Oui, Chef

Oui, Chef was a force on food52 back in the fall -- runner-up in our fig contest with his Fig and Anise Clafoutis and winner of the pork and cider contest with his Cider Brined Pork with Calvados, Mustard and Thyme. When he took a 2-month hiatus from the site earlier this year, we missed him dearly -- for his well-articulated recipes, impeccably styled photos and original renderings of classic flavors, like Chicken Pot Pie Provençal and Crimson Bulleit Punch. 

When he ventured back to the site in April, he promptly received four Editors' Pick mentions in a row (feast your eyes on Sea Scallops with Puy Lentils and Fennel Cream and Smokey Caesar Salad with Rosemary to see how) -- clearly food52 is a brighter place with Oui, Chef around. He also recently took two years off work to study cooking in France and now blogs from his home in Massachusetts about teaching his five children the joys in cooking and eating. We're now trying to figure out how we can become honorary members of his brood. See Oui, Chef's profile page and fan him here.

Read his profile Q&A below:

• What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
  Cock's Combs
• What do you cook when home alone?
  A stinky cheese, mushroom and herb omelette
• Your most treasured kitchen possession:
  My wooden salt pig that I bought in Paris.
• Your ideal meal:
  Duck confit, roasted potatoes and a simple green salad.
• Something you'd like a chance to eat or cook:
  Anything by Heston Blumenthal.
• The number of bottles of wine you own:
  Embarrasingly, a few hundred.
• The ideal number of guests for a dinner party is:
  8
• Kitchen pet peeve:
  Always turning my back just before the milk boils over.
• Your favorite cookbook:
  The Balthazar Cookbook