no, people weren't doing anything close to what Caligione, Cilurzo, Arthur, Allagash, et al are doing now 20+ years ago. Wait a sec, how many of those guys from back then are still at it? Surprisingly few.
By your reasoning, no one should get...+READ
Just because people have been doing coffee bars since 1988 doesn't mean they've been doing them right.
::cough::Starbucks::cough::
And no, people weren't doing anything close to what Caligione, Cilurzo, Arthur, Allagash, et al are doing now 20+ years ago. Wait a sec, how many of those guys from back then are still at it? Surprisingly few.
By your reasoning, no one should get superlatives for any of this slow food, locavorism nonsense because really, no one's done anything new with that, oh, since the beginning of human civilization.-COLLAPSE
Great job on 10 of 13 picks. But picking Deb Madison in Chow 2009 is like giving Scorcese that Oscar a couple years back...the timing is wrong, just give the Lifetime Achievement Award instead. And really guys, you've picked a beer guy and a gourmet coffee guy...in 2009? NOTHING has really changed/no innovation in coffee or beer since 1988...just a few new personalities who hit the market more...+READ
Great job on 10 of 13 picks. But picking Deb Madison in Chow 2009 is like giving Scorcese that Oscar a couple years back...the timing is wrong, just give the Lifetime Achievement Award instead. And really guys, you've picked a beer guy and a gourmet coffee guy...in 2009? NOTHING has really changed/no innovation in coffee or beer since 1988...just a few new personalities who hit the market more right, that's all.-COLLAPSE
I'm not getting this pick. Micro beer is 25 years old, and the 'special ingredients' story is way overdone. This guy is just slightly more interesting and his beers are just slightly better.