Alex Guarnaschelli's Google Talk on Her New Cookbook

New York chef Alex Guarnaschelli recently dropped by Google to give a thoughtful talk about her brand-new cookbook Old-School Comfort Food, growing up the child of a prominent cookbook editor, and her philosophies on cooking and finding your passion later in life. Guarnaschelli says that even though she grew up "steeped in food," it wasn't until after she worked in a kitchen for free after college that she considered a career as a chef. "I never looked back," she says. "The disorder, the chaos, the anarchy, the peril, the danger, the abuse, the lack of skill, all those things were just too compelling to turn down."

As for the cookbook, Guarnaschelli says she wanted to write a book of comfort food that resonates with her, saying, "I didn't want to write a cheffy cookbook with dehydrated ham chips." Beyond that, Guarnaschelli also talks about the new Midtown location of her restaurant Butter, hate mail and Yelp reviews, and how it never gets old to be on Iron Chef America (which she recently discussed picking over Top Chef). Here, go watch:

Video: Alex Guarnaschelli, "Old-School Comfort Food: The Way I Learned to Cook"

· Alex Guarnaschelli, "Old-School Comfort Food: The Way I Learned to Cook" [YouTube]
· All Alex Guarnaschelli Coverage on Eater [-E-]