The Chef’s Table – ‘Some Like it Hot’ at Thai Ploy Restaurant

I’m a big fan of Thai food. While living in Seattle, I found a certain comfort in always being just a few steps away from the sweet, savory and fresh flavors found in the city’s countless Thai restaurants. Now that I’m a full-time Walla Walla resident, you can probably guess how I feel to have, once again, a choice of Thai cafés in my own backyard. Who says you can’t have it all?

Behind the walls of its unassuming brick facade, Thai Ploy restaurant consistently serves a variety of traditional Thai dishes in a large, colorful dining room adorned with rich wood paneling and traditional Thai artwork. From exotic soups, salads and noodle dishes to spicy curry and seafood entrees, Thai Ploy’s menu conveniently bridges the nearly 8,000-mile divide between … Continue Reading

The Chef’s Table – John Lastoskie of Graze

The story of John and Rebecca “Becca” Lastoskie’s pilgrimage to Walla Walla reads more like the concept of a new reality television show than the tale of a young couple relocating to the picturesque Valley.

After selling their Sacramento home and putting all their belongings in storage, the two packed their infant son, Sam, and an “antisocial” shelter dog, into a Volkswagen van and hit the road for nearly two months. The challenge: Find a new place to call home.

After checking out Northwest towns from Billings to Bellingham – with plenty of “quality time” to debrief each other and debate each locale – Walla Walla was chosen as their final resting stop.

John, a former teacher, and Becca, a hair stylist, parked their temporary “home on wheels” and began unpacking their new life. Pursuing his lifelong dream of working with food, John launched Graze Catering in September 2006. Since that fateful autumn, Graze has catered nearly 350 events, serving more than 24,000 guests. … Continue Reading

The Chef’s Table – Chantelle Martuscelli

The morning I met Chantelle Martuscelli, I had to break the news to her, over a stiff cup of coffee and an episode of “Wonder Pets” (which her two children were watching in the background) that she is, in fact, a chef. What’s more, her name was to be subscribed in print as such, despite her insistence she “just cooks food” and has no formal training.

But to say Chantelle is self-deprecating would be misleading — she has the prowess of Mario Batali trapped in the petite body of a Disney animation character — think “Little Mermaid” without the tail. Indeed, Chantelle serves as the long-locked, doe-eyed heroine of Cugini. Not that she needed to save the place. Don and Jerri Maiuri renovated a run-down shoe shop to open Cugini Import Italian Foods in 2004 and have had a loyal following from the all’inizio (very beginning).

Enter Chantelle a few years ago. Hers is a recurring successful theme: starts as a dishwasher, moves up quickly to cook. Her last stop before Cugini was Creektown, which she credits as the place she “learned almost everything” — another recurring theme among chefs in town. At Cugini, Chantelle started out a few hours a week making meatballs — a bestseller.

The Italian take-out-market-turned-dine-in with beer and wine service was the perfect fit for our protagonist. It seems Chantelle has the historical and culinary equivalent of the Italian mafia on her side: Her great grandmother (who provides recipes) came to Walla Walla from Italy in 1910; her great grandfather in 1921. Her grandfather — a regular who lives a biscotti’s throw away (the biscotti is another family recipe) — sells the restaurant peppers and eggplant. Her grandmother has a say in the cooking. Chantelle’s cousins live down the road and ride their bikes to Cugini to pick up bread and other staples. Oh, and the mural on the walls was painted by her mother, Lynn.

LIFESTYLES: OK, so you’ve got the family watching your back. What things on the menu have your signature on them?

CHEF CHANTELLE: All the dinners are really from me just experimenting. The marinara sauce that we put on the lasagnas and everything, the Alfredo sauce that we sell, the sauce for lasagna, which is secret by the way (she won the Italian Heritage contest with it). The eggplant parmesan is my great grandma’s recipe, and my family still makes it all the time.

LIFESTYLES: What makes the eggplant parmesan special?

CHEF CHANTELLE: I’ve never seen it done this way: It’s hamburger patties with eggplant — like an eggplant sandwich fried on each side and baked in sauce. Don and Jerri butcher their own cows and use the beef in the dishes. It makes a big difference.

LIFESTYLES: Have you always experimented with food?

CHEF CHANTELLE: I remember when I was in the third grade, everyone was going to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and I thought I would take all the peanuts and try and mush them up into peanut butter myself. I’ve always been interested in what would happen if I mixed things together.

LIFESTYLES: Has this adventurous thinking spilled over into other parts of your life?

CHEF CHANTELLE: Well, after high school I saved up some money and bought a Volkswagen van …

LIFESTYLES: (interrupting): Awesome.

CHEF CHANTELLE: … and I bought some land in Oregon, and me and some friends traveled down there until we ran out of money. I really wanted to build a cob house.

LIFESTYLES: Other than the cob house thing, quirkiest trait?

CHEF CHANTELLE: I’m a perfectionist — I get that a lot. It has to be perfect both in taste and visuals. And I don’t like shoes. I always wear flip flops, even in the winter time.

LIFESTYLES: Favorite kitchen tool?

CHEF CHANTELLE: I always cook with a wooden spoon. Oh, and a pureer (gesturing with her hand) – hand pureerer. Is that a word?

LIFESTYLES: Sure. Biggest fear (other than pureerer not being a word )

CHEF CHANTELLE: The ocean. I love it, but if I can’t see underneath, I think something’s going to bite my foot off.

LIFESTYLES: Favorite music?

CHEF CHANTELLE: Classic rock. Though in the kitchen we listen to smooth jazz or sometimes Italian.

LIFESTYLES: Quality in other chefs you most admire?

CHEF CHANTELLE: Grace under pressure. It’s the glue that holds the kitchen together.

LIFESTYLES: Overrated ingredient?

CHEF CHANTELLE: Flavored oils. I don’t use them, and I probably never would. I don’t even want to experiment with them. I like doing things from scratch so if I want to flavor oil  I’ll do it myself.

LIFESTYLES: Underrated ingredient?

CHEF CHANTELLE: (answered before I even finished the question): Eggplant. I use it in a lot of things and people who grow it in their gardens don’t know what to do with it.

LIFESTYLES: That would be me. Plus, I wreck it.

CHEF CHANTELLE: It’s like a sponge and will absorb any flavors of what you’re cooking so it goes with everything. You have to use enough oil.

LIFESTYLES: Food I’d find in your refrigerator right now?

CHEF CHANTELLE: Leftover beef enchiladas. (Chantelle’s partner) Brandon’s mom taught me their family recipe.

LIFESTYLES: Idea of perfect happiness?

CHEF CHANTELLE: Cooking I don’t really see as working so I guess this is it.

The Chef’s Table – Rob Hoffman

It’s hard to say which was a tougher battle: Being diagnosed with, and recovering from, a brain tumor at the age of 25, or convincing a bank in Pendleton that fine dining with a menu of fresh seafood and pastas would sell in a meat- and-potatoes town.

Chef Rob Hoffman was successful on both fronts. He learned to play as hard as he worked and his restaurant, Raphael’s, is celebrating its 25th year of serving Pendleton Round-Up guests this summer.

So who is Raphael? True to the quote, “Behind every great man, there’s a great woman,” the Raphael behind Raphael’s is not a man or Ninja Turtle, nor is the restaurant French or Hispanic. Pronounced like the city San Raphael (Ra-fell), Raphael Hoffman is Native American (Nez Perce), Irish and German and is the great woman behind the great Chef Rob. The dynamic duo tastefully renovated the historic 1904 Raley house into destination dining at its best. Instead of heavy velvet drapes, floral cushions and ceramic knickknacks collecting dust in the corner (that the Queen Anne style conjures), the space is open and light, with modern color and contemporary and Native American art. … Continue Reading

The Chef’s Table – Hannah MacDonald

At age 18, Hannah MacDonald left Walla Walla for Paris. As part of a French immersion program through the University of Paris, she lived with French families, and spent time not in the cafes, but in the kitchens of Parisians for a year.

Since then, with culinary school and a number of restaurant gigs under her beret (including Milles Fleurs in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.), MacDonald returned to Walla Walla to become the executive chef of Grapefields … without knowing it.

“I applied at Grapefields to be a waitress part-time, and then my Mom heard around town that they had hired a new chef – this was right after my interview. I didn’t realize that was me! So I showed up and started cooking.”

When Grapefields closed, MacDonald created what she felt Walla Walla needed: Brasserie Four (at 4 Main St.) – a country French restaurant “where a parent can have a good glass of wine and have their child eat something that isn’t deep fried,” says MacDonald, laughing, “though we do that too.”

At interview time, the near sold-out art displayed on the walls was from students at Kid’s Place, where Hannah’s son, Christian, attends pre-school. Over my shoulder was a nice little play dinosaur family, with a child’s art easel and play station beyond.

But Brasserie Four is just as adult-friendly and offers fare reminiscent of Ernest Hemingway’s writing: spare but elegant, with exacting execution. My favorites include the imported olives with the perfect touch of fennel, orange and pernod; a steaming bowl of mussels with herbs; a pureed soup from asparagus brought in off the farm that morning; filet of sole – just sole — with a wedge of lemon; croque madame (classic monsieur with a sunny-side up local egg on top).

LIFESTYLES: So you lived with three different French families?

CHEF HANNAH: Yes. One was Madame Poupon, who was an heir to the Grey Poupon mustard family. She was 90-something and crazy. Then I lived with Jacques and Jaqueline …

LIFESTYLES: (interrupting) Of course you did.

CHEF HANNAH: My roommate and I were so poor, so we’d skip lunch and save our appetites for Jacqueline’s food. We had like five courses a night.

LIFESTYLES: You opened at a precarious time – missing the summer tourists and going into the lull of winter. Was that by design?

CHEF HANNAH: (laughing) No. We were trying to be open for the previous spring release weekend (May 2008.)

LIFESTYLES:Clearly, you rode out the storm of winter.

CHEF HANNAH: It probably helped that we were new. People kept trying us out. I don’t know, there’s no rhyme or reason, I have no idea why things work out the way they do.

LIFESTYLES: You look like you could be a ballet dancer. What’s your second-choice career?

CHEF HANNAH: I always had this idea of an extravagant life. I wanted to live in Paris and be in fashion – it sounds so cliché, but I grew up in a small town and discovered Vogue. Oh, and I’d like to win the French Open in tennis.

LIFESTYLES: I’ve noticed you have a strong French clientele. Are there any items they request?

CHEF HANNAH: Bone marrow, so I try to keep it on hand!

LIFESTYLES: Mantra?

CHEF HANNAH: Je ne sais quoi (referring to the intangible factor that makes a dish work)

LIFESTYLES: Favorite food?

CHEF HANNAH: Cheese. This restaurant is really just a way to fund my cheese habit. But the thing we focus on most is our stocks. We always have four or five different kinds – they’re the base of everything, and if I feel like something’s off, I go back to my stock.

LIFESTYLES:Favorite music?

CHEF HANNAH: I play a lot of Edith Piaf. The staff hates me but I love her. In the back, we listen to my dishwasher’s music – ’80s sing-along.

LIFESTYLES: Best advice received?

CHEF HANNAH: I don’t listen to advice (laughing). I haven’t learned to do that yet.

LIFESTYLES: Overrated ingredient?

CHEF HANNAH: Truffle oil.

LIFESTYLES: Underrated ingredient?

CHEF HANNAH: Butter! I cook with butter! People are scared of it. If I could ban margarine, I would.

LIFESTYLES: Favorite kitchen tool?

CHEF HANNAH: I’m kind of anti-tool. I’ve gotten every gadget under the sun and I use none of them, and I don’t measure.

LIFESTYLES: Motto?

CHEF HANNAH: Be in touch with what you’re eating. It just doesn’t make sense to not know where your products are coming from, especially if you’re in a small town. It seems natural. It’s French.

The Chef’s Table: Gene Soto

Driven by fresh ingredients and an infectious come-and-join-us attitude, Someone’s in the Kitchen, a cooking school and restaurant, has been filling its kitchen for almost a year without affectation or fuss.
Chef Gene Soto and partner Katie Gonzalez offer a menu of soups, salads, sandwiches and hot dishes inspired from ports around the world that changes every week.

I have to admit, from the fi rst time I heard your name, I just wanted to create an action fi gure. Chef Gene Soto, accessories sold separately.
CHEF GENE: It has become quite a sport.

No kidding! I saw a commercial for “Hell’s Kitchen” the other day. Geez. Yours seems more like Zen Kitchen. Being a cooking school and a restaurant, you must have a lot of patience.
CHEF GENE: I think for the most part, I am fairly under control. The only time I ever lose it is when I feel the customer isn’t getting what they paid for.

But it’s safe to say you would never throw a pan.
CHEF GENE: (smile) Never. It’s a matter of getting lunch out in a timely fashion but more so, making sure that it looks good and tastes good.
KATIE: There’s no reason why a 30-minute lunch can’t be a wonderful experience.

Did you start with the muse of the school and then the restaurant?
CHEF GENE: Yes, the idea was a cooking school first, but the restaurant wasn’t an after-thought. I thought it was important to have some kind of showcase where people could come in and sit down and eat and have an idea of what I actually cook.

I know you’re a believer of farm-to- table…
CHEF GENE: Even further than the farm-to-table concept, we really try to hone in with our students what’s available at the market — meaning Super 1, Safeway or Albertson’s — and what to look for. During the fall and winter, there are root vegetables and greens that people have no idea how to utilize.

The name?
KATIE: With the tag line it’s “Someone’s in the Kitchen … and it’s you!” It works for the classes and it works with lunch service because it’s such an open format. You can see everything.
CHEF GENE: You are part of the kitchen.

Back to Gene Soto, action figure — if he were to wield a kitchen tool he couldn’t live without, what would that be?
CHEF GENE: A basic teaspoon. I like to keep a container of them around because they’re good for stirring quickly and tasting. You can peel ginger or garlic with it or use it as a knife if you have to.

Is that the kind of practicality one can expect from your classes?
CHEF GENE: We purposely try and equip this kitchen to what a person might have at home. Our mixing bowl and knives are from Target.
KATIE: And I think when people take the classes here, they kind of feel like it’s their kitchen.

Do items make their way to the menu from the classes?
CHEF GENE: At the request of a student, just last week, we put pasticcio on the menu — a casserole that we made in our Greek class.

I love the fact that the menu changes every week.
KATIE: A guy who works around the corner made the comment: “I could eat here every day for a year and never have the same thing, but I always know it’s going to be good.”

What you’re doing in the process is expanding people’s awareness and their palate. Trust develops between chef and customer. Once you have them sold on some basics, they are willing to be a little more adventurous.
KATIE: We’ve definitely seen that happen. Customers have come in wanting a plain turkey sandwich and they’ll try it with, let’s say a rhubarb chutney, and they’ve surprised themselves.

An a-ha moment…
KATIE: Yes, and next time they won’t even ask.

I noticed on your Web site that you can e-mail a question directly to Chef Gene.
CHEF GENE: Absolutely. I’ve had students call or come back in with the recipe and say: “I’m going to make this tonight. Can we just go over it really quickly?”

That’s adorable.
CHEF GENE: It happens!

Unlikely pairing that has really worked?
CHEF GENE: In our “Oodles of Noodles” class, we made a fideos dish that had garbanzo beans, creme fresh aioli, fennel, orange and some vanilla. Amazing.
KATIE: We get people from all over the world in the classes. In our Oktoberfest class, we had a guy from Austria and guy from Germany.
CHEF GENE: The guy from Austria came as a birthday gift from his wife because she saw the menu items from his childhood — sauerbraten and spaetzle. He said, “This is better than my mom’s!”

And you still run kids classes?
CHEF GENE: Twice a month When the kids prepare things, because they have ownership, they want to try it. It just goes back to helping people to try new ingredients or products.
KATIE: And the parents are shocked — they ate grilled pineapple? Not that exotic but …We’ve done birthday parties, a class where husbands cook for the wives, a demo class, a family bonding dinner … We don’t want to teach you something you don’t need to know or don’t want to know. But it should be fun — there is a very social aspect to cooking.
CHEF GENE: We finish by eating what we’ve made and everyone talks about what they’ve done and how great it is. Some of our regulars have even brought their guitars, or borrow one from the back … Anything can happen.

Recipes: Ricotta Gnudi with Sweet Pea Puree

Gnudi
1 egg
3/4 lb fresh ricotta cheese
1/4 lb freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
1/3 cup + 1 Tall-purpose flour

Method
In a small mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, parmigiano, half of the fl our and the tablespoon of all-purpose flour. Using a wooden spoon, mix until the ingredients are well combined. Salt and pepper to taste. Place the remaining fl our in a shallow bowl. Using fl  hands, pinch about a tablespoon worth of mixture and form into a little football shape. Dredge each through the fl our in the bowl and onto a baking sheet. Continue this until you’ve made as many pieces as you can. Bring plain water to a simmer (not boil). Take out the gnudi and drop five or so into the pot for about 2 minutes, or until they rise to the top of the liquid. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean, fl at, baking sheet. Do this for all of the gnudi, being gentle and taking care not to break them as they can be delicate.

Sweet Pea Puree
2 cups fresh peas
pinch ground nutmeg
pinch ground paprika
1/2 cup cooking water

Method
In a food processor or blender combine all ingredients and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Place Seet pea puree in a large pan and bring to a simmer, add gnudi and toss to coat the gnudi. Divide on four plates and top each with soft, sun-dried tomatoes and shaved parmigiano.

This recipe is courtesy of Chef Soto Gene of Someone’s In the Kitchen

The Chef’s Table – Damon Burke

Damon Burke talks to his food. Or at least I imagine he does, and perhaps it talks back because he seems to have an otherworldly relationship with every product in his small, but carefully stocked grocery. He can tell you the history and uses of everything from ground mustard to Turkish olive oil in a way that makes them come alive. And don’t even get me started with his meats and cheeses, which have practically landed me in a 12-step program.

After working in the film business for almost 10 years, Burke was disillusioned and burned out. He left the set of “First Daughter” to work grape harvest in Walla Walla, seeking sanity and quality of life.

Burke and his wife, Colby, opened Salumiere Cesario to present products they were passionate about. Products to “expand and delight the palate,”
Burke says.

“When I came to work harvest, I made a mental list in the back of my head of everything I couldn’t find: out-of-area wines, prosciutto, cheeses that I had fallen in love with in LA, things I had become accustomed to. We started making a list and then it was just do it! Open a small grocery. I think I wanted to change the way people eat. Instead of having a
“ginormous” dinner with a 16-ounce steak, go with a 4-ounce steak, and a little salad and a little charcuterie before dinner and afterwards; instead of a piece of pie, do a little cheese.”

Burke combined Salumiere, which means grocer in Italian, and Cesario (pronounced CHE-sario), his grandmother’s maiden name, chosen as a way to honor her memory.

“She used to tell us bedtime stories, and no matter how many times I heard the same one, I’d never tire of it. That’s why I wanted to get into film — to tell stories — and in a way, I feel like that’s what we’re doing here.”

Where did the idea of the cheese closet come from?
BURKE: Did you ever watch that Kardashian show?

(Eyebrow raise. Where is he going with this?)
BURKE: O.K., so we don’t watch that show. But there’s this place they have lunch — (The) Blue Table, which we used to frequent. The fi rst time I went into their cheese closet there …

… and $150 later?
BURKE: I won’t say. I will tell you that it totally changed the way I viewed cheese.

What’s with all the salts?
BURKE: (laughing) I wish I knew. I started out with Gray salt for cooking and Fleur de Sel for fi nishing. Now we’ve got smoked salt, truffl e salt, lemon salt – put that on the rim of your margarita and it’s absolutely fantastic. We’ve got lime salt, green chile and habanero salt – those two on French fries (Burke rolls his eyes and tilts his head back) … unbelievable.

I notice you make your own pickles and have heard rave reviews. I’ve never liked pickles until they were used in a sandwich recently. I wouldn’t have eaten it without them.
BURKE: (pointing to me, touching his nose and pulling his earlobe like a baseball pitcher) You get it now, right? That’s what it’s about. It’s that thing that without it, it’s not the same.

Pet peeve?
BURKE: When people say, “Well, it’s good for Walla Walla.” Either it’s good or it’s not. I don’t accept mediocrity.

That sounds like a good motto.
BURKE: That and don’t ever half-ass anything. And, I don’t like fuss in food. If you can’t eat it (referring to garnish) why is it there? Seriously!

So people can sit and have a “meal” here now. I see this pickled cucumber Korean style on your menu, which seems unlikely for here.
BURKE: Do you want to taste it? (Pause while Damon brings a sample) Now imagine that with a cold beer. It’s not popcorn, it’s not chips, but it fills the same purpose (with no calories). Think about it: hot summer day, you’re sipping on your beer, a little oi kimchee and the world is right.

I can hardly wait.

The Chef’s Table – Jake Crenshaw

Chef Jake Crenshaw would be there to create the sense of calm, order and serenity you’d find at an ashram, while everyone’s favorite front-of-the house man Tom Maccarone would keep conversation and drinks flowing.

Crenshaw is your go-to, grace-under-pressure kinda guy. Through his cooking, he has the humility of Clark Kent and the star-quality of Superman.

Though he could have the ego of a small country, having graced the kitchens of Michel Richard’s Citronelle in Santa Barbara, Sazarac and Tamara Murphy’s Brasa in Seattle (to name just a few), Crenshaw confines his selfdom to his kitchen and quietly goes about his business. He leaves the buzz out on the floor.

With two landmark restaurants closing recently, to what do you attribute T. Mac’s good fortune?

Chef Jake : It’s never OK when restaurants close in a town. For us, I think what’s helped is that we’re seen as a value. We like to keep our portions on the large size and keep our prices as low as we possibly can. And, we made the decision to be open every day – you can always get a meal here at 8 p.m. on a Sunday, or at 8:45 p.m. on a Monday. It’s all about the customer.

Do you need music when you cook?

It’s nice but it can be distracting. I’m a mellow guy – I like NPR.

Any quirky traits/superstitions you’re known for in the kitchen?

When you’re presenting food, odd numbers are better than even. Even numbers are bad luck.

Kitchen tool you can’t live without?

My old 10-inch Global chef knife. I’ve had it for 12 years now and it’s about an inch shorter than when I fi rst got it.

Is there an unlikely food pairing or combination that’s really worked?

I defiantly believe in keeping food balanced, having adequate acidity and salt, and also having savory sweet combinations. We have a duck dish on the menu right now with our house-cured pancetta, dates and a white bean ragout. I finish it with maple syrup and white balsamic vinegar and the results are great.

What chef would you like to cook a meal for you?

Ferran Adriá from El Bulli in Catalonia — he completely pushes the envelope. Adria is known for “molecular gastronomy” (now referred to as “techno-emotional” cuisine) … In fact, I would love to eat my way through Spain right now.

Underrated ingredient?

Fresh eggs! My wife and I have chickens and the difference between a real egg from a happy chicken and the store-bought ones is incredible. Ginger Case and her family (Chicken Chore Treasures) have some of the best eggs in the Valley – we buy every egg that they can produce for us.

Pet peeve in the industry?

When more attention is placed on how food looks rather than how it tastes.

If I were to open your refrigerator at home, what would I find?

A lot of tofu and vegetables.

What do you like to cook at home?

Asian food and comfort foods. I’m trying to hone my Korean soup skills right now.

The Chef’s Table – Caleb Moss

Bob Parish opened Backstage Bistro back in the day when the most action downtown was a tumbleweed bouncing down Main Street. He’s since helped put fine dining on the map in Walla Walla, and new chef Caleb Moss is sure to keep it there.

The young chef’s cooking education reads like a story from the school of hard knocks and makes one appreciate his rise through the culinary ranks all the more. Moss earned his professionalism and refined palate by working in a plateful of restaurants in town.

And, he’s got Parish watching his back. “There’s a difference in the way he approaches the whole business of chefing that you don’t see very often,” Parish says. “He’s cooking for you. That’s different than the guy that sees the ticket come through and says, ‘Oh, I’ve got to make one of these.’ Every single ticket is important. Some people aren’t like that. And they don’t work here anymore.”

Did you always want to be a chef?
CHEF CALEB: No. I kind of stumbled into restaurant work at a young age because I needed a job. So I started bussing tables and doing dishes at Clarette’s.

Your big break?
Creektown. Bill and Tom are awesome. That’s when the passion kicked in.

There’s this sandwich there that changed my life. It used to be called the Tuscan Beef and now it’s…
(laughing) That was mine. Roast beef with a little tomato and roasted red pepper chutney and …

No way.
Way.

So you’ve brought that vision here …
I took the momentum Bob built with steaks, barbeque and pasta and jazzed it up. I jazzed it.

Kitchen personality vs. “street” personality?
Some people tell me I’m intimidating. When I’m in the kitchen I defi nitely have my game face on. I live for the busy nights. A 20-top? Bring it on.

Underrated ingredient?
Citrus. A little goes a long way. And snow peas, they’re so fresh and refreshing. I’ve used them in a slaw with carrots and leeks, slightly seared and put on top of a white fish and finish it with basil oil. It’s light and lovely.

Overrated item on menus these days?
Fois gras. Give it a rest.

Is there an unlikely food pairing or combination that’s really worked?
I made a puree of scallions, spinach, cilantro, chicken stock and sour cream and served it as an accompaniment to fi sh with fruit salsa. People thought, ‘Really?’ The bitterness of the greens with the sweetness of the salsa was incredible.

Music you cook to?
Whatever comes in on that little radio back there. Sometimes it’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and me and Eduardo just look at each other (laughing).

Style or motto for your style of cooking?
I don’t do snooty food. Rustic, fresh, light, simple, beautiful – let the food do its thing.

Menu item you’re most proud of?
(long pause and chin scratching) I did come up with this crab stuffed filet of sole. I marinate tomatoes in balsamic and extra virgin olive oil and mix them with other top secret ingredients (laughing) – a little bit of freshness right on top.

Best advice received?
It’s not about you.