GETTING OUR MEALS HOLIDAY READY WITH CHEF DAVID ROSE

As the year comes to an end, entertaining becomes an even bigger part of our activities! Whether it’s a full feast or nibbles and the perfect sips - hanging out with friends, family and co-workers focus on kicking back and letting great conversation flow! Over the past couple of years during a number of summer and winter holidays, we have connected with Chef David Rose to talk about grilling, Omaha Steaks and some of his greatest tips. You can also hear us chat this summer on our podcast episode of Athleisure Kitchen, which was around the 4th of July. So it’s great that we have the opportunity to chat with him again and to find out what he is up to. In addition, you’ll get to hear from him in our DEC ISSUE #84 (drops Dec 30th) to hear him as well as a few of our other faves in NEW YEAR, N3W YOU!

ATHLEISURE MAG: When we last chatted with you, obviously we were talking about your cookbook EGGIN’ as you were doing a number of TV segments on this, you were heading into Essence Fest in New Orleans and you were going to do a segment which we enjoyed watching for Macy’s 4th of July, so it’s always great to connect with you to see what’s going on with you!

CHEF DAVID ROSE: Thank you! It was such a great summer and I had a great time with so many opportunities from going on TV to food festivals and just hanging out with the community of chefs and food enthusiasts! I always like seeing your face and giving you updates on what’s going on with me and Omaha Steaks.

AM: You’re the grilling man. Does it expedite the cooking as opposed to using other appliances?

CHEF DR: Definitely! For me, when you thaw it out and you get it to room temperature before you cook it, grilling is great. The thing that it comes down to when it comes to grilling is knowing your temperature zones. You want to have a hotter side for searing and a cooler or a lower heat side when you want to get to that nice temp. So what I like doing especially when you get to your bigger steaks – that Tomahawk Ribeye, one of my favorites, 36oz – thrilling and delicious. You want to get that to about 10° below your target temperature. So in my case, I like a good rare/medium rare, so I’ll choose a range between 110° and 115°. This way, I will get a nice hard and long sear on the hot side, let it rest, because you want to let your meat rest for 8-10 mins. Something about that grill, that charcoal, that smoke and the flame – it’s that secret ingredient! That’s my flavor of choice when it comes to cooking on the grill. But even when you use the stove, the oven – it’s going to be a hit with Omaha Steaks!

AM: This is good to know! Nothing is worse than having a gorgeous tablescape, the aromas are in the air, you took those pictures for IG, but the food is varying forms of lukewarm temperatures! How do we make sure that all of it stays hot?

CHEF DR: You are not the only one! Actually, a quarter of Americans say that their top stress in holiday meal planning is timing. It’s all about timing! Everybody wants to have hot and ready food at the same time! If I come to your house, and you say that dinner is at 7pm, not 7:01pm or 7:02pm – we better be eating at 7pm! Do as much prep as you can the day before so that you don’t have to feel like you’re hosting and doing a juggling act with the oven and the microwave! Certain sides and desserts can be prepared the day before and be warmed up right before dinner to save on time so that you can focus on those main items, entertaining your guests and spending time with your loved ones because that’s what the holiday is all about - spending time with your guests.  

AM: What is your biggest holiday hack that you can share with us?

CHEF DR: My biggest holiday hack is including homemade and pre-prepared foods. Again, hosting can be stressful, so why add more stress and everyone wants to deliver on deliciousness. So it’s ok to not make everything from scratch. It’s alright, it’s ok and it means less time on the kitchen, less stress and more time at the table with loved ones. So mix up the pre-prepared meals and the items with some scratch meals, there’s no shame in the game and it gives you time to hang out with your family for a moment or two and to just have a great time.

We hope that you got some great tips from Chef David Rose and if you have yet to check out Omaha Steaks for yourself, are looking at rounding out your holiday meals this season or gifting someone, we suggest:Butcher’s Deluxe Feast, Tis The Season Gift Collection and/or Joyful Holiday Assortment.

IG @chefdavidrose

@omahasteaks

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE GRILL MASTER | CHEF DAVID ROSE

You don't need an excuse to come together with friends and family for great conversation and good food! If you opt to make it more of an intimate affair with your significant other or to enjoy solo, a great meal is always welcome!

In Nov 2020, we chatted with Chef David Rose about how to prepare for the holiday season. At that time, we were navigating the pandemic and celebrations looked different from years past. As we continue to navigate the new normal, we're excited to think about fun times ahead! We talk about his first cookbook EGGin': David Rose Cooks on the Big Green Egg (Volume 4), the art of grilling and how we can create great meals for Father's Day and other events that we're excited about - even if it's just a random day ending in "y."

ATHLEISURE MAG: Since we last talked, EGGin Volume 4 came out late last year. Can you share with our readers about this cookbook?

CHEF DAVID ROSE: I’m really excited about this! EGGin’ is in it’s 4th volume but it’s my first cookbook! This cookbook has everything from mains, sides, salads and desserts – everything that you need is in there that you want that can be grilled! It’s your heart’s desire! It’s just a celebration of food, a celebration of every culture, every region – every state has their own culture of open fire barbecue and open grilling. From asado in South America, to North Carolina in the South to Alabama to Texas to Korean and Jamaican. So this book covers it all and pays an homage to everything and doing it in a sensational way. We have the honor of hitting #1 on Amazon for a couple of days back in Feb around my birthday. So it was the perfect celebration for my 40th! So, the book is huge and it’s doing very well.

AM: Every time we see you on Instagram, Good Morning America etc – it’s like, that man loves to grill!

CHEF DR: I do! If you can’t see my Instagram and don’t know that I love grilling, I don’t know how else to show it!

AM: What is it about grilling that you love and why is it good to prepare foods in this way?

CHEF DR: For me it’s just something that, the cave men got it right all that time ago, thousands of years ago. Raw meats, fire – put it right on there! If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I’m from the school of utilizing that and the Jamaican culture, I’ve grown up around these amazing grilled foods – especially jerk chicken and there’s something about the grill being the secret ingredient where you can infuse flavor with different types of wood, different types of marinades and anytime you smoke something, brown is flavor, brown is deliciousness. You get that great char on there and it brings out that deep caramelization, sweetness and savoriness and fruits and vegetables and finish. I’m one of those guys where grill season – I don’t know what grill season is – for me, it’s 24/7, 365 and even if it’s snowing – the grill is still going to be hot so we’re going to have to cook!

AM: Well, for people who aren’t familiar with grilling – let’s say those that it’s their first time. What are 3 tips that you have for someone who has that grill, but they’re not sure about using it?

CHEF DR: Yes, yes ok. The first thing I would say is that a clean grill, is a happy grill. Every time you finish and start up, you want to brush off all that debris, grit and grime. There could be an accumulation of food, maybe a critter that might have got up in there. Because you don’t want none of that on your food. After you’re done cleaning it, always use an oil with a high smoke point to oil it down like a grape seed oil, canola, vegetable oil – because the last thing you want to do is to spend all that time seasoning and marinating and then the meat, protein or vegetables stick to the grill. You always want to oil the grate so that the food releases. That way, you can taste it and eat it.

I’d also recommend secondly, getting a digital meat thermometer. That way, it takes all of the guesswork out of whether the steak is ready or not ready. Is your chicken 165° yet? A high quality digital read out thermometer is a great investment!

And 3, get a copy of EGGIN’, David Rose Cooks from the Big Green Egg and keep your freezer chock full of Omaha Steaks so you can be ready to grill from your hearts desire! There is a Harris Poll that was done earlier this year that says 83% of Americans agree that having high-quality meat on-hand to prepare at a moment’s notice would make their lives easier. So with those three things, I think that those are pretty good tools to get them started.

AM: I love it and like you’re saying, grilling can take place any time of year! I’m originally from Indiana, I live in NY, I love a grilled meal! Now that it’s the summertime and with all the holidays coming up, how do we stay grill ready in terms of keeping our fridges stocked?

CHEF DR: You know, the great thing about working with Omaha Steaks is that we carry a variety of steaks, poultry, seafood, ready to eat sides and meals. The steaks are expertly carved and trimmed and we age them, especially our Private Reserve for a minimum of 35 days and that maximizes tenderness. We do a flash freezing process and what that means is that when the food is at the height of perfection, the flash freezing presses that pause button and until you thaw it out, it’s going to remain in that status of deliciousness. It’s a great thing to have everything at the ready because you never know when you’re hearts desire or a craving might hit. So it lets us do the hard work for you – by delivering you those quality meats and having those recipes that we do have on the website where we have them for days like Father's Day. I have a sensational recipe with their Private Reserve filet and it’s a Blue Cheese and Chive Compound Butter and a loaded Hasselback Potato. I’m not sure if you know what a Hasselback Potato is -

AM: Oh, I know my potatoes!

CHEF DR: Ok, ok you know! Hasselback Potato, thinly sliced, cheese, bacon and sour cream – that and the filet, it’s love! What better way to show dad or yourself, how much you care and to love yourself with our steaks that can be delivered anytime because that’s the gift that keeps on giving – at least until you eat it.

AM: Once again, what’s really great about this time of year is the impromptu nature of things. Whether you have a deck, backyard, rooftop, front stoop or wherever you’re eating. If we’re coming to your house for an impromptu meal, what are you making for us?

CHEF DR: Alright, well definitely there will be a ribeye on there. The ribeye is my favorite and we carry this Ribeye Crown Steak – it’s the ribeye cap, the most tender and coveted part of the steak so you’re definitely going to find some of those. We have some sensational St Louis ribs so you will find some of that. I’m Jamaican so I’m going to have to have some of my snapper on there. We serve Jamaican Snapper Escovitch with a marinade of pickled onions, scotch bonnet peppers, pimento, garlic and whenever I’m cooking especially around my family, spices are always in the mix. Of course, Lobster Mac & Cheese because what is a barbecue without Macaroni & Cheese and just make it better with Omaha Steaks Lobster Tails so it’s a win-win.

AM: A lot of people when they’re grilling, they do think about meats and vegetables. But the grill can also be used for a lot of things. What are dishes that people don’t realize that are totally a grillable food?

CHEF DR: Oh yeah! In EGGin’, there’s quite a few cocktails – smoked cocktails. We have a Charred Pineapple Margarita, we have a Grilled Watermelon Sangria and also smoking adds a really good element to baking! You can bake sweet items on there. We have a Smoked Peach Crostata a Jamaican Rum Raisin Bread Pudding – so the great thing about the Egg and grilling on it is that it can go low and slow, it can do hot and fast and once you put the plates on there called the convector, that essentially turns the Egg into a convection oven. So then you can bake, do pizzas and anything that your heart desires. There is nothing that I have yet to throw at the Egg that it can’t do. So that along with the Omaha Steaks with their meats, poultry and sides, you can’t lose.

AM: I love hearing about this and is there anything that you can share that’s coming up that we should keep our eye out for whether it’s more cookbooks, TV segments etc?

CHEF DR: Yes for sure! I have a couple of really good events coming up in the near future! I have Essence Fest which I will do for the very first time that’s coming up in July so I’m very excited about that! I have a book signing and a demo coming up with that! I will also do the Macy’s NBC 4th of July Fireworks Special and I will do a demo for that as well! It’s kind of exciting as well as a surreal moment! Growing up in NJ, I would always watch it so it’s a full circle moment. We have some great recipes coming down the pipeline, even more deliciousness with Omaha Steaks not just for Father’s Day but for everyday consumption for meals and Sunday cooking with the family.

AM: Well Chef, that’s a lot that’s going on and congratulations on everything! A few years ago I did Essence Fest for the My Black is Beautiful booth where I shared style tips and get ready! There are a lot of people that come through there so definitely eat your Wheaties!

CHEF DR: I’m ready – I stay in shape, I’m ready!

IG @chefdavidrose

PHOTO CREDITS | PG 60 Omaha Steaks | PG 63 - 67 Facebook/Chef David Rose |

Read the JUN ISSUE #78 of Athleisure Mag and see THE GRILL MASTER Chef David Rose in mag.