Ari Taymor, Palo Alto high School Class of 2003 graduate, was voted both  “Most Dramatic” and “Biggest Gossip” by his classmates. Now you would be more likely to find 28-year-old Taymor preparing charred octopus or chicken liver on toast in his Los Angeles restaurant, Alma, which was recently named “” by Bon Appétit magazine. Verde caught up with Taymor in a recent email exchange. This is what our new grad-gastronomy had to say:

Verde Magazine: What activities were you involved in at Paly?

Ari Taymor: “I played tennis and was on Campanile. I did mediocre in school and more or less underachieved.”

 VM: Who was your favorite teacher at Paly?

AT: “[History Teacher, Steve] Foug, 100 percent  my favorite teacher”

VM: Did you want to be a chef in High School? If What path did you take to becoming a chef?

AT: “I did not want to be a chef, I thought I wanted to be a diplomat so I studied international affairs in college. My path in cooking was not the usual one. I went to George Washington University, studied international affairs, and became interested in philosophy and public health. From there I became interested I sustainable agriculture and access to healthy foods in under served communities. I found two things as well, firstly that I can’t sit still, and secondly that the people supporting small farmers the most were chefs. So I begged and lied my way into restaurant kitchens, fell in love with it and haven’t looked back. Lucky enough to have cooked in San Francisco, France, Denmark and now Los Angeles.”

VM: What kind of training did you receive when becoming a chef?

AT: “I learned to cook at first at home on my own, then in restaurants. Starting at the bottom, working hard head down every day. [I] Got better quickly but [it]  took a lot of work. If you are really thinking about a career I recommend skipping culinary school and working in kitchens instead.”

VM: What is your favorite part of cooking and food?

AT: “[My] Favorite type of cooking is what we do at the restaurant. Vegetable driven food based on emotions, experiences and memories. I use food to tell a story and express myself, while being very mindful of the fact that people are putting this inside of their bodies, so [I have] a constant eye towards nutrition as well.”

VM: What’s the most enjoyable part about being a chef? What’s the hardest part?

AT: “Most fun? Everything. Being able to do what I love every day, creating, motivating, leading, all of it. Hardest part: the lifestyle. I work 90 to 100 hours a week. I miss birthdays and weddings and family events. It is hard to miss the important parts of the lives of the people I care most about. In the end, I love what I do, but understand it comes with sacrifice.”

VM: What do you believe is the most important part of cooking and food?

AT: “Most important part is integrity. Taking care of the product, of yourself, of the guest and of the members of the team. In food, the hard way is always the right way, so making sure not to cut corners.” v