What Christmas means to celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck: it’s all about ‘spending time with my family ’
Wolfgang Puck was the first celebrity chef, opening Spago in West Hollywood in 1982. His restaurant was soon frequented by the Hollywood elite. He was the first chef to garner a regular spot on television, on ABC’s Good Morning America in 1986. He went on to win an Emmy for his series Wolfgang Puck, which debuted on The Food Network in 2000 and aired for five seasons. His new restaurant, Wolfgang Puck Kitchen, is in the arrivals hall at Hong Kong International Airport.
Californian dining at Wolfgang Puck into Hong Kong airport
To me, Christmas means … spending time with my family. I still remember the smell weeks before Christmas, as my mother would be in the kitchen baking all kinds of biscuits, gingerbread, linzer pastry and so forth.
My favourite place to spend Christmas is … Vail, Colorado. Since I grew up in the snow in Austria, going to Vail reminds me of my childhood.
My favourite Christmas memory is … I remember on Christmas Eve we lit up the Christmas tree and underneath we always found a new pair of skis or some jumpers my grandmother used to knit. After we opened all the presents, we walked through the snow to the church to listen to Christmas carols, and returned home for chocolate cake.
Who cooks at home at Christmas? … I always cooked at home at Christmas, and then the family and friends grew too large, so I opened up Spago for Christmas Eve and we would feast on some of my early childhood favourites.
My favourite Christmas dish is … goose with glazed chestnuts, red cabbage and potato dumplings.
My New Year’s resolution is … to stop procrastinating.
W ant more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter .
Puck won an Emmy for his series Wolfgang Puck, which debuted on The Food Network in 2000 and aired for five seasons