Long before "fusion cuisine" became a food trend, Stan Frankenthaler began incorporating traditional Asian flavors and cooking techniques into his own special style of cooking. Filled with flavor and color, Frankenthaler´s food uses time-honored traditions in authentic ways that respect their origins.

Stan came to love Asian cooking by way of a childhood in the south and a first job in a Chinese restaurant in Savannah, Georgia. Stan says he cannot remember a time when he was not completely enamored with the rituals and beauty of food.

Background:

After years of being chased out of the kitchens at both his grandmothers´ homes in rural New York state and Alabama, young Stan was finally allowed to shell peas and fry chicken. Before long, he was cooking more of the family’s dinner, events that often stretched on for hours.

He cooked professionally as a teenager, and earned his way through the University of Georgia with kitchen jobs in Atlanta and Athens, GA. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in English, Stan applied and was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America, where he graduated first in his class.

Stan moved to Boston in 1984 where he honed his craft at such top Boston hotels and restaurants as Le Meridien, Jasper´s and Hamersley´s Bistro.

In 1989, Stan launched his first independent venture, the award-winning Choice Catering Company, delivering fresh, natural and minimally processed fully prepared and ready to cook foods to clients in their homes. In 1991, he became co-owner and chef of the critically acclaimed The Blue Room, named one of "America’s Best New Restaurants" by Esquire.

About Salamander:

In 1994, Stan developed his own restaurant that reflected his passion for elegantly crafted foods, carefully served in a rich environment paired with a wine list complimentary to his Asian-inspired cuisine. Located in an old, renovated ink factory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Salamander offered adventurous foods in a setting filled with creature comforts. Salamander sought out small farmers and local suppliers for seasonal ingredients.

Exceptional reviews followed from local Boston food media, as well as recognition by national media, from The New York Times, Washington Post, Esquire, Metropolitan Home, and Art Culinaire, to Food & Wine, Food Arts, Bon Appetit and Gourmet. Travel & Leisure called Salamander "the one not to miss," and Zagat´s Boston survey has ranked Salamander in the top ten since the restaurant’s first listing. Stan has been nominated for "Best Chef Northeast" by the James Beard Foundation three times.

Salamander closed the doors to its Cambridge location in January 2000 in preparation for relocation at Trinity Place in Boston’s Back Bay. The Boston Salamander opened just before New Year´s 2001. Its breathtaking design and new menu items thrilled old customers and new alike. Bon Appetite again singled out Salamander naming it to the magazines "most anticipated happenings" list.

Stan has a strong commitment to procuring ingredients from the best possible sources. From people we know. From farmers we go and pick with, from sustainable fisheries. From precious few hands. This aesthetic carried over to the dining room, décor and facilities design as well. In pursuit of more sustainable and gentle methods we designed Salamander using small craft shop furnishings, reclaimed architectural pieces, fabrics made of recycled materials, low water usage fixtures, non-caustic cleansers…

In November 2001, Simon and Schuster released Stan´s first cookbook The Occidental Tourist — 130 Asian inspired recipes for the home kitchen. The book has beautiful photography and Stan has cooked book dinners and had signings in many cities including New York, Seattle, Chicago, Winter Park and Denver.

Stan and his partners closed Salamander in the summer of 2002. For the next year and a half, Stan dedicated himself to teaching culinary arts to both professional students and the amateur home chef. Stan also worked on recipe development, new product launch and media related events for companies and organizations such as Litehouse natural and organic salad dressings, ecofish, and the national Celery council. He has had food styling jobs for numerous photo shoots.

Stan joined WholeFoods Market as the North Atlantic Regional Culinary Development Team Leader in January 2004. In his position he works with regional leadership in all product categories, the central commissary kitchens and the chefs and team leaders in nearly 30 stores. His responsibilities include initiating new recipes, coordinating the development of new, seasonal offerings in-store, team member training initiatives, maintaining high quality standards and the development of new product lines for all perishable categories.

Stan has been a frequent television guest, including National Geographic, PBS, "Ready, Set, Cook" and "Chef du Jour" on The Food Network, and on "Food New England" and "Chronicle" on WCVB-TV in Boston.

Teaching:

Currently, Stan is a faculty member at Boston University’s culinary Program and a frequent instructor at The Impressive Chef in Nashua, NH. His strengths are in Asian cuisines, fusion, regional American cooking, butchery and fundamental cooking techniques.

Stan has always felt a strong responsibility to teach cookery, and has enlightened culinary students, and kids through classes and demonstrations at Boston University, the Culinary Institute of America, Williams-Sonoma, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Bloomingdale’s, New England Culinary Institute, Whole Foods, The Calphalon Culinary Center, and at The Cooking School of Aspen.

Charity:

When not in the kitchen, Stan devotes time to charity events, many of them related to hunger relief. Over the years, he has organized dinners and participated in fund-raisers for Share Our Strength and AIDS Action Committee. Stan has been a guest chef at the James Beard House eleven times, preparing New Year’s Eve dinner 1993 and a Mother’s Day Brunch in 2000. Stan served six years on the National Board of Overseers of Chefs Collaborative 2000 and helped organize conferences and publications, a farm to chef initiative and a booklet on sustainable seafood concerns. Locally, he has lent his ongoing support to Community Servings, The Greater Table, Rosie’s Place, The Food Project and several other health and cultural groups. Salamander underwrites public radio broadcasting on WGBH and WBUR. Stan donates his talents to several charity auctions.