Under the Toque: Cary NeffUnder the Toque: Cary Neff

Steve Coomes

When it comes to the 
better-for-you food movement, chef Cary Neff was ahead of his time. Nearly 20 years ago, he was asked to write an article about where he thought spa cuisine would be in 2005.


“I predicted people would want to know what was in their food and where it came from,” said Neff, and that’s exactly what happened. 


The article was titled “Conscious Cuisine,” also the name of a cookbook he wrote that embodied his philosophy of using fresh, seasonal food, “processed as little as possible, unadorned with unnecessary fats and salt and [with] flavor that speaks for itself.”


Neff’s cooking didn’t start out that way, though. Like many American chefs starting out in the 1970s, Neff “thought French cuisine was it, the cat...