We Asked Five Renowned Chefs About Their Favorite Coffee Orders

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How do you take your morning coffee? Many of us have a ready answer to this question, with one coffee order that’s a reliable way to start any day off on the right foot. Whether you’re a daily visitor to your local coffee shop or you make your cup from the comfort of your own home, coffee preferences are as personal as it gets in the culinary sphere. And if members of the general public tend to have go-to coffee orders, it stands to reason that seasoned chefs would also be particular about theirs.

We met up with several chefs at the Nassau Paradise Island Wine & Food Festival and took the opportunity to ask each about his favorite coffee order. While some of their orders are simple, others are fairly specific and serve up inspiration for our next morning brew. Coffee aficionado or not, it’s never a bad idea to know what culinary pros are starting their days with — if you want to wake up like a chef, you’ve come to the right place. 

Michael Symon is no new player in the big-time food industry. The chef made his first Food Network appearance all the way back in 1998 and has hosted a few shows on the network, including “The Melting Pot” and “24 in 24: Last Chef Standing.” We’ve had the pleasure of talking with Symon before, and he’s made us knowledgeable about grilling basics and has given us several recommendations for barbecue across the country. The expert chef is undoubtedly meticulous about many cooking processes, but his coffee order is a different story.

When asked what his go-to coffee order is, Symon’s response was succinct: “Double espresso.” It’s perhaps as simple as a coffee shop brew can get, and we, for one, admire the chef’s one-and-done attitude toward his morning cuppa. As far as where he gets his coffee, it seems to depend on what the day has in store for him. “We have a Nespresso machine at home, but my son also owns two coffee shops. He owns Grindstone in Sag Harbor and East Hampton.” A Nespresso is a reliable way to brew tasty espresso at home, but it’s definitely a perk to know someone in the coffee biz, and we’re sure making a special trip to one of the shops is a treat for Symon. 

Israeli-American chef Alon Shaya has made numerous influential contributions to the modern culinary scene. Shaya has won multiple James Beard awards and garnered many “best” titles, including “best new restaurant” and “best chef, South.” Perhaps most notable, though, is the chef’s founding of Pomegranate Hospitality, a small collection of restaurants that are focused on emphasizing the communal element of mealtime and giving back to their communities. 

It makes sense that a chef who always has so much going on would need a strong brew to start his morning. If he isn’t indulging in a tahini cappuccino, his preferences are pretty simple. When asked about his go-to coffee order, Shaya said, “It’s a hot coffee with room for milk … I like to make it a little extra strong for me. And then I always hit it with some milk.” He prefers full-fat milk and, when making it at home, uses a Moccamaster. We love that the chef’s order probably aligns with that of many other American consumers — it fits with his community-first mentality.

José Andrés is perhaps as well-known for his work in the culinary world as he is for his humanitarian efforts. He founded World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit that delivers meals to the front lines of humanitarian crises. He’s received numerous awards both as a chef and a humanitarian and has been recognized by the likes of Time Magazine, the James Beard Foundation, and President Obama, who gave Andrés the 2015 National Humanities Medal. 

Andrés has two Michelin stars, so we’ll take his word for it when it comes to anything even tangentially culinary. His coffee preferences depend on the day, but he usually makes his brews at home. He called his Breville machine “the best piece of equipment” in his house, saying, “The Breville coffee maker, that has everything integrated, including the grinding … I use a lot of it.” 

He prefers light roasts to dark roasts but does have a go-to brewing method when presented with a dark roast: “I don’t like heavy roasts. I think for coffees that have been highly roasted, the best coffee experience is if you are patient and you do cold brew.” Andrés also has some staunchly positive opinions on cold brew coffee, noting, “Cold brew is fascinating. And there you see the real essence of coffee. Once you drink cold brew, your mentality on hot coffee changes.” 

The career of Michael White is peppered with awards and accolades, which comes as no surprise when you consider the level of dedication he’s had to his craft for decades. He currently holds five Michelin stars and is the founder and executive chef of BBianco Hospitality, which helps rising-star restaurants cement their names in the culinary sphere. We’ve spoken with White before about the opening of his restaurant in the Bahamas. 

Chef White didn’t specify his exact coffee order, but he’s very particular about who he sources his beans from. His answer to our question was concise and gives some insight as to what you’ll be treated to should you ever visit one of White’s establishments: “I love La Colombe coffee and use it in all of my restaurants.” La Colombe is a fairly prolific brand in the coffee business, and you’ve probably seen some of its products on store shelves and in your local restaurants and cafes. Grab a bag if you want your mornings to be like that of a Michelin-starred chef. 

Geoffrey Zakarian has given us numerous foodie tips before — like telling us the best bread to use for French toast — and we’ll always trust his culinary insights. Zakarian has traveled across Europe to hone his culinary expertise, and it’s paid off — he’s hosted a competition show called “Big Restaurant Bet” and has his own line of cookware on Amazon, in addition to working with City Harvest, an organization at the forefront of food rescue efforts in New York. 

Zakarian is the only chef here we didn’t meet up with at the Nassau Paradise Island Wine & Food Festival, but he was happy to give us his preferred coffee order as we chatted about his upcoming City Harvest Summer in the City event. As it turns out, the chef’s morning coffee order is a long-standing tradition. He said, “I’ve never ordered anything other than double espresso … I usually make one here in the morning, usually 5:00, 5:30 when I get up. And then after I drop the kids off I go get a couple more.” 

He makes his coffee with freshly ground beans on a home espresso machine. When we asked about his own espresso-making tips, he noted that the machine is central to his operations: “They’re very delicate and they’re very temperamental, so they have to be cleaned properly … I’ve sent mine to Italy maybe twice in 10 years.”