I Just Ate Dinner with Alton Brown—These Are the Pantry Staples He “Hates Running Out Of”

Last week, I sat down at Hearth Restaurant in New York for a private dinner hosted by Neuriva and beloved chef Alton Brown. The curated “brain-boosting” dinner menu featured dishes like Ribollita, Pizzoccheri with Mushrooms and Fontina, Tangerine Almond Cake and the main course: Brown’s Butterflied Chicken with Aleppo and Za’atar.

Prior to sitting right next to Brown at dinner (like, actually, we touched elbows) I had the chance to talk to the iconic host about his passion for brain health and what makes the dishes served at the dinner great for our brain health. Plus, I got the scoop on the pantry staples he always has on hand, his favorite vegetable, his philosophy on eating well and more.

EatingWell: What are some lifestyle habits that you incorporate into your routine for brain health or for healthy aging?

Brown: Before I was with Neuriva, I was already studying brain health because I was getting close to 60. It terrified me—I was like, “What the hell?” So I started studying about what brains need, what brains require for nutrients and micronutrients. And part of what I learned is that everything that's good for your body, by and large, is good for your brain. We can all say work out, exercise. But sleep is the number one activity that you can do for your brain. Teach your brain that “OK, it's 10, we're going to start the shutdown sequence.” You're getting into something comfortable, you're going to take a bath or a shower, you're going to read in bed. It’s setting an alarm for when you're going to be asleep. 

After a while, your brain really starts to appreciate that activity and that level of discipline, and it starts to reward you. For instance, two, even three years ago, I would not have told you that I was a morning person. But once I started getting my brain the proper sleep, I actually found that sometimes between 5 and 9 in the morning are like my most productive parts of my day. I would not have known that if I had not taken the time to do the research.

EatingWell: Do you have any snacks that you always have on hand to keep you satisfied?

Brown: When I travel, I always have a bag of nuts. I take nuts with me because too much hunger is a bad thing. I travel with nuts, and I try to drink copious amounts of water. I drink more coffee than I should—probably, definitely.

EatingWell: What are your top pantry staples?

Brown: Well, let me think about this. We don't ever run out of kosher salt, because I need my kosher salt. Good olive oil—I know it's kind of boring, but good olive oil. I also really hate running out of mayonnaise because I use it as a little bit of a binder in a lot of things, including scrambled eggs. I'm a big believer in spices and have a small collection of very high quality spices. It's funny, there are 7 jars of mustard in my refrigerator right now, mostly French, but not all, some German. And I probably have 12 jars of olives.

EatingWell: Could you talk more about this “brain-boosting” dinner with Neuriva? What makes it brain-healthy?

Brown: I've become a big believer of the MIND diet, which is the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay diet. It's kind of like taking the Mediterranean diet and turning up the parts that your brain wants. There's more emphasis on fruit, specifically berries, blueberries, blackberries, things like that. More olive oil, more chicken because chicken contains choline which is very important for the brain, whole grains and vegetables. I try my best not to think about what I can't have but what I must have because then you're concentrating on getting something instead of avoiding something. I have a real hard time avoiding things, but by shifting to, “Oh, wow, I haven't had enough of this today,” I tend to do better.

EatingWell: Favorite vegetable and favorite way to prepare it?

Brown: I adore asparagus. I love asparagus because you don't have to do much of anything at all. You grill it, you rub it with some lemon juice and salt and you can eat it with your fingers, which is the only reason that it's better than Brussels sprouts. And I don't like that skinny s***. Don't be bringing me that pencil thin asparagus. I want the beginning of spring, big thick guys.

EatingWell: What does “eating well” mean to you?

Brown: Eating well means the quality of food that I can know is either feeding me well and giving my body something that I need, or giving me a level of pleasure that I am going to allow myself to savor. My wife and I, when we have birthdays and things, we save up and buy each other caviar because we love it. More is not better, I want the good stuff. Saving up and buying small amounts of really good things. I think we have forgotten how to savor things and how to, I guess what they would call “mindful eating.” But I don’t like that term. I like “savor" because it's sexier, it sounds better.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length.