Top chefs have talented staffs behind them

PBN Staff

08/14/2011

Rhode Island’s food scene is like our state as a whole, a hidden gem with people and resources that shine as brightly as any of those in locales that receive much more of the spotlight. The Ocean State’s restaurants and markets are filled with chefs, restaurateurs, winemakers, growers and food manufacturers who excel at what they do, using methods and philosophies such as “farm-to-table” that are on the leading edge.
They are passionate about what they do, which comes in large part from being entrepreneurs. And like many other lines of work and the state as a whole, the food community sometimes does not receive the respect it deserves, particularly from the locals.
I spent a sweltering weekend in New York City recently broadcasting from an event called Meatopia, which is gaining attention on the national food scene. Known as “the Woodstock of meat,” this giant, outdoor cookout attended by hundreds of foodies brought celebrity chefs from all over the world to a riverfront park in Brooklyn. I was there with my radio partner, Creekstone Farms Black Angus Beef, to do a podcast edition of my talk show. Creekstone, which is found at a small number of local grocers and a few local restaurants, provided its product for several of the nearly 50 chefs to prepare.
Among the chefs, BBQ-ers and food manufacturers who made their way through a cloud of grill smoke to my broadcast location, I spoke to TV reality show “Top Chef Masters” winner Floyd Cardoz and finalist Naomi Pomeroy. Both are successful chef-restaurateurs, Cardoz in New York and Pomeroy in Portland, Ore. In talking with both of these chefs, I found something very familiar about their demeanor and philosophy, even though I was meeting them for the first time. Each came alone to talk with me, without handlers or entourage. They each chatted about creating their dishes to feed the multitudes who braved the 100-degree heat. Cardoz, who is from India, grilled whole goat, while Pomeroy braised beef cheeks to a pot-roast tenderness, then glazed them with Northwest cherries. It was as if I were talking to a favorite, local chef. This was a real insight into the skill level at which our Rhode Island chefs perform.
Both wanted to spend time talking about their business philosophy, which is where we really found common ground. Both emphasized as the secret of their success their respective restaurant staffs. Cardoz counted several of his employees who have worked for him for eight years or more. Pomeroy sang the praises of a sous chef back at her place in Oregon who she calls “her right hand.”
It was here where the connection to successful local restaurants was made. In any list of the most successful restaurants in our area, there would be a similar list of sous chefs, line cooks, hosts, servers and bartenders who have worked for the same chef owner for years. Travel up and down any of the state’s Restaurant Rows and talk to Bill Pinelli in West Warwick, Sylvia Moubayed of CAV, John Elkhay and his Chow Fun Food Group, Richard Sardella in Newport at Sardella’s, Christopher and Anthony Tarro of Siena, Brian Kingsford of Bacaro, Abby Cabral at Downcity and Lou Perella at Perella’s in Warren.
There are literally hundreds more that should be mentioned who have dedicated, passionate staffers from the front of the house to the kitchen whose faces are so familiar to regular customers from their years of service. And virtually any of the chefs at these restaurants and hundreds more that should be mentioned could step into the shoes of these two chefs who have achieved some measure of celebrity. It almost balances out a more typical, national media account of our state’s dining scene. In a recent issue, Coastal Living magazine – based in landlocked Birmingham, Ala. – had an article about what it referred to as America’s favorite seafood dives. This is one of the few food expressions that genuinely irks this writer. It is a pejorative term that real foodies avoid. Nevertheless, the listing was acceptable for who it included – Aunt Carrie’s, Blount Clam Shack and Flo’s Clam Shack. Of course there are others who should have been mentioned. And, the icing on the cake – or the tartar sauce on the clam – was that Flo’s was listed as a Portsmouth-based spot, while pictured was its main Middletown location.
Why not for the remainder of the summer take an evening and visit your favorite chef-owned restaurant? Or have a “tourist-in-your-own-backyard” experience by visiting an Ocean State restaurant you have read (or heard) about.
Even better, attend one of the several local tasting festivals that will be held around the state between now and September.
Our Rhode Island wineries host chefs and tasting events practically on a weekly basis. Experience the creativity and passion that we sometimes take for granted. &#8226

Bruce Newbury’s “Dining Out” food and wine talk radio show is heard Saturdays and Sundays on WPRV-AM 790 and stations throughout New England. He can be reached by email at
bruce@brucenewbury.com.

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