i8tonite

Category: Questionnaire

i8tonite: with Chef Jamie Lynch, Charleston’s 5Church & Broiled Oysters with Polenta and Quail Egg

Chef Jamie Lynch

Jamie Lynch is a New York native and graduated from New England Culinary Institute in Burlington, Vermont. He has worked at New York Time’s 4 star Le Cirque 2000 Restaurant in The Palace Hotel, Aureole under Charlie Palmer and Daniel Boulud’s Café Boulud, and Touquevillle Restaurant in Union Square. Reflecting on his years cooking in NYC, Jamie notes, “At that time we had an all or nothing approach to cooking, we ate, drank and slept food. It was ether the very best we could do or it was garbage.” Chef Jamie has anchored some of Charlotte’s most notable restaurants such as Blue with Chef Gene Briggs and Barrington’s as Bruce Moffet’s Chef De Cuisine, and garnered many accolades such as being Voted BEST CHEF in 2013, 2014 and 2015 in Charlotte Magazine’s BOB (Best of the Best) Awards.

Chef Jamie recently moved to Charleston in 2015 to serve as Executive Chef of 5Church Charleston. 5Church Charleston is a new restaurant in a historic old church (Church of the Redeemer and Harriott Pinckney House) in downtown’s bustling Market Street district. The restaurant’s elaborate, modern décor features awe-inspiring stained glass windows, a white concrete bar, black leather banquettes, eye-catching chandeliers, large-scale pop-art, and hand-painted written verbiage of Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” on the church ceiling. The restaurant’s award-winning food, top-rate service and nationally-acclaimed design will mimic its sister property in Charlotte, N.C., which opened in 2012. Be sure to visit for the Sunday Brunch – swoon!

Crispy Szechuan Pork Belly

Chef Questionnaire from Chef Jamie Lynch:

How long have you been cooking?
I started cooking at the age of 16 at a small bar and grill. I have been at this for 24 years.

What is your favorite food to cook?
I really enjoy cooking fresh pasta. Pasta when cooked perfectly is the perfect vehicle to deliver a wide range of flavors to the palate in a most satisfying way!

What do you always have in your fridge at home?
Hot Sauce… all makes and models. It is my favorite condiment by far!

What do you cook at home?
Frozen pizza, if anything at all. I do all of my cooking at the restaurants and there is rarely time for a proper meal at home.

S’mores Trifle

What marked characteristic do you love in a customer?
It’s a toss-up between open mindfulness and patience. The open minded guest can appreciate the fun and interesting things we do with food while the patient guest will understand to cook at an excellent level takes time.

What marked characteristic do you find unappealing in a customer?
Rude or unpleasant. I do not like guests that are rude to their servers or bartenders. Dining out is supposed to be a fun and enjoyable experience.

Tupperware, Rubbermaid, or Pyrex?
Rubbermaid

Beer, wine, or cocktail?
Wine and beer usually – I’m a purist when it comes to booze, so I like my liquor to taste like liquor.

Your favorite cookbook author?
Andrew Carmellini. He taught me everything I know over the years, so I’m biased.

Your favorite kitchen tool?
A heavy, deep welled spoon that holds about an ounce is the most versatile tool.

Your favorite ingredient?
I am very fond of Ramps!

Your least favorite ingredient?
Salmon

Least favorite thing to do in a kitchen?
Leave! I find myself lingering around well after my “shift,” either talking with my staff about food or restaurant experiences they have. Those are the interactions that inspire what I do!

Crab Cakes Poached Eggs

Favorite types of cuisine to cook?
My own style of cooking is rooted in traditional French and Italian technique, but “New -American” is the label that best suites my cuisine.

Beef, chicken, pork, or tofu?
Pork

5Church Lamb Burger

Favorite vegetable?
I was the Entrmettier at Le cirque 2000 and Cafe Boulud, I have a deep affection for fresh vegetables. I couldn’t pick one.

Chef you most admire?
Andrew Carmellini

Food you like the most to eat?
Anything traditionally ethnic. In Charlotte, N.C. we have really good Vietnamese, and one particularly good Korean joint.

Food you dislike the most?
Salmon Roe. It is the seed of salmon, which i can’t stand, so the egg has to be worse.

How many tattoos? And if so, how many are of food?
Too many to count. They have sort of melded into one giant one. None of them are of food items specifically but more tell the story of my life in kitchens through imagery.
Broiled Oysters with Polenta and Quail Egg

Yields: 2 servings

Ingredients:
6 oysters, shucked on the half shell
1 cup cooked creamy polenta, preferably Anson Mills
6 quail eggs
6 dashes black truffle oil
1 small black truffle
Bull’s Bay Red Mash Sea Salt

Directions:
1. Preheat broiler in oven.
2. Cut aluminum foil into 8-inch pieces, and twist ends to create rope. Form into circle-shaped holder to hold the oysters in place, and put into oven-proof dish. Set oysters in dish.
3. Spoon ½ -ounce of polenta onto lip of each oyster to create a little dam, then crack quail egg on other half of oyster to completely cover.
4. Place oysters under broiler with 6-8 inches of clearance from heat. Bake until quail eggs are just set, approximately 4 minutes or until the quail eggs.
5. Remove oysters from oven and put a drop of truffle oil. Shave truffles with microplane, and place shavings on each oyster. Sprinkle with Red Mash Salt and serve.

The End. Go Eat.

December 23, 2015
i8tonite: Chef’s Questionnaire with World Chocolate Judge and Four Seasons Guangzhou Pastry Chef, Audrey Yee
This is a guest post from Dr. Jessie Voigts, creator of WanderingEducators.com

Audrey Yee was inspired to join the culinary profession by seeing her parents cook and helping them at their restaurant – the Mandarin, the first Chinese restaurant in Milwaukee. Now a Four Seasons Pastry Chef in China, she originally wanted the savory kitchen – but fate had other plans. Her first job was in a small restaurant in Philadelphia, where the owner suggested pastry first – because all chefs should know pastry! The culinary world is a better place for it.

She graduated from Cordon Bleu in London, and has worked at Four Seasons Philadelphia, Four Seasons Santa Barbara, Four Seasons San Francisco, Four Seasons Singapore, and now Four Seasons Guangzhou.

This fall, she was a judge for the World Chocolate Masters, held in Paris. Follow her on instagram to see more of her spectacular desserts: Audrey Yee on Instagram.

Chefs Questionnaire

How long have you been cooking? Eighteen years.

What is your favorite food to cook? Apple pie.

What do you always have in your fridge at home? Lemons, yogurt, eggs, salad, tofu, apples, and fruit.

What do you cook at home? Eggs, cereal.

What marked characteristic do you love in a customer? The look on their faces when they are eating their desserts.

What marked characteristic do you find unappealing in a customer? Rude, condescending, and impatient.

Tupperware, Rubbermaid, or Pyrex? Rubbermaid.

Beer, wine, or cocktail? Gin and tonic.

Your favorite cookbook author? The Professional Pastry Chef by Bo Friberg and Grand Livre de Cuisine Dessert and Pastries by Alain Ducasse.

Your favorite kitchen tool? Spatula and piping tips.

Your favorite ingredient? Apples and vanilla.

Your least favorite ingredient? Durian. (Editor’s note: A very strong smelling fruit found in Asia. For people who love food, it’s a must to try.)

Least favorite thing to do in a kitchen? Cutting onions.

Favorite types of cuisine to cook? American.

Beef, chicken, pork or tofu? Chicken and tofu.

Favorite vegetable? Broccoli and salad.

Chef you most admire? Eddie Hales, my first pastry Chef.

Food you like the most to eat? All kinds of Chinese food, yogurt, salads, fruit, and French fries.

Food you dislike the most? Kohlrabi.

How many tattoos? And if so, how many are of food? No tattoos.

Recipe: How to Make Blueberry Muffins
- 180 gr of butter
- 6 eggs
- 180 gr warm milk
- 490 gr flour
- 10 gr baking powder
- 5 gr salt
- 300 gr blueberries
Crumble
- 50 gr brown sugar
- 50 gr. Butter
- 50gr. Flour
- Combine butter and sugar
- Then add flour
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs slowly until incorporated. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients. Mix warm milk in slowly. Fold in blueberries, by hand. Pre heat oven to 180c/360f. Scoop or prepare muffins into 12 molds. Top with crumble topping. Bake 20 minutes or when a toothpick comes out clean with no crumbly residue.

The End. Go Eat.
November 4, 2015
i8tonite: The Guild House’s Sous Chef Patrick Hofer, Columbus, Ohio and Sous Vide Venison

This is a guest post from Dr. Jessie Voigts of WanderingEducators.com

Table Setting. The Guild House. Photo by Jessie Voigts

Columbus, Ohio is a surprisingly happening culinary town. While there are plenty of hot dog joints and student hangouts around The Ohio State University, Columbus is home to a NHL team, a burgeoning art scene, and several Fortune 500 companies. It’s no surprise that there are many fine dining options, my favorite of which is The Guild House. Located next to Le Méridien Columbus, The Joseph, The Guild House is a farm to table restaurant that is part of the Cameron Mitchell restaurant group.

The Guild House bar. Photo by Jessie Voigts

Located in the artsy Short North district, The Guild House is an upscale-casual restaurant that is beautifully decorated in cream leather, wood, and plenty of glass and mirrors. The food, creative American cuisine, is locally sourced when possible, and features seasonal ingredients.

A childhood spent cooking and baking with his grandmother led The Guild House Sous Chef Patrick Hofer to a life in the kitchen. He had originally planned on attending business school after high school, but having always enjoyed food and cooking, his dad suggested culinary school. Research on the best school possible led to Hofer’s attending the Culinary Institute of America. After graduating from the CIA, he opened Red Oak Pub in Newark, Ohio as a kitchen manager. Other positions included line cook and supervisor at The Pearl, and sous chef at Molly Woo’s, before Hofer transferred to the Guild House as a sous chef.

Courtesy of Patrick Hofer.

Chef’s Questionnaire:
How long have you been cooking? I have been cooking since I was 15, so approximately 10 years.

What is your favorite food to cook? I really enjoy anything – I can’t say that I have one favorite

What do you always have in your fridge at home? Butter, Eggs, Bacon, Milk (I am a breakfast food kind of guy)

What do you cook at home? Mostly Breakfast, due to the hours of a restaurant. I really don’t cook much at home.

What marked characteristic do you love in a customer? Someone that is willing to try anything and is trusting that we will take great care of them.

What marked characteristic do you find unappealing in a customer? Someone that is unadventurous.

Tupperware, Rubbermaid, or Pyrex? Rubbermaid.

Beer, wine, or cocktail? Beer.

Your favorite cookbook author? I wouldn’t say I have a favorite author, but the book that is most helpful is The Flavor Bible.

Your favorite kitchen tool? Robot Coupe.

Your favorite ingredient? Mushrooms

Your least favorite ingredient? I would probably have to say beets

Least favorite thing to do in a kitchen? Inventory.

Chef you most admire? Paul Bocuse for everything that he has done for the culinary world.

Favorite types of cuisine to cook? All of them! Some I have never done, but they are all great and fun to learn.

Beef, chicken, pork or tofu? Beef.

Favorite vegetable? Mushrooms.

Food you like the most to eat? Anything sweet

Food you dislike the most? Beets.

How many tattoos? And if so, how many are of food? I have one right now, and it has nothing to do with food.
Recipe of Sous Vide venison Leg Filet with Garlic Poached Lobster Mushrooms, Quick Sautéed Greens, Mushroom Reduction, Wild Mountain Blue Berries, and Carrot Bark. (Special Tool: Clearly, a sous vide. Gift-giving season is upon us.)

VENISON: Portioned to 6oz and sous vide at 50.2c for 2 hours with garlic, thyme, and butter.

LOBSTER MUSHROOMS: Clean all of the dirt off them and cut them to bite size pieces, keeping the shape of the mushroom intact. Sous vide these at 82c for one hour with a compound oil.

Compound oil: 1cup blended oil, 2 smashed garlic cloves, 2 sprigs of thyme, 2 sprigs of rosemary. Heat this and let the herbs steep into the oil for 30 minutes.

Sauteed Greens: Combine Kale, Swiss Chard, Spinach, and leeks into a quick sautee with oil and salt.

Mushroom Reduction: Make a very nice mushroom stock and reduce it down to a thick syrup (takes a lot of stock to achieve this), then emulsify butter into the reduction until smooth and creamy.

The End. Go Eat.

Photos: Venison, Patrick courtesy Guild House. All other photos courtesy Jessie Voigts

October 28, 2015
i8tonite: with New York City’s Chef Joey Campanaro, The Little Owl featuring his Eggplant Parmigiana
Meatball Sliders, photo courtesy of Little Owl

The Little Owl is one of the New York City’s quintessential and great dining institutions. Sitting on the corner of Grove and Bedford, this West Village establishment is romantic in it’s atmosphere yet serves up lusty food. On the outside, with its scarlet-painted window panes and large blue awnings it seems like a colonial Manhattan bistro or tavern and comforting as if it’s been there forever. You almost expect to have Woody Allen or Martin Scorsese yell, “CUT!” it seems that familiar. On the inside, in the 28 seat dining room with vaulted ceilings, Chef Joey Campanaro creates seasonal American menus for which he has become known. Some of the restaurant’s signature dishes include Campanaro’s Gravy Meatball Sliders (featured on the website), Pork Chop with Butter Beans and a burger which was called by The London Observer as one of the “50 Best Things in The World to Eat.”

The burger; photo courtesy of The Little Owl

He is co-owner with Chef Mike Price of Market Table and still maintains his own catering and consulting firm, Blackfoot Consulting. Not far from The Little Owl is The Little Owl Venue which can host up to 40 people for receptions, meetings and assorted gatherings. Campanaro has appeared seemingly on every Food Network show and been interviewed by every food writer….and now this one. (Small aside: Campanaro was also the Executive Chef of The Harrison, which used to be Hows Bayou, a Cajun restaurant in Tribeca. Hows Bayou was the restaurant in the late 80s where I waited tables for about 3 years and met some of my greatest friends – whom I still know today.)

Like each one of these Chef’s Questionnaires, we learn something a little interesting about the person at the stove such as his love of pasta and that his favorite cookbook author is Donna Hay.
- How long have you been cooking? 25 years.
- What is your favorite food to cook? Pasta.
- What do you always have in your fridge at home? Butter and grated cheese.
- What do you cook at home? Pasta.
- What marked characteristic do you love in a customer? (People) with no expectations.
- What marked characteristic do you find unappealing in a customer? Know-it-alls.
- Tupperware, Rubbermaid, or Pyrex? Tupperware.
- Beer, wine or cocktail? Beer.
- Your favorite cookbook author? Donna Hay.
- Your favorite kitchen tool? My hands.
- Your favorite ingredient? Clams.
- Your least favorite ingredient? Heavy cream.
- Least favorite thing to do in a kitchen? Washing lettuce.
- Favorite types of cuisine to cook? Italian.
- Beef, chicken, pork or tofu? Pork.
- Favorite vegetable? Onion.
- Chef you most admire? Jimmy Bradley.
- Food you like the most to eat? Blue claw crabs.
- Food you dislike the most? Falafel.
- How many tattoos? And if so, how many are of food? Zero.
90 Bedford Street, corner of Grove

New York, New York 10014

Website: www.thelittleowl.com

Hours:

Lunch:

Monday to Friday 12 – 2:30pm, Saturday (Lunch) and Sunday (Brunch) 11:00am – 2:30pm

Dinner: Monday – Saturday 5pm – 11pm, Sunday 5pm – 10pm.

Eggplant Parmigiana, photo courtesy of The Little Owl

Eggplant Parmigiana at little owl restaurant by Chef Joey Campanaro

Note: I loved the way Campanaro wrote out this recipe. It was beautiful — reading it, I felt like I was watching him cook — so I just left it with very few edits.
- Canned whole peeled tomato
- Medium eggplant
- Garlic (chopped)
- Onion (diced)
- Basil
- Parsley
- Olive oil
- Chili flakes
- s/p
In an ample sauce pot, add olive oil and garlic and onion and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, then add the tomatoes. I simply squeeze them (with my hands) before adding them to the pot. Add the cleaned chopped parsley and basil, season with salt and pepper and simmer for up to 2 hours. Cool and reserve.

Slice the eggplant, sprinkle with salt and layer on paper towels for 3 hours, this removes the bitter liquor. Prepare to bread the eggplant, you‘ll need, flour, eggs and bread crumbs mixed with grated parmesan cheese. The slices get dredged in the flour, then dipped into the beaten eggs and then finally in the mixed bread crumbs to coat thoroughly. Layer on to a baking sheet, drizzle the breaded slices with olive oil and then bake on very heat until lightly browned, remove from the oven and all time to cool. When cooled and the sauce has had time to cook and taste delicious, prepare the cheese mixture.

I mix grated fontina, parmesan, aged provolone and pecorino romano. The slices are layered each with sauce and cheese and stacked and baked.

The stacks get re-heated until the cheese melts, plated with a bit more of the sauce and then topped with a tomatoes salad. The tomatoes are diced and tossed with olive oil, a splash of sherry vinegar basil leaves, salt pepper and basil.

The End. Go Eat.
September 2, 2015
Chef Questionnaire with Chef Scooter Kanfer-Cartmill, Palm Springs’ Tropicale Cafe.
Chef Scooter Kanfer- Cartmill is pretty much a California cooking legend as much as the celebrated chefs she’s worked beside. She’s worked and trained with everyone from Fred Eric (Vida), the late Michael Roberts (Trumps), Wolfgang Puck (Spago), Thomas Keller (The French Laundry) and Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feninger (Border Grill). After stints at The Hollywood Hills Coffee Shop and Nic’s Beverly Hills, Kanfer opened her much-lauded restaurant the house in LA’s Larchmont. Customers could find her cooking up American comfort food at its finest such as “Animal Cookies with a Shot of Milk”, “Grandpa’s Mac-and-Cheese”, varieties of spoonbread and other comfy delights in the early aughts. (The cookies — which came in forms of dragonflies, dragons and monkeys with a shot of milk — was a favorite of mine.) Now, she is coming up with salivating and fun dishes – such as Three Little Pigs (housemade sausage, grilled pork loin and BBQ pork ribs) — in Palm Springs at Tropicale Café. Beside the cool nights and warm days, eating Kanfer’s food truly makes the desert community a destination to relish.

“…this is one chef who delights in feeding people,” Irene S. Virbila, Los Angeles Times.

How long have you been cooking? Too long to remember, fire had just recently been invented. All the “cool” kids had to have it.

What is your favorite food? Don’t have one. It’s like picking your favorite child.

What do you always have in your fridge? Sriracha. Hot Sauce. Schmaltz. Pickles. Iced green tea. Champagne. At least three different kinds of mustard. Stinky Cheese. Roast chicken.

What do you cook at home? Roast Chicken with all the fixings (i.e.: Hungarian noodles, French green beans, or mashed potato with a garlic butter). Sunday Style Roast-Pork Prime Rib. Beef Bourgogne. Coq au vin or poached eggs with avocado on toast. Simple things that I can put on in the morning (slow-cooker) and that my wife can finish while I’m at restaurant… so we can eat together.

What marked characteristic do you despise in your customer? Wow. Let’s go deep here. Abusive arrogance displayed to my staff — being a celebrity or hipster douchebag.

What marked characteristic do you love in a customer? An adventurous eater with a sense of humor as well as desire for exploration and appropriate recognition of my staff.

Tupperware, Rubbermaid, or Pyrex? Tupperware and Pyrex.

Beer, wine or cocktail? Champagne, good wine, the occasional Negroni and 15-year old single malt scotch.

Your favorite cookbook author? Too many to list (but that won’t stop me). Julia Childs. James Beard. M.F.K. Fisher. Gabriella Hamilton. Mark Bittman. Harold McGee. Clementine Paddleford. Michael Roberts!

Your favorite kitchen tool? Iced tea spoon and my intuition.

Your favorite ingredient? Salt. Flavored salts. Chicken, duck and bacon schmaltz (Fat). Foie. Scooter says, “Salt and fat are where it’s at!”

Least favorite thing to do in a kitchen? Yell at a cook and paperwork.

Favorite types of cuisine to cook? Pretty much anything that strikes my fancy. (By fancy, I mean American regional, re-thinking and re-imagining old classics in a modern and accessible way.)

Chef you most admire?
- Michael Roberts: He taught me how to grow and trust my palette.
- Odessa Piper: She is the Alice Waters of the Mid-West.
- Fred Eric: He taught me to not just think outside the box — but to blow the box up.
- Mary Sue Milliken & Susan Feninger: They gave me my foundation. “Simple food is the most difficult to do. It’s either perfect and tells a story…or it just sucks”: Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feninger.
Food you dislike the most? Food that is pretentious, derivative or arrogant. Food that tries to be “hip” or trendy. Food that is disingenuous.

How many tattoos? And if so, how many are of food? None. I’m going to be buried next to the Goldbergs.

Recipe from Chef Scooter Kanfer – Cartmill. Chef, Tropicale Café (Palm Springs, CA.)

Sunday Style Roast: Prime Rib Of Pork With Dried Fruit Sauce
- 4-5 LB Pork Rib Roast (Have your butcher remove the chime bone so it’s 5-6 bones)
- Drizzle Roast w/Olive Oil
- Scooter Spice Rub: Kosher Salt, freshly crushed black pepper, crushed fennel seeds or pollen mustard seeds, garlic, celery Seeds and red pepper flakes.
Make a bed of sliced onions, celery, fennel, and dried fruit (apricots, prunes, raisins, sour cherries) in a heavy bottom roasting pan, Dutch oven or cast iron pan. Place the roast. Add a cup or so of Marsala, little water or chicken stock. Cook in a pre-heated oven of 350 degrees. Internal temperature needs to reach 140 degrees inside thickest part of roast (push the meat thermometer until half way inside the meat). Juices should just run clear. Let roast rest for 20 minutes before carving. Serve with the dried fruit and veggies.

– The End. Go Eat. –
July 15, 2015