The Clever Root

Fall / Winter 2015

Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/599676

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 27 of 111

2 8 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t ■cr When was the moment you knew you wanted to become a chef? That would be when I was around four or five years old when I asked for an Easy-Bake Oven for Christ- mas, and I would hang with my uncle's Chesa- peake Bay restaurant/seafood market chef while I was on summer break from school and the rest of my family was working at the restaurant. Favorite heirloom fruit or vegetable? I am obsessed with chili peppers and tomatoes because of the diversity in flavors, shapes, sizes. What are the greatest lengths you have traveled to produce a dish or find an ingredient? I have a million crazy stories like: going to Alaska to work in the salmon industry to gain the knowledge of where and how my favorite fish came to be in my kitchens—I still have the scars from that one— smoking hand-caught salmon in backwoods bear country of Alaska, and climbing 10,000-foot peaks in search of amazing wild low-bush blueberries for a dinner special. I have also traipsed through the High Sierra of Montana looking for a type of wild sage to smoke my bison with, waded in stinging jellyfish–infested tide waters to get sea beans and other wild succulents, and—the greatest length—started my own micro farm here in Texas to grow and raise specialty produce and birds that I use in my everyday cooking. If you could have one chef superpower, what would it be? It would have to be the ability to manipulate time; it seems I am always running out of it. What's your favorite dish to cook at the moment? My favorite thing to make at the moment is any type of bread. I love the smell of yeast dough rising and the way it feels when you handle it. I get up before the sun rises, make my dough and let it proof while watching the sun rise out my window. Sounds pretty dreamy, and it sure is. A couple hours later and the warm aroma of freshly baked bread fills the house and satisfies my soul. Slap on a good amount of butter and I'm in heaven. What is your relationship with your local farmers/ranchers and how do you sup- port each other? My favorite local farm is a new certified or- ganic farm in Oceanside, CA called Cyclops Farms. Farmer Luke Girling is passionate about "keeping an eye on our food system." And that's incredibly important to me. I use as many organic ingredients as possible in all my creations, so having a farm so close is an absolute blessing for our whole com- munity. Luke, his wife, and two kids run a great weekly farm stand where they offer a plethora of fresh, hand-picked, or- ganic produce. I was so happy when I found out about what Luke was doing, I really hope the rest of my genera- tion sees how important it is to produce food sustainably. You're on a desert is- land. Which chef's tool do you bring with you? I think the obvi- ous answer is a sharp knife. It's good for defense, cracking open coco- nuts and could pos- sibly spark a fire if you tried hard enough. A whisk wouldn't do much good . . . What advice would you give up-and-coming chefs regarding sourcing ingredients? Don't source tasteless ingredients. In all seriousness, develop your relationships with your farmers, ranchers, and purveyors—this will ensure you get the best of their best, which will enable you to start from the best vantage point in your cooking. Who is a chef you really admire and why? Obviously, my mentors Scott Carsberg and Todd Humphries because both are true working chefs and have shaped my philosophy. On the other side of the spectrum, I admire guys like Billy Ngo and Michael Thiemann because I can look at them and say that their application of skill, determination, and hard work in the kitchen is something I identify with and admire. How would you describe your cooking philoso- phy in six words? Don't forget who you're cooking for. What's an ingredient that you've changed your mind about over your career? Tarragon. When I first started cooking I hated it, because I struggled with that anisette, licorice flavor. Then, as my palate developed, I realized it creates a terrific umami charac- teristic in dishes. When was the moment you knew you wanted to That would be when I was around four or five years - traipsed through the High Sierra of Montana looking for a type of wild sage to smoke my bison with, waded in stinging jellyfish–infested tide waters to get sea beans and other wild succulents, and—the greatest length—started my own micro farm here in Texas to grow and raise specialty produce and ganic produce. I was so happy when I found out about what Luke was doing, I really hope the rest of my genera tion sees how important it is to produce food sustainably. You're on a desert is land. Which chef's tool do you bring with you? I think the obvi ous answer is a sharp knife. It's good for defense, cracking open coco nuts and a fire if you tried hard enough. A whisk wouldn't do much good . . . JAMES CANTER, Chef/Owner, Guerrilla Gourmet Mobile Kitchens, Victoria, TX KELLY MCCOWN, Executive Chef, The Kitchen Restaurant, Sacramento, CA If you are a culinary professional interested in being featured here or for more information on Chef's Roll, please email emily@thecleverroot.com We've partnered with Chef's Roll, the global chef and culinary professional network, to learn more about chefs from around the country. ANNALISE BROLASKI, Executive Pastry Chef, Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub, Oceanside, CA COURTESY OF ANNALISE BROLASKI COURTESY OF KELLY MCCOWN COURTESY OF JAMES CANTER

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Clever Root - Fall / Winter 2015