San Francisco from ChefWatch

Scott Youkilis

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Over the past 15 years, Youkilis has held a variety of positions—from server to line cook to manager to chef—eager to learn about every aspect of the business before realizing his own dream of opening his own restaurant, which he successfully did in 2005. In its first year of operation, Maverick was named the city’s best new restaurant by San Francisco magazine’s readers poll, proving that his strategy had indeed worked.

Chefwatch: Where are you originally from?
Youkilis: I grew up in Cincinnati.

Chefwatch: How did you get started cooking?
Youkilis: I started cooking in college for my friends, but I had always been working in restaurants so I was doing some then too. After I graduated from Indiana University, I went to Johnson & Wales for culinary school. That is when it became professional.

Chefwatch: Who or what is your main culinary inspiration?
Youkilis: I have never been able to answer this question “correctly”. What really inspires me or drives me on a daily basis is the final product. It’s the arrival of food to a table and the vibe you get from your guests. The first three bites are always the best too, so I like to see how everyone reacts within those first moments. To me that’s inspiring.

Chefwatch: How does that translate into what you are doing now?
Youkilis: Now, I get to write a menu, prep those items, collaborate with my sous chef and amazing team of line cooks, and then I get to serve it. I get to spend several nights a week on the floor talking to guests, running food, and really getting to understand what our guests really enjoy and what they don’t.

Chefwatch: You must have dreamt about your restaurant before you opened it. How does the reality match up with the dream that you had?
Youkilis: Well, I thought I would be making a little more money…he, he. Money is relative and I don’t many restaurants our sizes are doing as well as we are doing. But, as for the concept it was close, but with more experience it is way more refined. Spacially, I wished to have something different, but that will come soon.

Chefwatch: What keeps you going day after day and keeps you fresh?
Youkilis: We are lucky to have such great seasonal produce and I love looking forward to what comes next. Right now too, the business continues to grow and every day gets better. I also love to organize and find new ways to make things more efficient. That keeps me real busy. The interaction with guests is probably the best part of it all. Hospitality is so important in this business.

Chefwatch: What is your favorite ingredient?
Youkilis: Salt and pepper. Two ingredients, rarely apart.

Chefwatch: What is the most memorable meal you’ve ever created?
Youkilis: I have done some killer wine maker dinners. My favorites are the ones with friends when we rent a house in Tahoe or wine country or go camping and we have minimal equipment and you’re in the woods and things are just simple.

Chefwatch: What is the most memorable meal you’ve ever eaten?
Youkilis: The night I asked my wife to marry me, we were in Mexico on a beach and we drank too much tequila, but had an amazing dinner. I think I remember eating enchiladas….

Chefwatch: Who is your favorite chef or place to eat?
Youkilis: Hard question. I have a lot of favorite places. It’s so hard to narrow it to one. “Secret” sushi place in the Richmond district, Delfina is always solid, Skyline Chili, Montgomery Inn, Michael Mina was epic, Terra is fantastic as well as Ame, love their restaurants, Benito II in New York, classic Little Italy, some restaurant I ate at in Rome. Lots.

Chefwatch: What was the most challenging time in your career?
Youkilis: The second half of our first year of business and this past January and February.

Chefwatch: If money, time and manpower were no object what menu would you create?
Youkilis: I would fly all my friends to Italy, stay in a villa in the countryside, have little old Italian women cook for us all day while we sip wine, take long walks, drive fast cars, and eat some more. That would be the menu.

Chefwatch: What one piece of advice would you give to cooks who are just starting out that you wish somebody had told you?
Youkilis: Work for free at as many places as you can afford too. See as many kitchens as you can and then pick one. When you get hired work there for as long as you can because when it’s time to move on, the most important thing I look for in hiring someone is their amount of time they put into one place. There are a lot of good cooks and you can teach a lot of people to cook, but you can’t teach hardwork and dedication.

Chefwatch: What piece of advice would you give to home cooks out there?
Youkilis: Keep it simple. Stay away from using too much processed food, so bad for you. Fresh meats, fish, and vegetables, good oils, butter, milk, eggs, and whole grains will keep your family happy.
Chefwatch: Any future plans that you would like to share with us?
Youkilis: Always looking for a new restaurant space to put one of ten concepts in. Lots of ideas always brewing.

Cincy Barbecue Ribs

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Ribs: 2 racks baby back pork ribs 2 yellow onions, julienne 1 cup worcheshire sauce 1 cup apple cider vinegar 2 cups water Rub: ¼ cup brown sugar ¼ cup paprika ¼ cup chili powder 1 tbs. cayenne pepper Sauce: 3 yellow onions, julienne ¼ cup canola oil 1 head garlic 1 lemon 1 cup apple cider vinegar ½ cup worcheshire sauce ½ cup molasses ½ cup brown sugar 2 tbs. paprika 2 tbs. chili powder 1 tsp. cayenne pepper 1 qt. Heinz ketchup Salt and pepper Put all rub ingredients in bowl and mix well. Season ribs well with salt and pepper. Rub down ribs well and let stand for 1 hour or overnight is best. Heat large sauce pan until it is smoking. Add canola oil and then add onions. Stir well and turn down heat to medium. Continue to cook onions until really brown and caramelized. Add vinegar and reduce by half. Add worcheshire, molasses, brown sugar, paprika, and chili powder. Cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently until all spices and sugar dissolve. Add garlic, squeeze lemon and add them whole. Add ketchup and 1 cup of water. Continue to stir until all ingredients are well incorporated. Make sure that the sauce doesn’t stick to bottom by stirring frequently. Bring sauce up to slow bubble and cook for 25-30 minutes on low. Season well with salt, cayenne, and black pepper. Let cool. Good to let stand overnight, but can be served immediately. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In roasting pan, place julienne onions, worcheshire sauce, vinegar, and water. Gently place ribs on top and then cover with foil. Cook ribs for 2 ½ hours and then check. The meat should start to pull away from bone. Remove foil and cook for additional 20-30 minutes to dry out and intensify the rub flavor. These can be done several days before. Just allow to cool completely and then reheat in oven at 400 degrees or on grill over medium flame. Discard onions and remaining liquid, add barbecue sauce to ribs and serve.

Staffan Terje

Landy Tang — Mon, 21 May 2007 07:00:00 GMT

The chef-owner of one of the newest and hottest Italian restaurants in San Francisco is from Sweden! Chef Terje discovered a love of food at an early age and worked for several years in Sweden and Europe before coming to America. In 1986 he moved to Napa where he became part of the original Piatti where he learned of the treasure trove of fresh produce and meats available to him. And for a seven year stint he was at Scala’s and also cooked at the James Beard house in New York City. One of the more interesting things is that he has created a curing room to make salumi at Perbacco.

Chefwatch: Where are you originally from?
Terje: Nykoping (60 miles south of Stockholm), Sweden

Chefwatch: How did you get started cooking?
Terje: I started in the restaurant business as a dishwasher / prep cook during a summer break between 7th and 8th grade. I needed money so I could buy a bass guitar and an amplifier. I played in punk rock band. At least I thought I played. Plus I needed money for a concert (the Clash). I started cooking (and being interested in cooking) a few years earlier. But the dishwashing job set it off for me. Watching the cooks use their knives and flipping things in pans was really cool. And loving food and eating (and drinking) since before I could walk.

Chefwatch: Who or what is your main culinary inspiration?
Terje: My inspirations as far as people are many. Both people that I have and haven’t worked with. It is hard to say. 100’s of other chefs. It is easier to be inspired by people you don’t work with when it comes to food. If you eat their food or read their cookbooks, you get purity. No baggage. I think ingredients inspire me more.

Chefwatch: How does that translate into what you are doing now?
Terje: The older I get, the more restraint I use. Less ingredients. Less messing around.

Chefwatch: You must have dreamt about your restaurant before you opened it. How does the reality match up with the dream that you had?
Terje: Every job I’ve had I’ve approached as being an owner and taking ownership. But when you work for someone else there is always a safety net. Someone else is the owner and they have to deal with it (bad and good) in the end. If things go south you can always leave and find another job. But now there is no “someone else”. There is only you and there is no quitting. Then on the other hand, there is no better feeling when things go right and you can actually take credit for your accomplishments and not have to share.

Chefwatch: What keeps you going day after day and keeps you fresh?
Terje: Our guests, seeing them coming back, great ingredients, great colleagues, great employees. Meeting other chefs at the farmers market on Saturdays. I’m doing what I love to do.

Chefwatch: What is your favorite ingredient?
Terje: Depends on the season, I hate fresh tomatoes in January, but love them in August. But since a lot of my time is spent making salumi these days, pork and piggy things peak my interest. Or anything that has to be cured or preserved. It is great feeling tasting something that you started making 4 months ago taste great.

Chefwatch: What is the most memorable meal you’ve ever created?
Terje: Cooking at James Beard House. It was hard work and it came out really good.

Chefwatch: What is the most memorable meal you’ve ever eaten?
Terje: So far, the French Laundry. I tend to shy away from restaurants like that. It was very overwhelming, but very good.

Chefwatch: Who is your favorite chef or place to eat?
Terje: So many. When I go out I tend to go to places where I know I am going to have a good meal. When I want to treat myself I like to go to Quince. Michael Tusk is a fantastic chef.

Chefwatch: What was the most challenging time in your career?
Terje: At on point I took a job that turned out to be the wrong choice at the time. But in retrospect, I wouldn’t be here today if I wouldn’t have taken that job. It all works out in the end

Chefwatch: If money, time and manpower were no object what menu would you create?
Terje: I would still cook something very humble. If I would have been asked this question when I was 20-25, I probably would told you about all the luxury ingredients that I would have used. Caviar, foie gras, veal, Dover sole, turbot, lobster etc. Now I would probably braise some shortribs or roast a pork shoulder. Bake a whole fish in salt and drizzle with really good olive oil. Simple. Get some good wine and some good cheese on the table.

Chefwatch: What one piece of advice would you give to cooks who are just starting out that you wish somebody had told you?
Terje: Shut up and keep your eyes open. Gather as much information and learn as much as you can. Don’t try to be creative right away. Taste every ingredient before you cook it. Understand the recipe or dish. Find out the roots of what you are cooking. Don’t try to work for the chefs that have TV programs or other engagements. Find an old school chef that has lot of experience. Learn from someone that spends their days at their restaurant. Practice your skills constantly. Kind of like “wax on, wax off”.

Chefwatch: What piece of advice would you give to home cooks out there?
Terje: Don’t try to cook like a professional chef. Cook within your limits and expand those limits as you learn. Cook often. That’s how you become a good cook. And cook for and together with your kids. Don’t make everything too convenient. Sharing a meal should include the preparation too.

Chefwatch: Any future plans that you would like to share with us?
Terje: Watch out.

James Syhabout

Landy Tang — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 21:53:30 GMT

James Syhabout is the 27 year old wunderkind of Plumpjacks who was named one of the rising new chefs by the San Francisco Chronicle. Originally from Thailand, James worked at Manresa with David Kinch, at the Fat Duck in London and did a five month stint at the mecca of molecular gastronomy, El Bulli with Adria Ferran. He is a chef to watch!

James Syhabout

Plumpjack Cafe’s Hot Young Chef

Chefwatch: Where are you originally from?
James: I am originally from a small province in Thailand northeast of Bangkok called Ubonratchanee.

Chefwatch: How did you get started cooking?
James: I got started cooking at a really young age by trying to help my mother prepare supper for the family.

Chefwatch:Who or what is your main culinary inspiration?
James: My mother of course, it was in her kitchen where it all started.

Chefwatch:How does that translate into what you are doing now?
James: My mother taught me the importance of kitchen culture, both professional and home kitchens should be pleasurable because that is the true reason why we cook for a living.

Chefwatch: You must have dreamt about your restaurant before you opened it. How does the reality match up with the dream that you had?
James: I have yet to open my restaurant but I realize in reality it is much tougher and I will have to make compromises.

Chefwatch:What keeps you going day after day and keeps you fresh?
James: The constant battle of trying to achieve perfection; it can be perfecting a recipe, technique or sourcing immaculate ingredients.

Chefwatch: What is your favorite ingredient?
James: Any ingredient that has a licorice note such as fennel and Pernod.

Chefwatch: What is the most memorable meal you’ve ever created?
James: Making dinner for the family without my mother’s helps, at the time I was 13 years old.

Chefwatch:What is the most memorable meal you’ve ever eaten?
James: My first meal at an Alain Ducasse establishment, it was a rich experience in every way imaginable.

Chefwatch:Who is your favorite chef or place to eat?
James: My favorite places to eat are the small ethnic places where it is all about the food and nothing else matters, just good wholesome food.

Chefwatch: What was the most challenging time in your career?
James: Now….as my first shot as the top toque the kitchen there is a lot of pressure I put on myself. It is a very huge challenge day in and day out.

Chefwatch: If money, time and manpower were no object what menu would you create?
James: It would be a simple menu, I would find the best and unique ingredients and apply minimal technique to allow the product to truly shine.

Chefwatch:What one piece of advice would you give to cooks who are just starting out that you wish somebody had told you?
James: Traveling is a must and do it sooner than later.

Veal Sweetbreads with Toasted Curry Spices

Chefwatch: What piece of advice would you give to home cooks out there?
James: Do not ever take shortcuts, the lack of care and attention will always show in the final product. Take the time and care, you will thank yourself in the end.

Chefwatch: Any future plans that you would like to share with us?
James: To be self employed and start my own brand.

Read James Syhabout’s recipe for Veal Sweetbreads with Toasted Curry Spices