Duff Goldman (Courtesy of Food Network) Yes, the “Ace of Cakes” can also cook.
“I feel like everybody’s always really surprised when they learn I can cook,” chef, artist, entrepreneur and TV personality Duff Goldman said. “I’ve been working at restaurants since I was 14.”
Duff’s first major foray into television was on the hit Food Network show “Ace of Cakes,” which took place in his famous Baltimore bakery, Charm City Cakes. He now lives in Topanga, and has starred in other shows on Food Network including “Cake Masters,” the “Baking Championship” series and “Duff Takes The Cake.”
In his new Food Network show, “Ace of Taste,” he gets back to cooking basics, hosting a show like the ones he used to love watching as a kid. When Goldman was four, his mother caught him in the kitchen with a meat cleaver. He had been watching “Chef Tell.”
Like Goldman, the tone of “Ace of Taste” is homey and user-friendly. The chef’s love of cooking and baking shines through.
“I do lots of competition shows and travel shows, but I’ve never been able to do [one] in the kitchen, behind the counter, explaining the food that I cook,” he said.
Goldman said that with competition cooking shows, there’s not enough time to really delve into how to cook the dishes.
“What’s nice about the way that I cook and try to convey information is I try to do it in [simple] English,” he said. “Put some of this in there, put some of that in there, stir it around, let it cook for a while. You’re good.”
Goldman’s cooking style is hearty, and he makes family-friendly food. Plus, there’s plenty of Jewish influence.
Growing up, Goldman would spend plenty of time with his mother, grandmother and great-grandmother in the kitchen. His mom’s specialty is brisket — watch for a potential “brisket-off” between mother and son in season two. He gets his baking sense from his great-grandmother, who has apple strudel, babka and baklava recipes. Goldman’s version of the baklava is in the “Bake Sale” episode of “Ace of Taste.”
“A lot of [her recipes] are a little Sephardic, which is weird, ‘cause like she’s a hundred percent Eastern European,” he said. “Like the way that she makes strudel, for example, is not like they’re doing in Eastern Europe. She takes these apples and cooks them down to like a marmalade [that’s] really, really thick.”
Goldman caramelizes the apples a little bit, reduces the sauce and keeps stirring until it’s golden. “It’s delicious,” he said. “But that’s not how you’re supposed to make [an Austrian] strudel.”
As Jews, we do a lot of stews, Goldman added.
Our cooking comes from Warsaw, Vienna, Germany, Poland. It comes from regions where you cook for 12 people in a two-bedroom apartment.” – Duff Goldman
“We make it really good, but it’s [urban] peasant food,” he said. “Our cooking comes from Warsaw, Vienna, Germany, Poland. It comes from regions where you cook for 12 people in a two-bedroom apartment.”
Goldman’s Jewishness goes beyond food.
“The culture of tzedakah really stuck with me,” Goldman said. “And also the importance that [Jews] put on education.”
It’s not just about going to school and getting good grades; it’s about learning and really understanding things. Goldman tells people who are going to culinary school: Don’t try to get straight A’s. It doesn’t matter. If you understand what you’re doing, you’ll get straight A’s anyway. And, when you find something fascinating, learn everything you can.
“The nice thing about cooking is that there is always something to learn.” – Duff Goldman
“The nice thing about cooking is that there is always something to learn,” he said. “There’s so much to do and see and try and perfect. The other nice thing about it is that it’ll never get boring, because there’s always more to learn and you’re always getting better at it.”
Goldman said he’s still working on a cheesecake recipe and has “two cookies that are exactly the way I want them to be.”
Goldman, who describes his upbringing as “American Jew,” built an 8’ by 4’ wood table in his kitchen.
“Everything’s going to happen here,” he said. “Homework’s going to happen here, projects are going to happen here, cooking happens here, discussions happen here. It’s the center of [the] house, and that’s a very Jewish thing.” ■
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