The Clever Root

Fall / Winter 2015

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f a l l / w i n t e r 2 0 1 5 | 4 9 Chef Jeremy Fox: e biggest difference with this project was that, other than the unknown that comes with any new business, I knew who I was working with: Kat, Tug, the owners, our team of chefs, even the contractor. A lot of us had worked together for several years. It is like working with fam- ily. Being only a half a mile from Rustic Canyon has been a big help, too. In the past I just came up with a menu, then paired it with wine. I wanted this to be representative of the person I know Kat to be, to sit with the esthetic of the space which is clean and bright. ere was a lot of back and forth with what would go well with wine. Figuring out how the food could support the wine— by not being as acidic or too spicy, cover the gamut, and yet be small and concise. ere was lot of texting back and forth! Any surprises in this process? (laughs) Actually, I had a pretty good scare aer our friends and family event. It was the most needed I've been in my entire life. Trying to feed 80 people at once, out of a small kitchen. Other than that, it has been mostly pleasant surprises: how well dishes have been received, and the realization that we could do full menu all day, due to demand. Well, having been there for the aforemen- tioned friends and family event at Esters, we can say that the food was impeccable and, by the way the staff rolled with the curve balls, with composure and smiles, you would never know how crazy it was on the back end. at spirit comes from Kathryn. Kat loves hospitality and is really exceptional at instilling that in our staff. A chef 's education is constantly changing and developing. What are you most excited about learn- ing/discovering recently? I'm discovering new local purveyors on almost a daily basis. California is so rich with them, that it is almost not necessary to look elsewhere. From Stephanie Mutz in Ventura County we get abalone, sea urchin, welk, and seaweed; Passmore Ranch, just outside of Sacramento, provides us with caviar, sturgeon, and trout; we use Cook Pigs Ranch, located in Julian, for our pork terrine; and a selection of our cured meats come from Electric City Butcher in Santa Ana. We do source meats from outside of California as well: from Salume Beddu in St. Louis, Benton's Country Hams in Madisonville, TN, West Loop Salumi and Nduja Artisans Salumeria in Chicago. Having such great purveyors has helped simpli- fied my cooking. It is more about getting the best ingre- dients I can get, which I think is much more rewarding than over-stylized, highly conceptualized creations. Are there any trends or themes you see in the culinary world right now that you are excited about? I don't really like trends, and when something becomes "trendy" I usually stop doing it. I am really Esters offers a wide array of cheeses and cured meats from boutique salumeries in Los Angeles and across the country. Benton's Country Hams 14-month country ham with figs and molasses. In addition to retail wine, Esters' market portion will offer locally produced items from the Rustic Canyon family of res- taurants Milo & Olive, Huck- leberry Café & Bakery, and Sweet Rose Creamery, ideal as pan- try provisions or for stock- ing up for a dinner party or picnic. glad to see people paying more attention to organics and non-GMO ingredients. e acceptance that, initially, these items are going to cost more, but that with more demand the less expensive they will become. ey will just become the norm. I think eventually the price of organics will go down with more support. When you do get out of the kitchen, and into the real world where do you most like to go for food (and inspiration)? I'm inspired by people like Chef Ignacio Mattos of Estela in New York City, and Chef Eric Korsh of Danny Meyer's North End Grill, also in New York. Locally, I love Sqirl in Echo Park and Bestia in Downtown LA (I am pretty excited for Chef Ori Menashe's Middle Eastern place to open). It is a great time to be in Los Angeles; more chefs are pushing the envelope, finding the voice for L.A. cuisine, and constantly evolving. ■cr

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