Home Food & Wine Food Wine 2005 Meet Northside's Top Chefs...

Meet Northside's Top Chefs...

Written by Susan Dyer Reynolds

Wednesday, 31 August 2005

Roland Passot has mellowed considerably since he opened his restaurant on Polk Street nearly 20 years ago. Nowadays he’s a family man loving every minute of watching his children grow, but never far away from his first child, La Folie. Talk to employees past and present and they will tell you a Jekyll and Hyde story that Passot readily admits is true. “When I started La Folie in the 80s, I was awful. I was a yeller, abusive, a pain in the butt,” he says, shaking his head, “It’s sort of like being an abused child who grows up to abuse.” He began his American career at Le Fran&ccedilais near Chicago, considered at the time to be the finest French restaurant in North America, and he credits renowned chef Jean Banchet with bringing him from France and giving him the opportunity of a lifetime. But he also says that Banchet started every service yelling. “One day he threw a lamb loin, hot out of the oven, in my face,” Passot recalls. “We had a boxing match! Later he called me into his office, he didn’t say a word—we shook hands, and he never yelled at me again. Until this day I don’t remember what I did to make him so mad.” Passot finally saw that his behavior was making the staff and even patrons in the dining room tense, with a little help from his wife, Jamie. “Everyone was afraid,” he says, “and one night my wife had enough and she said, ‘You go out and take a walk and calm down!’ I did—I went out in the alley and yelled and got it all out.” Chatting over a glass of sparkling water in the middle of the afternoon it’s hard to imagine the un-mellow Passot as his bright blue eyes twinkle and his lilting French accent sucks you in even though you don’t think it will. But one thing that hasn’t mellowed is his desire to mentor the young chefs who work at the restaurant. “I don’t just teach them about cooking, I teach them discipline and the importance of a clean workstation,” he explains. “I know where to look, and I know they don’t look where I look. They want to go have a drink after work, and I pull out the cooler…” A devilish grin sweeps over his face as he stands up, buttons his chef’s coat, and heads into the kitchen. ROLAND PASSOT Restaurant: La Folie Born in: Lyon, France Who or what was your biggest cooking influence? Jean Banchet (chef/owner of Le Fran&ccedilais in Wheeling, Illinois) because he was a perfectionist. He brought me from France to Chicago. He was my mentor. Why did you become a chef? When I was a little kid, I used to come home after school and lift the lids off the pots to see what was cooking. I was already a gourmand! In the early 70s, they put kids who weren’t good in school in the kitchen. It wasn’t glamorous—you still had to bring coal up from the basement to heat the stove. It was messy. But I loved it. I went to school and apprenticed for chefs at the same time, including Jean-Paul LaComb at Leon de Lyon. When I was 19 I became the chef de cuisine at Pierre Orsi. Proudest cooking or restaurant moment? Opening and reopening La Folie! When we opened, it was me, my wife, and $45,000. No investors. It was real. This was a little French bistro called La Camargue in the 80s and the owner, Jean-Baptiste Lorda, wanted $190,000. I said I wanted to put $45,000 into it—but I didn’t want the “hay and horses” interior! He became my banker. Opening and reopening La Folie was like having a first and a second child. I love seeing people happy here, and seeing it grow from a little bistro to what it is today. Favorite ingredient? Depends on the season—I love fresh peas, baby carrots, peaches, cherries. But my kitchen would say I am a tomato freak. Least favorite ingredient? Red bell pepper. It’s okay cooked, in a ratatouille or a sandwich, but raw it’s too strong and it takes over everything. Also, lavender. I don’t mind it as a garnish—I use it as a skewer with shrimp—but not in ice cream or sauces. It tastes like soap. If you weren’t a chef, what would you be? A fashion designer [smiles] for women. CHEFS WELL DONE GARY DANKO Restaurant: Gary Danko Born in: Massena, New York Who or what was your biggest cooking influence? The three M’s—Mom, Mabel, and Madeleine. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with my mom as a kid, and Mabel was the chef at this country inn where I was a hatcheck boy when I was 12 years old. She was doing really high-quality country cooking even then. And, of course, Madeleine Kamman. Her book The Making of a Cook was a huge inspiration, and even though I got my formal training at the CIA, I became the cook I am today because of studying with Madeleine. Why did you become a chef? I love to eat and I love to please people. The restaurant business is nurturing. My dad was a builder and I would go with him to job sites—I hated getting dirty. With cooking, you get dirty, but you get to eat. And getting dirty as a builder is not the same as getting dirty with cocoa powder. Proudest cooking or restaurant moment? When I was young and mastered decorating pies and cakes—the first time it looked professional. I remember bringing a pie home and my mom said, “Gary, you didn’t make that!” When she went to weddings, she would bring me a flower from the cake. I remember once she brought me this cala lily and I was amazed. I know it was just gum paste, but it was so realistic and beautiful. Favorite ingredient? Mushrooms. They’re like their own little flavor boats. You can stuff them, cook them under high heat, slice them, sauté them …And with mushrooms you have an instant sauce. They’re also high in umami, which is the fifth taste sensed by taste buds besides sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. Least favorite ingredient? Truffle oil. I hate it. I love truffles, but not the oil. You can smell it immediately when it comes to the table and it takes over the whole dish. Plus Italians have been able to reproduce it, so now sometimes it’s actually just an essence. If you weren’t a chef, what would you be? An opera singer. I love great voices. GEORGE MORRONE Restaurant: Tartare, Boca Born in: Jersey City, New Jersey Who or what was your biggest cooking influence? Jean-Louis Palladin. I had the chance to travel the world with him—Moscow, Jerusalem, Buenos Aires—and cook beside him. With Jean-Louis, I saw a sense of perfection. If it wasn’t perfect, he wouldn’t serve it. Why did you become a chef? I worked at a bakery in Maywood, New Jersey, from grammar school through high school. The owner of that bakery, John Kutrovacz, encouraged me to go to the CIA [Culinary Institute of America]. Proudest cooking or restaurant moment? When Jean-Louis told me that I would have earned two Michelin stars if I was cooking in France. That’s better than any review Stateside. Favorite ingredient? Citrus—it perks up flavors. And salt—you can’t cook if you don’t respect salt. I just returned from Spain and it was a palate-awakening experience. Paris is getting casual; Barcelona is way ahead. Morning tapas was sardines and apricot jelly. They are focusing on dishes that combine sweet, savory, and salty—I haven’t been that excited since the first time I ate at Chez Panisse with Alice Waters cooking. I love the idea of concentrating on three ingredients. . Least favorite ingredient? Truffle oil. It’s a handicap. It means you’re not thinking. If you weren’t a chef, what would you be? The captain of a fishing boat—something out on a boat. That’s my relaxation. I’ve also lived all over the world—Australia, Africa, France … so maybe a travel writer. JAMES ORMSBY Restaurant: PlumpJack Café, Jack Falstaff Born in: Oakland, California Who or what was your biggest cooking influence? George Morrone and Bradley Ogden Why did you become a chef? I was hungry. I like the never-ending experience of cooking. You can never learn it all. When I was a child, there were fruit trees where we lived, and I loved foraging for mushrooms. Food is an art form. Proudest cooking or restaurant moment? Getting three stars at PlumpJack. And when the Scorpions come to eat at my restaurants—I’ve become good friends with the band. And the fact that Willie Brown comes to Jack Falstaff twice a week for my fried chicken. Favorite ingredient? I like color—putting it on the plate, like chive blossoms and feathery herbs. It’s really a seasonal thing, like pomegranate seeds in the fall. Lately, I’m really into Spanish sherries and smoked paprika. And mushrooms are a passion since I grew up hunting them—I have five on the menu right now. Least favorite ingredient? Not so much a least favorite ingredient, but a least favorite month—January is boring because everything is green and brown. If you weren’t a chef, what would you be? Something in the arts. I need a medium to show the world what I do. I love the nurturing aspect of this job: teaching and cooking for people. But it’s a tough business, and it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. LUKE SUNG Restaurant: Isa, Lux Born in: Taiwan Who or what was your biggest cooking influence? The time I spent working with Julian Serrano at Masa’s and Sylvain Portay at The Ritz-Carlton Dining Room. Why did you become a chef? I always liked food. I was always involved in the family business. My dad owns Eric’s and my uncle has Eliza’s. All of our restaurants are named after our kids. Proudest cooking or restaurant moment? Being nominated by the James Beard Foundation as a Rising Star Chef in 2002 and 2003 for Isa. Favorite ingredient? Onions. They really enhance a sauce or a soup, but you shouldn’t be able to taste the onions, they should be integrated into the flavor. Least favorite ingredient? Okra. It’s just kind of slimy. If you weren’t a chef, what would you be? I think I’d like to be a restaurant designer. CHEFS MEDIUM RARE BEN DeVRIES Restaurant: Luella Born in: Ann Arbor, Michigan Who or what was your biggest cooking influence? Max Von Hartman, this old German chef at a ranch. He did 150 covers a night. I went to the ranch when I was 18 and it changed my life. He passed away, but he saw me get through culinary school and he was very proud. Why did you become a chef? Because it makes people happy. I think most chefs feel that way. We’re all insecure. But I’ve wanted this my whole life. One night at the dinner table when I was 6, I told my mother I would like to be a chef and have my own restaurant. Proudest cooking or restaurant moment? Feeding my grandma opening night of Luella. She’s 82 and still going strong, traveling the world. She’s also my biggest cooking influence after Max. Favorite ingredient? Limes. When I was 16, I spent six months in Paris. I remember going to a Caribbean restaurant that belonged to a friend of my mom who was from Martinique—that was the first time that I experienced bright flavors like that. Least favorite ingredient? Those tiny shrimp… bay shrimp. They have no flavor whatsoever. If you weren’t a chef, what would you be? In prison [laughs]. I had a lot of angst as a kid, but before I turned 18 I got turned around, thank goodness. If I wasn’t a chef? Probably construction, or maybe an architect. I really have no idea—I couldn’t be anything else. MICHAEL TUSK Restaurant: Quince Born in: Patterson, New Jersey Who or what was your biggest cooking influence? Working with Alice Waters at Chez Panisse and with Paul Bertolli at Oliveto. Why did you become a chef? I grew up around apple orchards and strawberry patches, when the East Coast was less developed. I just loved to cook. I came from a foodie family—we ate out a lot and my cousin cooked in New York City. We’d go to a museum and then out to a restaurant, so definitely those trips to the Big Apple were very influential. Proudest cooking or restaurant moment? Having family and friends come to Quince—seeing them eating, smiling, enjoying. It’s the kind of place where you can call ahead and I will prepare a special menu for a special evening, or you can come and have dinner once or twice a week. Favorite ingredient? Cardoons, artichokes… The thistle family. And I really like white asparagus. I love going to the Berkeley farmers’ market and getting things in season, the first of the year. That’s always exciting. I got the first shelling beans today. Least favorite ingredient? I don’t like truffle oil. It’s so late 80s. If you weren’t a chef, what would you be? I’m not good sitting at a desk. I collect photography, so I would have liked being a photographer. My family has pictures of me as a kid at the 1964 World’s Fair with Elsie the Cow, so I guess the food thing was there early on. CHEFS ON THE RARE SIDE SEAN O’BRIEN Restaurant: Myth Born in: Plattsburgh, New York Who or what was your biggest cooking influence? Gary Danko. I’ve been cooking 10 years, and nine of those were with Gary. I respect him so much. Why did you become a chef? I actually wasn’t sure I wanted to be a chef. I graduated from Santa Clara University with a marketing degree thinking I wanted to go into advertising. I was working at Bank of America and when the whole advertising thing didn’t pan out and I realized that I didn’t like the one-on-one public thing. With cooking, you’re behind the scenes. One day I was about to renew my subscription to Bon Appetit, and I had to decide if I wanted it for a year or the three-year option, which saves the most money. It dawned on me that if I wanted Bon Appetit at my door for three years, I was interested in cooking. I took the City College route for $13 a credit—I wasn’t a gambling man—but you get a good foundation. A lot of this job is about the hands-on experience. I think Gary would say that too. Proudest cooking or restaurant moment? It’s twofold: getting three stars because it was validating and being able to attract great staff. It was a gamble for them—I had Gary’s name behind me, but this is the first time I’m out on my own. I couldn’t do it without them. It’s not all about me and I want them acknowledged. It’s a team effort. Without a great staff, no restaurant could work. Favorite ingredient? I’m really liking shiso lately. You can’t use it in every dish, but it has a unique minty, basil taste. I like lemon grass and ginger too. I’m leaning toward lightening dishes and “global influences,” as Scott [Giambastiani] says. Least favorite ingredient? I’m not a big fan of eggplant. I guess I’ve had bad experiences with it. If you weren’t a chef, what would you be? We’ve got some eight-foot-tall heirloom tomato plants at home—after my luck with those, maybe a gardener. CHRISTOPHE HILLE Restaurant: A16 Born in: New Haven, Connecticut Who or what was your biggest cooking influence? Living and working in Europe—France, Italy, Spain. I got in a car accident that led to staying at a friend’s house in Liguria where I had some great eggplant … that sort of thing. Why did you become a chef? I was a picky eater as a kid, and then I started liking everything. The cooking thing just sort of evolved through a series of decisions, like going down a path. Proudest cooking or restaurant moment? Getting A16 off the ground and having it work. Favorite ingredient? Anchovies, and our house-made tuna—we buy ahi and salt, preserve it, jar it. Least favorite ingredient? Tarragon. If you weren’t a chef, what would you be? [I’d be] making cheese in the country. MATTIN NOBLIA Restaurant: Iluna Basque Born in: Anglet, France Who or what was your biggest cooking influence? My father. I grew up cooking with him from the time I was 5 years old. My family opened a restaurant when I was 7. The only time my brother wasn’t around was when we were cooking. Now he’s an architect. Why did you become a chef? I’ve wanted to be a chef since I was 5. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do. At 14 I went to culinary school, then worked around France with some big chefs for about four years. I wanted to travel, to see the world. My mom grew up with Gerald [Hirigoyen] and he said, “Come to San Francisco—I am opening a new restaurant called Piperade.” So I came to San Francisco and cooked for Gerald there. Proudest cooking or restaurant moment? I am very proud of having my own restaurant, so opening Iluna Basque. My friends said they wouldn’t have a business for a million dollars—they thought I was too young for all the responsibility, but I don’t think about age. The landlord said that I seemed mature, and he gave me a chance. We opened on February 23, 2004. I was 23. Favorite ingredient? I love asparagus—white, green—I love them. Least favorite ingredient? There is nothing I don’t like. Actually, tofu. If you weren’t a chef, what would you be? A model [smiles], or a fashion designer. MICHAEL SCHLEY & Lounge Born in: Valdesta, Georgia Who or what was your biggest cooking influence? My mom. That was the driving force. Even when I was little and watching Saturday morning cartoons, I was also watching Julia Child. Why did you become a chef? Once again it was a mom-influenced thing. I started out pre-med but my mom said, “Why don’t you become a chef? You love cooking.” It was a good decision—I get to do my hobby and get paid for it. Proudest cooking or restaurant moment? Walking into the kitchen at The French Laundry and also walking into the James Beard House kitchen. It was like walking into a church both times. And, of course, getting my first executive chef job at U Street. Favorite ingredient? Sherry vinegar. And truffle oil. I used it once with my girlfriend when I ran out of massage oil—now that’s a total aphrodisiac for a chef! Least favorite ingredient? Dill. If you weren’t a chef, what would you be? Homeless. Or I’d still be living with my parents, a 33-year old couch potato. I didn’t want to be anything else. But I guess I wouldn’t mind flying planes or driving a race car.

Last Updated ( Saturday, 12 January 2008 )