They say you are your own worst critic, and second in line is Mother Dearest. It’s all out of love, of course, but moms give it to you straight—with that uncanny way of dredging out every last, embarrassing "remember when" at the dinner table. So in honor of May 11, we’re featuring four of New York’s finest culinary personalities and the apples of their eyes. Next in our series: Nick Anderer and his mother, Mia.
Nick is the executive chef at Maialino, Danny Meyer’s pork and pasta-heavy trattoria at the Gramercy Park Hotel, which, to put things in perspective, earned a formidable two stars from The New York Times’ Sam Sifton. So, Nick may run with the big boys and a table for two at his establishment is harder to nab than a cab on New Year’s, but does Mom like the food as much as the rest of Manhattan does? Let’s just say, that menu takes its cue from home cookin’…
JEANINE CELESTE PANG: What was one really mischievous thing that Nick did, as a little boy?
MIA ANDERER: Mischievous… you know, I can’t remember! Nick was always really good. For the longest time, we called him “Tragic Magic,” because when he was an infant, he didn’t smile. He looked very serious until maybe the first couple of months. And after that—big smiles. I don’t want to embarrass him, but the sweetness has retained.
NICK ANDERER: I never heard about the “Tragic Magic” thing.
MA: Well, we only called you that for the first couple of months, because you were just so serious. I remember that day when he really started to smile—in the second or third month—I just kept taking pictures. But, he’s always been a very sweet, sweet boy. [Laughs] And he liked to eat. He comes from a family of big eaters.
How were meals prepared at your home?
MA: I prepared them, and we always had dinner together. That’s one thing I’m proud of as a mother—that we were always able to sit down and have a meal together at the end of the day. In raising a family, I think that’s very important—to have that closeness. Nowadays, it doesn’t happen as much.
Nick, what were some of your favorite things that Mia would make?
NA: She cooked a lot of things that I really liked. Early on, it was the American staples: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and creamed corn. We were meat and potato eaters.
And did you help your mom in the kitchen?
NA: I think I started taking an interest in high school. Before that, [my brothers and I] just did the dishes. And we drank a lot of milk—we went through gallons and gallons of milk.
MA: They loved their whole milk. Even now, when we have family dinners together (like on birthdays), I’ll cook. And with the dessert, I’ll offer coffee and tea, but the boys still always want their milk!
Mia, do you see your influence in Nick’s cooking?
MA: I don’t know, because I didn’t start making Italian food until Nick was in the third grade.
NA: Well, you say you don’t see the influence, but it’s definitely there. All the stuff that I cook is very homemade and rustic. We say at the restaurant that I cook “upscale grandma food.”
What was the first meal that Nick helped you prepare?
NA: You taught me how to make meat sauce at an early age; I remember being surprised that