Joey Altman, Pier 23 Cafe
Saturday, October 12, 2019, 10:30 am - 11:45 am
Stop by the CUESA Classroom for a cooking demo featuring the seasonal bounty of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Featuring Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company from the Saturday farmers market, this demo will kick off a week of American Cheese Month celebrations at the Ferry Building (October 12-18, 2019).
Originally from NY’s Catskill Mountains, Chef Joey Altman came out to San Francisco after cooking in France, Boston and at the famed Commander’s Palace with Emeril Lagasse to work at Jeremiah Tower’s Stars restaurant. In 1989 Chef Altman opened Miss Pearl’s Jam House where he brought his distinct style to Caribbean cuisine. In 1999 Altman opened Wild Hare, a wild game themed restaurant in Menlo Park where he partnered with the south bay’s bourgeoning family farms and ranches.
Also in 1999 Altman launched the Bay Area’s 3 time James Beard award winning cooking show, “Bay Café” where he hosted the Bay Area’s top chefs showing viewers how they could make restaurant quality dishes in their own kitchens. Then in 2001 Altman, along with Bay Area food journalist Tori Ritchie, launched the Food Network series “Appetite for Adventure”, bringing gourmet food to the great outdoors. Altman went on to host another Food Network series “Tasting Napa” where Joey introduced viewers to food and wines people, flavors and hidden gems of northern California’s wine country. In 2003 Chef Altman was made the Culinary Spokesperson for Diageo Chateau & Estates where he worked some of the Bay Area’s top winemakers promoting their wines through food pairings and cooking experiences.
In 2015 Altman was hired by Restaurateur George Chen as director of culinary operations to open San Francisco’s most ambitious restaurant project, China Live, a 3-story modern Chinese gastronomic emporium consisting of a market place, a sprawling open kitchen restaurant, an exclusive fine dining restaurant, an artisan cocktail bar and banquet hall. In 2018 Chef Altman joined the McGurrin family as their culinary director for their 35 year-old iconic San Francisco waterfront restaurant Pier 23. Here he, along with Chef Bryan Baker, is establishing this former warming hut into a world-class seafood bar & restaurant showcasing the ingredients and flavors of the bounty of the Bay Area.
All demos take place in the CUESA Classroom (under the tents in front of the Ferry Building) and are free to the public, with recipes and samples for all.