The Mad Chef of M Street: The Bobs

Thursday, February 26, 2009

The Bobs

Wednesday...

First off I need to take a moment to wish The Brain a happy birthday, that old fucker. He has a new born baby, a wife, nice home, and now he has more grey hairs then he can count. Good for him...

Day 3 without a chef, interesting would be an understatement. It almost reminds me of when I opened Acadiana, or Zola. This Quality Assurance guy that I considered to be one of the 4 Horseman really isn't that bad after all, at least not yet. I really haven't been able to disagree with anything he has said thus far, and on top of everything he is actually helping me with changing everything I wanted to change 2 years ago upon arriving here. I have cleaned more in the past 3 days then any other time here.

Not really, but it is the way him and I are going about changing and consolidating items in the restaurant. Putting everything into its proper place, or at least putting like items together. I wish his name was Bob, because he reminds me of the characters from Office Space, you know, the guys that came in and evaluated every employee. This guy is doing the same thing, maybe that's why I am on my best behavior, LOL.

Even so, I do like what he has brought to the table thus far. The only thing that concerns me is when will I receive my day off? I am missing a wedding this weekend for some very important friends, I have an engagement party to cater Sunday for my produce vendor, then I walk in here at 6am Monday to do my first inventory of this place. 6am, like I will be in this kitchen before its light out and who is going to be here to close the doors at 10pm? No one but myself, and I wont bitch about it aloud because I know what good it will do. NONE.

Sometimes its hard to step into a role like this where every employee is looking at me for the next move. The past 3 days my staff has seen a small turnaround in me which has rubbed off nicely on most of them When they see me cleaning, they follow suit. When they see me organizing stuff they never took the time to care about, they too begin to take care of things as well. Something tells me it should have always been this way......

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Chef James Chase

At the age of 12, James Chase heard the call of the culinary arts in the simple form of bacon and eggs. Whether it was for his parents or his friends and their parents, who were happy to have him stay over in order to sample his art, this dish launched him from a curious teenager to a quizzical student, and now, to a chef of the highest quality.

Born and raised in suburban Hyattsville, MD, a stones throw from Washington, DC, James attended high school at the prestigious DeMatha Catholic High School, and found himself in small, local Italian restaurant washing dishes. From the bottom he began his journey to the top. He was accepted into Johnson and Wales University for the culinary arts and began his studies.

Knowing that study without practice was under serving, James sought out employment under Chef Eric Pickens of Classic Catering, and delved deeply into the art and efficiency of catering to large crowds with food of the finest quality. Chef Pickens was impressed with James’ work and dedication and referred James to his friend, 1995 Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington’s Chef of the Year Bill Jackson of the Carlysle Grand Café in Arlington, VA.

While still in school, Chef Jackson took James under his wing, and was able to show him the enormous responsibilities of being a modern chef, from managing the multimillion dollar business to perfecting the smallest garnish. Under the tutelage of Chef Jackson, he was able to experience that which he was being taught in culinary school, preparing him for life as a culinary artist.

Soon James moved across the border into Northwest DC to work for former kitchen supervisor at the White House Chef Ron Reda, a favorite of famed Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema, at Shelley’s West End. As sous chef, James got the opportunity to help develop the menu and manage the kitchen for the first time, learning not only the technical duties of the position, but the ethics that drive him to this day: keeping a clean kitchen, using only the freshest ingredients and leading by example.

James moved on to expand his culinary knowledge by spending time at Zola, the fashionable café beneath Washington’s chic National Spy Museum. Under French-trained Chef Philip Carroll, former executive chef at the famed Cerise at Le Meridian Hotel in Chicago, James got to learn and experience the attention to detail and delicate nature of French cuisine.

Later, James worked at Chef Todd English’s Olives in midtown DC, under one of his most trusted assistants, Steve Maneno. Exploring the roots of Mediterranean cuisine and expanding upon his prior knowledge, James was able to add a new geographical twist to his repertoire while earning the respect and admiration of two of the city’s finest chefs.

That respect came calling when he was asked to join the staff at another of DC’s more prestigious haunts, DC Coast. Known for having the best seafood in town, James was able to learn from the highly rated Chef Jeff Tunks and Chef de Cuisine Andy Brooks. Chef Brooks took James’ cooking to another level, infusing the knowledge and usage of local and simple ingredients to create fresh masterpieces with seasonal variety. James was so well regarded at DC Coast, he was asked to help start Chef Tunks’ fourth DC restaurant, Acadiana.

The Washington Post in April 2007 raved about James’ Wahoo special:

Another night's wahoo -- ah, that daily delivery -- was also served just as requested, one minute on the light side. Topped with a roasted tomato sauce (with a surprise kick of chili) and sided with a slightly sweet gingery polenta, it was one of the nicest and least showy seafood entrees in several months.

James sees food as a personal interaction from chef to diner, and continues to implement his mantra of fresh ingredients presented in an exquisite fashion, simple as his bacon and eggs all those years ago.

The Mad Chef of M Street

Thursday, February 26, 2009

The Bobs

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Chef James Chase

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