Celebrity chef Jet Tila and his better half, pastry chef extraordinaire Ali Tila, have a newly released cookbook, “101 Epic Dishes: Recipes That Teach You How to Make the Classics Even More Delicious,” and we honestly cannot get enough of these recipes, especially since so many of them can be made using Melissa’s produce.
Ali’s Coconut Chia Pudding with Almonds and Fresh Berries is an amazing start to any morning and the recipe for the New Mexico Green Chile Stew couldn’t be any more perfect for Hatch season. If you’re vibing the plant-based lifestyle pretty hard, then the Roasted Cauliflower Steak with Agrodulce, Golden Raisins, and Pine Nuts has your name all over it!
Watch Ali and Jet Tila in this live cooking demo, where they show you how to make the pudding and cauliflower recipes in Melissa’s kitchen.
Clearly, we couldn’t agree more with Duff Goldman, pastry chef, and star of Cake Masters, who also raves about this book, “From rice to meats to soup to vegetables, Chef Jet & Ali take the mystery out of cooking, and, I promise, you will blow yourself away from the very first recipe you try.” Convinced? You can purchase a copy of the book here.
Learning to understand the fundamental cooking techniques (like dry and wet heat), that make these classic recipes so successful, will set you up to create some of your own classics that you can pass down to the next generation in your family.
As a long-time fan and friend of Jet Tila, his reputation precedes the relationship, we were so happy to see him and Ali Tila come together to create their first cookbook together.
In an opportunity to learn more about celebrity chef Jet Tila, we played a quick-fire round of 21 questions. Who knew — Jet might have been a tiger in another life.
21 Questions With Jet Tila
If I weren’t a chef I’d be: Police Officer
The best career advice I’ve gotten: Work your butt off, but enjoy the ride and smell some roses sometimes.
Three kitchen gadgets I can’t live without: Knife, thermometer & cutting board.
Best plate of food I’ve created is: Any cooking with my kids.
Favorite perk of the job: Working with my heroes like Alton, Bobby & Guy.
How I decompress after a busy day: Hanging with my family.
Culinary technique I’m most known for in the kitchen: Cooking Asian food.
A single ingredient I can’t live without: Fish sauce
Culinary travel destination on my bucket list: San Sebastian
Favorite holiday food memory: Cooking Chinese New Year with my Mom’s Mom.
The first recipe I made: Fried rice
Tila kitchen must-haves: Knives, Boos blocks and Staub Dutch Ovens
My spirit animal is a: Tiger
Where you’ll find me on my day off: Fishing
If you bought me a drink at a bar it would be: Diet Coke
If I’m trying to be healthy, I eat: Less meat
Superhero power I’d want to have: Flight
Who taught me how to cook: Mom’s Mom
Recipe we should try first from the book? Spanish Tortilla
What was the last thing you created? Opportunity
Favorite Melissa’s Produce item? Any and all of the exotic fruit! It’s the best in the world!
