Meet Chef Biron

Name-dropping doesn’t come easily to Chef Bruce Biron, but it’s hard to avoid when you’ve pleased such a wide range of prominent palates—the Dalai Lama, Hillary Clinton, Yasser Arafat, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, and several members of the Kennedy family, to name a few. Also, when recounting life experiences on the other side of the kitchen door, how does one neglect to mention cooking with Julia Child, Jacques Pépin, the U.S. Culinary Olympic Chefs, and an assortment of other highly regarded culinary masters? Chances are it’s going to come up in conversation.

For Biron, executive chef at Stanford University, life’s brushes with celebrity have provided plenty of perks. Yet, these are secondary to the many rewards he derives from perfecting his passion: an eclectic repertoire of healthy, wholesome and delectable dishes that fit today’s lifestyles, while remaining true to their natural and cultural roots. This collection is highlighted in Biron’s new book, California Healthy. In it, he has painstakingly gathered recipes for the best, and most nutritious and culturally genuine dishes he’s had the pleasure to prepare.

“I like to see a great diversity of healthy foods on the menu, and make sure the integrity of the food, based on where it comes from, is as authentic as possible,” he explains. “That was my main focus in creating this book.”

When it comes to introducing this varied collection of dishes, Stanford provides the perfect venue. The university caters to a student body that hails from all corners of the globe, and also has strong vegetarian and vegan contingents. “They keep us on our toes,” he says

Biron began learning the art of preparing fresh, healthy foods as a teenager, when he worked in the kitchens of several New England coastal inns and restaurants. After his first summer serving up fresh seafood and other seasonal delights, Biron heard his culinary calling.

“I really enjoyed the fast pace and the intensity of the work; it captured my attention in a way nothing else could,” he recalls. “Working in my first restaurant just seemed to pump the industry right into my blood.”

After graduation from high school, Biron attended the esteemed Culinary Institute of America in New York, where he was chosen as one of 10 top graduate students to assist Child, Pépin and a host of other celebrity chefs at the Annual Food and Wine Classic in Aspen, Colorado. There, he hobnobbed with many of the people who had inspired him in his younger days, and even got the chance to help relieve a bit of the pressure for Child.

“Julia was doing a demo with her pressure cooker, and couldn’t get the lid off. Instead of panicking, she graciously put it aside, and went on with her cooking. My mother always used a pressure cooker when I was growing up, and that thing scared the heck out of me because it was very, very hot. I remembered she’d get the lid off by putting it in cold water. So we doused Julia’s pressure cooker in ice water, and finally were able to open it,” he recalls. “She was happy about that. Julia was such a wonderful lady; definitely my hero.”

After graduation, Biron got a job as executive sous chef, then rose to executive chef at Harvard University’s JFK School of Politics. There he prepared foods for the world’s most influential political and religious leaders, along with plenty of other famous and discerning diners.

Today, Biron combines his extensive experience and inspiration from his culinary heroes with his strengthened commitment to supporting organics. This, he believes, is the key to improving the health of our population, protecting the environment and creating a sustainable agricultural system.

“Buying organics really does make a difference. It’s mind over matter,” he says. “That’s not to say you can always find the organics you’re looking for 24/7; sometimes it’s a matter of affordability and what’s in season. But I know I have a conscious choice, and do my best to choose wisely.”

To learn more about Chef Biron, see his website at http://www.chefbiron.com