Amanda Freitag

Rarely will a chef tell you that they did not "catch the cooking bug" from working in a kitchen. Chef Amanda Freitag is one of them. While in high school, Amanda was encouraged by her Home Economics teacher to seriously look into the culinary field as a career. Amanda's teacher accompanied her to the Culinary Institute of America's "Taste of the C.I.A" and there is where she fell in love with cooking.

Upon graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in 1989, she decided to test her skills, so she moved to the Florida Keys to learn all she could about seafood. She realized she could not stay away from New Jersey area, especially New York City. The city was where she knew the cooking was for her.

Amanda took her second cooking position working behind the stoves of the famed Vong Restaurant for Jean-Georges Vongerichten. At Vong, Amanda experienced fusion cuisine while learning Thai ingredients and French techniques. After a couple of years, she left and accepted a position at Verbena working for Diane Forley. After an incredible mentor experience and six years at Verbena, Amanda left and became the opening Chef de Cuisine of the Dining Room. But her love for Mediterranean cuisine enticed Amanda to accept a position as a sous chef at Il Buco. During her stint at Il Buco, she learned and refined her skills of authentic rustic Italian cuisine. Lured away by a position as the chef of Lavagna on the Lower East Side, she came into her own and created a loyal following and an excellent palate for Italian. Her latest and most exciting project is Cesca where she is the chef de cuisine under the direction of Tom Valenti, famed chef of Ouest. Cesca has opened with critical acclaim and great attention in its first month and is sure to be a success.

 

Chef's Recipes :

Rigatoni "alla Basilicata"

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