Celebrity chef and Bravo reality TV star Roblé Ali stopped by the NPR New York bureau to talk to Tell Me More guest host Celeste Headlee about his cooking, catering and staying skinny.
The 29-year-old New Yorker got his start in a professional kitchen at age 15. Now, he's at the top, running his own catering business called Chef Roblé & Co., and cooking for President Obama, Vanessa Williams and Michael Jackson, just to name a few.
Ali's show, also named Chef Roblé & Co., focuses on his catering adventures and begins its the second season started this week. Ali prides himself on being a caterer who can think outside the box and work with his clients eccentricities. He's received a variety of requests from clients, including a live monkey at dinner, a medieval feast with trolls running around and a wedding for Chihuahuas.
In the interview, he described taking on the challenge of preparing kosher Thai vegan food for Jewish musician Matisyahu, saying:
"I've worked with kosher caterers before, and I know that there are a lot of rules. And when I'm doing my own thing, I don't like to have those kinds of rules. I was very much trepidatious about doing it, but I was like, 'You know what? At the same time, let me see what I could do here.' You know, not many non-kosher caterers get a chance to do a kosher, catered event."
On his way out, Ali couldn't resist serving us something simple - his NPR love.
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