Absorbing culture and passing it on through food is part of Executive Chef Nick Liberato's heritage. Raised believing that every day is a holiday which should be celebrated with food, wine, great conversation, and loved ones, Nick has been cooking professionally for 18 years, and now calls the Southern California coast his home. Nick is a personal chef to the stars, a revered cocktail mixologist, world traveler, husband, father & surfer.
As a former collegiate and professional athlete staying in shape and keeping up with my body was a part of the job description. I had to make weight and be able to perform to my fullest capabilities on the field. My diet and the food I put in my body directly affected both of those. I also grew up with a passion for food and love being in the kitchen and around food.
With my athletic background and my passion for food I was able to combine that over my years of playing to create meals to help me achieve my goals. Through trial and error in cooking I learned how to subtract calories out of some of my favorite meals but keep the flavor. Playing days are over however I am still into fitness and taking care of my body.
I spent the last year traveling and learning new recipes and flavor profiles to bring back to the kitchen.
PhreshPlate was soon born after that. I have brought some of my favorite recipes from my playing days and some of my favorite recipes from my travels. PhreshPlate the food truck will provide great tasting meals that are quick, healthy and convenient for the consumer. PhreshPlate is here to help all those who are interested in reaching their fitness goals or those who are wanting something different from the normal food truck scene.
Growing up in South Philly, many would have thought Steve Martorano didn’t stand much of a chance for more than going into the family business. With his father making only $166 a week and his uncle in the mob, Steve knew one thing – he didn’t want either of those lives for himself. But what was he to do? School was never his strong suit, so he set out on his own journey to success, but not without a few failures along the way, which only made him stronger and more determined to show the world what he is made of. After spinning records for a few years as a DJ in the 70s, Steve opened up his first delivery sandwich shop in his apartment. He was a one-man show with an increasingly popular business. His sandwiches became such a hit in South Philly that Martorano outgrew his space and opened a take out restaurant in a strip mall. Here Martorano made pizza, sandwiches, pasta dishes and homemade water ice. A few years later, the demand outgrew his location again, and Martorano moved to a freestanding, sit down restaurant. In the early 90s, the US economy took a turn for the worst and Steve lost everything. He knew it was time for a change. In 1993, he moved to Ft. Lauderdale with merely $40 to his name and opened a new restaurant on Oakland Park Boulevard – Café Martorano. 18 years later, Café Martorano has become a worldwide sensation. The restaurant chain has expanded into five locations – the original one on Oakland Park Boulevard, one at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida, at the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, at Paris Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and at Harrahs Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Martorano brand has also launched a wine label, pasta sauces, a Yo Cuz! apparel line, Jewerly line, a self published book “Yo Cuz! My Life, My Food, My Way and his second book “It Ain’t Sauce, It’s Gravy… How Food Saved my Life” published by Knopf. Steve Martorano has raised the bar for the restaurant industry. The “Godfather of Italian-American cooking” has taken the craft of cooking to new levels through a dream, persistence, and hard work. With his self-taught talent, Steve has created a venue in which as owner he is the cook, the DJ and the operator. The Martorano restaurants offer a unique atmosphere that combines exceptional food with extraordinary music and movies. This rare environment has allowed Martorano to create an ambiance that attracts clientele ranging from locals to the sexy, hip crowd to some of entertainment’s hottest celebrities, and has even been featured on television shows such as The Real Housewives of Miami and Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best? and the Jimmy Kimmel show just to name a few. Rags to riches business is the only restaurant that has managed to create a modern and cool atmosphere while maintaining that welcome-to-the-family vibe.
Chef Pete sits down with Robert Kabakoff of RHK Consulting Group. RHK Consulting Group’s founder and owner Robert Kabakoff has led an impressive career of culinary invention. He recognized his passion for cooking and baking at an early age and has been following through on that passion with determination ever since. In 1986, he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America which further fueled his drive. At twenty-five years young, he was named Executive Chef for Troon Golf and Country Club, earning Chef of the Year and winning the National Championship for Hot Food Cooking twice. After eight years as Corporate Executive Chef and Director of Culinary Training for Hillstone Restaurants, Kabakoff branched out to open his own consulting group along with restaurants in Bend, Oregon, Chicago Illinois, Spanish Fort Alabama, Cedar Rapids Iowa and Washington D.C.