I am really pleased to have Chef Chris Shepherd of Houston, TX on the show. Chef Chris Shepherd is a James Beard Award winner and was recently named by the Robbery Report magazine as the best chef in the world. He has helped change the landscape of the Houston culinary scene since opening Underbelly in 2012.

Chef Drake Leonards – Eunice

Baker Matthieu Cabon – Magnol French Baking

What I learned is that there should be two ingredients in fish sauces. There should be anchovies and there should be salt. And that’s it. For a home consumer to use fish sauce make sure you are buying quality. And that’s pretty easy to do at this point. Then it’s like how do you balance something so super funky that you need something sweet, that you need something spicy, that you need something to tone it back. You need some acidic. And it’s just learning about balance.  I think fish sauce is the perfect day to inspire you to learn balance in a dish because most cooks cook with salt, pepper and maybe a little bit of lemon juice or lime juice or something on a dish. But it’s more about understanding the balance of sweetness, sour, the spice, the funk. Fish sauce is a perfect ingredient for young cooks, especially to understand their palate and to understand balance and flavors.

If you are going to brines a chicken. I think for use it in a little bit of fish sauce into it gives it that “you’ll never know it is there” spice or flavor profile. It is perfect in Bolognaise sauce. You had a little bit in your Bolognaise and it just gives it that umami richness. If you aren’t looking to do predominantly a Vietnamese or Thai influenced flavor, that you’re adding just a little bit of sodium and more of that richness of fermentation and that richness of umami, that flavor contrast that you can’t find, that you can’t buy, that it’s there and you have to use these ingredients then I think for fish sauce is the absolutely perfect way to put those things in there. A little bit in a vinaigrette, a little bit in a braising.

Caramelized fish sauce, chicken wings. Greatest thing ever. Roast the chicken wings in the oven or grill them.Then have a little sauté pan, toast a little bit of garlic, shaved garlic, add some honey or white sugar, caramelized that fish sauce, add lime juice. Toss the wings and you’re good. A few chilies in there like Sereno or Jalapeño.

The best way to start to have a conversation is through food on the table. Then you can establish friendship conversations and learning from each other and not just talking about food all the time, but talking about life.

Learning from people is one of the greatest things that we could possibly do. Just share stories and have conversations. It’s the easiest thing to do.

You need to quit cooking for yourself and start cooking for the culture. You could cook free at that point.

People love challenges. Status quo is one of the worst things for people that is trying to just sit there and do the same things over and over and over again.

I tell people all the time that the only thing that holds you back is yourself. And that’s the honest truth. Because you have to try and push to try to learn and you’ll find inspirations anywhere and everywhere.

Creativity is probably the most important thing, it’s about seeing things and using things and touching things. Technique is cool. But at the end of the day, it’s got to taste good.

Chef Chris Shepherd

UB Preserv

Georgia James

Hay Merchant