Ric Orlando

Chef, Owner: New World Home Cooking Cafe and New World Catering, Saugerties-Woodstock, NY
Chef, Management Consultant New World Bistro Bar, Albany, NY
Blog: WE WANT CLEAN FOOD http://ricthechef.blogspot.com
2010 Food Network CHOPPED CHAMPION, CHOPPED 50K TOURMAMENT Round 4 WINNER
Host/Creator/Writer 13 episode TV Series Ric Orlando's TV Kitchen (WMHT-PBS)
Author: We Want Clean Food, CF Press
Web: http://ricorlando.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ric.orlando
Twitter: chefricorlando

Global Flavor, Local Pride

Guided by these words, Ric Orlando brings an inspired blend of lust for life, outspoken passion for the flavors and ingredients of the world community, and nationally renowned cooking prowess to his roles as chef, lecturer, author, and media source.
He is a national expert in cooking with spices, herbs, chiles and all of the world's BOLDEST flavors. Ric has been preparing and promoting both global and local food for over 20 years.

New World Home Cooking Co. is a Hudson Valley landmark and the the Albany Gastro-Pub he designed and manages, New World Bistro Bar, is a local BEST OF winner. His recipes and commentary are consistently in demand by the regional media. His tireless work in promoting the products, people, and beauty of the region has made him one of the Hudson Valley's best known Chefs.

A man with a colorful past, Ric's cultural roots stem from the underground music and art scene from the late 1970s through 1980s in New York, New Haven, and Boston. Orlando gathered his passion for Global flavor eating cheap ethnic urban food while a "starving artist" and developed in his culinary experience at groundbreaking restaurants such as the Elm City Diner in New Haven, (the original) Harvest in Cambridge, Massachusetts, The Wild Goose in Boston, Sugar Reef in Manhattan, and Yates Street and Justin's in Albany. He has cooked in the kitchens widely of respected chefs Bob Kinkead, Jake Jabobus, and Emmett Fox.

What is Clean Food?

Clean Food is not only organic! Yes organically grown food is Clean Food, as it doesn't have a negative impact on the environment or our bodies, but that is obvious! What else?
Clean Food = Local Food. It is food that is local or regional, grown on family or boutique fams that steward thier land with care.
Clean Food = Fair trade. It is food that is produced with welfare of the people who work the land in mind.
Clean Food= Healthier Food. It is meat, eggs and dairy that are grassfed, plants and grains from properly composted and rotated crops and foods made without added enhancers, chemicals or chemically derived preservatives.
Clean Food = Traditional Food. It is traditionally produced and artisan designed, maintaining time tested methods of production that provide stewardship of the land, integrity of product and pride of creation.

What is The RIC-TER SCALE?

In tasting the traditional flavors of the world's cuisines, there is one common flavor aspect in over half of the food enjoyed worldwide- SPICE!

In learning to cook and serve Global Cuisines, Ric has developed a system to rate the level of spice or heat in each dish to teach you what to expect when cooking or eating these dishes.

His kitchen mantra is Fear No Flavor, and with the RIC-TER scale, you will be prepared to taste the authentic flavors of world cuisines!

Ric-Ter Scale 0-2 Simply and brightly seasoned , using cumin, coriander, ginger, garlic, mild curry, black pepper.
Ric-Ter Scale 3-4 Assertively spiced, not too hot , such as Mole sauce, Buffalo Wings or a nice Fra Diavolo. Ingredients such as medium chiles like ancho, pickled jalapeno, serrano and red chiles are used.
Ric-Ter Scale 5-6 Authentic spice on the medium side, like chicken tikka, Peruvian Aji Chile sauce, pad thai or good Gumbo, the heat level here is where Ric rates tabasco sauce.
Ric-Ter Scale 7-8 Authentically and honorably spicy , like a simple vindaloo, real, fresh jalapenos , North African harissa, or a good Thai or West indian Curry. This is where Ric rates his fave! Matouk's Sauce Forte Hot Sauce
Ric-Ter Scale 9-10 This is for Aficionados and thrill seekers.

There is a place for an over the top chile experience from time to time. The heat from Scotch Bonnets, habaneros, Thai Bird Chiles, Ghost chiles ( and there are more) can be used sparingly for flavor and some heat in selective cooking. But used full tilt, they can create an etheral experience, releasing endorphins, sweet and bliss! New World's Purple Haze Shrimp and Pasta Inferno are unabashedly #9.5 on the Ric-Ter scale. If you dare, try some real Trini hots stuff, Yucatan chile sauce or a great Thai chile mash to get a real high from food like no other experience!

All You Need To Know About Ric Orlando but never got a chance to ask ....

1) Favorite ingredient----Basil, I have had 9 strains of basil growing in my yard (African, Thai, Lemon, Cinnamon, Piccolo, Spicy Globe, Genovese, Opal, Large Leaf Salad) and I use them all in all kinds of food---African Basil-Chile Shrimp. Thai Basil coulis on Mango, Piccolo basil and lime leaf calamari stew....

2) Food most obsessed with---fish and all their weirdness...all kinds...my wife says she sees that look in my eye when we get in big shiny ... or scary...fish to butcher

3) Favorite Snack Food/Junk Food---snack: NUTS, any kind, Junk Version: beer nuts

4) Favorite Cheap Eat---when near the coast?---fried fish joint food: clam roll, soft shell crab sandwich, when elsewhere? Tongue Taco, Steak 'n Cheese or Gyro (if real)

5) Dream Job--running a recording studio on the ocean with a cafe and lodge for the musicians

6) If you weren't a chef, what would you probably be doing? Producing & promoting underground Music

7) Your idea of a romantic meal--Eating Canned Tapas with Liz at a packed bar full of boisterous Europeans

8) Most Bizarre Dish you've made-- Octopus Sauerkraut

9) Most Bizarre Dish you've eaten--Octopus Sauerkraut Reuben

11) Favorite book, favorite cookbook--Au Reboir (Against the Grain) J.K. Huysmans (French Decadent 1870's) and Charles Bukowski's Tales of Ordinary Madness.... Cookbook? - The New James Beard, City Cuisine, Marcella Hazan

12) Childhood favorite meals, snack, junk food-- Macaroni & Peas, Fried Pork Chops (When I was a teenager my stepmother used to make tuna casserole right from the Campbell's mushroom soup can...I hated it and usually skipped out on dinner but would come home later after hanging out with my friends with a real good Wayne's World style Munchie Buzz and devour the leftovers---
My favorite junk snack as a kid was crumbled Royal Lunch Milk Crackers in milk

13) First Food memory---From a third story window in New Haven, watching my dad buy Good Humor from the bicycle good humor guy and I also remember choking from my Sicilian grandmother frying hot peppers.

14) Favorite Drink: Plymouth Sonic- mosty soda witha splash of tonic and St Germain Ice Cold Iron Horse Brut Rose

15) Favorite Condiment(s)--Real French Mustard, Matouk's Sauce Forte

16) Least Favorite Condiment A-1

17) Midnight Snacks--Applegate Organic Chicken/Turkey Hot Dogs with matouk’s hot sauce and home mae kim chee

18) Food you can eat everyday and never tire of-- Bim Bap

19) Stupidest menu request you've gotten--- Filetto di pomodori- No tomatoes—figure that one out.

ADDITIONAL STUFF:

Feast Fave Cheap Meals-- Any Pizza not from New Haven, Fake gourmet food in places with whimsical food names like Scallions or The Thymes, Prefab diner food , Most chinese take out in the suburbs.

Least Favorite gadget:
Those little crank curly cutter things: I was never into women with "permanents" either.

Least Favorite Snack Food:
Plastic wrapped danish, mini muffins, donuts (not doughnuts), nachos at sporting events

Most Romantic Meal:
When I eat with Liz, all meals are romantic, even when my baby vomited down my back EXCEPT family holidays when the moon is in a bad quarter.