Walter Staib | Chef and Cooking Show Host | PBS Food

Walter Staib

A third-generation restaurateur with over four decades of culinary experience, Chef Walter Staib is an author, Emmy Award winning TV host, James Beard-nominated chef and culinary historian. He was just awarded the 2012 Distinguished German-American of the Year.

Walter Staib has made numerous appearances on local and national cooking shows, such as the Today show and the Food Network’s “Best Thing I Ever Ate” and “Iron Chef.” He is the host of the Emmy Award winning show "A Taste of History," which just received the 2012 James Beard Foundation nomination for Best TV Show On Location. The show is a vehicle for Staib to share 18th century cuisine with a growing audience. Currently, he can be seen nationwide for the fourth season on PBS and on national cable on RLTV, bringing the 18th century to life on A Taste of History, which was awarded three Emmy awards in its first two seasons.

A Taste of History

As founder and president of Concepts By Staib, Ltd. (est. 1989), a global restaurant management and hospitality consulting firm, Walter Staib has opened more than 650 restaurants worldwide. He is currently the driving force behind one of the nation’s finest dining establishments, Philadelphia’s City Tavern, a faithful recreation of an original 18th century tavern and Concepts By Staib, Ltd.’s flagship operation.

In addition to being a top chef, restaurateur and consultant, Chef Staib has also authored several cookbooks. His first, City Tavern Cookbook (1999, Running Press) sold 34,838 copies. Then City Tavern Baking & Dessert Cookbook (2003, Running Press) sold 25,000 copies.

Black Forest Cuisine (2006, Running Press) with recipes from his homeland, sold 16,600 copies.

His most recent cookbook, City Tavern: Recipes from the Birthplace of America (2009, Running Press) is in its fifth printing, and has sold 22,000 copies.

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