Chef dads describe their dream meals for Father's Day

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Chef dads describe their dream meals for Father's Day

2026-06-18 02:39 Last Updated At：02:41

Father’s Day is just around the bend, and there are decisions to be made. Some dads want to eat out, some want to eat in. Some want a big old meat-and-potatoes meal, some dream of a sushi omakase extravaganza.

But what do the dads who cook and feed people for a living want? The dad chefs and cooks who spend their working hours behind a stove (or a griddle or a hibachi) — what is their dream Father’s Day meal?

Three of them answer here. (Spoiler: All agree that being together is more important than the food.)

Tom Colicchio, chef and owner of the New York-based Crafted Hospitality, has three kids, ages 14, 15 and 33.

“The teenagers? They’re not cooking anything," he says. "But my oldest might — he dabbles in barbecue, so I’d put him to work on smoked short ribs, bone-in, low and slow. I’d be nearby to step in if things went sideways.”

Colicchio, a longtime head judge on “Top Chef,” envisions the Father's Day meal enjoyed outside at his place on the North Fork of Long Island, New York, surrounded by family.

Cesar Zapata, chef and owner of the Vietnamese-Colombian fusion restaurant Phuc Yea in Miami, also has his sights on the outdoors.

“Since (my stepson) Eli loves to fish, we’ll probably spend the day out on the water trying to catch our own meal," he says. "Being in Florida, hopefully we’ll catch some snapper or grouper, bring it home, clean it together, and roast the whole fish over the grill.”

And nobody should worry about impressing the chef. “We spend so much of our lives cooking for others that the meals that mean the most are usually the ones that feel effortless and shared," Zapata says. "I love keeping really fresh fish simple, especially when it’s something you caught that same day.”

He pictures serving it with a Vietnamese-style salsa verde, grilled asparagus and mushrooms, accompanied by good music and cold drinks.

“For me, Father’s Day is less about the ‘perfect’ meal and more about slowing down, being present, and creating memories together around food and conversation,” he says.

Roy Yamaguchi is on the same page. He's the founder of Roy’s Restaurants, a Hawaii fusion restaurant with locations in various cities, and is one of the pioneers of the cooking style Hawaii Regional Cuisine.

“For Father’s Day, I don’t need a fancy restaurant or an elaborate dinner," he says. "What I really want is to have all of my kids home. My ideal meal would be shabu shabu or chankonabe because they’re the kinds of dishes that bring everyone together.”

Both shabu shabu and chankonabe are Japanese hot-pot-style meals, where everybody eats from a common pot on the table.

“At the end of the day, Father’s Day isn’t really about the food," he says. "The meal simply gives us a reason to gather.”

At his ideal meal, Yamaguchi says, nobody just sits and waits to be served — everyone cooks, shares, laughs and contributes.

And he does have one request: For someone else to do all the prep work.

“Anyone who has made shabu shabu knows that slicing the vegetables, preparing the sauces, and arranging everything takes time. Having the family take care of that would be the greatest gift,” he says.

Then he would sit back, enjoy a a simple glass of Japanese shochu over ice, enjoy the conversation and watch everyone have fun around the table.

Katie Workman writes regularly about food for The Associated Press. She has written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking, “Dinner Solved!” and “The Mom 100 Cookbook.” She blogs at https://themom100.com/. She can be reached at Katie@themom100.com.

'A million years isn’t enough': Victims' relatives confront Gilgo Beach serial killer at sentencing

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — After decades waiting for justice, relatives of women murdered by New York’s Gilgo Beach serial killer laid into him Wednesday before he was sentenced to life in prison. He told them: “I am responsible” for the crimes.

“The words I would say would have no meaning,” added Rex Heuermann, the Long Island architect who lived a secret life of violence for years before admitting he killed eight women.

The sentencing capped an extraordinary investigation that solved one of New York’s most perplexing mysteries. The seemingly unconnected and largely overlooked disappearances of young women became the focus of true-crime documentaries, books and podcasts after police began discovering the victims’ skeletal remains in the sandy scrub along a coastal parkway.

Heuermann, 62, will have no possibility of parole.

“A million years isn’t enough,” Jasmine Robinson, a cousin of victim Jessica Taylor, said. “Nothing will ever make this right.”

“You fill me with so much repugnance, I can’t stand it,” she added.

As a series of victims' kin spoke, Heuermann sat with his hands on the defense table, looking straight ahead and lightly tapping his fingers.

Then Amanda Funderburg, victim Melissa Barthelemy's sister, commanded Heuermann to look at her. He glanced in her direction, but his eyes were slightly downcast.

“I hope you suffer,” Funderburg said as she recounted a taunting phone call she received from him days after Barthelemy disappeared. Funderburg was 15 years old.

JoAnn Mack, the mother of victim Valerie Mack, told the killer that her daughter “had dreams, and you took them all away from her.”

“Justice has been done, but it can’t replace what has been taken,” Mack said.

Heuermann pleaded guilty in April to charges that he murdered seven women: Barthelemy, Mack, Taylor, Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, and Sandra Costilla.

Heuermann also admitted in court to killing an eighth victim, Karen Vergata, though he was never charged in her death. He said he strangled his victims, many of them sex workers, and dismembered some of their bodies.

“Are you at least a little sorry?” Judge Timothy Mazzei asked Wednesday in an indignant voice.

Heuermann nodded and appeared to mouth “yes.”

“You are disgusting — a despicable man, if you are a man at all,” the judge said, his voice rising. “And you are a coward.”

As Heuermann was led away in handcuffs, spectators in the packed courtroom jeered.

Liliana Waterman, who was 3 when her mom vanished, said she has been waiting her entire life to confront her mother’s killer.

“She can finally rest in peace,” Waterman said outside the courthouse. “He can’t hurt anybody else.”

Most of the women disappeared between 2000 and 2010 and their remains were all found on Long Island. Most were along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach. Costilla’s remains were found in 1993 in the Hamptons, while Vergata’s remains were found in 1996 on Fire Island.

Brainard-Barnes’ two children, who were 7 and 1 when she disappeared in 2007, underscored Wednesday how her absence shaped their lives and how she never got to know the adults they became.

Her sister, Melissa Cann, sobbed deeply as she described wondering for decades if she could have done more to protect Brainard-Barnes. But, she said, that guilt is “not mine to carry. It is for Rex and Rex alone.”

Heuermann’s ex-wife and two adult children said they did not attend the sentencing out of respect for the victim’s families.

The case spilled into view in 2010, when investigators started to find remains along Ocean Parkway while looking into the disappearance of another sex worker, Shannan Gilbert, whose death was ultimately ruled an accidental drowning.

The case went cold until 2022, when detectives linked Heuermann to a pickup truck that a witness reported seeing when one of the victims disappeared in 2010.

Eventually, they matched DNA from a pizza crust Heuermann discarded in a Manhattan trash can to genetic material extracted from highly degraded hair fragments found on the women’s remains.

Investigators amassed other evidence, including cellphone and tracking data showing Heuermann arranged meetings with some victims shortly before their disappearances.

After Heuermann's 2023 arrest, prosecutors recovered what they described as a “blueprint” for the killings from his computer files. Among the documents was a series of checklists with reminders to limit noise, clean the bodies and destroy evidence.

Heuermann will soon be transferred to a state prison after having spent the past three years alone in a segregated cell at the Suffolk County jail, reading crime novels and striking up a brief correspondence with the infamous “Happy Face Killer.”

Calling him “a monster,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney declared there was nothing Heuermann could say to mitigate his deeds.

“There is no doubt this defendant is sorry,” Tierney said. “He is sorry he got caught.”

Defense lawyer Michael Brown said Heuermann has shed tears, and there may be “some sincerity in his expressions of remorse.” His client appeared “as normal as they come” during their interactions, Brown said, in stark contrast with his crimes.

“He’s somewhat of a charismatic figure when you talk to him,” Brown said.

As part of his guilty plea, Heuermann has agreed to cooperate with the FBI’s behavioral analysis unit to help catch other serial killers.

Peltz reported from New York.