Mentee-ing, continued...

I think about cooking

Following last week's post, I have been pondering the influence that other people have had on my life and career. I have decided to write about some of the Chefs and food people who directly or indirectly played a role in pushing me along, despite my occasional reluctance, toward nearly 40 years of cooking, kitchens, and amazing food.

Because of my very positive experience at Mr. B’s Bistro in New Orleans, I later learned, through the urging of my chef, Gerard Maras, that the position at An American Place in New York had become available to me. I luckily found myself under the tutelage of Chef Larry Forgione.

If James Beard was the grandfather of American Cooking, Larry was the godfather. The Farm-to-Table movement, sparked by Alice Waters in California, was being played out on the East Coast by a band of cooks, foragers, fishermen, and farmers. Larry was the leader, and his hands were in all things local and seasonal. Rumor has it that he hunted morels and foraged lamb’s quarter and purslane in Central Park. The OG Chef.

He, unlike Gerard, rarely worked the line, but would pop into the kitchen at just the right time to instruct, question, and ponder what each of us was working on. It was a great first job right out of Culinary School. Everyone was eager to pick his and Executive Sous Chef Richard D’Orazio’s brains. The kitchen was competitive and occasionally a bit cut-throat, but the food was inspiring.

Larry was a culinary wizard whom I had admired for his passion and devotion to cooking the best ingredients, using the best techniques, and plating amazingly delicious food. I had been working there for about a week, and a butter-poached lobster salad with asparagus salad was on the menu. It was a struggle for me to get the salad to “stand up” with the weight of the lobster claws and knuckle meat, plus the long, tender asparagus spears. He would suddenly appear right behind me and pluck, pose, and position each lettuce leaf to build an invisible foundation upon which the other ingredients could rest and shine.

He had offered all his cooks the chance to create a special. The catch was that we had to meticulously describe the components and techniques involved, as well as draw an accurately colored picture of the presentation. I grabbed some colored pencils and focused on what I had learned in New Orleans, tempered by the words of wisdom from Chef Gerard, and on the ingredients that were at their best during the early spring season.

I submitted an idea for an appetizer that I could turn out from the pantry, utilizing products on hand, and then I waited. Larry came back to me a week later and asked me to make it for him.

Blackened Tuna Medallions with Cucumber Noodles and Cilantro Beurre Blanc was a special the next night. It was even mentioned as a highlight in a restaurant review of An American Place by Seymour Britchky. I was proud of my creation, but what I remember most was how proud and pleased he was with the effort I put in. He instilled in me the critical thinking required to push my creativity to a reality AND a profit. It has stuck with me ever since.

BBQ SHRIMP to go with last week’s post. Recipe for Paid Subscribers only.

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