‘He’s intense’: Chef Curtis Stone on meeting Trump – and food’s ‘nasty stuff’

Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects we’re told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics they’re given. This week, he talks to Curtis Stone. The Michelin-starred chef, 49, is based in Los Angeles, where he runs the restaurant Gwen. In 2023, he was awarded an Order of Australia medal for his service to the tourism, culinary and hospitality industries.

Curtis Stone: “When you want to show love, food is usually the thing we reach for. Family and food to me are completely interconnected.”Credit: FOX Image Collection via Getty Images

SEX

What attracts you to a person? A sense of humour. Someone who laughs a lot, who doesn’t take themself too seriously, is my kind of person.

What were your first impressions of your wife, Lindsay, when you met each other on a blind date in Los Angeles in 2009? Back then, it was probably even more unusual to go on a completely blind date. She was pretty late; I was sitting in the restaurant thinking that I’d been stood up. I’d drunk a couple of glasses of wine by the time she arrived, but when she got there, we hit it off and it felt pretty natural. Like we’d been friends for a long time. So, yeah, it was cool. A good first date.

What keeps you together now? A healthy respect for one another. Respecting someone, that’s the best place to be. You see what they do, you like it, you accept their flaws, and you work together. It’s a partnership.

Sex before or after a romantic dinner? Before and after! There’s nothing worse than the feeling of being starving or overfed. If you serve food that makes you so full you want to unbuckle your pants, I can’t think of a less sexy situation. With a tasting menu, we want our guests to leave wanting more. Give them a bite or two of something that’s sensational and make them wait for the next thing. That anticipation and longing are things you should probably be thinking about when you’re creating a menu for someone. And being thoughtful is really sexy. If you think about the person you’re cooking for, use some of their favourite ingredients, recreate one of their favourite dishes, open a bottle of their favourite wine …

DEATH

When was the last time you grieved? My father-in-law, William. We lost him four years ago. That sounds like a long time ago, but it still feels pretty fresh. It was unexpected.

Has anything helped in the grieving process? He was such a great guy. Of course, it was much harder for my wife than it was for me, and much harder for my mother-in-law than anyone. Grief is complicated. Remembering and honouring him are probably the best ways to ease the pain, but I’m not sure any of that’s easy.

Remembering and honouring people … That reminds me of how you named your restaurants Maude [closed in October and replaced with The Pie Room] and Gwen after your grandmothers. What was it about your grans that compelled you to name your restaurants after them? When you get married, you have a beautiful meal. When you celebrate someone’s birthday, you celebrate over food. When you want to show love, food is usually the thing we reach for. Family and food to me are completely interconnected. When I think about any of my big family moments, they revolve around the dinner table. Both my grannies were really, really good cooks and bakers. When I first thought about opening a restaurant, I thought I could never do the wrong thing by it, I could never be angry and I’d always show up if it was named “Maude”.

What food do you want served at your wake? I want everyone to wear white, celebrate, have fun together and drink lots of champagne. I’d like the food to be celebratory, because what’s the point of being miserable? You’re gone! It’s over! It’s finished! I’d like them to think about me and be like, “He was awesome. I had some great times with him and I’ll always remember them.” Of course, you’re sad when someone goes, I get it, but it’s a party. So lots of finger food, lots of delicious hors d’oeuvres and maybe some shellfish. And I love truffles, so maybe some truffles, too.

POLITICS

What do you want people to be mindful of when they walk down a grocery aisle? We often assume, “If the government allows it, it must be OK.” Whether that’s a chemical in food – an additive or a preservative – we just think, “If it’s legal, it must be all right.” But when you think about all the nasty stuff in food, it’s in the cheaper, processed stuff and I hate that that’s targeted towards lower-income families that don’t have the opportunity to buy organic or grow their own things. I hate the idea of people who have the least getting the least: that’s a shit system. So I think that taking matters into your own hands, as much as possible, is really important – thinking, “Right, well, if they’re talking about RSPCA-approved poultry, what isn’t RSPCA-approved poultry?” If something’s dangerous for people, we shouldn’t put it in our food. That should be simple, but it’s not how things work.

Back in 2010, you competed in Celebrity Apprentice when Donald Trump was hosting. How would you describe him? Oh god, there are so many words you could use … Of course, I knew him before he had political aspirations, but he’s intense. Opinionated. I wasn’t intimidated, but I can imagine how he could be intimidating to others.

You live in the US now. How are you feeling about the next four years under Trump? Am I feeling optimistic? No. Am I feeling super-nervous? I’m super-worried about the environment and a real downside of the new administration is that it’s not.

What does the US do better than Australia? It’s more supportive when somebody does well.

What does Australia do better than the US? Way better sense of humour.

Curtis Stone will host the World’s Longest Lunch on March 21 as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.

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