You may not recognize him, but David Bonom is the face behind many of recipes you might use. He develops these creations

Marge Perry David Bonom Love, Lobster, Strawberry Cupcakes Cookbook

for myriad food companies and — along with his food-writing wife Marge Perry — has a regular column in Rachel Ray Every Day.

If  you’re one of those who can’t sleep, you might catch him cooking on ABC’s World News Now, an overnight television news program airing during the wee hours.

David and I met umpteen years ago at one of the many press events we both attended. With me as his agent, we also worked together for a fun spokesperson gig with him cooking in Albania for the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council.

Like many of food professionals, David loves what he does. He knows that he may not get rich, but he’ll never go hungry with him always developing new recipes.

– bonnie

BonnieBOTB
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Which food product or gadget would you never give up? There are two gadget/tools I could never give up. One is my chef’s knife. Reason being is a good knife makes cooking tasks so much easier. I’ve used good knives and cheap knifes over the years and my Wustof 9-inch chef’s knife feels like an extension of my hand. The second is my Thermopen Thermometer. It gives an accurate reading almost instantaneously and since I do a lot of recipe development for Weber, it’s important that I don’t lose a lot of heat on my grill while taking the temp of the foods.

What do you like to serve when you entertain? I love to serve BBQ. I have eight grills/smokers in my backyard and I try to get to use them as often as I can. BBQ also allows me to feed a crowd with a good variety of foods from a smoked brisket to guava glazed baby back ribs to buttermilk-brined smoked beer can chicken and even grilled lemon lemonade. Best part is I am able to stagger the cooking times and not be in a big rush right before my guests arrive. There is also the added benefit of having the wonderful smoke/grilling aroma in the air as everyone walks in.

Describe your “last meal?” My last meal would be a combination of some of my favorite things that I’ve been lucky enough to try over the years: ceviche from Chez Wong in Peru, a lobster roll from PJ’s on Cape Cod, My mother’s fried chicken, my wife Marge’s mac and cheese, broccoli rabe with garlic and dill. Dessert would be a huge slice of Marge’s carrot cake.

What food is your secret guilty pleasure? A vanilla shake from McDonald’s.

What is your go-to neighborhood restaurant? Max’s Italian Grill (39 Highwood Ave, Tenafly, NJ 07670). Max’s is our neighborhood red sauce Italian restaurant. The food is always good, fresh and the portions generous but he makes one of my favorite dishes, tripe braised in tomato sauce served spicy with a side of penne. He also makes a fantastic off the menu linguine with white clam sauce by request. It’s also a BYOB!

What is one food product most people don’t know about, but should? Ground sumac which is one of my favorite go to spices. It has a nice lemony pop but less tangy than actual lemon juice and also adds a nice bit of red color to things. Great ways to utilize it:  Sprinkled on grilled vegetables;  as part of a spice rub; stirred into a vinaigrette; mixed with salt and tossed with roasted potatoes or crispy fries; in hummus or baba ganoush; and stirred into softened butter to serve on bread. And so much more.

Describe your worst kitchen disaster and how (if possible) you saved it: Two worst kitchen disasters:Holiday Party 2003, 50 people soon to arrive and the oven door falls off preventing us from roasting our beef tenderloins. Instead of panicking we pulled a Macguyver and used duct tape to hold the door in place.

Second, I was grilling a whole salmon on a friend’s grill when it stuck. I tried to turn the fish but the thing just fell apart. I quickly scraped it into a bowl and discarded the bones and skin then grilled some vegetables, chopped them and mixed them into the salmon with a vinaigrette. Voila dinner is served. The irony was that everyone at the party wanted the recipe for that one…

Who was your most influential mentor? My most influential cooking mentor was by far Chef Edward Magel. Ed was self taught with an amazing palate and thirst for new flavors. I learned an incredible amount about what were then exotic spices and flavors that I had never used before: cumin, coriander, garam masala, mustard oil, shisho and so much more. This introduction and education helped shape me into the cook I am today.

Describe an event that changed/redirected your career. My mother had a massive stroke in 1992. Up until that time I had always toyed with the idea of changing careers and getting into the restaurant world but I was too worried about making such a big change. After my mom had her stroke it woke me up and I realized life it too short not to take chances. The worst thing that could happen would be that I didn’t like the food industry. That was not the case and it has been one of the best changes I have ever made!

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