It used to be that you could find chef Celina Tio only on your television screen or at her restaurant, Julian, in Brookside. But now, you'll be able to take her with you on the car ride in between, thanks to her new site, celinatio.com, which launched on Wednesday.
Tio's been chatting with Fat City this week. On Wednesday, she provided insight on what it's like to work at a restaurant in Disney World, while yesterday she made it clear that fermented shark will never be on the menu at Julian.
While the restaurant allows Tio to express her creativity in the kitchen, her website is designed to pull in all of her interests. Here's what you can expect to find, in her own words:
It has a lot of video content on it. I had such a great time on The Next
Iron Chef and Top Chef Masters, I want to be more involved in production.
Also, I have such a great passion for music. So I have recently been trying
to be more involved in supporting local bands and venues like the RecordBar, Riot Room, Crosstown Station and the Union. I just love what they
all do. You can hear some local talent in some of my videos at celinatio.com.
The first few videos are a peek inside the mind of Tio. There's a guide on how to make polenta, an interview with The Next Iron Chef winner, chef Marc Forgione, and a travelogue about her recent excursion to Iceland. The site also includes recipes for many of the favorites at Julian (including the ginger doughnut and chocolate puddin') and some of her reality-show-inspired dishes.
Julian also recently launched a free iPhone
application that shows the current menu and wine list and allows you to make
reservations from your phone. You can find it on iTunes here.
