Episode 102: Seamus Mullen

Taste Matters

Seamus Mullen is the Chef & Owner of Tertulia, located in Greenwich Village in New York City. He is also the author of Hero Food a new cookbook which pairs traditional Spanish cuisine with rustic farm-to-table fare. His restaurant Tertulia is known for its Modern Spanish cuisine, and has garnered rave reviews from New York Magazine and The New York Times. Growing up in Vermont, Seamus learned the value of harvesting the surrounding land to bring flavorful meals to the table. For his senior year of high school, Seamus decided to study in Burgos, Spain, thus beginning his love of the country’s vibrant food and culture. He returned to Spain to study at Universidad Autonoma de Extremadura in Caceres and take in the ancient city’s rich history before graduating in 1996. In fall 2009, Seamus introduced his cooking style to a national audience as a finalist on the popular primetime Food Network series, The Next Iron Chef. On today’s episode Seamus talks with host Mitchell Davis about his style and inspiration of Spanish cooking, the health issues we face in our food system today, the dynamics within various food cultures, and of course his cookbook, Hero Food. Tune-in for an especially interesting conversation about food! This program has been sponsored by The International Culinary Center.

“There is an ever increasing interest in food. People are more curious about where their food comes from. However, we forget that other cultures were always influenced by other cultures. So remember that we’re always evolving, you can never take a snapshot and say, this is the essence of this food culture.” [26:00]

— Seamus Mullen on Taste Matters