After Gail Simmons graduated from McGill University in Montreal in 1998, she had no idea what career path she wanted to follow.
“I felt lost,” she recalls. “Most of my friends were going to graduate school or law school or had a job.”
A couple months later, Simmons was advised to write down the four things she most loved to do. She wrote: Eat. Write. Travel. Cook. Next, she was asked why she wasn’t doing what she loved.
That’s how the now-43-year-old culinary expert, food writer and TV personality – best known as a judge on Bravo’s No. 1 food show, “Top Chef” – summoned the courage to leave her beloved Canada and pursue her dream of making it big by covering the New York City culinary world.
Born and raised in Toronto with two older brothers, Simmons had an interest in cooking at an early age. Her mother, Renee, was a food journalist who also taught cooking classes at home. One of Simmons’ fondest memories is when her mom showed the neighborhood men how to cook. At the end of the session, the men prepared dinner for their wives at the Simmons’ home. Her father, Ivor – who did not cook – jokingly dressed as a French maid and served the meal.
“If that happened today, it would be completely different. But, in 1982, that was the state of home cooking and how it was still regarded as the woman’s domain,” Simmons says. “Today, that has changed completely.”
After college, Simmons spent a year in Canada working as a food journalist for three publications, including the daily National Post newspaper, before enrolling in New York’s oldest culinary school, Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School (renamed The Institute of Culinary Education in 2001). Her next stop was becoming an apprentice at Le Cirque in 2000.
“It was one of the biggest restaurants in New York,” Simmons recalls. “I quickly learned how challenging restaurant life is. I was the only woman on the savory line. It is stressful, and it requires physical fortitude because we were on our feet for 12 hours a day, and we worked six days a week.”
She went on to work at Vong, a leading-edge New York restaurant.
“I knew I never wanted to be a chef,” she says. “I did it because I wanted to write about food. I wanted to get experience so I understood kitchen language. I learned that, until you are the executive chef, all the work you do every day is executing someone else’s vision. And I learned that every kitchen is different, but you always have to work as a team because you’re only as strong as the team.”
Once Simmons was satisfied that she had built a strong culinary foundation, she stepped into the New York media world, first as assistant to Vogue’s legendary food critic Jeffrey Steingarten, whom she describes as “a formidable and incredible boss.”
She adds: “He taught me how to research, write and explore the world of food deeply. He never went halfway and was an incredible mentor.”
Next came a stint as special events manager for Chef Daniel Boulud, owner of top restaurants such as Daniel, a two-star Michelin venue in New York. Simmons helped him open restaurants in Las Vegas.
“Daniel Boulud is one of the greatest chefs in the world,” Simmons says. “He taught me the business of restaurants, which is an entirely different perspective.”
In 2004, Simmons’ valuable culinary experience led her to Food & Wine, where she became special projects director for the magazine’s upscale functions, including the yearly Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.
Two years later, Bravo approached Simmons to be a judge on a new program, “Top Chef,” an elimination challenge show. By then, the food landscape had changed dramatically, and food was becoming an integral part of the entertainment world.
“It changed my life forever,” she says.
While it was a challenge to work in television, Simmons’ drama experience from school, strong public-speaking background and time working with the media in public relations made her a natural fit.
Today, Simmons is gearing up for her 17th season of “Top Chef” – an amazing accomplishment for any show.
“‘Top Chef’ has an incredible team of producers,” she says. “We kind of grew up together because we were the first big American food competition. It was a learning experience for everyone. They shoot the series in different U.S. cities and in other countries, and it takes us six to eight weeks. We are fortunate our families can travel with us.”
Clearly, she doesn’t give her personal life short shrift due to her thriving professional life. In 2008, she married Jeremy Abrams, a fellow Canadian and founder of Audiostiles, a music consulting company. They have two children, Dahlia, 5, and Kole, 17 months. The family lives in a brownstone in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, featuring a dream kitchen.
“Jeremy loves food and eating and leaves the cooking to me, but he is an excellent learner,” Simmons says.
Since gaining fame on “Top Chef,” she has certainly been busy. She published a memoir in 2012, “Talking with My Mouth Full: My Life as a Professional Eater,” followed by a cookbook in 2017, “Bringing it Home: Recipes from a Life of Adventurous Eating.”
Simmons also co-hosts “Iron Chef Canada,” the No. 1 show on Food Network Canada. Other TV roles have included serving as the head critic on “Top Chef Masters”; a host of “Top Chef Just Desserts”; and a co-host of “The Feed” on FYI.
In 2014, she and her business partner started Bumble Pie Productions, a company devoted to discovering and advancing women in the food and lifestyle sectors. Their first TV series, “Star Plates” – in collaboration with Drew Barrymore’s Flower Films and Authentic Entertainment – debuted in fall 2016 on the Food Network.
With all this on her plate, Simmons still finds time to volunteer and is an active board member of City Harvest, Hot Bread Kitchen, Common Threads and The Institute of Culinary Education.
And she’s not ready to rest on her laurels. Simmons plans to continue shooting TV shows and write another cookbook soon.
“My job has allowed me to do so much. I wanted to be a writer, and I followed my heart,” she says. “It is amazing the way things have gone.” O
Spaghettini With Burst Cherry Tomatoes & Basil
From “Bringing It Home: Favorite Recipes from a Life of Adventurous Eating” by Gail Simmons (Serves 4-6)
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghettini or other long thin pasta
- Kosher salt
- ½ cup olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 pints cherry tomatoes (about 2 pounds)
- 1½ cups basil leaves, torn and
- loosely packed
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- ¾ cup fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese
- (about 6 ounces)
- Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- cheese, for serving
- Coarsely ground black pepper
- Olive oil
Instructions
Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet or a wide, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and 1 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes; stir in the tomatoes, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until most of the tomatoes have burst, 6 to 8 minutes.
Reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, drain the pasta. Add the pasta, along with the reserved cooking water, to the pan with the sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the pasta is coated, about 30 seconds; stir in the basil and parsley.
Divide the pasta among serving plates. Dollop with the ricotta, and sprinkle with Parmesan and black pepper to taste. Drizzle with oil, and serve immediately.
5 Holiday Entertaining Tips
Gail Simmons and her husband love having guests over during the holidays. But, like most of us with busy lives, they’re often short on time. So, with the holidays just around the corner, she shares how she streamlines seasonal entertaining.
- Plan everything in advance, from the plates you’ll use to dessert.
- Make sure that one of your dishes – be it the main course or dessert – can be made in advance. Soups and stews lend themselves to being prepared a day ahead and taste better the day after.
- Don’t be bashful. Ask for help so you can enjoy the gathering.
- Decorate the table minimally with fresh or dried flowers and linen napkins, and allow the food to be the centerpiece.
- Clean up as you go so you’re not faced with a huge mess at the end.