Cliff Skighwalker is the king of spotlighting independent chefs and independent food culture. With his Thrillist show, “InstaChef,” Cliff has been profiling and connecting with chefs across the country. In addition to his work in front of the camera, he’s also grinding in the kitchen, selling his Detroit-style pizza through @cliffspizza on Instagram.
Check out Cliff’s “That’s 5” below.
What influences you?
That’s so loaded, that’s so loaded. What influences me is people like Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmer, and love him or hate him, Guy Fieri. But then outside of that, people who are creative and passionate about their work, no matter their particular avenue. People who are super passionate about their work and showcasing it, that’s what influences me.
What’s the most overrated, right now?
Influencers [laughs]. People who go on Instagram and tag everything they’re wearing for no reason. I think that’s so overrated, dawg! Because it’s not like they’re making an impact, well most of them aren’t. In food, I think avocados are overrated because it doesn’t have to go on everything. I’m perfectly fine without every eating avocado ice cream or having an avocado margarita. I’m super good on that. But I would put it on pizza. I would have to do it for ‘likes’ or just to get it out of the way. It would be a one-time thing without any plan to ever do it again. Plus, if it were avocado, I would have to incorporate it in something. I would use avocado as my take on a nacho pizza, or avocado essence or something. I would never use straight avocado. The only reason I would put avocado on a pizza is to pair it with bacon.
What’s the most underrated, right now?
I would say Detroit-style pizza. Outside of Detroit, it’s definitely trendy. When people talk about pizza they’re usually talking about that quintessential New York slice, that quintessential Chicago deep dish. To me, Detroit-style pizza is the best pizza in the world. It covers all bases when it comes to texture, color, feel, weight, taste, smell, and it hits all those nodes. It doesn’t get enough respect. And when people do talk about it, they don’t pay homage correctly.
What are you excited about, right now?
I’m excited about InstaChef. I’m not sure if there’s going to be a second season [editor’s note: It’s coming back for a second season!], but the opportunity to discover more self-made chefs is what I’m excited about. There are some many people I want to cover! I’m excited by the opportunity to cover more of these chefs through InstaChef.
What’s next for you?
Definitely improving Cliff’s Pizza. It’s like a child, you have to raise it. It’s a newborn right now; it’s a fresh baby. So now I need to raise it properly. Also, I’m excited about the second season of InstaChef.
Bonus Question: Was that 5?
That was definitely five.
