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Photo by Talia Hodge
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In 2023, chef David Tigelman arrived for his culinary tryout, pans in tow. New Cleveland Cavaliers player Max Strus was auditioning private chefs, and Tigelman came prepared to make a salmon dish. He figured Strus would have oil — but he’d just moved in and hadn’t purchased any yet. Tigelman was left without the key ingredient.
“I basically basted it with the sauce and glaze and made it that way, without any oil,” he says. “I got the job.”
Tigelman prepares dietician-approved meals, such as collagen- and protein-infused pancakes and from-scratch maple turkey sausages, to aid in Strus’ recovery (the guard-forward sustained an ankle injury in October). His cooking also helps fuel Strus’ playing — such as a face-off in which he scored five three-pointers in the game’s final four minutes.
“At the very end of the game, he launches that [59-]foot shot, and it goes in, and we win,” recalls Tigelman, who has also cooked for former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry. “It was pretty crazy.”
Tigelman’s path to success was challenging. After graduating from the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts, he struggled with his mental health. He was fired from his first post-graduation restaurant job, later experiencing loss with the death of a chef colleague. Ultimately, he discovered he had severe sleep apnea.
“Not getting oxygen into your brain … you’re not as healthy, mentally or physically,” Tigelman says. “Once I started using that machine, it really opened up almost an entire new side of me.”
My Favorite Local Bite
Blue Door Cafe & Bakery’s croque madame
“Been going there for years. They’re always delicious. They always have fun specials,” says Stirling executive chef David Tigelman. “I always get something different there, but the croque madame is my fallback.”
After beginning to work as a private chef, he started his own catering company, Slice, in 2020 — re-entering the scene as the executive chef at fine dining restaurant Stirling this year. Opened in summer 2024, Stirling presents an intimate take on fine dining, boasting a rotating menu based on themes such as holiday classics.
In December, diners can order a hanger steak with braised oxtail risotto. Served with roasted baby carrots, English peas, Worcestershire butter and a black garlic-and-mushroom puree, it’s the perfect dish for a winter day.
“I like to get a nice caramelization on a lot of my vegetables,” Tigelman says. “The risotto is going to be nice and creamy, and it’s going to have some more richness to it, just from the oxtail. That’ll be braised and kind of pulled apart.”
November’s menu featured braised barbacoa short rib. Made with ground chili peppers, pineapple juice and more, the protein is served over smoked cheddar grits with braised collard greens. As a cheat meal, it’s one of Strus’ favorites.
“You’re able to take that leftover braising liquid and reduce it down to a sauce,” Tigelman says. “It’s sweet, tangy, spicy, and a lot of savory notes from the actual meat and the beef broth itself are in there. … It’s going to have a nice kind of mellow heat.”
Balancing his dual jobs means long hours for Tigelman — but he can’t see himself doing anything else.
“When you’ve done it for so long, it’s a part of your identity,” he says. “It’s not like, What does being a chef mean to me — it is me.” //
