Susan Feniger
Susan Feniger is an award-winning American chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and radio and TV personality considered to be a leading authority on Latin American cuisine in the United States.
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Career [edit]
Restaurants [edit]
After working together in Chicago and Paris, Feniger and her longtime collaborator, Mary Sue Milliken, settled in Los Angeles where they founded the critically acclaimed City Cafe in 1981. They eventually expanded to a larger space on La Brea Blvd., renaming the establishment CITY Restaurant. In 1985, they opened the Mexican restaurant Border Grill in the original City Cafe space, before moving it to Santa Monica in 1990. The restaurant later expanded to Pasadena (closed) and the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. Broadening their culinary horizons Feniger and her partner opened the Latin flavor Ciudad in Los Angeles in 1998. The success of the three restaurants has often led Feniger and Milliken to be recognized for single-handedly changing LA's culinary landscape.[1][2]
In April 2009, Feniger opened her first solo project Street, a multi-ethnic eatery of "street food" in Hollywood. Sample dishes include: millet puffs, paani puri, Massamum chicken curry, dumplings, Egyptian-style baked fish and peanut butter cookies for dessert.[3][4]
Publishing, television, and film [edit]
In collaboration with Milliken and others, Feniger has published five cookbooks: City Cuisine (1989), Mesa Mexicana (1994), Cantina: The Best of Casual Mexican Cooking (Casual Cuisines of the World) (1996), Cooking with Too Hot Tamales (1997) and Mexican Cooking for Dummies (1999/2002).[5]
Feniger is also a seasoned TV personality, starring with Milliken in 396 episodes of the popular Too Hot Tamales and Tamales World Tour on the Food Network in the 1990s. Prior to the shows on the Food Network, in 1993 Feniger and Milliken appeared with Julia Child in her PBS series Cooking with Master Chefs. Feniger has also appeared on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and prepared with Milliken the food that was served in the 2001 movie, Tortilla Soup.[6]
Most recently, Feniger appeared on the second season of Top Chef Masters that aired in 2010. She was the last female chef in the competition, eliminated following a challenge to create a dish fit for the gods. Feniger's creation for Aphrodite was Kaya toast served with a soy-glazed egg and coconut jam.[7] She raised $32,500 for The Scleroderma Research Foundation. "It's an honor to be on that show and have Schleroderma [sic] Research Foundation out there in the public eye," she said in an interview with SlashFood. "I've gotten so many email messages and Facebook messages from all over the country. So for me, I'm totally the winner in this.[8]
Personal life [edit]
Feniger is from Toledo, Ohio, and is the daughter of Ruth Alice and Yale Feniger.[9][10] She was raised in a Jewish home.[11] Feniger graduated from Pitzer College in 1976. She was a founding board member of the Scleroderma Research Foundation and has served on the organization's board since 1988.[12]
Feniger also serves on the board of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center.[13] She identifies as lesbian and her partner is Liz Lachman.[14][15]
References [edit]
- ^ Too Hot Tamales.
- ^ Shindler, Merrill (April 7, 2009). On the Street With Susan Feniger.
- ^ A taste of Susan Feniger's Street. March 29, 2009.
- ^ "Susan Feniger's STREET". Eatatstreet.com. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
- ^ About.
- ^ Susan Feniger.
- ^ "Daily Dish". Los Angeles Times. May 27, 2010.
- ^ Ayers, Michael D. (May 28, 2010). "Chatting with the Latest Exiled Top Chef". Slashfood. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
- ^ http://www.toledoblade.com/Food/2001/10/23/Culinary-trailblazers.html
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-feniger/passover-food_b_2868954.html
- ^ "Board of Directors". Scleroderma Research Foundation. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
- ^ "About Susan". marysueandsusan.com. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
- ^ Interview with Susan Feniger | AfterEllen.com. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ Stern, Keith (2009). Queers in History. Dallas, Tex.: BenBella. p. 163. ISBN 978-193377187-8.
