flavors unknown podcast

This is a very interesting episode. Techniques or Creativity? It's very different from what we have done before. We are here at the Fairmont in Austin and I have with me around the table three chefs from Austin. Chef Kevin Fink from Emmer & Rye, Chef Fiore Tedesco from L'Oca D'Oro and Chef André Natera from The Fairmont Hotel. Thank you very much to the three of you for joining me here today. There's going to be an interesting tasting and discussion around the table today.for

What we covered in this episode 3 Chefs in Austin Part One

Chef's introductions.

Kevin Fink - "I think that's a really important part to get the best out of our community is to make sure that those that are at different levels of it are continuing to steward people you know that are still striving to get there."

André Natera introduces the French dishes that were served during the podcast (in my honor!): Shellfish Plateau, Toasty Artichaud, Simple Salad, Pomme Purée, French Bread, Rotisserie Chicken, Porterhouse, and Tarte Tatin.

Why French Techniques are important in the culinary world.

André Natera - "In the last 15-20 years, you started to see the emergence of the American chefs kind of taking over but still rooted in the fundamentals of French cooking so [French Techniques] are always going to be important based on the techniques that we learned, based on the flavors that we grew up with."

Fiore Tedesco - "When you talk about French technique and French kitchen my mind first goes to a disciplined orderly space where cleanliness and order are king . There is a universal respect for that amongst chefs and so, the cuisine that ties together those principles is amongst chefs always revered."

Kevin Fink - "French food is also that oversimplification of things that are different in a region and what it is more about ideals. And this mantra that we have looked back for some of the great gastronomes of history and they came out of France. But what France is today or France was five hundred years ago are totally different."

Kevin Fink - "[Being a Chef] is not just something that is a possible skill set. It is a profession.  It is a calling. And the French have made that very clear that it is a part of their culture."

Is it still important to teach the French Techniques at Culinary Schools today?

Fiore Tedesco -"I sort of look at like part of the French culinary training, the specific like all the mother sauces, it's sort of like learning trigonometry. Is it really going to be applicable to the cuisine that you create? Well, if you're a mathematician sure, if you're not, then maybe in some more esoteric ways you know that having the knowledge helps you be more creative and have more tools to feed your creativity."

"I would say that learning [culinary techniques] in the French way, is a more prevalent or important than learning system of equally refined Italian or Japanese technique? I'd say no, I think it's having the discipline and the refinement of that technique ingrained in you is what's important."

André Natera - "I felt like that the techniques gave me a strong foundation. If you knew how to roast properly it didn't matter if you're roasting a chicken or a duck or a piece of meat. You could interchange that recipe based on the technique. So I think what the French did really well is that they brought those techniques and I would say especially here in the West if you look at 90 percent of the restaurants that exist, you're probably using those techniques. However when you get to the higher-ends of the spectrum in the higher end kitchens, then I think that you start introducing more of the Japanese and more complex techniques that are no longer French."

"It's interesting to see how times have changed in terms of fashion but the one thing that hasn't changed is that you still need to know how to dice. You still need to know how to stay. You still need to know how to braise regardless if you're braising something that's Asian influenced or something that's French or Italian. Certain things don't change."

So, what is more important: techniques or creativity?

Kevin Fink - "This is what we are doing in America today, we're taking guidelines and we are trying to make our own artwork that we have here right now. And I believe very much how we're craftsmen more than artists."

Fiore Tedesco- "There is nothing without the techniques. Without the techniques, you have no outlet. You could be the most creative person, you could be an absolute creative genius, without that technique, you have no way to play that out. I would venture to say that creativity is the easy part."

André Natera - "If I'm hiring someone, I would almost rather hire someone with more technique and less creativity."

 "If you have the technique then your creativity is is limitless. You could really go far but not everyone has it. But if you don't have the creative part, you can always fall back on the technique and the fundamentals.

"Delivering consistently good food and delivering consistently good service and having a consistent experience might be more important, in the restaurant world than creativity."

Kevin Fink - "Serving a guest is not putting plates out, taking silverware, or pouring wine. That's not service. Service is about hospitality."

We discussed their thoughts if the new generation of cooks is less motivated than the generation before.

The 3 Chefs from Austin give advice to young people who want to work in that industry.

André Natera - "My advice to someone  [wanted to be in the industry] is to find the kitchen that you want to be and define your top line. If you want to be the next Kevin Fink, then you've got to work under Kevin Fink to know what that's like. You're not going to learn how to be that by working in a taco shop for example. But if you want to be the best taco shop you're not going to probably learn that working in my restaurant or any of our restaurants."

Techniques or Creativity? What do you think? Please leave a comment in the box at the end of the show note page. Thank you!

Chef André Natera

from Fairmont Austin

If you are interested in discovering more about the Austin restaurant scene, check out these two additional episodes by clicking on the respective pictures:   Chef André Natera from the Fairmont Hotel and Chef Fiore Tedesco from L'Oca d'Oro.

Chef Fiore Tedesco 

from L'Oca d'Oro

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3 Chefs – Garrison Fairmont Austin

Rotisserie Chicken – Garrison

French Bread – Garrison Fairmont Austin

Pommes Purée – Garrison Fairmont Austin

Seafood Plateau – Garrison Fairmont Austin

Rotisserie Chicken – Garrison Fairmont Austin –

Kevin Fink / André Natera / Me / Fiore Tedesco

Andreé Natera / Me

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When you talk about French technique and French kitchen my mind first goes to a disciplined orderly space where cleanliness and order are king.

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[Being a Chef] is not just something that is a possible skill set. It is a profession.  It is a calling. And the French have made that very clear that it is a part of their culture.

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It's interesting to see how times have changed in terms of fashion but the one thing that hasn't changed is that you still need to know how to dice.

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This is what we are doing in America today, we're taking guidelines and we are trying to make our own artwork that we have here right now. And I believe very much how we're craftsmen more than artists.

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There is nothing without the techniques. Without the techniques, you have no outlet. You could be the most creative person, you could be an absolute creative genius, without that technique, you have no way to play that out.

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If you have the technique then your creativity is is limitless. You could really go far but not everyone has it. But if you don't have the creative part, you can always fall back on the technique and the fundamentals.

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Chef Andre Natera

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Chef Kevin Fink

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Chef Fiore Tedesco

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Links mentioned in this episode

Fairmont Hotel Austin

Garrison restaurant at the Fairmont

Revue restaurant at the Fairmont

Emmer & Rye

L'Oca D'Oro

Hestia Austin

Did you enjoy today's episode? If so, please show your support by writing me a 5 star review on iTunes and Stitcher Radio.

Emmanuel Laroche, host of the "flavors unknown" podcast says "Everyone who knows me would say that it's obvious that I love food. I always loved food. It started when I was a kid with my mom. I'm obviously French. You can tell from the little tiny accent people say that I have. My parents were from the Northeast part of France close to Germany. The Lorraine area. I always remember my mom cooking for family or friend events. I learned how to cook when I was very young".

What we covered in this episode

Emmanuel Laroche's friend Katie Schlientz, CEO at CommuniKate Media, was conducting the interview.She first asked hims what made him pursue a career in food.Emmanuel Laroche's  Mom always cooked and I learned very early on how to cook yogurt cakes and make quiche.One of his earliest food memory is tasting "Paté Lorrain" in the North-East part of France.Emmanuel Laroche's talked about his passion for travels and networking with people.He became the flavors unknown podcast host a year ago and Katie asked him what gave me the idea to start a podcast.Great source for podcasting best practices is the conference called "Podcast Movement".Emmanuel Laroche dived into the reason behind the name "flavors unknown" for his podcast.The unknown part in the name “flavors unknown” comes one from his passion in discovering new flavors. The other point of reference is obviously Anthony Bourdain. It was very important for Emmanuel to pay homage to him.The mission of "flavors unknown" is to create a platform for the Chefs, Pastry Chefs, and Bartenders to share their passion and for the audience to learn. "flavors unknown" is part of the educational podcast genre.Emmanuel Laroche described the three categories of audiences this podcast is targeted to.What are the 7 steps process for his podcast.As flavors unknown podcast host, he selects the guests either based on the awards they got from James Beard Foundation or from StarChefs or guests who have a great a great story to tell.They discussed the easiest part and the hardest part of the conducting the guest interviews.Katie asked him about his memorable moments while interviewing the 26 guests during the first season of being the podcast host.What inspire Emmanuel: travels and people.5 rapid-fire questions to the flavors unknown podcast host!

Emmanuel Laroche's 7 step process for the podcast "flavors unknown"

There's seven steps in the process.First of all you have to establish a connection with the person that you want to have as a guests.You have to have an agreement because having the connection is not enough.After you have the agreement then there is the whole research because you are not going to interview them without you spending time in advance to learn about who they are.You have to put together a series of questions that's you. I am sharing the main questions with them in advance.Then after that there is the recording that I do most of the time remotely on the phone or it could be face to face.And then when this is done there is another aspect of the podcasting which is editing as I edit my  podcast. Because I just want to focus on rich content. I'm trying to have a podcast which is 35 to 45 minutes long because otherwise people lose interest and the focus. After editing starts the promotion. I know it is strange but even if you are doing the podcast for an audience, the problem is that people don't know about it. You want to put it out there and you have to let them know that it exists. So social media is one tool to accomplish this. When you start, no one is listening. The promotion aspect is always important and I think that for me it's key. The people that listen to the podcast can have a important role here and they can help the host to promote the podcast. They can share it with they their foodie friends, they can share it within their network and maybe they don't have that in mind when they listen to the podcast Subscribe to it. Share it with your network. Word of mouth is critical! Always prepare visuals and share all the links with your guest. Easier for them to share if they want to.

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Sushi / My go-to meal

Made quiches since 8 years old

Green Tea: Top Preferred Flavors

Lavender: Top Preferred Flavors

Spicy: Top Preferred Flavors

Podcast Behind the Scenes

My summer cocktail: BLT

I love Oysters! My recipe!

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What is interesting to me is to look at behind the scene and understand what are the new ingredients and flavors that the Chefs and Bartenders are experimenting with.

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There’s a high level of engagement with podcast. There's always rich content and when you are in marketing you're always looking for very good content that you can share with an audience. That's the reason why I like podcasting.

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The unknown part in the name “flavors unknown” comes one from my interest in discovering new flavors. The other point of reference is obviously Anthony Bourdain. It was very important for me to pay homage to him.

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Travels and People inspire me. Once a year go somewhere you have never been before!

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flavors unknown

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Links mentioned in this episode

Emmanuel Laroche LinkedIn ProfileKatie Schlientz InstagramBrandy Library in NYCMultnomah Whiskey Library in Portland, OR

I just really wanted something that was a little bit more lighthearted where we could come and sit. There aren't tablecloths and we're not too precious and the music might be a little bit louder. But you're still getting the refinement of food that you would get in a more upscale restaurant. So I think the theme adds a little bit of fun to it and there's a story. I wanted a story to translate. Some hold really special to my heart like I did a menu about my mom going blind. And then how she was able to regain her vision near the end she had the surgery. Then the menu kind of translated.  It was very blurry and beige and then all of a sudden bright colors things you could eat with your hands. So a lot of times it just comes from the mode I'm in and where I'm at emotionally and just kind of comes from all different places.

What we covered in this episode

Chef Kim Alter describes the difficulty of opening a restaurant in San Francisco.Would she has done things differently looking back at it today when working on opening her restaurant.Does women have access in 2019 to the same opportunities as men in restaurants.Chef Kim Alter describes her Linden Room bar concept and her restaurant Nightbird.The themed menus at Nightbird changes every 2 to 3 weeks. What is the inspiration behind the themed menus.Master the techniques first and apply them to the products that are available to resonate with your menu idea.The Chef talks about her recent trip to Taipei (Taiwan).How does she keeps her team motivated.She talks about her mentors and what they brought to her.Fermentation is one of her latest obsession.Alliums are irreplaceable to her.Buying quality ingredients is the number one when you are making something simple.Chef Kim Alter talks about her consultancy work.Sustainability and waste management are part of the way menus are conceptualized at Nightbird.5 rapid-fire questions!

Links to other episodes in San Francsico

Chef Chris Cosentino - Cockscomb

Chef Kim Alter's summer salad recipe

Definitely go to farmer's market so you can kind of pick out everything on your own. I really love grilled or seared little gems and I was just at the farmer's market this morning and grabbed some little gems you cut them in half grilled them or sear them on in your outside or inside on your stove. And then same with peaches charring peaches there's so much sugar in them you could get a little bit of char to give like a bitter sweetness and then just like a charred peach salad mash ups some of those peaches as the vinaigrette with a little bit of lemon juice super simple and like get some Burrata from the cheese chop and just like a Burrata, grilled little gem with some like chard and pickled peaches would I think be really refreshing and very summery.

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Nightbird door

Nightbird

Nightbird Bread

Kim Alter Kitchen

Kim Alter talking

Green Color – Nightbird Color menu

Brown Color – Nightbird Color menu

Purple Color – Nightbird Color menu

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Evolution is a constant word I use. I always want to grow, I always want to learn, and I want to evolve.

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I'd like to think that people are looking at chefs now as a whole and not just as a woman chef and as a man chef but as someone who is talented and smart and can operate a business whether you're a man or a woman.

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When you get taken out of your environment you start thinking outside of the box. You are witnessing new ingredients and techniques and environments that change the way you think.

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Chef Kim Alter

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Nightbird restaurant

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Nightbird restaurantSuzette Gresham InstagramDavid Kinch InstagramJeremy Fox InstagramRon Boyd InstagramDominique Crenn InstagramTraci Des Jardins InstagramNancy Oakes InstagramMelissa Perello Instagram

I use ingredients and techniques that I have learned from elsewhere and just, as long as it's cohesive, and that it doesn't seem to recreate some classic dish with a spin on it. We don't need to do our take on something. I think we want to be as authentic as we can or to who we are and just try to use those influences to create a dish rather than trying to just showcase I guess this is the dish from a specific country.

What we covered in this episode

Chef Johnny Spero talks about this experience in the Netflix show "Final Table".Anthony Bourdain show "No Reservations" was at the origin of Chef Johnny Spero's desire to travel and discover other cuisines.Everything on his mind just keeps looking back to modern Spanish cooking.But the first time he traveled to Europe was for a stage in NOMA in Copenhagen.His mentors were Chef John Shields, Chef Jose Andres, He remembers his Asia tour in Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Japan.Going to culinary school versus first hand experience while traveling.For him the places to go today to find a stage in Copenhagen (Chef Christian Puglisi - Restaurant Relae),  Barcelona (Chef Albert Adria - Enigma), and Honk Kong.Chef Johnny Spero describes how his experiences in Denmark and Japan influences the decor and food at his restaurant Réverie in Washington DC.He talks about his creative process. Very much inspired by nature. Focusing on the ingredient first.For him cooking is more about artistic interpretation versus being craft.  Instagram plays an important role as when people take pictures and put it on Instagram, it represents what the restaurant stands for.Chef Johnny Spero explains the meaning of the name of his restaurant Réverie.He mentioned some of the latest ingredients he is experimenting with: Birch bark, and Kohlrabi.5 rapid-fire questions.

Links to other episodes in Washington DC

Chef Drew Adams

Chef Johnny Spero's recipe for burgers

Our burger has some inspiration from from America. Like classic America but also with a little bit of Japanese influence as well. So one of the things that we do is smash Patty burgers. I don't like to grill burgers. I like to do them in a pan because I love the crust which is very American style. You know Middle America smash in the pan. It gets a crispy and then we put soft cheese on it. What I like to do is to add stewed onions. The thing that really makes our burger pop is that we add Japanese style pickled cucumbers. It's actually delicious but a little more rich.So we our Burger looks very much like inspired by Big Mac. It's very simple but we use all ribeye. So we actually use the ribeye cap which is one of the most prized pieces of meat and we grind into a burger. We seasoned ours with salt and pepper inside the grind. And that's I think a lot of people try to over complicated. You end up covering it but if you have really high quality beef, seizing it appropriately and make sure you don't bury it sauces we try to keep our is very very clean and simple. We serve our special sauce that starts with smoked eggs.

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Clearly I did not do well in school so books don't teach me. First hand experience does.

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Inspiration definitely starts with ingredient. Let's focus on highlighting the ingredients, not masking them and let them stand out Technique should be used to elevate the dish not be a showpiece.

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First hand experience in the kitchen is probably the most important. Taste the world and build a culinary database of flavors and textures and different temperatures.

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Chef Johnny Spero

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Reverie

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Links mentioned in this episode

ReverieNetflix - Final Table ShowMinibar by Jose AndresNoma CopenhagenChef John ShieldsRestaurant RelaeEnigma Barcelona2Amys restaurantJaleoSushi Taro

You walk in and it opens up into this beautiful urban oasis and you're sitting with fairy lights and olive trees and really beautiful sort of antique furniture everywhere just really really beautifully designed. And then the menu is not fine dining, it's definitely more casual. We encourage people to share. But really high end ingredients. Information sourcing ingredients is one of the most important things for being a chef. My biggest thing: I’m just so done with all the ego in the kitchen. You know I put up with so much. I do not want that to be a part of what I do in the future. So I honestly think that you really have to listen to the demographic and say what do these people want to come here and eat. You know it's a very social place.

What we covered in this episode

Chef Alison Trent is originally from Canberra, Australia.She moved to the US with first stop in the former Culinary Institute in NYC and ended up after in L.A., California.Cooking as a profession was an easy decision for her.Her mentors were Chef Michael Cimarusti at Providence and Thomas Keller at Bouchon and then at The French Laundry.Her time there was challenging and rewarded as well.She remembers her time at The French Laundry and the intense environment. It was like knowing nothing about cooking and starting from scratch again!Chef Alison Trent believe that industry is changing and that this is a bit easier for women.Ysabel restaurant in West Hollywood is a beautiful "oasis" with a menu with high end ingredients. No ego in the kitchen! Laurel Hardware restaurant close by became an institution at this point with a local vibe. Simple food. Pizza et pasta. Sourcing and selection of the ingredients are very important to her. Interact with local farmers and buy fresh produce at your farmer's market.Chef Alison Trent talks to us about "Alison Trent Events". Rich experiences for people.  She mentions her collaboration with other artists such as ceramic makers, farmers, pastry chefs, beekeepers, etc...Working together with a Pastry Chef, Chef Alison Trent mentioned ingredients that would cross-over between savory and sweet worlds.Her latest ingredient obsession: tomatoes!She has done in a past a lot of molecular gastronomy but now she likes simple food best.  5 rapid-fire questions.

Links to other episodes in Los Angeles area

Chef Brad Miller - Inn of the Seventh Ray

Chef Alison Trent Summer Pasta Salad

For people cooking at home simplicity is just absolutely right. When we're talking about pasta in summer which is obviously sort of a heavier carb driven scenario, it's really about keeping it simple. Go to the farmer's market and try and eat meat less. So get these amazing tomatoes and some garlic. The biggest thing if you're gonna do pasta in summer is to pair it with a salad. But you're not doing some big heavy oxtail ragu. You're doing something light. A bit of a white wine base so you have that nice acidity and even though it's sort of carb driven it's still acidic and balanced. And I think that's the biggest thing for people cooking at home is to not overthinking it. You know you have friends coming over you do a nice Bucatini with a really simple beurre blanc and black pepper and then paired it with a really lightly dressed mixed green salad. Is sort of enough you know.And definitely all the herbs. I mean I'm fortunate enough to have a garden so whenever I cook I will do something really simple like a maybe penne with a butter and lemon sauce and then just go out into the yard and grab some fresh oregano, some fresh parsley, some interesting different basils, some pineapple basil,  fine French herbs aspect where you really get this whole basis right and then finish it all with a ton of lemon juice so you don't feel like you're eating this heavy meal.

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Black Truffle Tagliatelle

Oxtail Raviolo

Grilled Shrimp

Canapés from Alison Trent Events

Seared Scallop

Hamachi Collar Salad

Butternut Squash Agnolotti,

Tuna Tar-tare

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Sustainability for me is extremely important. I want to see this profession moving forward and evolving in a way that is sustainable and using waste in an appropriate way.

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The best possible thing you can do as a consumer is to go to your farmer’s market. Support local farmers who, honestly work harder than chefs.

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You have to be competitive. But working alongside other artists and people that are like minded is extremely important. And I honestly think that collaboration is the future of the industry.

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When I first started out in the industry I was obsessed with cookbooks and got myself a nice sort of inventory of them. Now I gotta be honest I don't even pick them up.

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Chef Alison Trent

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Ysabel

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Links mentioned in this episode

YsabelLaurel HardwareAlison Trent EventsThe French LaundryPastry Chef Chris Ford InstagramWeiser Family FarmSqirlJinpachi

"I'm competitive and I always have. And I think that's why I really enjoyed Iron Chef because it was the time when I knew I was going into battle or going in the Kitchen Stadium. Butterflies in my stomach floating and all of my culinary and cooking senses were alive and so I think that competitiveness that just stay within me. I grew up in Chicago, born and raised, where I played football and I wrestled in grammar school and in high school. It was both kind of combative sports both a little aggressive and so how do you translate over to cooking? Somehow I found it in competitive cooking."

What we covered in this episode

We start the interview by addressing the 2018 situation with several restaurants closing and lawsuits.

Chef Jose Garces talks about the merge between Ballard Hospitality Group and Garces Group.

His passion for food and the fact that cooking is still a humble craft kept him grounded throughout the success.

The new company will take Buena Onda brand to a fast casual brand to St Louis and later to other part of the country.

His competitiveness in business and cooking competition comes from him playing football and wrestling through high school in Chicago.

He started working when he was height years old and started his first 

While he was in culinary school he discovered that he has a creative edge while playing with the ingredients.

Chef Jose Garces talks about the creation of his first restaurant Amada (his grandmother’s name), first real Spanish restaurant in Philadelphia at that time.

His fine dining restaurant Volver serves as well as their Culinary Innovation Lab for ideation and menu conceptions for all the restaurants of the group.

Stella in New Hope , PA is the brand new addition to the group with American small plates.

Chef Jose Garces shares how his Latino background influenced his food and his career.

One of the Latino preparation that is critical is : Sofrito

The main misconception that American have about Latin cuisine is that it is spicy.

"I understood early on that I should travel and really learn about traditional cuisines".

He traveled to Spain, Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, The Caribbean, Cuba, and Japan.

“Inspiration via culinary curation travels is a big part of how we can create . Bring those traditions back and translate them into ways that works for our markets.”

Chef Jose Garces explains the role of the Culinary innovation Lab and the use of the menu contribution analysis to reformulate or change specific dishes.

Inspiration comes from memories, travels, cookbooks, or from a local produce from a farmer. It is a collaborative process.

Chef Jose Garces talks about the Garces Foundation. 

5 rapid-fire questions!

Chef Jose Garces and Latino flavors

"My parents both immigrated from Ecuador to Chicago in the late 1960s. So I grew up in an Ecuadorian American household. Mom cooked Ecuadorian meals and I mentioned my grandma earlier. She would come most summers and cook regularly. So growing up in that environment where there are Latin flavors going all the time made a huge impact on me, and I gravitated towards the kitchen. I loved helping my mom with her mashed potatoes making cake batters, breading things, whatever she wanted me to do. It was a special time and left a lasting impact and I again I think that the use of cilantro and sofrito and you know cooking of beans, tamale, empanadas, arepas,  all this. These are all foods I grew up with. So even to this day I still make all those things for my children and you know we're seeing market trends where they're becoming more accessible and more widely recognized. So that's exciting as well of cours.

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Chef Jose Garces & @flavorsunknown

BERENJENAS CON MIEL

CAÑA-DE-CABRA

ALBÓNDIGAS

Arroz-Temporado

Amada Restaurant

Dish at Amada

Chef Jose Garces and team by Brooke Everett

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If you are a young Chef and you are experiencing some success, be cautious about your next move and think about strategy.

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The culinary aspect of food keeps you grounded as it is still a humble craft in many ways.

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Inspiration via culinary curation travels is a big part of how we can create . Bring those traditions back and translate them into ways that works for our markets.

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The plating is very important because people certainly eat with their eyes and plating has evolved over time with Instagram.

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Chef Jose Garces

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Stella New Hope

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Links mentioned in this episode

Garces Group

Amada Philadelphia

Buena Onda

Distrito Philadelphia

Okatshe

Ortzi NYC

Stella New Hope

Volver

If you're a culinary student and you're going on your internship or extra. Find the highest quality most difficult kitchen you could find and go and see if you can really do it. Day in and day out and day in and day out and day in and day out and you'll be fine. You know you just put your head down and you work. You don't know anything when you go into a kitchen. Take a step back and lose the ego and listen and just put your head down and work. The cream will rise to the top. One thing that people need to understand and I tell my staff all the time is you might be learning some things that you don't like just as much as you do like and then you need to be conscious of that. Just keep your eyes open and your ears open. Cook with your ears!

What we covered in this episode

Boeufhaus is a small neighborhood French-German brasserie in Chicago.Old-world culinary techniques and contemporary style, from demi-glace, to patés and terrines.Boeufhaus is a new style of a steakhouse. Serving classic meat sandwiches at lunch (pastrami, corn-beef, Philly cheesesteak, etc...).The restaurant is ingredient quality based.Originally, Chef Brian Ahern was a Fine Arts major and was working at restaurants at the same time.His father had a great influence on him always taking him to off-the-beaten-path places.He did not go to culinary school but started working. Executive David Burke was one of his mentors. He was very demanding and Chef Brian Ahern learned how to become a professional. You can listen to Chef David Burke interview on "flavors unknown" at https://flavorsunknown.com/david-burke/Chef Michael Pirolo was his other mentor. He taught him the importance of consistency.Today the struggle is real to find reliable staff. Probably because of the inequities in pay between the front and the back of the house.To culinary students, his advice is to find an internship in the most difficult place they can find and see if you can really do it day-in and day-out. Loose the ego, put your head down and work!Cook with your ears. There are opportunities to learn in restaurant.His inspiration comes from everything: staff, reading, traveling, eating at other restaurants, even from Instagram.New York City is inspiring to him. From the colors to the sounds.Chef Brian Ahern describe the short rib beignets. One of my favorite dish on Boeufhaus menu.We talked about the different sauces made at Boeufhaus. Chef Brian Ahern describe their in-house chicken stock process.The ingredients that are indispensable to him are chicken, thyme, garlic, high quality oils and vinegars.5 rapid-fire questions!

Links to other episodes inn Chicago

Chef Jonathan Zaragoza - Birrieria Zaragoza

Chef Brain Ahern advice for a good burger.

It sounds cliche but let the ingredients for themselves and maybe if you have a good relationship with your local butcher they may serve you some aged meat. Maybe you could ask him or her to save you some of the ground fat from their butchering and you can get a leaner meat and then fold that fat inside your burger or if they weren't willing to give you some ground aged fat you could you could render that. Just ask him to save the scraps for you and you could render that. Then season with whatever you want. At Boeufhaus, they come out of our cast iron pans and they're resting, we seasoned rendered beef fat with some garlic and paprika, a little bit of mustard powder, herbs and we and we sort of paint onto the meat as it's resting. So you could render that fat and you could cook your burger in that if you wanted to use a cast iron pan. But I would mix the burger yourself and opposed to buying a preform Patty you know and just just enough to just sort of let it keep its form after you mix them you shape them into whatever size you want and then just put them in the fridge just to sort of set up and then, seems counter intuitive, then let them set out to get to a little bit more room temperature right before you grill them. But just let the product speak for itself. Really high heat and not much more over medium. For sure not over medium.And any excited sauce that you can put the burger and the bun. You could take some of that beef fat and making an aoili out of it, or you could caramelize some onions and puree them and then fill that in, or you could make your own steak sauce. You know I like to bite into a cheeseburger and have a little bit of mayonnaise or aioli on the side of my mouth. And then you know you could make an herb butter or something intensely herby butter that you used to you know to pain on the roll as you toast it because I don't know if I consider a burger, a burger unless the bun is toasted.

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The pay inequities between the front and the back of the house. It's just outrageous to be quite honest.

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Maybe some young cooks don't really know what it takes. They see the stuff on TV or they see the awards. They don't see the day to day nitty gritty.

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Just keep your eyes and your ears open. Cook with your ears! Pay attention to what's going on around you. There are opportunities to learn at every corner in a restaurant.

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Chef Brian Ahern

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Boeufhaus

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Links mentioned in this episode

BoeufhausChef David BurkeChef Michael PiroloLilia restaurantElske restaurantRootstock restaurantSportsman's ClubToons Bar & Grill

I think one of the things that I've always spoken about is that the South is a very large place. From North Carolina or Virginia down to parts of Florida, west to Texas, north to the eastern part of Kentucky. It's incredibly vast. One third of the United States. So to say that the South is one cuisine is very restrictive. The south is full of regional specific cuisine like the coastal cuisine of North Carolina or South Carolina is very different from Texas cuisine, which is very different from Kentucky cuisine, which is very different from north Florida cuisine from Mississippi, from the Delta. These are all very specific regions. They share some similarities but when we start to talk about the South we have to focus in on specific regions, specific peoples, and how immigrants are also changing the South.

What we covered in this episode

Chef Edward Lee talks about his love for the word graffiti. It is something that is impermanent: comes up and goes away. He drew a parallel between the graffiti's ephemeral characteristic and the non-permanent nature of the dishes Chefs create.Korean food is the food of his childhood and it is always in his mind. He loves Southern food. The combination of the two comes organically. He doesn't try to force it.Smoke should be the 6th basic taste like sweet, salty, bitter, acid, and umami.Authenticity doesn't apply in the food world. We should speak about tradition."Immigrants are also changing the South. This is a discussion that we have to start having because it's not just about traditional foods. The world is changing and the world is the real world of food doesn't stop just because you know we want it to." We talked about his restaurants 610 Magnolia, Milkwood, and Whiskey Dry in Louisville, KY and Succotash in Washington DC.Chef Edward Lee talked about his new restaurant project in Cincinnati.His mentioned the collaborative creative process that takes place in his test kitchen in Louisville, KY.Everything is inspiration. In fact least of his inspiration comes from other restaurants or cookbooks.People who are set-up for leadership is what Chef Edward Lee is looking for while hiring people.We talked about beverage and food pairing, beyond wine."Now that American food has turned spicier and gotten a lot of influences from Mexico, South America, from Asia, Southeast Asia, and all the spices from India, there are certain dishes where there's no wine to pair it with."Chef Edward Lee says that the best bourbon is the one that's in your hand.The most important criteria in selecting a bourbon for drinking or food pairing is the Mash Bill, the char, and the age expression."It's funny every time someone does something to buck tradition people are always outraged by it. And I always tell the outraged people that the ultimate test of whether something will stand or become a new tradition or it will stand the test of time is if it tastes good or not." It is all about trial and error. Maybe only one out of 10 cocktails make it to the final menu.Chef Edward Lee talked about the Lee Initiative, a foundation that trains and empowers young female chefs.5 rapid-fire questions.

Chef Edward Lee for a better Chicken Sandwich

You have to really focus on the ingredients. So you can take a chicken sandwich and use crappy mayonnaise, and you know white bread from the store and put them and is just going to be a bad sandwich and that’s fine. But it is not going to taste great. And then you can take that same chicken sandwich with the exact same thing right mayonnaise, but you can make your own mayonnaise or you can buy a high quality mayonnaise. Instead of using like iceberg lettuce you can use some kind of arugula or  watercress. And then you can bake your own bread or you can buy an artisanal bread. To me that's the most important thing you can do, just to look at every component of that sandwich and see how each of those components you can do a better version of it, or find a better quality version of it. That right there will make the sandwich ten a thousand times better. I think all too often we just kind of settle because it's convenient or this is what's available online. And so obviously down to the chicken, you can really good quality organic chicken versus just something that you find at the supermarket so that right there is I think the most important, and is the easiest thing you can do. You don't have to change a recipe. Just find better quality and if you do that you'll see how much better the chicken sandwich is and this really will give you an appreciation of why chefs do what they do. We obsess about finding the best chicken, the best white asparagus, the best bread because it does make a different especially when you put all that stuff together. So to me that that is the most important thing you know. And after that do some pickles, put some put some spice into it.Everyone has a different flavor profile that they want. You want to make it Indian you can add some curry to the meal. Those things are fun to do. But before you even get there you have to work on the quality.

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610 Magnolia dish 2

610 Magnolia Louisville, KY

Chef Edward Lee and @flavorsunknown in Louisville, KY

Dish at 610 Magnolia, Louisville, KY

Chef Edward Lee and @flavorsunknown podcast recording

Succotash Wings Washington DC

Succotash Washington DC

Whiskey Dry Menu Louisville, KY

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I love the idea that graffiti is something that is impermanent. It comes up and it goes away. And I've always felt some kinship with food because it's kind of the same thing like we create stuff but it's not permanent.

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Southern food is very spice driven. It's very bold. It's full of flavor. And so is Korean food. It kind of works well together.

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Smoke has its own distinct flavor. You can pretty much add smoke to anything you know. You can manipulate it, you can quantify it. It should be the 6th taste.

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It is really important in this business to lead people. That's essential. It doesn't matter if you're a cook or a waiter, dishwasher, you have to be a leader.

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Chef Edward Lee

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610 Magnolia, Succotash, Milkwood, and Whiskey Dry

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Links mentioned in this episode

Chef Edward Lee610 MagnoliaMilkwoodWhiskey DrySuccotashThe Lee Initiative

I like a challenge. It's very challenging to be in this business and try to stay relevant. I mean you can. There's so many things. The opportunities are there if you will look for them. There's so many beautiful things about the food industry. You can figure out what you can do. I like to be creative, there's so many things that you can work with. So,  it’s hard not to be excited about opportunities. But it is also easy to get burned-out, that's the other problem.

What we covered in this episode

Chef David Burke has about 10 restaurants today located in NJ, Manhattan, Long Island, Upstate NY, D.C., Philadelphia, St. Louis, and currently looking in the Middle East.

The top 4 factors of longevity and relevance in this industry are being open minded, great work ethics, having a hunger for success, and having a lot of enthusiasm.

He is constantly looking for a challenge.

Trends are always following patterns. You need to be able to edit a trend and take that little nugget that will stick around.

Nothing really bothers him today in the restaurant industry beside the overhyping of something simple. Like fried chicken for instance.

Food on TV has been very helpful for the recognition of what a Chef does. On the other end the likeliness for a young chef ever making to a certain level of celebrity or success is not easily realized.

There is a big pile of work in front of people starting in this industry. they need to realize that.

Chef was not a profession that was recognized before 1977.

Being a Chef is a lifestyle. When you get to a certain degree of a master chef celebrity there's a lot of sacrifice. And I think that needs to be understood by the young people in the industry today.

I've never been one to be as good as the guy next to me, I want to be better. Don't want to be as good as the restaurant down the street, I want to be better than average. That's just my competitive spirit.

He shared with us that he is  a "show-off! He wants to be unique and have a style, a signature!

Young people need to learn the fundamentals of the work in the kitchen but as well the fundamentals of mixing ingredients.

Chef David Burke talks about leadership style and describe his style when he was younger "coaching with vigor!"

You need the discipline to do things correctly and not take shortcuts.

Chef David Burke talks about his new restaurant Ventanas in NJ (200 Park Ave, Fort Lee, NJ).

He worked with legendary chefs in France and New York such as Pierre Troisgros, George Blanc, Marc Meneau, Daniel Boulud, Charlie Palmer and Waldy Malouf.

Learn more about David Burke Tavern (135 E 62nd St, New York, NY) and Woodpecker by David Burke (30 W 30th St, New York, NY)

Creativity doesn't slow down with years. Cheesecake Pops, Swordfish chops, and Pastrami Salmon are some of his favorite creations.

He is experimenting with sushi and pastry, like handheld desserts.

Chef David Burke wants to become an educator as the last step of his career. 

5 rapid-fire questions.

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Links to other episodes in New York City

Pastry Chef Mark Welker - Eleven Madison Park

Executive Chef Gabriel Kreuther

The Brandy Library with owner Flavien Desoblin

Pastry Chef Sam Mason - Odd Fellows

Chef Trigg Brown - Win Son

Executive Chef David Burke's Home Burger Recipe

Focus on a good quality meat first. But also work on condiments. Make your own tomato jam, your own ketchup, your own pickled onions, or a mushroom relish. You know things that you can put on a burger that you like. So look up some recipes on mango chutney and you know relishes and things like that, that you can spread on the bun. I always try to uplift my burger that way.

The meat is the meat. You can also make your own patties and inside those patties put some butter and garlic and then cheese. Making a burger at home should be like making meatloaf put in what you like. And if you put it what you like most likely your family will like it.

I love a burger on an English muffin. That's what I use. I prefer an English muffin for my burger.

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David Burke Tavern, Manhattan

Clothesline Bacon

Oysters

Steamed Angry Lobster Dumplings

Duck, Duck, Duck

Chef David Burke and @flavorsunknown

‘Bout them Apples?

Chef David Burke at DB Tavern

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The top 4 factors of longevity and relevance in this industry for @ChefDavidBurke are being open-minded, great work ethics, having a hunger for success, and having a lot of enthusiasm.

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Trends are always following patterns. You need to be able to edit a trend and take that little nugget that will stick around" says @ChefDavidBurke

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Chef David Burke -Being a Chef is a lifestyle. When you get to a certain degree of a master chef celebrity there's a lot of sacrifices. And I think that needs to be understood by the young people in the industry today.

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"I've never been one to be as good as the guy next to me, I want to be better. I don't want to be as good as the restaurant down the street, I want to be better than average. That's just my competitive spirit", says @ChefDavidBurke

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"If a chef is yelling too much," says @ChefDavidBurke, "he has the wrong team. And if you have the wrong team you need to change the team as people don't necessarily operate with fear."

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Chef David Burke

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Instagram

Facebook

Links mentioned in this episode and other social media links

Orange Lawn in NJ

@OrangeLawnTC

Woodpecker by David Burke

@WoodpeckerbyDB

David Burke Tavern

@DBtavern

Drifthouse

@DrifthouseDB

Garden City Hotel Red Salt Room

@GardenCityHotel

The Adlephi Hotel

@TheAdelphiHotel

JC Melon

Jean-Louis, Cooking With the Seasons Cookbook

Art Culinaire Magazine

I think what I'm most proud of as a chef is the people that I've worked under me. The different people that I've seen come up from a cook right out of culinary school or maybe even a cook with no culinary school that maybe grows into a sous chef position or an executive chef position or a chef de cuisine position. I would say that the investment in the people and mentoring people and seeing them grow is probably what I'm most proud of. I’m most proud of the people that I've worked with. There's no personal accomplishment that I have that I would say is greater than the accomplishment in investing in people. It's probably been the greatest reward in my career. Andre Natera

What we covered in this episode

He wanted to be a professional fighter when he was younger.He was offered at the same time to turn pro or get his first Head Chef position.As he "needed to be a responsible adult" and had to feed his family, he decided to pass on the professional fighter career and he became a Chef.There was a similar social hierarchy in the locker rooms and the kitchen back then when he started. He fit right in.Chef Natera went to culinary school in 1995.The Fairmont Hotel in Austin as several food and beverage concepts which keep him engaged and creative."Revue" has an Italian kitchen, an Asian kitchen, a raw bar, and a dessert station. "Garrison" is the fine dining restaurant. The concept is built around fire. Everything has an element of smoke or char."Fulton" is the lobby bar, focusing on small bites and craft cocktails."Good Things" is a grab-and-go coffee shop."In-room dining"."Rules and Regs" is the 7th-floor bar focusing on Mexican flavors. Chef Andre Natera describes some of the main differences that exist between being a Chef at a restaurant and a Chef at a hotel.Back in the 80's the popular cooking show on TV was "Great Chefs of the World" that inspired a generation of people in culinary school to become Chefs at hotels and country clubs because these Chefs on TV were Chefs at famous hotels around the world. Then the shift happened with restaurant Chefs on Food Network. No one wanted to work at hotels any longer and you saw an end of an era.Today, because of the economics it takes to run a restaurant things are changing a bit.Chef Andre Natera gives advice to young people who want to become a Chef.For him, a lot of his creative process comes from isolation and then the collaborative process starts.He is a member of the MENT'OR  BKB organization.The Chefs that Chef Andre Natera looks up to are Chef Thomas Keller, Chef René Redzepi, and Chef Dean Fearing.His leadership style evolved over time and depends on the level of the person in the kitchen.Discipline is critical in the kitchen. Discipline is the means to deliver a result by doing the right things and not the punishment.Chef Andre Natera talks about the great aspects of being a Chef (creativity, leadership, mentorship) and open the veil as well on some of the dark sides of being a Chef.5 rapid-fire questions

Links to other episodes in Austin

Conversation with 3 Chefs in Austin (Chef Andre Natera, Chef Kevin Fink, and Chef Fiore Tedesco) - Vol 1Conversation with 3 Chefs in Austin (Chef Andre Natera, Chef Kevin Fink, and Chef Fiore Tedesco) - Vol 2

Chef Michael Fojtasek from Olamaie

If you are interested in discovering more about the Austin restaurant scene, check out these two additional episodes by clicking on the respective pictures:   Chef Michael Fojtasek from Olamaie and Chef Fiore Tedesco from L'Oca d'Oro. 

Chef Fiore Tedesco from L'Oca d'Oro

Chef Andre Natera's recipes with eggplants.

The way we prepare our eggplants here is we confit them in some oil and then we grill them. I really like the technique of keeping them in some sort of fat. Now this is where you can get creative so if you have the technique of confit the eggplant in fat. Well then you can change your medium up so you can use olive oil or you could use a neutral oil but you could also use duck fat. You could use tallow beef tallow you could maybe use chicken schmaltz to confit your eggplant so you could impart some of that meaty flavor. And then after it's confit you can add your aromatics in there so you know bay leaves or citrus or whatever the case may be.And then we have a wood burning grill so I take the eggplants and I put it on the grill. During the summer spring great for barbecuing. But if you don't have a grill maybe you could put that in a cast iron pan and get some caramelization on them and then just serving it with a beautiful sauce in our case here we we do a romesco sauce but you know a salsa verde or something like that or chimichuri would lend itself very well to that grilled smoky charred eggplant and really creamy on the inside with you know because it's been confit in some fat.

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Caviar Chips at Garrison Austin

Octopus Garrison Fairmont Austin

Wagyu Garrison Restaurant Fairmont Austin

Fairmont hotel outside Austin

Garrison entrance Fairmont Hotel Austin

Chef Andre Natera and @flavorsunknown

Fairmont bar Austin

Poached Atlantic Cod At Garrison Austin.

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The hierarchy kind of works the same in professional fighting. [At the training room] you only give crap down. You're not allowed to speak negatively up. There was a lot of that same mentality in kitchens when I started.

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For me, the creative process is often done in isolation. But a lot the ideas that spring forth from isolation comes from collaborative discussions.

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There's no personal accomplishment that I have that I would say is greater than the accomplishment in investing in people.

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In order for me to get better results, I had to look back on my career and realized that there was a direct correlation with my attitude and my leadership style to the results that had nothing to do with my culinary ability.

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There's a lot of pressure on a chef to perform. And I'm not sure people recognize that.

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Chef Andre Natera

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Fairmont Hotel Austin

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Links mentioned in this episode

Fairmont Hotel AustinGarrison restaurant at the FairmontRevue restaurant at the FairmontThomas KellerRené Redzepi Dean FearingRamen Tatsu-yaOlamaieEmmer & RyeJuniper