Andrew Talks to Chefs

Episode 215: Thomas Allan (The Modern, NYC)

Episode Summary

Thomas Allan, executive chef of NYC's two-Michelin-star The Modern, discusses his career and changes he's made during the restaurant's late/post COVID-19 life.

Episode Notes

Thomas Allan, chef of New York City's The Modern, a Union Square Hospitality Group restaurant in the Museum of Modern Art, has achieved a lot in his thirty-five years. A young veteran of Per Se and Eleven Madison Park, and a former Bocuse d'Or competitor, he currently oversees a kitchen that has dependably earned two Michelin stars. In this deeply personal conversation, Thomas details a peripatetic childhood that found him living in England, Canada, and Texas by the time he reached high school; why he chose cooking as a career; and the changes he's made to The Modern's kitchen culture as the restaurant defines itself in the later stages of the pandemic.

Andrew’s next book The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food is now available for preorder! Please consider purchasing your copy/copies in advance and help the book have a great lift-off.

Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related news.