His and Hers Chefs
Not wanting this to sound too much like Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, I think we can all agree that men and women can sometimes have drastically different preferences in the preparation and flavors used in cooking their food.
I was also reminded last weekend at Chefs Classic that the same
is true in the Chef's each sex tends to gravitate towards and the reasons they do.
Trust me, it has very little to do with a Chef's culinary point of view,
or their technical skills and much more to do with the person under the
white jacket and behind the title or pedigree.
This could not have been more clear to me than to the two camps my
husband (that's him in all black on the other side of Bob Merrigan the person in charge of Chef's Classic for Harvesters) and I fell into after attending a social dinner with all of the
Chefs that were in town visiting for the Chefs Classic on
Saturday night, which then rolled into the actual event on Sunday night.
I went into this event . . .and bought my tickets for five reasons:
1) To support Harvesters.
2) To have a chance to say goodbye to Executive Chef, Celina Tio, as this was her last public event as the Executive Chef of The American.
3) To meet the brand new Executive Chef at The Herbfarm in Woodinville, WA - Keith Luce, who has some rather large shoes to fill at The Herbfarm, which is considered one of the many Foodie meccas in the US.
4) To meet Howard Hanna the Executive Chef of the multi-millionaire
supper club in KC called The River Club and whose previous experience
at Room 39 and 40 Sardines makes him a person of interest.
5) To cheer Jonathan Justus,
owner and Executive Chef of Justus Drugstore, on at his first public
event in Kansas City outside the comfort of his four walls in Smithville.
I fulfilled my #1 desire, with the purchase of my tickets to the
event, and #2 I had a chance to do in person at Celina's house on
Saturday night when she hosted all of the out of town Chefs there for a
cocktail hour. I made chocolate to give to her, not sure
how to celebrate the new chapter in her life, but chocolate seemed like
a start.
Luckily, I got a chance to fulfill #3 when I sat next to Executive Chef Keith Luce, at dinner on Saturday night. As we talked at length with the other guests about any number of food and non-food related
topics, I was struck at how thoughtful and confidently soft-spoken Keith came across. Approachable, handsome, intelligent and clearly accomplished with a
sophisticated edge to him. He knew his point of view and his mind.
No need for bling and flash with him, his subtle "school-boy" charm and deadpan honesty were dazzling enough. His manners definately old school. I was surprised and pleased to discover the highly
perceptive man behind the white coat. I couldn't wait to try his food
at the dinner the next night, I was sure it would be as thoughtful as he
was in person. He was a Chef women would love.
After dinner, we all went out for drinks, and that's when my husband and I had a chance to talk to Executive Chef/Co-Owner Mike Lata from F.I.G. (Food is Good) in Charleston, SC My husband was instantly taken with Mike Lata.
He is hard to miss. With a quick wit and handsome face, you instantly
feel entertained with him in your presence. With sharp insight into the
kitchen culture and a simple but irrefutable position on local, fresh
food he cuts a mean culinary figure. Every skirt that blew by the table caught his eye and between that and his love of riding motorcycles he quickly earned a culinary bad boy label. My
husband's take on Lata was he thought he was a "man's man" and couldn't
wait to eat his food the next day at the dinner. When I probed him
further he said he thought Mike's approachability in person would
translate to simple, good gourmet food a man would not have to worry
about which fork to use to eat it. Gotcha! He was a Chef men would love.
At the dinner on Sunday night, we both had to confess that all of the Chefs really outdid themselves - all of the dishes were excellent. Here was the menu run down:
Hors d' Oeuvres and Barefoot Bubbly, NV - Being fashionably late, we missed this celebration that was prepared by Dan Swinney of Lidia's and Eddie Allen of the Ameristar Casino.
First Course: Tuna "Nicoise" Terrine served with Borgo Conventi Sauvignon Blanc, Friuli, Italy, 2005 prepared by Executive Chef Joseph Hafner, Gracie's Restaurant, Providence RI.
Second Course: Crispy Softshell Crab served with St. Clair Vicar's Choice Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand 2007 prepared by Executive Chef Howard Hanna, The River Club, Kansas City, MO.
Third Course: Asparagus and La Quercia Heirloom Culaccia served with Frei Brothers Chardonnay, Russian River Valley 2006 prepared by Executive Chef/Owner Jonathan Justus, Justus Drugstore, Smithville, MO.
Fourth Course: Pate of South Carolina Chicken Livers served with Luca Chardonnay, Mendoza, Argentina 2006 prepared by Executive Chef, Mike Lata, F.I.G., Charleston, SC.
Fifth Course: Porcini Stuffed Breast of Guinea Hen served with Abadia Selecion Especial, Sardon de Duero, Spain 2002 prepared by Executive Chef/Owner Roberto Donna, Bebo Trattoria, Washington D.C.
Sixth Course: Crispy Anderson Ranch Breast of Lamb served with Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma 2005 prepared by Executive Chef Keith Luce, The Herbfarm, Woodinville, WA.
Seventh Course: Chocolate Covered Cherry Bomb served with Quinta do Noval LB Vintage Character Port, NV prepared by Pastry Chef Nick Wesemann, The American Restaurant, Kansas City, MO.
After eating Keith's food, I found like him, it did not disappoint. The many different flavors on the plate melding effortlessly together to form a whole. Even my husband had to confess that it was an excellent piece of lamb, cooked to perfection. And after eating Mike's food, I admitted it was one of my favorite courses. It was outrageously simple looking, powerfully flavorful and in the end quite decadent. On the food front the he said/she said debate had to be put to rest, as they both are talented Chefs.
The night of great food and wine ended with a bang, as my husband won a dinner with his new culinary idol Mike Lata at F.I.G. in Charleston, SC. And I had the pleasure of partying into the night with the Chefs at Harry's in Westport. I also had a chance to meet up with Howard Hanna #4, at the after-party where we had a chance to play catch up, and I also spotted Jonathan Justus #5 who mysteriously went missing at the event when his name was called to come take a bow. I heard later that he was having a rough night. His dish was delicious from where I sat that night, but I guess this is just another reminder that Chefs are real people too.






















