TabletStars
Nancy Silverton's Favorite Hotels
Nancy Silverton
Chef
Nancy Silverton began her delicious career in a vegetarian kitchen in Sonoma, CA. It was in this kitchen that Silverton discovered her passion for cooking and enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in London, England to pursue an “official” culinary education. After graduating with a solid foundation in culinary arts, Silverton became the assistant pastry chef at Michael’s Restaurant in Santa Monica and here decided to follow her fervor for pastry and attended the Le Notre Culinary Institute in Plasir, France to hone her skills. In 1982 Silverton returned to the states by invitation of Wolfgang Puck to be the head pastry chef at his world renowned Beverly Hills restaurant, Spago.
Living again in the US, Silverton longed for a bread with a crisp crust and a soft, airy interior, with the tang of an all-natural starter as she had tasted in Europe, and began teaching herself the ancient art of sourdough bread baking. On January 1, 1989 La Brea Bakery was born. Silverton has developed hundreds of recipes from her original sourdough, wheat and rye starters. Today, La Brea Bakery’s freshly baked breads are available in 7 different countries, and maintain the same signature taste, texture and quality that was born in a 1,500 sq. ft. kitchen on S. La Brea Avenue over 15 years ago.
For her contribution to culinary culture, Silverton was awarded the James Beard Foundation’s Pastry Chef of the Year award in 1990.
Silverton is still busy creating in the kitchen. Her seventh cookbook, “Twist of the Wrist”, was released in March of 2007. In November of 2006, Silverton opened Mozza, with partners Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, a two-part restaurant including a pizzeria and an osteria centered around a mozzarella bar where Silverton will make her infamous mozzarella creations and serve them to seated guests. This is Silverton’s first restaurant opening since leaving Campanile, the restaurant she opened with partners Mark Peel and Manfred Krankl in 1989.
Silverton is also actively involved in the Garden School Project in Los Angeles and the Meals-on-Wheels program in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. Through these programs, Silverton is dedicated to sharing her love of food with two different generations - the Garden School Project’s commitment to nutritional education in public grade schools and raising funds and awareness for the elderly that are fed daily by Meals-on-Wheels.
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Hotel de Russie
Rome, Italy
"This is my favorite hotel in Rome. It is very modern, cool and hip, but classy at the same time. The rooms are not huge, but they are very comfortable. The location is superb. You walk out the lobby and Rome awaits. A short, charming walk away are the Spanish Steps, St. Peters and the Vatican and so many high class shops you might have to call your credit card company and increase your limit."
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Post Ranch Inn
Big Sur, CA, USA
"This is my favorite hotel in the world. Set on fabled Pacific Coast Highway, aka Highway One, it is a spectacular location of the beautiful California coast. Some of the rooms are set in trees, some set off alone. If you want a romantic place, this is the spot. If you don't make out with your mate here, you might as well throw him - or her - into the beautiful sea."
Travel stars and their hotel picks:
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Actor
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CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi
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Actor
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Author, Wine Expert
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Supermodel
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Swimsuit Designer
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Founder and CEO of Joie de Vivre Hospitality
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Chef
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Chef
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Architect/Designer
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One of the fastest growing, most innovative airlines in the world.
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Architect
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Chef
