Meet Celebrity Chef Curtis Stone: An Exclusive Culinary Experience You Can’t Miss
Meet Curtis Stone: The Exclusive Dining Experience Food Lovers Are Booking
An intimate evening with the Australian-born, Michelin-starred chef behind Maude, Gwen, and Woodend at Maroma — signature dishes, personal stories, and the kitchen philosophy behind it all.
We sat down with Australian celebrity chef Curtis Stone — an exuberant personality known for his presence in both kitchens and on TV screens, with appearances on Ellen, TODAY, Top Chef Masters, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. In Los Angeles he runs two innovative restaurants: Maude, named after the grandmother who taught him to cook, and Gwen, opened with his brother Luke Stone. What follows is the chef in his own words.
I’m from Melbourne, Australia. I traveled with a mate to Europe and when I was nearly out of money, I knocked on the door of Marco Pierre White in London. I was obsessed with working for him after I read White Heat.
He hired me on the spot and I worked with him for the next 8 years, eventually becoming the executive chef at his restaurant, Quo Vadis.
I cook seasonally but I want my food or service at the restaurant not to be too fussy. I think that’s the Australian in me. That doesn’t mean, luxurious ingredients or techniques suffer. It simply means I want dishes to speak for themselves and for the environment to be memorable and not too sterile.
Hospitality is about creating memories for people without them realizing it.
I keep coming back to truffles. At Maude, we featured them on the menu every year. Their smell is just seductive and though they can be extravagant, the thought of just shaving them over pasta or eggs is just transcendent.
Truffles, caviar, and salt.
Taste always comes first and respecting each ingredient and component is paramount. Chefs have different styles to plating. Seeing something that hasn’t been done before is always the most impressive.
When Maude reopened, we started serving an abalone dish. It’s reflectively of California and surprisingly many of our guests are enjoying it for the first time.
The techniques used have varied slightly but it’s been a constant on the menu.
When Maude received a Michelin star, I was overcome with emotion. It’s what all fine dining chefs work toward. It’s gratifying and humbling all at once. When Gwen received its star, it was the icing.
But we’re still pushing ourselves toward excellence and striving to earn that second star at Maude.
I think those in the industry are happy to still be at it and are sticking to their roots. Let’s face it, the last few years have been incredibly difficult and those of us who continue to operate are just grateful to be working in kitchens.
The trend continues to be to offer a refuge from what’s going on outside of the restaurant doors by giving guests a delicious meal.
Rosé. It’s refreshing and goes down easy.
I love working with a team of creatives. Cooking is an art but it’s different than a painting or music that can be listened to or looked at again and again.
A meal and service are a moment created for someone else and everyone experiences it differently and temporarily.
From a knock on Marco Pierre White’s door in London to Michelin stars on two coasts, Curtis Stone’s cooking stays rooted in a single idea — that a meal is a moment made for someone else. Book a table at Maude, Gwen, or Woodend at Maroma and taste it for yourself.
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