David Coleman of Michael's on Naples, Part 2

Photo by Kimberly Valenzuela

​Today, 

OCW: After-work hangout:

DC: Anywhere that sells a good craft beer.

OCW: If you could cook for one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

DC: If I can only pick one person whose opinion I value, then it would be my wife, Amy. She has always been there for me and she laughs at my jokes.

OCW: Favorite celebrity chef:

DC: Anthony Bourdain, that guy is living the dream.

OCW: Celebrity chef who should shut up:

DC: Guy Fieri refers to himself as a "kulinary gangsta." I think if you have a meal at TGI Friday's you have the option of being jumped into his gang.

OCW: What's next for you?

DC: I'm currently working on a second restaurant project.

OCW: Proudest moment as a chef:

DC: When Michael's on Naples received a 27 rating for food in the Zagat Guide.

OCW: Favorite music to cook by:

DC: Motorhead

OCW: Best food city in America:

DC: San Francisco

OCW: What you'd like to see more of in Orange County or Long Beach from a culinary standpoint:

DC: A stronger restaurant community dedicated to locally grown and sourced products, one that connects with the local cities to encourage people to more clearly understand what they're putting in their bodies. A large part of this would be seeing a county-funded certified Farmers Market with an emphisis on Slow Food education - one that would rival San Francisco's Ferry Building or the weekly Santa Monica market.

OCW: Favorite cookbooks:

DC: Charcuterie by Ruhlman and Polcyn, The River Cottage by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Keller's Bouchon, The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating by Fergus Henderson.

OCW: Weirdest thing you've ever eaten:

DC: Chili and lime covered ants in Mexico... or maybe a can of Dinty Moore stew.

OCW: You're making an omelet. What's in it?

DC: Prosciutto and Parmesano Reggiano.

OCW: You're at the market. What do you buy two of?

DC: Loaves of bread.

OCW: Weirdest customer request:

DC: Can you cook my crudo? Or do you have chips and salsa?

OCW: Favorite restaurant(s) other than your own:

DC: Bouchon, Chez Pannisse, Babbo, Incanto... and it's not a "restaurant" but I really respect what Taylor Boetticher of The Fatted Calf is doing right now.

OCW: Hardest lesson you've learned:

DC: The customer doesn't care how rough your day has been.

OCW: What would be the last meal on Earth be?

DC: A bowl of my mother's Irish stew.

OCW: Who's your hero? Culinary or otherwise?

DC: Hero is a strong word. I greatly respect Thomas Keller, but who doesn't?

OCW: What cuisine that you are unfamiliar with would you want to learn more about and why?

DC: The more I learn about any cuisine the less I feel I know, but I think a lesson on Vietnamese cuisine would be interesting.