Sleepy Hollow CC’s Executive Chef, Carlo Bigi—a native of Turin, Italy—has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants in both Italy and France.
Chef’s Thoughts is sponsored by barillafs.com.
Carlo Bigi, Executive Chef of Sleepy Hollow Country Club (Scarborough, N.Y.) has held positions at multiple highly esteemed restaurants worldwide, including Il Buco, Alimentari, and Vineria. He also led the culinary teams at two of the most trendy New York City hotspots Casa Lever and Sant Ambroeus Restaurant. Bigi also was also a part of several of Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy and France and most recently was
the Executive Chef of the Bowery Hotel in New York City.
- You’d be surprised to learn that I was born and raised in Torino, Italy. My plan was to work in the U.S. for a short time. Twelve years later I’m still here with a successful career and family.
- If I could trade places with one chef it would be Soriano Meloni, Executive Chef of the Giorgio Armani Group in Milan.
- One of my most memorable meals was at A Voce in New York City for my 30th birthday. Chef Riccardo Bilotta and his team did a stellar job.
- My go-to drink is a well made Negroni.
- My last meal would be my grandma’s tagliatelle bolognese.
- My worst culinary creation was a cocoa fettuccine I made with my sister when we were little. We used a way too much cocoa.
- If I could change one thing about my club it would be a better view from my office.
- My favorite junk food is chicken fingers.
- If I wasn’t a chef, I’d love to be an architect.
- I knew I wanted to be a chef when I started cooking with my father.
- You’ll never see escargot on the menu at my club because its is inedible to me.
- The most ridiculous member or guest request I’ve ever had was to sear a carpaccio.
- I love being a club chef because it feels like I am cooking for a private family while creating a team culture in the kitchen and watching some of our creations become club favorites.
- When I’m not in the kitchen, I’m in my back yard working on some project.
- My biggest mistake when I first started as a chef was that I knew it all.
- I cook way too al dente pasta at home, but I’d never cook it at the club.
- If I could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, it would be Anthony Bourdain.
- The most valuable piece of career advice I’ve ever received was don’t focus on where you want to be tomorrow. Instead, focus on where you want to be in 10 years.
- My favorite celebrity chef is Marco Pierre White because he is very successful while having a low-key attitude.
- The most important thing in my kitchen is teamwork and a sense of urgency.
- I want to learn more about baking because while it seems simple to execute, it’s quite complex.
- My favorite ingredient is yuzu kosho, truffle oil is the most overrated ingredient. Quality parmigiano cheese is the most undervalued ingredient. I detest licorice and I cannot live without salt and vinegar.
- I do not like to brag, but I learned two languages—English and Spanish—while working in NYC and never attended a class.
- My most embarrassing moment in the kitchen was when my Executive Chef yelled out into a full kitchen that my mom was calling to check on me.
- I’d like to see more club chefs work in each other’s kitchens for special events.
- My favorite cookbook is Kitchen Confidential.
- My favorite kitchen hack is finishing my dishes with fresh lemon and a high-quality extra virgin olive.
- I am motivated and inspired by my members’ curiosity and requests.
- The hardest service of my career was my first one while I was still an intern in a soon-to-be Michelin-starred restaurant.
- The most popular item on my menu based on sales is the 19th hole burger 31. I’d lose my job if I took it off the menu.
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Loyalty and consistency are the most important qualities in a sous chef.