Dig in ...

To The Psyches Of Local Culinary Virtuosos

The chefs we interviewed all have at least two refrigerators. The most honest of them will tell you there is a food fridge and a beer fridge. We picked the brains of food geniuses who live and work in our neighborhood to learn what else — if anything — they have in common.

Bekavac

When Jeff Bekavac steps onto the front porch of his Lake Highlands home — clean shaven, smiling sweetly and looking years younger than his 35, with 5-monthold baby Bowen on his hip and a rotund, drooling bulldog named Basil at his feet it is hard to imagine him ever becoming one of those egocentric prime-time chefs, much less taking a swing at one. For a decade or so (aside from a brief stint as a Central Market chef) he’s worked alongside Nick Badovinus — the chef whose company, Flavor Hook, includes Off-Site Kitchen, Tried and True, Town Hearth and Neighborhood Services (with three locations), where Bekavac reigns as executive chef. His name did pop up amid some minor chef-on-chef controversy after D Magazine led a feature story with an anecdote about a reported late-night row involving polarizing chef John Tesar, Badovinus and Bekavac. But that only served to add a hint of spice to his otherwise clean repute. His smoked sausage in 2012 and 2013 received rave reviews from judges presiding over Meat Fight, a National MS Society fundraiser that has raised $70,000 in its two years. Basically, despite his down-to-earth front, he’s a big deal.

What’s in your fridge at home?

Leftovers from the Memorial Day party. Brian Luscher’s hot dogs. He is a neighbor. [Luscher owns The Grape and Luscher’s Post Oak Red Hots hot dog line and was featured in a past Advocate article]. For the party I did dips, dogs and drinks. There’s a smoked salmon platter from TJ’s Seafood. I’ve been friends with owner John Alexis since I was in high school. He brought me the salmon. He’s a great guy. I always have yogurt. My wife makes these super-tasty little key lime pies. Those are in there. Tequila pops in the freezer I have a lot of beer in the beer fridge.

What kind of beer is in the beer fridge?

I am a big Lakewood Brewery fan. Not just saying that because it’s local. Lakewood Lager and Till & Toil is a staple. Lots of Lone Star. Classic. There are a lot of Capri Suns. My wife is going to kill me for showing y’all this. [Offers tour of beer fridge].

What does your wife do for a living?

She is an emergency room nurse at Parkland. That is why we have Carmen [the sitter] to watch Bowen. Sometimes when I am complaining — like, ‘oh my gosh, this dummy burned a burger’ — she’ll say, ‘I helped a guy whose arm was cut off.’ It puts a lot of things in perspective.

Where do you grocery shop?

Still loyal to Central Market, where I worked for about a year and a half. I go to Whole Foods on Preston Royal; it’s so close for me, but other than that I will hit the Tom Thumb.

Must-have items in home kitchen?

Peanut butter. Not like fancy peanut butter. Jif extra crunchy. Always. Oatmeal because I eat it every morning. No particular brand. Horizon milk. Nutella. Blue Bell Vanilla. I have a sweet tooth.

Essential kitchen gadget?

My KitchenAid mixer because you use it for so many things, whether making pasta, using it as a meat grinder or baking with it. That and my zester. I use it a lot for cheese, chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg ...

What is your guilty-pleasure food?

Spaghetti and meatballs. Pasta. I could eat it every meal of the week. No glutenfree, carb-free for me. It was a staple that my mom made. That and peanut butterjelly sandwiches.

If you could cook for any person –dead or alive – who would it be and what would you make them?

Oh, man. That is a tough question. You know what? I know it sounds, eh, but I would cook for my grandparents, because I think that they would be really happy with what I have done. I would make them a big steak, mashed potatoes and probably a big chocolate cake — simple, classic.

Favorite restaurants?

I love Brian Luscher’s The Grape; Cane Rosso, a go-to for pizza; Goodfriend, 20 Feet and Good2Go Taco. When my wife is not working, she loves to cook dinner, so we do eat at home a lot. Sundays we will have brunch — I love Crossroads Diner. I am a big fan of sandwiches. I’ll go anywhere that has a good sandwich.

The perfect sandwich?

Probably nice toasted sourdough from the Village Baking Company — they do our bread, and I love that sourdough. Mustard. Spicy. Crispy smoked bacon, fresh tomato, lettuce, avocado, and depending on my mood, a fried egg.

When did the fried egg start getting put on everything?

I don’t know. But I love it. It gives food such a richness and when you get that yolk it’s like instant mayonnaise, another topping, so versatile. My wife absolutely hates the egg.

TV shows?

I don’t watch a lot of cooking shows. I do watch Parks and Rec. When we did Meat Fight, Ron Swanson was a judge. I love him. I watch ‘Game of Thrones,’ but I am behind so don’t tell me. I like Boardwalk Empire and Mad Men — mostly shows that run Sunday nights because that is when I am home — and I like HGTV.

What are your thoughts on the cooking shows?

Well, I guess I like Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, because it is a simple formula that he uses every time. All the shows are the same. It is funny to watch the people and the drama. I enjoyed the crazy lady from Phoenix last year who went viral; that was a riot. There are people out there that are just nuts. But generally I don’t watch a lot of food TV.

I try to decompress. Now the DVR is full of the entire Bravo network lineup, for my wife. Real Housewives kind of thing.

Well, she works in the Parkland ER. She needs to decompress too, right? Absolutely. She definitely needs to decompress.

Favorite sports teams?

Anybody will tell you, I am a huge college football fan. A&M. College football is my favorite thing in the entire world but all the Dallas teams. I grew up in Coppell in the mid-’90s, so Cowboys — I went to school with coaches’ kids. Stars, Mavs, Rangers, I love them.

Ideal vacation?

We went to St. John’s last summer with my wife’s family. We want to go back. Going to a beach. On our honeymoon we went to Zihuatanejo

The beach in Shawshank?

Yes. It is an old fishing village. Looks beautiful, just like in the movie.

Anywhere you would travel just for the cuisine?

Spain and Italy are the top two I would like to visit.

For the spaghetti and meatballs?

Ha ha. Exactly. No, but I love to just study the flavor profiles in the different regions.

Worst food trends right now?

Food is so interesting now because people are so infatuated with food, but everyone is a critic. It’s not a trend in cuisine, but the food world — the people cooking the food, the others, the bartender, servers — are subject to everyone on the internet with an opinion.

The Yelpers? They can hurt.

What bothers me, the hardest thing, is when they don’t say anything to you when you have a chance to fix it, and they go write something. If you are not happy with something, you don’t have to be a jerk. Allow us to fix the problem. I think sometimes the people posting don’t realize they are writing about humans. Everyone has an opinion on food, though. It can be like politics. Politics, religion, food. —Christina Hughes Babb

You probably wouldn’t know it if you ran into him at our local Asian grocery store, but Roger Kaplan is a kitchen legend. In the ’80s and ’90s he was a quintessential celebrity chef, sporting wild, curly hair and appearing in classic cooking programs such as “Great Chefs, Great Cities” and numerous news shows, magazine features and cookbooks. He attended the Culinary Institute of America; landed the pastry chef post at The Ritz in D.C.; launched the iconic Old Ebbitt Grill near the White House as executive sous chef and later executive chef; and opened Atlanta’s City Grill, which, as owner and chef, he molded into a five-star, Beardaward-winning establishment. Later he worked as a corporate chef to some 50 restaurants, training, consulting and creating menus for companies across the country. He joined Boston Market in the business’s infancy (“they were making real food, good food, and were like little gourmet grocery stores at the time,” he says), learning all about the manufacturing of food, before taking a position with Ruth’s Chris steakhouse in Dallas, where he turned his attention to frontof-the-house operations, rounding out his knowledge of the industry. Today Kaplan works mostly behind the scenes, owning shares in multiple restaurants, and creating menus and advising restaurateurs through his company, Restaurant Innovations. Much of his gastronomic alchemy occurs inside his Lake Highlands home’s kitchen.

What’s in your refrigerator right now?

Some products for restaurants I work with but that I cannot mention [there are confidentiality agreements with some of the restaurants he consults]. Ten to 12 hot sauces. Some things from my garden — herbs — cider, beer, homemade pastrami, prosciutto, cheeses, avocado.

What type of beer?

Negro Modelo, Fireman 4, Lawnmower.

What are the essentials that you must always have on hand?

Extra virgin olive oil, garlic, shallots, fresh herbs, vinegars, citrus — lemon, limes, grapefruit — for flavor, a whole library of spices and grains, lentils, flax, hemp. I am into making vegetable protein shakes right now, for our health. My wife, Carolyn, and I have started working out at Peak Zone Fitness. I’ve lost about 15 pounds. She had cancer [years ago] — lost a lot of weight, put on a lot of weight. She is in the best shape ever now. We love it. We force each other to work out and eat right. I am also making protein bars.

Where do you buy your groceries?

I am all over the Asian markets. I like H Mart in Richardson. I love La Michoacana meat market — there’s one right up the street on Walnut Hill. Sometimes Central Market or Whole Foods, depending on what I’m doing. I also like the Herb Mart in Medallion Center — for hemp seeds and hearts, chocolate hibiscus. It is great.

OK, you’re into health food now, but what’s your go-to comfort food?

Well, any old chef will tell you all good food is comfort food. You can see it in trends around Dallas that we keep veering back to comfort food — you’ve got the Blind Butcher, sausages, steak, potatoes, mac and cheese is back. All humans are driven by salt, sugar and lipids. That is why we want potato chips. That is why we want ice cream for dessert — sweet and fat. For me, what are the ultimate comfort foods? Soup dumplings, onigiri, which is a Japanese food — triangle- shaped rice with fish or plumbs in them they are the most comforting thing. In fact, when we came back on the plane, we brought them with us so we could avoid the airplane food. We also like mashed potatoes, pizza

Favorite pizza place around here?

We probably eat at Grimaldi’s more often than anywhere else. They seem to be more consistent with the type of pizza I grew up on, up north.

What’s your most essential gadget in your home kitchen?

Right now, other than a stove, it is my Anova re-thermalizer. This is a sous vide pressure cooker. [Sous vide works by regulating the temperature of water so that the food cooks very slowly. The water is held at the same precise temperature until the food is cooked through, and allows the inside and outside to cook together].