Symrise in-sight SeriesChef Interviews 2015

Symrise in-sight Chef Series

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Featured Chefs

Silvia Baldini, Strawberry & SageMelissa Denmark, Gracie’sJeffery McInnis, Root & BonePaul Kim & Ken Lo, Ice & ViceBen Hammond, CochonLouis Maldonado, SpoonbarKyle Knall, MaysvilleSother Teague, Amor Y Amargo Sarah Rich, Rich TablePeter Kelly, Xaviars Restaurant Group

Symrise in-sight Chef Series

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Featured Chefs

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in-sight Chef InterviewsSilvia Baldini

FounderStrawberry and Sage

New Canaan, CTCLICK HERE to read Silvia’s full interview.

Silvia Baldini, founder of Strawberry and Sage, recently won a grueling 12- hour competition on “Chopped.” She is the first woman chef in CT to bring home a victory on the Food Network show with her award-winning sweet canederli dessert (think bread dumplings made with standard pantry ingredients).

Chef Baldini, who formerly had a career as an art director in NYC’s advertising world, is all about “chic and simple comfort” cuisine.

The name – Strawberry and Sage -- pretty much sums up her philosophy. Baldini says she wanted the moniker of her business to combine a bit of both worlds – the savory and the sweet – both of which she likes to use in her cooking.

Simple ingredients remain her starting point though she’s a big proponent of kicking things up a notch with interesting combinations. Among her go-to items: Mediterranean spices like Ras el hanout, za'atar, sumac, saffron and preserved lemons which add subtle flavor twists. For example, she likes to mix vanilla and scallop and lemon or use very tangy flavors to add sweetness. It’s as if, along with the pretty plate, you also get an unexpected surprise in each bite.

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in-sight Chef InterviewsMelissa Denmark

Executive Pasty ChefGracie’s

Providence, RICLICK HERE to read Melissa’s full interview.

Melissa Denmark admits she always had a passion for baking. Growing up in Columbia, Maryland, she would practice making chocolate chip cookies after school, almost daily. “I was always watching cooking shows and reading cookbooks,” she says. “Baking was in my bones and once I stopped and thought about it, a career in this industry seemed kismet.” She enrolled in Johnson & Wales University in 2006 and completed the Bachelor program in Baking and Pastry Arts. That included learning from many areas of the industry including a four-star hotel, small scale bakery, dairy farm, and cake shop. Following graduation, she began working at Gracie's and now spends everyday working on making memorable experiences for her guests through food.

The pastry chef, named one of Food & Wine’s “50 Best Pastry Chefs” and a 2014 StarChefs.com Rising Star, says she loves working with savory herbs and has fun taking something with a typically savory reputation and surprising people with a sweet application.

Trends she sees in the pastry world reflect the larger trends going on in the food world, namely a focus on foraging, preserving, and highlighting the Earth's bounty. Says Melissa: “It’s a trend that I hope grows and puts more people in touch with our roots.”

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in-sight Chef InterviewsJeffery McInnis

Executive Chef & PartnerRoot & BoneNew York, NY

CLICK HERE to read Jeffery's full interview.

Florida-born Jeffrey McInnis, a “Top Chef” Season Five winner, grew up surrounded by farm to fork food, both on the fishing boats he spent his youth on, as well as on his grandparents’ working Alabama farms. The Johnson & Wales Culinary School graduate has a 20-plus career spanning a variety of cuisines and cultures and he was nominated People’s Choice Best New Chef, Food and Wine Magazine 2011.

Now settled in NYC, Chef McInnis is continuing his Southern hospitality tradition with Root & Bone which he runs with his partner, Chef Janine Booth, of “Top Chef” season 11.

Symrise sat down with Jeffery and here’s what we found out:

Favorite Ingredients: Corn, Chicken, Olive Oil, Sea SaltOld Standby Ingredient: TabascoNew Favorite Ingredient: Espelette PepperSecret Spice/Ingredient Weapon: Cumin or CorianderWhat trends are you seeing in the kitchen/food world? Southern Food, Fried Chicken, Korean BBQAny new plans/ventures up your sleeve? Yes, a new menu launching in spring, as well as a great cocktail program!

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in-sight Chef InterviewsPaul Kim & Ken Lo

Ice & Vice is all about handcrafted ice cream, sorbet and frozen yogurt made in small, customized batches. Chef Paul Kim, one of the founders, is a savory chef who trained at Le Cordon Bleu and has worked in the food industry for a number of years. Ken Lo, on the other hand, works in finance and was never formally trained. Both attended the Ice Cream Short Course at Penn State, and the rest is history!

“We got into this because ice cream making was a hobby,” explained Ken. “We wanted to pursue something on our own outside of our normal jobs. We both love ice cream, and we thought, why not?”

The result is edgy, out of the box flavors like toasted milk ice cream swirled with sea salt chocolate ganache, nilgiri tea ice cream swirled with lemon charcoal caramel, green apple buttermilk, white chocolate, and shiso leaf, and Vietnamese coffee ice cream with doughnut truffle.

“When we're coming up with new flavors, we like to observe the latest food trends, and study flavor pairings. Some work, some don't. There are a lot of flavors that we experiment with that don't make it to market. It's all part of the process, and that's what makes what we do so fun.”

FoundersIce & Vice

New York, NYCLICK HERE to read Paul & Ken’s full interview.

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in-sight Chef InterviewsBen Hammond

Chef Ben Hammond’s pig-centric menu of traditional Southern and Cajun dishes at Cochon is “simple and straightforward”, allowing pork – his mainstay commodity – to do the talking.

“Pork is incredibly versatile, with a lot of uses,” he says. “It’s not your run-of-the-mill protein. There are so many cuts that offer a lot of complexity and flavor, which is why I enjoy cooking with it so much,” he says.

It’s all about respecting the pig and getting as many uses out of it as he can. “The pig gets killed for a reason; we want to make sure we are exhausting every option to use the whole animal,” he says. Which means pork shoulder for charcuterie, skin for crackling, head cheese from the head, and so on.

In keeping with age-old Southern practices, Chef Hammond is also big into pickling and fermenting. “I imagine that’s gotten popular within the culinary world but we’ve been doing it since Day One,” he says.

“We have a long story attached to Southern cooking and Southern traditions,” he adds. “I know that might sound corny but that’s the way it is. We like to think of ourselves as forward-thinking.”

ChefCochon

New Orleans, LACLICK HERE to read Ben's full interview.

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in-sight Chef InterviewsLouis Maldonado

Louis Maldonado, one of the top four finalists on Bravo’s Top Chef in 2014, has been called a “Rising Star” (by the San Francisco Chronicle and StarChefs) as well as an ardent supporter of the farm to table movement. At Spoonbar, he is known for partnering with local farmers—many of whom are also winemakers—to raise specialty vegetables, grains and livestock, all of which end up on his menu.

We caught up with him between shifts and here’s what we found out:

Favorite Ingredients: “I embrace everything when it comes to working with ingredients. I love cutting fish – it’s very calm and peaceful for me. Same goes with sauce making.”What kind of food do you eat when you’re off duty: “I love Mexican food. I could eat it every day, every meal.”What trends are you seeing in the kitchen/food world? “Trends are dangerous because you lose your honesty and transparency in what you are trying to offer to your guests. I believe you can't think for yourself and have your own individual ideas when you pay attention to trends.”What does it mean to be named a “Rising Star” by StarChefs? “I think it means to me that I have my life together at a young age and with more time to develop could be a driving force and voice in the industry.”

Executive ChefSpoonbar

Healdsburg, CACLICK HERE to read Louis' full interview.

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in-sight Chef InterviewsKyle Knall

Kyle Knall, a native of Birmingham, AL , has been cooking professionally since he was 16. He went from high school to culinary school in his hometown while also working in kitchens for legendary chefs. Post-graduation he moved to NYC and landed at Gramercy Tavern before moving onto Chef at Maysville, an American whiskey bar and restaurant in the Flatiron district.

Among the number one questions Chef Knall is often asked centers on ingredients: What does he use most? What does he like best? “The answer sounds like a cop out, I know,” he says, “But the reality is, it all depends on the season. I like to use what’s available and so that means now, in the dead of winter, we’re using a lot of squash.”

Spoken like a real southern chef, “Instead of using cognac or another kind of wine or spirit, we use bourbon,” he says of the Maysville style. He says it has a lot of depth and that he even uses it to de-glaze pans. “We like using bourbon to build flavors,” he says. That means roasting oysters, or sautéing with another ingredient like apple cider.

So what’s next on his plate? Chef Knall has just opened a new place, Kenton’s, in New Orleans, described as a bourbon and oyster restaurant.

ChefMaysville

New York, NYCLICK HERE to read Kyle's full interview.

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in-sight Chef InterviewsSother Teague

There isn’t a cocktail – or an ingredient -- Sother Teague doesn’t seem to know when it comes to mixology. If he’s not stirring, melding or experimenting, he’s talking about his favorite topic: Bitters. Asked why bitters enthrall him, he says: “My former career was as a chef. I have a tendency toward savory. Bitters and Amari are all relatively savory. It was a natural progression for me.

And though other ingredients move him, at Amor Y Amargo, he’s set some pretty stringent rules. “No juice, nothing house-made and we don't shake drinks,” he explains. “The only sugar we use is cane syrup and only for Old-Fashioned's. But, every offsite event I do, I'm getting into as much of the off limits stuff as I can.”

“We only stir at AyA so I'm always shaking and swizzling and rapid infusing when I’m out and about,” he says. “Basically, techniques I don't get to use.”

The biggest secret: He doesn’t even drink cocktails. He typically drinks things neat or simply on the rocks. “I try to enjoy the manors of the maker,” he says. “Also, I drink like I eat. First to the season, second to the occasion, and third to the atmosphere.”

Beverage DirectorAmor Y AmargoNew York, NY

CLICK HERE to read Sother's full interview.

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in-sight Chef InterviewsSarah Rich

Sarah Rich is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute after working in a few kitchens, she and her husband opened Rich Table in 2012. Soon after, in 2014, Sarah was included on Food & Wine‘s “2014 list of Best New Pastry Chefs” where she was described as “a genius at transforming familiar American desserts like s’mores, always adding a savory ingredient—fresh herbs, for instance—to balance out a bit of the sweetness.”

Symrise sat down with Chef Sarah to find out more:

How do you get your inspiration for your creations? “I really take inspiration from desserts that I have enjoyed in my past. I usually find inspiration from childhood favorites and go from there.”Any new ingredients or flavor combinations you are working with? “It's exciting as the seasons change to think of new ways to use fruits or vegetables in my desserts. I made a cherry tomato tarte tatin with white chocolate and basil sorbet that was really unexpectedly delicious.”What would people be surprised to know about the "sweet" side of the business? “How hard it is. Pastry is very specific, very scientific, it takes a delicate hand. It is just as challenging to develop a balanced, well-rounded dessert as it is to do the same with a savory dish.”

ChefRich Table

San Francisco, CACLICK HERE to read Sarah's full interview.

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in-sight Chef InterviewsPeter Kelly

Chef Peter X. Kelly, an Iron Chef Winner and self-taught chef, is known throughout New York State for promoting the foods of the Hudson Valley and for operating the most critically acclaimed restaurants north of Manhattan. His Xavier’s Restaurant Group includes Xavier’s at Piermont in Piermont, NY, The Freelance Cafe and Wine Bar, also in Piermont, Restaurant X & the Bully Boy Bar in Congers, NY and X2O Xavier’s on the Hudson in Yonkers, NY. Since the early 90’s Chef Kelly has also been a vintner. His wines at Xavier’s Cellars in Napa Valley have been applauded by the New York Times and Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

As for some of his favorite ingredients to work with, the answer is easy: Locally raised poultry like duckling, quail, pheasants and chickens raised not far from where his restaurants are located. What’s fresh and what’s in season have always given him his inspiration but he says “inspiration is everywhere.”

It seems like Chef Kelly has done it all. But what’s his newest adventure? Slovenia Vodka, produced in small batches entirely in Europe. “The quality is astounding as the water source is the Juliene Alps and we use a bit of buckwheat in the distillate which gives a richness and smoothness nearly unheard of in vodkas,” he explains.

FounderXaviars Restaurant Group

New YorkCLICK HERE to read Peter’s full interview.

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