For Mediaplanet's 2018 "Restaurants in America" cover story, I spoke to three of the most exciting faces in food: Katz's Delicatessen's Jake Dell, Milk Bar's Christina Tosi, and a man who needs no introduction, Guy Fieri. The issue was distributed with USA Today.

Christina Tosi photographed in Brooklyn, New York.

I am on my third iced coffee, which has become lukewarm due to neglect and New York's blistering summer heat. I glance out the window as cabs splash past and crowds rush around to arrive at specific destinations at particular times. The table is littered with remnants of my lunch, huevos en salsa de chile guajillo.

Looking down at what's left of the meal, I realize that perhaps I've always been a bit too enthusiastic about food. While my weight and diet have fluctuated tremendously over the past decade, my love and appreciation for food have remained constant.

This love has only intensified since moving to New York in 2013. You can't walk a single block in the city without passing at least one restaurant storefront. Bustling pizzerias sit next to dimly lit sushi bars. In fact, if you ate 3 meals a day, it would take you 22.9 years to eat at every restaurant in New York City.

I recently had the privilege of sitting with three of the most exciting faces in food to discuss how restaurants are changing, and what foodies around the country can look forward to in 2018 and beyond.

Christina Tosi is the chef and founder of Milk Bar, which was recently named one of the most exciting bakeries in the country by Bon Appétit. Jake Dell is the third-generation owner of the infamous Jewish deli Katz's Delicatessen, who recently made headlines for opening an outpost in downtown Brooklyn. And, of course, a conversation about food wouldn't be a conversation about food without the iconic restauranteur, best-selling author, and Emmy-award-winning television personality Guy Fieri.

When did you first discover your love for food?

Christina: Food is in my DNA. I was raised by a family who cooked and baked for every occasion. Food is our love language. The kitchen has been and always will be the center of any home that I’m in. It doesn’t hurt that I have very sweet teeth. [laughs] I live for dessert. When I was a little girl, I’d dream of cookies. I used to steal spoonful after spoonful of cookie dough. After I graduated college, the only thing I could imagine spending the rest of my life doing was making food. I moved to New York for pastry school, worked in fine dining, and started the Momofuku dessert program. We’re now in the tenth year at Milk Bar, and every day I’m thinking about a new store, new flavors, or how to bring Milk Bar to more people.

Guy: When I was a kid, my parents were kind of hippies… in the bulgur wheat, granola kind of way. [laughs] When I was a kid, I didn’t get it and complained about dinner all the time. I wanted real chicken parmesan, not eggplant! So, one day, my mom said to me, “If you’re going to complain about what we make you for dinner, go ahead and make it yourself.” It was on. I went to the butcher, picked out some beautiful steaks, came home and grilled them up. I’d never been more nervous about something as I was presenting that steak to my dad. But after he took a bite, he turned to me and said “Guy, that might be the best steak I’ve ever had,” and I knew right then what I was meant to do.

Jake, at one point you were studying medicine. What made you decide to take on the family business?

Jake: It’s something that my father and uncle did for many years and my grandfather did years before that. I grew up here. I grew up in the business. As an adult, being here is intoxicating. The customers are wonderful, the staff is wonderful. To be able to serve a classic tradition — not just food, but an experience — is unlike anything else.

As you continue to grow your business, which traditions are you honoring, and which are you changing?

The famous Katz's pastrami sandwich photographed by Bobby Doherty.

Jake: All of the food traditions can never be changed. It’s the core of who we are. All the classic foods — pastrami, corn beef, brisket, turkey, matzo ball soup — need to be prepared in a very traditional way. That’s something that will never change. On the other hand, there are efficiency-related things that can always be improved. It’s the non-glamourous accounting or inventory tasks… the work that no one sees but is crucial to the business. That’s where innovation can happen. The restaurant business is very different from the business of restaurants.

Speaking of innovation, from apps like UberEats to platforms like Instagram and Facebook, technology has changed the restaurant business in many ways. Can you talk a bit about the role technology plays in your business?

Jake: The experience of the deli isn’t going to change, but now I can bring the experience closer to the customers. I can grow my catering business. I can send a cutter to a party, corporate event, or wedding. I can make things more convenient. I can ship an order to any state. I opened a shop in Brooklyn to make it easier for people to grab and go. There are these different elements that support the core of who we are without changing that core. Every day we’re sending orders from Oregon to Florida, to California, up to Maine and everywhere in-between. Sometimes it’s ex-New Yorkers who are craving it. Other times its someone who saw the deli on Food Network and want to experience it for themselves.

Christina: A huge part of my business is done online. One of the beautiful things about technology is that you can reach a lot more people. You can reach them, but to feed them, that must be done in person. Each needs the other these days. It’s thrilling to see the innovation grow between the two industries. I’m an overly enthusiastic, highly impatient person, so the one-click-and-it’s-at-your-doorstep access technology brings me every day helps feed my imagination.

“You have to love doing it when no one is looking; when everyone else has gone to bed at night, and when it doesn’t pay the bills.”

Guy: In the most general of terms, I’d say that every restaurant needs to find its niche and serve it well. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Listen to your team and your guests and hone in on your sweet spot. There are a lot of great restaurants that seem like slam dunks but ultimately die on the vine. Sometimes it’s just inexplicable. But there is a theme; sometimes you see someone who opens their restaurant with a certain arrogance that they can’t possibly fail. And that’s when your guard goes down. I know how fickle the business is and as a company, we never let our guard down. We are lucky enough to have had some success, but that only ups the stakes. Go into a new place like you’re entitled to success and you can count your days.

Fieri's signature Trash Can Nachos, featuring layers of tortilla chips piled with black beans, queso, pico de gallo, crema, cotija, jalapeños, and pickled onions.

What do you still want to accomplish inside or outside of the food world?

Christina: I’m just getting started. It has really been a dream to see Milk Bar expand over the years. I’ve worked with amazing brands, like creating a line of branded merch and a baking mix with Madewell, lip gloss with Glossier, and being part of SoulCycle’s first ever food offering. I want to find new, bigger and better ways to connect with the world; to inspire them, to mentor them, to remind them that every minute, every day is an opportunity to make a difference, to bring a smile to someone, to do something goofy, to let go of whatever it is you are carrying. Every day is worthy of a celebration.

Guy: I spend a lot of time working on restaurants, shooting TV, writing books, yada yada. But at the end of the day, the only thing I’ve ever really wanted to be is a great dad, husband, and son. My family is my top priority day in and day out, and without them, I couldn’t do anything else.

Jake, your deli has seen its share of famous faces. Do you have a favorite celebrity that you’ve served?

Jake: Danny DeVito is a regular, he’s great. [laughs] But I don’t give anyone special treatment. They still have to wait in line. If I start choosing favorites, they’re going to want to cut the line and I can’t have that. ■

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