Psaltis, Doug

(Douglas Psaltis)

PERSONAL: Born in NY.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Todd Doughty, Doubleday/Broadway, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

CAREER: Chef at various restaurants in New York, NY, including Alain Ducasse's Mix and Country; French Laundry, Napa Valley, CA, former chef.

WRITINGS:

(With brother, Michael Psaltis) The Seasoning of a Chef: My Journey from Diner to Ducasse and Beyond (autobiography), Broadway Books (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: Doug Psaltis started work in the food industry as a child, helping out in his grandfather's Greek diner in Queens, New York. Ambitious and hard working, Psaltis moved up from carrying sacks of food and taking out the trash to cooking in some of the world's finest eateries, even though he never attended culinary school. He was the first American to be hired as a chef for Alain Ducasse, owner of several prestigious restaurants. Psaltis steered Ducasse's New York restaurant, Mix, though various changes before leaving to help run an establishment called French Laundry in California. Eventually, he returned to New York to continue his career at a French restaurant in Manhattan called Country.

Psaltis worked with his twin brother, Michael, to write his autobiography, The Seasoning of a Chef: My Journey from Diner to Ducasse and Beyond. A Kirkus Reviews contributor commented that the story of Psaltis's apprenticeship in—and eventual mastery of—the world of fine cuisine "makes a medical internship look relaxing." The reviewer noted that Psaltis explains his philosophy that being a good chef means understanding each step in the cooking process, and added that the chef relates stories of "incredible snafus as well as brilliant creations."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2005, review of The Seasoning of a Chef: My Journey from Diner to Ducasse and Beyond, p. 674.

Publishers Weekly, February 28, 2005, John F. Baker, review of The Seasoning of a Chef, p. 14.

ONLINE

New York Times Online, http://www.nytimes.com/ (October 25, 2005), Florence Fabricant, "From Short Order to Tall Order for Ducasse's New Protege."

Seasoning of a Chef Web site, http://www.seasoningofachef.com/ (October 26, 2005), biographical information on Doug Psaltis.